Six Poles in Six Days!

Well, we did it! Secret is independently weaving six poles after just six days of training!! I am just bursting with pride over how well she is doing.

The first session started out as a bit of a struggle for Secret. I didn't make it "easy" for her and we started with four straight poles staked down with an open gate at the end (to make six poles). It took her a few tries before she remembered the game, but then you could really see the light go on and she figured it out rather quickly. Even still, I didn't change anything for the first session. I wanted to make sure she was totally comfortable with the new set-up.

In session two, I moved fairly quickly to closing the last set of poles because she was showing a very good understanding of what I was asking. By the end of the second session, all six poles were straight and she was starting to build confidence and speed through the poles. Her entries are amazing!

She blew me away in the third session. I was wondering what I could throw at her for a challenge, so I decided to try a front cross at the top of the poles. She barely blinked at that one in either direction, so I decided to really push her limits and go for a rear cross. If you've followed Secret's blog for any length of time, you'll know that rear crosses in general did not come quickly to Secret.

The first attempt was a complete flop, but she tried really hard for the second one, so I rewarded her even though she didn't completely navigate the poles correctly. After that she was golden and I did two rear crosses on each side. Rear crosses at poles on day six! For real!? She's so awesome.

I'm going to stop the daily video diaries now. Secret will get a few days off and next week we'll pick up where we left off. I intend to open the poles a bit to help her find her footwork & build speed. My goal is to have her one-striding through the poles before I add the second set of six. We'll also continue to proof distractions and work on even more challenging entries.

I am just thrilled with how well Secret's weave training has gone. It's been a very exciting week!