7

Yards. Liberty. 10 minutes? Today we only worked on keeping his distance and not mugging. He mugged alot. We've got to get through this before moving on to anything else. Admittedly I made it hard for him (literally) by sitting on a stump in the yards with my back to him. I tend to move around more than I should and thought parking my bum on a stump would keep me in one spot and make me less likely to move away when he gets too forward. It worked but the consequence was he was in my hair, my shoes, my hips, even my face although I did put an arm up (with elbow uppermost) to keep him at bay. I did reward him for backing up (which got him excited and moving forward) and for standing quietly beside me. I would wait a few seconds and reward. He hasn't got it and his frustration was evident in a new behaviour, pawing. The pawing was a bit disconcerting. Also, he got quite grumpy, circling around me with a crabby expression and that lightened forehand which could be a percursor to something not very pleasant. I ignored him and stayed on the stump. It was only a momentary flash but illustrates that we cannot move on until he can control himself, until he absolutely knows that the only way to get treats is to maintain a respectful distance, not to mug and not to lose his temper. He also spent quite a bit of time picking at the almost non-existent grass. Like a cats 'when in doubt, wash'.

If he didn't get an erection and become so sexually excited life would be alot easier. He kicks at his pizzle and shows every sign of being uncomfortable. This is the opposite effect of what I would like to create. I'll just have to trust in time and quiet persistence.