Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Biking with Elsa

Okay, so I got on a bike today with Elsa and it was a total success!!!! I haven't really been able to find much on how to get my dog used to a bike, so I just started slow.

- Initially, I just introduced Elsa to the bike. I had a few maintenance items to work on, so I was able to let her just sit near me and sniff at the bike while easily earning treats just for existing.
- I used my running belt leash. I hope to be able to buy a bike attachment with my next paycheck, but currently this is the most stable option I have.
- After a few minutes of maintenance, we walked to the parking lot area. Elsa stayed on my left (her usual working side) and I had the bike on my right. We walked around for several minutes with her heeling. I used a lot of kibble... she didn't even need dinner after we were done! We practiced "left" and "right" commands while walking around. Elsa ran into the wheel a couple of times because she would turn slightly and not go the whole way. I started clicking (her signal to pay attention when we're walking) and she noticed a LOT better.
- We ended the session with me biking the straights and walking the curves. I did some really slow biking on the curves, but I mostly just walked them. I don't want an accident too soon and have her lose her confidence.

Okay, so far, she's catching on to everything so fast I'm getting spoiled!!!

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