Follow the Rules

Since someone was coming to look at our house today, Rugby, my sister and I packed up and went to the elementary school parking lot down the street from our house for a training session. My sister never comes to watch him work and she was impressed and wanted to try the stuff herself with Rugby, particularly the directed jumping.

I told her she wasn't allowed but once we finished I changed my mind. The new rules were that 1) She had to use the appropriate 'jump' and 'bar' command, 2) she had to leave him off leash 3) she had run him over them like when you first introduce the jumps and you go with the dog. I said if she could convine him to follow her and follow those rules, she could participate.

As evil as I may be sometimes, I did not call Rugby away from her or discourage his cooperation with her at all.

She called him, and he came and sat in front of her. Then she proceeded to say "OK Rugby, lets go" and she headed towards the jump. It was about this time that I found Rugby at my feet staring at me as if to say, "what in the world is she doing and why is she talking to me about it?"   I ignored him to give my sister the best shot at success but....
I couldn't help but chuckle as she tried harder and harder to convince Rugby to follow her and he tried harder and harder to avoid her.

Finally I told her to pick him up, put him at 8 feet from the jump and immediately give the appropriate command and move towards the jump. This should have worked except as soon as my sister put him down he turned away from her and came straight back to my feet, looking up wondering why I hadn't saved him from her yet.

Rugby told her very clearly today that he knew she didn't know what she was doing and that he did not respect her at all! He also told her that until she learned how to do things correctly that she was very likely to get the same results as she did today. I was very entertained by the whole thing!