Boomer ball
Pebbles loves my old Boomer ball. She’s actually really good at moving it around the garden and Mum is hoping to combine her learning her left and right commands with using it to go through an obstacle course. There is just one tiny little problem. Our garden is on a slope – all of it. There is no part which is completely level. Wherever Mum starts Pebbles off, the Boomer ball always ends up in one of the flower beds with Pebbles stomping on everything in her efforts to get it out. This is not helped by Pebbles responses when she gets frustrated.
The plants
So far, Pebbles has shown her frustration in two ways and neither of them are ones Mum wants to encourage. Firstly, Pebbles comes running out of the flower bed clutching a plant between her teeth. Mum has asked her to stick to weeds or those plants which have come invasive. Pebbles is not that discerning.
The second problem happens if Mum tries to help. If Mum goes to pick the Boomer ball up out of the flower bed so she can return it to the correct playing area, Pebbles starts to jump up and get bitey in her excitement to be getting her ball back.
Sadly, Mum is now saying she will have to play with the Boomer ball in her big pen, but that puts paid to any opportunity to do the obstacle course idea.
Down
I am delighted to say that Pebbles has now totally grasped what is required in a down and will stay in position. She does really well until Mum uses it combined with ‘stay’. Poor old Pebbles was following the letter of the requirement rather than the spirit. She was remaining in roughly the same place that she’d been told to stay, but was merrily rolling around on her back while doing it. Mum thinks some further work may be required.
Love and licks
Wilma
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