"It would be more ingenuous, and more worthy of my brother's daughter,"said her uncle, coldly, "if she ascribed her willingness to depart toits proper motive." Disregarding the look of deep distress with whichCecilia received this mortifying rejection of her tender attention, theold man on receiving this order, rushed into the room in a medley; but,notwithstanding the surly glances, and savage characters of their dressand equipments, they struck no blow, nor committed any act of hostility.The ladies shrank back appalled, as this terrific little band tookpossession of the hall; and even Borroughcliffe was seen to fallback towards a door which, in some measure, covered his retreat. Theconfusion of this sudden movement had not yet subsided, when soundsof strife were heard rapidly approaching from a distant part of thebuilding, and presently one of the numerous doors of the apartment wasviolently opened, when two of the garrison of the abbey rushed into thehall, vigorously pressed by twice their number of seamen, seconded byGriffith, Manual, and Merry, who were armed with such weapons ofoffence as had presented themselves to their hands, at their unexpectedliberation. There was a movement on the part of the seamen who werealready in possession of the room, that threatened instant death tothe fugitives; but Barnstable beat down their pikes with his sword, andsternly ordered them to fall back. Surprise produced the same pacificresult among the combatants; and as the soldiers hastily sought arefuge behind their own officers, and the released captives, with theirliberators, joined the body of their friends, the quiet of the hall,which had been so rudely interrupted, was soon restored.
Dogs competing in dog sports, such as flyball, agility or Schutzhund, must be trusted in an open field, off leash and surrounded by other people, dogs, hot dogs, and flying discs. This requires more focused attention on the owner and a better recall than that found in most household companion dogs, and more advanced training than that required for formal obedience.
Positive reinforcement is the key to success. A common mistake is to punish your dog during training or become angry. This will only cause confusion. You can try to hold your dog's attention with treats and enthusiasm, but know that it is time to end a session when your dog becomes bored or tired. Try to end sessions on a positive note. Eventually, successful training will be achieved with patience and consistency.
Like small children, puppies have short attention spans and get tired quickly. Keep your puppy training sessions short – 5 to 10 minutes is enough – but regular. Two or three short training sessions every day is ideal. And, remember, you can build in the ‘come’ command throughout the day; for example, when you want to feed your puppy or play with him.
