 Upon my arrival Heinz jumped on me, but using the Off command that was taught last week worked and he calmed down in a fraction of the time that it took him before. Kudos to his owners for following through! Today we taught Leave It and Stay. Heinz did very well, in part because he was more focused due to his calmer behavior.
 “I never met a man half so true as a dog. Treat a dog right, and he'll treat you right. He'll keep you company, be your friend, and never ask you no questions. Cats is different, but I never held that against 'em.”
― Mary Ann Shaffer, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society  Because Halle's owner wants her to be a therapy dog we put Halle through the paces of the Canine Good Citizen test. She passed with flying colors! The next step is to make sure she is fine in crowds. I expect her to ace that as well.
 Today we taught Molly the Wait and Leave It commands. Molly did very well with Leave It, letting a piece of cheese lay just inches from her feet. She also did great with Wait, but after an hour she tired out and lost focus. That is why it is suggested that training sessions last only 10-15 minutes. And yes, I finally remembered to take a picture!
 “When an eighty-five pound mammal licks your tears away, then tries to sit on your lap, it's hard to feel sad.”
― Kristan Higgins,Catch of the Day  Today was our first day working with Bella, a 9-month old Jack Russell. Bella has some resource guarding issues and attacks Nikki, a senior Jack Russell. We had some success by finding Bella's threshold, and using desensitization and counter-conditioning techniques to change Bella's perception that Nikki is a threat.
 Jenny loves being outside, but her recall is not solid, so today we headed out with the long line for some recall practice. The root problem with her recall is actually her lack of attentiveness. When she is focused on her handler she will come when called, but when she is focused on a critter all bets are off. Working on the Leave It command so she ignores or avoids the object or scent seemed to help greatly.
 Heinz is a 7-month old, high-energy German Shorthair Pointer in need of basic obedience. He has a bad habit of jumping on people, so that was today's first order of business. We also taught him Down in a matter of minutes. As I explained to the clients, teaching a new behavior is much easier than extinguishing an already existing bad behavior.
 Fiona and her family did a great job with going to the mat, which she does immediately when cued. So we raised the bar and practiced ringing the doorbell, which really sets her off. After several repetitions she was easily going to her mat and exhibiting a more calm behavior. We then work on the Leave It command which we will use when we encounter triggers when she is on leash, such as other dogs.
 Our first night of basic obedience training with Molly went very well! Molly is a 9 month old hound/beagle mix, with her biggest vice being jumping; on people and counters. Our first order of business was to solidify her 'sit', which she already knew pretty well, and to teach her 'down'. Those, along with the 'off' command, will help curtail her bad habit.
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AuthorJeff Dentler, CPDT-KA, IAABC-ADT, FFCP, CTDI Archives
December 2023
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