Exciting day

[BestBuddy]

Today hubby and I are going to dog obedience school. Yes you got that right we have to go without dogs this first day for our rules and instructions.

Next week Luke gets to start school and I should have some interesting stories to tell.:eek:

Joey will not start school until August as all the classes are full until then.

I'm scared and excited and hoping we don't get expelled in the first week,:eek:

Jenny

[Roxee's Dad]

Hi Jenny,
Just wondering who's getting trained? You and your hubby:D or Luke and Joey:D. Should be interesting.

[BestBuddy]

I'm sure it is hubby and me that need the training.:D
Luke and Joey thing it's fine to run the house.

Jenny

[frijole]

We expect you will graduate with honors and first in the class Jen! :D

[SasAndYunah]

Oh Jenny, such fun going through obedience classes :D I miss those days of training and learning and teaching... For me, that's the best time, when you get to teach them all sorts of things :) Enjoy, have a lot of fun laughing at all the times they will "mess up" and make you look like a fool (or a mom that didn't do the homework in between classes :p ) But then, when it comes down to it, they make you proud ;)

Saskia and Yunah :)

[Dollydog]

Hi Jenny,
We failed at obedience classes and didn't have an opportunity to go to another one. A professional trainer told me that Lady could go into a show ring if I spent about 70 hours working with her to achieve that goal!!
I'm sure you two (three and four) will do much better than Lady and I!! :D Have fun,
Jo-Ann & Lady :)

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi Jenny,

Good luck with the training! I'm sure Luke and Joey will appreciate their newly manageable mom and dad! :p

Hugs,
Leslie

[BestBuddy]

Well we made it through week one without being expelled. Mind you it was without the dogs.:D The first class is just for the trainers to be instructed about the club rules and collars/leads and acceptable behavior. I have a booklet on the rules that I will leave on the coffee table for Luke and Joey to read.:p
Jenny

[frijole]

Well we made it through week one without being expelled. Mind you it was without the dogs.:D The first class is just for the trainers to be instructed about the club rules and collars/leads and acceptable behavior. I have a booklet on the rules that I will leave on the coffee table for Luke and Joey to read.:p
Jenny

:D Let me know how that goes for you. LOL (reading) Hugs K

[BestBuddy]

Well I am not sure Luke will actually have time to read because he is far too busy chewing the lid off a plastic container of Sasha's Blend. It was for Buddy but he didn't like it and neither apparently does Luke because once he got into it instead of eating it he spread it all around the room, over the floor and on the chairs and under the table. It really is amazing how much powder is in one of those little jars.

Jenny
PS If you think I am blaming Luke unfairly when it could have been Joey, well.... Luke was the one with the powder all around his face and I actually caught him with part of the plastic lid.

[AlisonandMia]

I have a booklet on the rules that I will leave on the coffee table for Luke and Joey to read.:p
Jenny

You said "read" - surely you meant say "eat"!:D:D:D Dog eats own homework!

Alison

[k9diabetes]

Good for you guys!

I actually find the classes kind of fun.

You won't get kicked out!! In fact, I think you should start working on their mortarboards now and we can make an album of our graduation pictures! :)

One thing I regretted when I went to basic obedience with Jack was not bringing Jeff along to that first class without the dogs because the instructor gave a really good concise, easy to understand description of the concepts and why you do what you do in training them. That would have helped him a lot to have heard for himself.

The second class I went to did a cool exercise that first evening. She paired us up and one person had to be the dog and the other person was the trainer. The "dog" person had to just move around, trying different things and waiting to see which one was rewarded and then try to figure out how to get more rewards and the trainer was rewarding to teach a complex behavior, like turning 360 degrees. It gave a real sense of just how hard it is to reward at the right moment to get what you want and also, since I was one of the "dog" people, how difficult it can be to interpret the rewards, even when you know that you're being trained that way.

Jack has lots of problems but he is getting really really good at polite leash walking, which is a huge accomplishment for him! And he's slowly learning to look more to us for direction, at least when no squirrels are present!

Natalie

[BestBuddy]

Dog Obedience Week 2 Update. This time with the dog!

I was very nervous, stomach full of butterflies trying to pretend I was in control. Luke seemed a little awestruck with all the other dogs when we arrived.

Luke was great and apart from his short attention span he did really well. I actually think today (next week could be different :D) he was the best in the class. He walked pretty well on the lead and sat on command in the right position.

I actually think we will survive and am looking forward to next week.

Jenny

[Harley PoMMom]

Way to go Jenny!!

Had that Cesar Milan thing going on, where you take on being the leader or alpha, bc if Luke was best in class you were definitely in control :D

Best of luck next week, look forward to the updates.

Hugs to all and belly rubs to Luke.
Lori

[Roxee's Dad]

Good job Luke! :):) So far you have taught your mommy how to walk you on a lead and how to stand next to you when you sit down. Your getting your mommy trained pretty well. ;););)

Jenny, Glad your having fun with it.:)

[BestBuddy]

Now for some comic relief.

I haven't updated on dog training because we don't seem to be improving!

Luke is still in a hurry and pulls on the lead so I thought I would buy a halti/gentle leader thing and guess what, it works...too well. As soon as I put it on he stops pulling, that is because he is lying on his back with all 4 legs in the air with a how could you look on his face.:o More practice needed!

He still does the sit quite well but the drop is a problem, he seems to look at me with disdain when I tell him to drop and it's like he's thinking there is no way lady I am going to lie down on that cold wet ground. More practice needed!

We are all still enjoying it and hubby is starting with Joey in a week or so. I think there will be a bit of competition between him and me so send some positive thoughts to me and Luke because we sure do need it.

Jenny

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi Jenny,


Luke is still in a hurry and pulls on the lead so I thought I would buy a halti/gentle leader thing and guess what, it works...too well. As soon as I put it on he stops pulling, that is because he is lying on his back with all 4 legs in the air with a how could you look on his face. I'm sorry Jenny, but I could picture this in my head and it really made me laugh, so I will thank you for the chuckle today, I needed it.

Will be sending positive thoughts and calm, assertive energy :D your way.

Hugs to you from your PA. friends.
Lori and Harley

[Squirt's Mom]

Luke is still in a hurry and pulls on the lead so I thought I would buy a halti/gentle leader thing and guess what, it works...too well. As soon as I put it on he stops pulling, that is because he is lying on his back with all 4 legs in the air with a how could you look on his face. More practice needed!

Oh Jenny, this is hilarious! I can just see Luke doing that! :D:D However, be grateful for that reaction to the Halti....Crys went absolutely NUTS when I tried on her! It was like what I imagine having a Marlin on a fishing line would be like! :eek: She flipped and flopped and twisted every which way...it took the store manager and me to get the thing off of her! So no Halti for Crys!

You seem to be having fun with this and that is wonderful! And just so you know, I am pulling for you and Luke!!! ;):p:D

Hugs,
Leslie and the girls

[BestBuddy]

I have just worked out a positive with the halti. I can put in on Luke if I want him to drop, even though it is an upside down one.:rolleyes:

Jenny

[ChristyA]

This is too funny! All dogs react to the halti differently. When Dexter was only 6 months old I tried a halti on him, he would lay down on his side and not move, eyes closed, stiff as a board. Now when Erik had a halti put on him it was in training class. He is as tall as me 5'7" when he stands up and weighs in at 90 lbs. Talk about a fish on a line, he was like a Hammerhead shark. He was walking on his hind legs, laying down, trying to rub it off on my legs, and crying so loud in a high pitch squeal. It was terrible, I really felt bad for him. The trainer said just keep walking he'll get used to it, and he did. He still doesn't like it. My husband doesn't use it when he walks him but I do. Erik is very strong and can pull me all over if he wants to. When I put it on him he looks so depressed, he won't even look at me! But once we get going he is fine.
I bought a Halti for Lulu and put it on her the other day, she did the old lay down and don't move, possum trick.

Good luck, they do work. Looking forward to reading more training stories. We start training with Lulu July 30th.
Christy

[frijole]

I have just worked out a positive with the halti. I can put in on Luke if I want him to drop, even though it is an upside down one.:rolleyes:

Jenny

Jenny.. we want photos!!! Love this story. Thanks for sharing. K

[AlisonandMia]

I've always introduced the Halti pretty gradually and not had any dramatic reaction.

I slide it onto the nose and give and treat etc and get it associated with all sorts of pleasant things - even if it is not pleasant in itself. The first few times I "use" it I don't attach the lead to it but to the collar so that there is no pressure coming from the Halti - that way you don't get the fighting and thrashing although they will likely try to rub it off on the ground.

I have to use one with Zac as he could pull me over in an extreme situation (it happened once). He now associates it with going for a walk and happily puts his nose into it even if he, like Erik, looks a little "sad" as I'm clipping up the buckle:(. So while he'd rather not wear it but if it is the only way he's getting a walk then he's more or less happy to put up with it.

When he's learning something new I often attach the lead to the collar (or preferably do without the lead entirely if the situation allows ie we are at home) as I find that having a lead attached to his head/face really gets in the way for a lot of things.

The other thing with Halti's and similar bits of "gear" is that they don't really stop the dog pulling (despite what they say) - they just stop it pulling so hard or pulling you over. The dog still needs to learn to walk on a loose lead and that takes training rather than any gadget. I see a lot of dogs pulling (though no doubt more gently than they would on a flat collar) in their Halti's. I've found walking on a loose lead to have been by far and away the most difficult thing to get Zac to do.

The other thing that can be really effective, particularly with smaller dogs, is a harness where the lead attaches at the front (front clip harness). I believe there is something called the Easy Walk. (And I think Scott uses something like this with Talos, too.) I did once attach Mia's lead to the front of her harness and yes, it really does seem to stop them from pulling (much more effectively than a Halti actually). I just did this as an experiment as her harness wasn't really designed to be used this way and anyway I didn't mind her chugging along and pulling (with her being so little) and she honestly seemed to enjoyed the exercise! (Thank goodness dogs don't seem to notice or get het up about double standards as poor old Zac was expected to be walking along side on a loose lead.)

I think the theory behind this is that collars and things like Halti's that more or less grab the dog around the neck (and head) actually set off what is called the "opposition reflex" (like you get when a horse pulls back or if someone grabs you by the arm and tries to drag you along) whereas the harness doesn't so much.

Alison

[H-man]

Hey Jenny,
The record is being expelled from 3 separate obedience schools - currently helb by Harry. Beat that and you have serious attitude adjustments to make!
xxx
Wendy

[BestBuddy]

We had a really good training day this week.:D Luke is walking beautifully on lead and has the sit worked out. He even manages the stand most of the time but the drop......we have a lot to work on. I can manage to get him down but only for a split second and then the spring uncoils and he is up in a flash.

Joey and hubby start in August so we have a couple more weeks to get it all worked out.

Jenny

[Harley PoMMom]

We had a really good training day this week. Luke is walking beautifully on lead and has the sit worked out. Fantastic job Jenny. As for the drop, we have faith in you and Joey that you two will be able to master that also.

Sending positive thoughts your way.
Lori