We been taking our first Treibball class the past 6 weeks and just finished up last week.  It’s a herding sport but instead of herding ducks, sheep or cattle, the dogs herd different sized and colored balls.  You use the same commands as you would in a true herding situation.  We thought this would be a good alternative to herding actual animals because Pongo already has a hard enough time refraining from chasing (i.e. herding) our kitties.

I do have to be honest, this was a pretty frustrating class for both of us.  You have to be coordinated, which I am not.  Plus your dog has to have enough impulsive control to not bite or pummel the balls which as of now, Pongo does not.  I think this will develop with age but right now, Treibball for Pongo is all about attacking the balls.

We are going to stick with it though because he is one tired out pup, mentally and physically, when we get home and that is so worth it!  Our next Treibball class starts at the end of November.  We still have some time to really practice with Pongo so that our next class is less frustrating and more enjoyable for the both of us.

Our trainer, Liz Williams of Alaska Dog Sports took this video on our last day of class.  This is the best class Pongo had; he really was getting the “push” command down, which I will eventually change to “drive” so it doesn’t sound like we’re trying to have a baby!