Working it Up
Happy Thursday! Last night’s training session with Lacey went very well. We went to our local PetSmart store, and using a 20-foot training lead, we worked Lacey on her recall skills as well as her sit and sit/stay commands. As mentioned previously, she’s been getting rather vocal about her lessons and resisting them because she’s bored, so last night’s session was planned to be different for her.
The exercise was conducted by having Tanya “hide” in different areas of the store. The first few times, I had Tanya position herself so that Lacey would see her. This was done to set Lacey up for success and build her confidence. After repeating the exercise this way a few times, I then had Tanya hide again, but only have her arm showing. Lacey did very well with this exercise, too, and after repeating it several times, we then moved on to locating by voice only. Tanya moved to different areas of the store and stayed completely out of Lacey’s sight. While she chose where to go, I turned Lacey in a different direction so she would not see where Tanya went. Then, when she was ready, Tanya called Lacey. Lacey had to locate her by voice only…. and she did a spectacular job of it!
We repeated all three exercises several times over the course of the hour, and Lacey did not vocalize even one time. She was completely engaged. By the time the session was done and she was released, Lacey was a very tired, but very happy puppy.
When training your dog, it is very important to keep the lessons interesting. When they become routine, the dog becomes bored and they will either act up and make you work to get them to do as you’re asking, or they just won’t do the exercises at all. So, if you’re finding that your dog is getting bored, try doing things differently. Make the exercises interesting to them, and before you know it, they’ll be asking you to work them. Have a great day! 🙂
New News
Happy “Hump Day” to everyone! I am happy to report that the new phone is up and running. It was added to the sidebar on this site, as well as to the new website I’ve been working on, lately.
Regarding the family with Buddy, I received word from them that the people who were going to adopt him have changed their minds and the family still has the dog. If or when Buddy is re-homed, they will let me know.
With our weather being rather chilly and damp, lately, working outside has not been an option. So, I have been working to create a training arena in my basement complete with obstacles and lots of distractions that help teach both the humans and their dogs how to focus -and stay focused – on each other. My cat, Violet, is also included in the sessions, because she is a great distraction, and because she enjoys learning, too – mostly for the treats, but also, because it’s interesting to her, and just like dogs, cats also need to drain out mental and physical pent-up energy.
Regarding Lacey, her owner tells me that the pup is progressing quite nicely. She still needs a lot of work on her recall, and she is still getting vocal when she doesn’t want to work. I’ve suggested to the owner that making the lessons more interesting and fun – e.g. making a maze for Lacey to work her way through – will alleviate the boredom Lacey is feeling towards her lessons. I’ve explained that this will not only drain out her pent-up mental energy, it also aids in her overall development.
Last but not least, I am working on a partnership with a friend to use her pool for canine water therapy. I am meeting with her on Sunday to discuss the matter further. This is a very important service that can make a huge difference to dogs who need this kind of help, and while it will only be available during the summer months for now, it’s a start. If or when I am able to partner with someone with an indoor pool, I will be able to offer water therapy services all year long. For now, this is a wonderful start, and I appreciate the partnership very much.
That’s all for now. I wish everyone a calm, assertive day!
Happy Dawgs Obedience Training 