Kya’s Intermediate Obedience Class #5
Tonights class was interesting on several levels. Kya was upbeat when we got there, tail slightly up, ears up and trying to go to anyone that in the past had given her a treat. She was focused and performed her commands quickly for a change.
The instructor had set up a mini-rally(ish) course. There were rally signs but we didn’t actually follow what they were intended for. Instead they were a means for everyone to practice what they had learned in a course-type fashion, so they worked fine. I just had to make sure I did what she told us to do for each one, instead of what I knew the sign to be asking.
We started at Start, then we had to walk along a mat, in a heel, to a turn, which led to a sit (or down, I can’t remember because Kya doesn’t down, so we always do sits). Then we continued on in a heel to the next sign which was another sit and another corner, an about turn and then a sit/stay. The instructor said when I put her in the sit/stay, her ears are pinned, as I slowly reach the spot where I am going to turn and then release her, her ears slowly start forward until the point when I turn she is fully focused, ears up, on me. I thought that was pretty cool. When I released her she ran to me, ears and tail up and even wagged when she reached me!!! 
That was pretty neat considering her reactions to sit/stay/recall in the previous classes. I was excited!
We did the course twice. Kya was much more confident. She was focused on me nicely, without being scared, her sit/stays were very good and her recall was fantastic. She even wagged her tail when I spoke to her on the course and as we were walking around! 
After the class, she tried to get everyone to give her a treat and even allowed a lot of petting by one lady - who also convinced her to do the Look command (even though normally eye-contact by others outside of Eric and I scares her). When we left class she was just as perky as when we came in - it was a very good time!