IPO Club & Training

Today should be a wordless Wednesday post but I can't help myself!

We went to training today and it went really well. The only hiccup is that Seppel is not 100% reliable about going around all the blinds. He will do 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6. He's been trying to skip 2 lately and also has taken 4 a bit wide looking for Ryan. We are trying to teach him that he gets the bite AFTER he goes around all 6 blinds. He knows what he needs to do, he's just lazy.

We have been going to training since August of 2012. I never thought that one day I could send him around a blind and that I would be able to then send him to ANOTHER one. He can be so one track minded that I just never thought it possible. It is so weird how over time things have developed. It is crazy to look back at videos and see him warbling and leaping at a fence to get Ryan - totally unwilling to bark, where now he will bark without issue and occasionally comes flying in with attitude and wants to get a bite even though it isn't time! He knows enough to do all three IPO routines, and definitely has the IPO I down no problem.


When I got Seppel I thought I was just going to feed him and let him live out his days... I never thought we would do something beyond maybe some OB. That first time taking him up to Washington I felt so lucky and amazed at his willingness to work. I know he had never previously seen a bite sleeve and to see him light up when he saw it was amazing. Pictured below is his first bite:

Pic Belongs to Diane Jessup

Anyway, today our trainer Ryan told me that Sepp is an awesome dog, to which of course I agreed. It made me feel really good to hear from someone I look up to that my dog is a great dog. I mean of course in my eyes he is awesome, but to hear it from someone else who only sees him at training it felt awesome. He also told me that he feels that he is very stable and would absolutely take him home and trust him with his family. It just feels good to hear these things. It's like a parent being told how fabulous their kid is :p

ALSO in HUGE news, we get to join the Salem IPO club!!!!

I am SOOOOOOOO excited about this. Gotta start scheduling regular tracking days so we aren't total newbs when we join the club. I am also hoping to pick up some good OB tips in training as well. They meet Tuesdays and Saturdays, I can make it every other saturday and I am hoping maybe we can do every other tuesday also. We will see. I still have to fill out paperwork, but I am SOOOOO excited!!!!