We talked to our VB dog trainer today and got further clarifications on the training games and the reason why we shifted from the leash exercises we started doing. The fact that Skye was a bit weary of the leash in this training session showed that we should stop using the leash at the moment as we certainly don't want her to associate it with negative emotions. It also indicated that we need to spend a bit more time to build a stronger foundation to our training.
To build this training foundation, we are going to set clear markers for when the training game starts and stops. We are putting an object on the floor when we start and taking it away when we are done. This object is something that Skye likes or is neutral about it (basically nothing that makes her uncomfortable). This object may change between training sessions as we want her to see that diversity is good. The sequence of event is the following: 1) put the object on the floor, 2) take treats from jar (Skye has already associated the opening of the jar with good things!), 3) reward any good things like her interaction with the object or us, and any behavior she may offer, 4) remove object from the floor, game over, no more treats.
At this point, the goal is to get Skye excited when we put an object on the floor. The idea is that eventually she will be excited when we bring the leash out!
A picture of Skye between her exhaustive training sessions :)