“Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are god. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are god.” - Christopher Hitchens Hulk finished up his basic obedience with Come When Called. He is a young dog that is easily distracted, so he only did ok when we practiced outside. But as his owner stated, he has done really well with the things they practice most often - his Sit and Down are very solid - so his recall will take some dedicated work to get it where it needs to be. “Few celebrate a dog who jumps at people as they approach--but start with the premise that it is we who keep ourselves (and our faces) unbearably far away, and we can come to a mutual understanding.” - Alexandra Horowitz, Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know Hulk walks on a leash pretty well until he is overstimulated by sights, smells, etc. - like most dogs! Today he learned to Heel and walk nicely with a loose leash. We also used 'Rinty Jr.' to help teach Hulk how to meet other dogs. At first Hulk barked and lunged at old Rinty but we were eventually able to walk Hulk up to him calmly to meet. (To learn more about Rinty Jr. and PomPom visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dentlersdogtraining.) With two small children in the house and another on the way, Leave It will be indispensable for Hulk to learn, and he picked it up rather quickly. We also worked on Wait/Stay, but Hulk is a bit of a velcro dog so it will take some work until he feels comfortable with his owners walking away from him. Maggie ended her basic obedience training with Come When Called. She responded very well to all the games we play to teach her. That is, until she found the big stick to play with. Once we got her to leave it we finished on a good a good note. “Religious teachings say that animals don't have souls, but I don't believe that. Our pets cherish our every move, and wait patiently for us to return home from a day's work. Our pets would give their lives for us in a heartbeat and not ask for anything in return. How can man live without companionship when we were meant to live in a family unit, just like our canine friends? So, I ask you: How could a dog not have a soul?” - Blake O'Connor, Unspoken Bond Hulk is a 1-year old Pit/Boxer mix. When he is focused he learns very well, but living in a home with two young boys (now you know how he got his name) his attention span is very short. So besides working on Sit and Down, which he performed very well, we worked on his focus. I expect him to do very well with his training. |
AuthorJeff Dentler, CPDT-KA, IAABC-ADT, FFCP, CTDI Archives
September 2024
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