I did a quick run through with Benson to see how well he would listen, and now have a plan of action to get him on track. We are going to be heavily focusing on three areas – the recall, threshold work, and working around other dogs.
While Benson has a decent recall, I want it to be spot on. I want the kind of recall from him that when he is in drive, I can call him and he turns and immediately runs to me.
He is also doing pretty good with thresholds, but I want him to be perfect. The front and back doors are going to be areas where he absolutely cannot pass without permission. I will begin working on this from greater distances on the other side of that threshold so that he knows that regardless of whether somebody is there to hold him accountable or not, he still may not pass.
Already, Benson is offering his best in and around the house with other dogs, but I have a feeling this will be very different away from the house. So, Benson and I will be taking several walks in areas where I know there is heavy dog traffic.