Our main training sessions today were at Kennedy Park in Coconut Grove. We used long leashes of 10 ft or more to work distance but still keep close control of the dog. The exercises we worked today were definitely more advanced, not yet real life but closer. We worked longer duration stays and eve a bit out of sight, with the dogs tethered to a bench while their class mates practiced Recalls around them. We had a Trainer working with the Stay group, while the rest worked the dogs on their Recalls one-on-one. Tethering the dogs and keeping them on a long line at first is not only done for safety but also so we don’t allow mistakes. Once you give the command to come, your dog doesn’t have another option except to come, even if they feel they’d rather go play with his-her buddies on the pack or check out some of the other people, dogs, and squirrells that are visiting the park. Excellent exercise as there is 100 guarantee they will come, they  will be  rewarded , and then they can go play again. Lots of fun and good things all around!

We will keep practicing this crucial command in every future session of Camp. The goal is that they can be off leash, playing with other dogs or distracted with other things, and then when we can call them,  they should be ready to leave everything and come to us. We will make the exercises harder in stages, working up to our final goal as the dogs are successful, always keeping their safety as a priority.