Jan  1 more snow - Gunny's remote sits are being extended, when the short leash and choke
                            collar comes out........Gunny gets excited = enjoys the work
                                    note: half way through the OB lessons we switch to a long flexi-lead (see picture)
                                    note: in the living room Gunny will occasionally look me in the eye and start making
                                             low moans, quiet yips and extended growls as if he is trying to talk without
                                             barking - He will stop if I get after him or avoid eye contact (ignore him).  He    
                                             is developing a rather humorous vocabulary.
                          Interceptor    

                Jan 2-7 Gunny's OB is progress at an excellent rate, the heeling stick has been introduced and he
                           has accepted it without much concern & understands how to respond correctly, pressure
                           with it has been from light taps up to "snappy" slaps
                                     note: OB lessons are a daily event and consist of about 5-10 minutes (still a puppy)
                                     note: backward heeling is excellent on both sides including slow, stationary pivots
                                              clockwise and counter-clockwise = he is relaxed when doing it
                                     note: heeling both sides is excellent even when changing speeds dramatically
                                     note: all OB is done with a calm, quiet voice
                                     note: on remote sits the "look" command is going well
                                     note: remote sits are now being done using a Flexi-lead and tugging on it after the
                                              sit command has him remaining still until released with the here command,
                                              to vary the responses occasionally I will leave him on remote sit and return
                                              toward him to walk around him in different directions as a distraction, he now
                                              will remain on sit when I do this
                                     note: off front sits and remote sits Gunny will "here", wheel and sit to both sides, the
                                              step backward on the sit side is now only a half step now and his reaction to the
                                              hand signal is getting there
                                     note: the tugging to test remote sits and then on other occasions asking him to respond
                                              quickly to the "here" command off a remote sit was a little confusing for him at
                                              first, animation and visual approval of coming on the "here" command made it
                                              more clear to him
                                     note: Gunny is doing remote sits at the full length of the Flexi-lead while holding a
                                              bumper and practicing "here", wheel "sit" and "drop" the bumper in my hand.
                                              The reason this works with Gunny is he has always loved to carry around things
                                              in his mouth.  Therefore, I decided to use this to our advantage. First of all, it
                                              gives him some stimulating rewards for doing his OB. Secondly, it provides a
                                              huge step up on the "Hold" phase of "Force Fetch". Also, his focus during OB
                                              sessions has been enhanced. And lastly, it imprints the idea of willingly giving
                                              up a bumper by desensitizing the excitement and reducing anxiety.  "Drop"
                                              has been imprinted.
                                     note: all OB tools presently consist of being on lead with a choke collar (either a
                                              short 2' lead or the 16' Flexi-lead), the heeling stick is used in one segment of
                                              each OB lesson (still conditioning)
                                     note: a January thaw has removed all the snow and given us mud
                    Jan  8 rain today Gunny was 7 months old Jan 5th
                    Jan 9-10 OB exercises in the training room
                    Jan 11 Gunny had 6 hand throw Dokken singles - worked on being steadier at the line and
                               returning to a sit position for delivery = not especially impressive on the delivery
                    Jan 12 drove to Blonhaven Hunt Club and took Gunny for a long walk in area #1 flash pointed
                               two roosters on a fence line. That made him unable to give chase, but he sure did like
                               the scent. Later he made a brief point on anther rooster in the sorghum. It was on the
                               move and flew away so fast Gunny hardly knew what happened.

                  Jan 13 Gunny rode along to the Blonhaven Tower Shoot and basically had the
                              day off - did work on greeting other dogs on leash - many no bite corrections
                  Jan 14  regular OB session in the pool area - sharp
                  Jan 15  (morning) Gunny was enrolled in a Beginners OB class (lessons once a week for 8 weeks).
                              (afternoon) ran together with Taffey at Macktown DTA to work on interactions - Taffey was
                              working at teaching him to leave her alone - no biting or charging, negative reinforcement
                              with light e-collar nicks aided in the lesson, this was experimentally determined to be
                              effective with zero negative carryover, the pup associates it with something similar to the
                              other dog applying a correction making "biting and charging unpleasant and not fun"
                                     note: Gunny is now bigger than Taffey
                                     note: Gunny was thrown four short singles off a remote sit (he now sits smartly in
                                              the field in anticipating of a mark - not steady)
                                     note: time to start working on the "down" command  
                  Jan 16 (afternoon) repeat Gunny's run with Taffey at BT's DTA - did about five singles and let
                             him watch as Taffey did a few retrieves
                                     note: did a short OB routine before going to the field - grass was a strong distraction
                                              needs a lot more work on delivery, but at least he comes back with the Dokken
                                              every time and doesn't like to drop it.
                             (evening) did OB in the pool room - really getting good with the heeling position on both
                             sides (backwards, forwards and pivoting in place), remote sits are solid on the Flexi-lead
                                     note: down with treats was done and he is getting it (big improvement from yesterday)
                                     note: do some simple OB lessons outside tomorrow
                                     note: Gunny is really filling out and he has a different build than his sister Daisy...not
                                              as blocky as Taffey, but definitely closer to her than Daisy. Great looking head.
                                              The only negative is the curl in his tail.
                  Jan 17 - 22 bitter cold - below zero wind chill and now 8 inches of snow, Gunny rode along to the
                             vet's with Taffey on Monday the 21st = weight 59.8 pounds
                  Jan 23 Gunny's OB is getting really good, down is almost to the point of taking a hand cue, starting
                             to phase out the treats (used only on down)
                                     note: the one bad habit of bolting up stairs......which I should have corrected long ago,
                                              was taken on yesterday......first lesson was ugly......oxygen became an issue,
                                              today we went literally took one step at a time very slowly = better
                  Jan 24 Gunny's first formal Obedience Class - This went really well. Atmosphere was the focus and
                              he got plenty of that for a full hour. Gunny heeled well even with all the distractions and
                              seemed to take everything in stride. I had to use a few different words for commands, but in
                              general everything was fairly easy for him. His "downs" were very good considering we only
                              started working on it a week ago. The only "issue" we had was the instructor wanted us to
                              sit on the floor and pull the dog over on its back in our lap. Gunny tensed up and it took the
                              instructors assistance to get him to do it. He did not relax. Other than that he he was a lot
                              fun. His tail was wagging and he was happy. Everyone seemed to be big into treats. Gunny
                              was a little distracted by all the pieces on the floor.
                  Jan 25 Gunny is working on all the OB drills and doing remote downs (off leash) = super!
                                     note: Jan 25 started officially doing hold = first phase of FF, need to get him sitting still
                                              and not rolling the "buck" before going on, but he does not spit it out or drop it
                                              even on the move in OB drills = nice mouth and a natural 
                  Jan 26-27 Gunny worked his OB lessons, continued working on hold (sitting and moving)
                  Jan 28 Gunny has been carrying a bumper to and from each airing outside for over a month, in his
                             OB lessons he has done much with a bumper in his mouth = proofing hold is over
 

               the second phase of FF started this evening

                                     note: mild pinch, mouth opened and buck in = five times lesson over (good start),
                                              about 3 minutes
                                     note: all the "turn off pressure" experiences in other areas have paid off  
                                     note: it was much warmer this morning, all the dogs took an upland run with photos

                  Jan 29 Gunny had to be restrained from lunging for the bumper before a pinch, he knew what
                             was coming and was anticipating it........which means he was trying to avoid the pinch
                                     note: slowed way down and was very deliberate about the sequence of presenting
                                              the bumper along with the pinch
                                     note: he doesn't need much of a pinch (less than Daisy or Taffey) 
                                     note: two short sessions today about 5 minutes each
                                     note: more anxiety today, bumper not held quite as tightly (much like a second day
                                              might be expected), tapping the ends of the bumper firmed grip up 
                  Jan 30 Gunny was more "amped" today, lunging really hard (even against restraint) while being
                             pinched, again slowed down to try and get a rhythm to the "on off" switch routine
                                     note: he is a strong pup and bigger than my previous pups (older when starting FF),
                                              got a few spit outs right after taking the bumper, those were quickly corrected
                                     note: still having trouble NOT saying "no" or "good" = no sense in giving him any
                                              chance for miscommunication errors, at the moment he needs to just react
                                              properly to specific physical stimuli and one verbal command = the only
                                              reward is pressure ceases because the right thing is done, any "distractions"
                                              could be misinterpreted and several things are going on at the same time
                                     note: anticipation again was strong today, fewer pinches farther apart helped to
                                              reach some kind of a rhythm, about 8-10 minutes
                                     note: Gunny's attitude is very good, cheerful when finished but he does remember
                                              things. Today when we finished OB he went right over to where the FF gear
                                              was stored, he knew what was next. Tomorrow's lesson with be a lot more
                                              low key with fewer pinches = short and sweet (change of pace) in the morning
                                              because his OB class is tomorrow night 
                                     note: second session at around 11:30 pm was very short, slow paced and effective,
                                              about 5 minutes
                  Jan 31 FF session at 8:30 am, focused on quiet use of sit, fetch, sit, hold and drop with a pinch
                                     note: He will no longer lunge for the bumper every time he sees it. I can hold it out
                                              in front and he will wait for the pinch. He is now into the "on off" light switch
                                              mode. Restraint has him lunging with a longer pinch (not harder). Sit is now
                                              more readily taken because he is less anxious about what is going on. He is
                                              not pouting, trying to wheel away or turning his head to avoid my taking a
                                              hold of his ear. Basically, he wasn't throwing his weight around as much. He
                                              did spit the bumper out on one lunging fetch early on, but after that, the rest
                                              were solid. I threw in a few free ones, too. This was a good session, and he
                                              finished with a great attitude, about 7-8 minutes
                                     note: It didn't take a really hard pinch to get a yip out of him, trying to get just the
                                              right amount to convey the message, but he is not nearly as vocal as Daisy
                                              was (his full sister). This morning there were not many yips.
                             (evening) Gunny went to his OB class and was much more relaxed with the action,
                             heeling was better and down much better, the new lesson was working on the "stand"
                             command which for us was "whoa" = most everyone was struggling with this, but Gunny
                             was a natural as the "sling hold in place" technique was immediately effective
                                     note: "whoa" training for him is going to be very easy and it kind of shoots the
                                              theory that a dog taught to sit won't be very comfortable with "whoa"
                                     note: all the other dogs are so treat conscious they had a "special" exercise to
                                              teach leave it, a treat is put on the floor and it was difficult for most,
                                              Gunny was like......."What's that?"
                                     note: The most interesting part of the evening occurred when the instructor went
                                              around to each dog to do what is called a greeting exercise. This instructor
                                              has a couple of high powered OB dogs that have advanced AKC titles. He
                                              came toward Gunny and told me, "Please, sit/stay your dog." I replied we only
                                              use "sit". He got a little closer to me and quietly said, "That's a good idea. I
                                              wish I'd done that with my dogs." This evening was another good experience
                                              for both of us.      
                                     note: late night session was short - sit after pinch/fetch an issue, about 3-4 minutes