CAN She Do It?

My kiddos are involved with the 4-H side of CCI and last night was another comical night in 4-H'ing. I have never thought of using Tuna Cans as a training tool. You should have seen the puppies and kids working together to stack their cute little paws on the can - lots of smiles.

The purpose? Well, the 4-H club goes to County Fair every August and part of the days' events while there is Showmanship. I have not been to too many AKC Show events to say whether the stacking of the dog in 4-H is identical or similar to AKC, but for the purpose of this post, let's say it is identical.

Having your dog "look pretty" and showcase their perfect stance is key to getting high marks during this one phase of judging. Using Tuna Cans allows the pups to "get" where they need to place their feet, and trains the handler to spot positioning when the cans are eventually withdrawn.

As I sat on the sidelines last night, I thought this would not be a bad exercise for any Puppy in Training. Odd surface - check. Having legs touched and manipulated - check. Stand Command - check. Stay Command - check. Looking silly - check.

Haddie was not a huge fan of the Tuna Can stance, but she humored my son and participated for brief periods of time. I am not so sure they even have the positioning correct in this photo, but I had to take my opportunity when it was presented. Haddie was more interested in playing Dominoes with the cans alongside my son when he became equally disinterested in the exercise. Sigh. Two peas in a pod.

CAN she do it?! Yup!