School is now back in full session, fall is definitely in the air and this past week with Boots was a great one - we absolutely LOVE HIM to pieces and appreciate his desire to work! In fact, at this point in his training, Boots is very capable of learning a lot of new behaviors in shorter periods of time, as well as strengthening the ones he already knows. Think of it this way, we teach him as much as he can handle, then with regular practice, patience and persistence he fully begins to understand what we are asking of him.
What's more, he is nearing the time of his final vaccination and we can't wait to get him out and about in more places, placing his paws on the ground and to really begin working!
This week we worked on the following...
Lesson 3.8 "GET IT, BRING IT HERE, GIVE" (Boots loves to get his red doggy dumbbell and he'll now retrieve it from a higher surface. This week we successfully completed the bring it here and give portions! Go Boots!)
Lesson 3.13 "JUMP" (While we are careful to keep heights low for Boots he absolutely LOVES this one, especially when it means he can JUMP ON our sofa to sit by us. I taught him OFF along with this behavior and we have a good time in our training session going between the two.)
Lesson 2.9 "HEEL" (This is an advanced behavior and the start of it is getting your puppy in the right position. So that's what we worked on this week - getting Boots to sit facing the same direction as me just behind my left heel.)
This week we plan on completing the following:
Lesson 2.5 "STAND" (This comes in handy when visiting the vet or groomer's! Asking your puppy to stand on his own is much more pleasant than trying to force the position. Practice puppy push-ups alternating between sit, down or stand.)
Lesson 2.7 "SETTLE" (I use this command to relax a puppy who is too wound up! I say it with a relaxed tone and use it to interrupt rough play. I expect the puppy to lie down and chill out. It's also good to hold a puppy in your lap with his back against you until he melts and completely relaxes. Build this up to two minutes as you pet him gently helping to calm him down.)
Lesson 3.2 "KISS & NO LICK" (Boots happens to lick a lot! He LOVES to give kisses which seems great but not so good if he's going to be a service dog. So - we are going to focus on putting it on cue this week as well as teaching "NO LICK.")
We're going to be busy! Also this Wednesday at 1:00 PM Mountain I'm teaching week four of a six-week Canine Coaching series "TRAINING 101" which is an online puppy class for members. I hope to see as many of you there as can make it. I will record it as well and post it on the Canine Coaching page for those of you who can't attend. Topics this week include: Guests & the Doorbell, Jumping, Boredom Busters & Socialization. Bring your puppy and practice along with Boots and me!
As always, if you have any comments or questions, please contact us online at BAXTER & Bella and we look forward to seeing you soon!
Happy Training,
Amy
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