Riggs is doing well this week. He still shows little to no engagement in training circles. Oddly enough, after circle during playtime, I can get his attention and do a circle on the spot and his engagement is on point. He is the same way inside. I don’t know if the two areas we do circle in have a lot of stimuli in them or if he is a little uneasy in those areas. Either way, he is capable of engagement and shows some food motivation outside of the circle areas.
On Wednesday I got a new Secondary trainer because French, my previous secondary, became a primary handler. Riggs took to him well. He still follows me like a shadow but he is bonding with Best which is what we want.
I started to shape the recall with Riggs and he is doing okay so far. He is such a mellow dog he does not have a ton of energy in his recall or at the start of most commands. He takes his time completing the command after it is given. I also introduced under and out in the day room and the second day and the second command he understood what I was asking him to do. That is the fastest I have had a dog grasp that command. Overall he is doing well. His temperament seems perfect for a service dog.
-Smith
