Devon has been training for obedience competition from the first day he entered our home.  As with all learning, we have had our share of ups and downs, but I would have to admit that overall Devon has had mostly 'ups'.  He began his scent discrimination at 6 months, and by the time he was 9 months old we were adding the turn and send.  Playing with go-outs helped enormously in keeping up his drive, while interjecting random interactive play during our heeling has made our teamwork blossom.  It's not quite as smooth as I would like yet, but Devon has a solid foundation and just needs maturity and experience.  People often ask how long I work heeling during a training session.  I actually allot a minimum of 15 minutes to heeling, 20-25 if time permits.  And yes, I time it.   If we do little else, I don't care.  Heeling comes first.

One of the 'interactive' games we do is 'twist' and 'spin' with a 'touch' or two as a flourish.  Even for their reward (and I am the primary reward!), they must work for it.  I do not dole out praise offhandedly.  Ha--just ask my dear husband!

Here's a sampling of how I keep Devon engaged: