Glimmer: Boot Camp Report #1

The first week of boot camp had its challenges – not with the exercises, but with a health issue Glimmer has been dealing with for a very long time. We finally found a cause and a resolution for it, Glimmer is feeling much better, and we’re ready to move into the second week of our basics boot camp.

Week 1 Results

Health challenges aside, Glimmer did excellent with some lessons, and “okay” in others.  Her recall was excellent and her sit-stay and down-stay was fantastic, but her “sit” and “down” was not great. She was resisting performing those exercises, which was a bit unusual for her. I’m not sure if she was bored by them and she just didn’t want to do them, or if her back was bothering her and the positions were making her uncomfortable. If the issue persists as we move into Week 2, I’ll take her to the vet and have her back and hips checked.

On the treadmill, Glimmer is making excellent progress. In our last session, she was able to give me an extra five minutes on the machine, which tells me that she’s starting to build strength in her muscles and joints. This is very encouraging, so I’m going to maintain our usual outdoor walking pace moving into Week 2.

Week 2 Goals

Week 2 goals will be focusing on endurance, stamina, strengthening muscles and joints, and continuing to build up Glimmer’s confidence. I’ll be incorporating the extra five minutes on the treadmill Glimmer was able to offer last week, working on the previous week’s lessons [focusing a bit more on the “sit” and “down” refreshers], adding two heel-related refreshers, and – depending on how she’s holding up physically – starting on mat work. For the mat exercises, I will be using a combination of food treats, the clicker, and verbal praise as rewards.

Stay tuned for progress reports by subscribing to this blog to receive post notifications via email. Have a great day, and remember: Stay calm and lead on.