This week, Coal began integrating public access behaviors into his training with a focus on Heel, Block, and Six. He showed great progress in understanding and responding to “Block” with minimal luring, positioning himself appropriately between the handler and others in both indoor and low-distraction public settings. The new cue “Six” was introduced and reinforced successfully, with Coal calmly sitting close to the handler’s side during pauses. Heel work is improving steadily with good attention and leash manners.
The boundary was expanded and held well under increasing distractions, even with tempting situations like dropped food and people presence. Coal’s focus, adaptability, and eagerness to learn remain strong. Minor challenges included initial hesitation on the Block cue, which was resolved through hand luring and clear marking.
This week’s goals focused on introducing and reinforcing key public access behaviors. Coal practiced Heel in low-distraction environments to build consistent, close walking beside the recipient. The “Block” cue was introduced to teach him to position himself between the recipient and others, using hand cues and treats to guide his movement and the “Yes” marker to reinforce correct behavior. Training also began on “Six”, where Coal sits and stays calmly at the recipient’s side in public settings. Additionally, work continued on increasing boundary distance and control, while reinforcing calm, close positioning during all proximity-based cues.
