Four classes down, two to go: The end of the wolverine?
Over the last few weeks, Rosie has gotten so comfortable in obedience class that when the teacher talks (which is often), she now just lies down and waits instead of turning into a wolverine. Amazing. I would never have believed this, had you predicted it (and some of you did).
She now has a very reliable SIT and DOWN and STAND and WATCH ME, and a pretty reliable STAY (depending on distractions) and also a good WAIT (she waits while I put her food down) and an excellent LEAVE IT. DROP IT needs some work.
BACK is a new command, very valuable--it keeps her from crowding me (and Riley) at the door, or wherever. It means "stand back," and she does it very well. We practice that one a lot, ha ha ha, Rosie.
We're also working on SIDE, which brings her around to my side, where she sits nicely. Sometimes she does great, but often she ends up at an angle so that she can still see my face. We need to practice that one against the wall, the teacher says, so that there's no room for her to angle out. She's supposed to be attached to my side like Velcro. We have a ways to go.
We have two classes left. Doug will fly solo next week because I'll be out of town, and I'll fly solo on graduation night because he has an event that evening. I've been enjoying the classes, which is, frankly, a huge surprise for me. I hated Riley's training--he was skittish and fearful, which was part of the problem (Rosie is confident and quick) but mainly it was the teacher, who was not anywhere near as good as the one we have now.
Our teacher now explains things--sometimes too much, maybe (as I said, she likes to talk), but maybe not, because her words stick in my head. She explains why we are learning things, like WATCH ME. Riley also learned that one back in the day, but I never understood why it might be useful. Now I know.
We have signed both dogs up for three one-hour Saturday morning leash training classes, which will begin later this month. Rosie has discovered prey and so pulls a lot, which she didn't do before, and when she's not pulling she's often chewing on her leash, which is going to need to be replaced soon. And Riley is good on the leash unless he decides to lunge at something. We're figuring even at age 10 he can learn new things. (He has already picked up BACK and SIDE quite well.)
And then what? When Rosie is perfect and there is no more wolverine and she knows all these commands reliably and walks prettily on the leash with no pulling or chewing?
I'm thinking....maybe.....possibly.....agility training! What do you think? With her gawky long legs and intense disposition, will she be any good?
19 comments:
That first picture is awesome of Rosie. She looks so attentive.
She's a sweetie. We just dog sat my mother-in-laws standard poodle for two weeks. He is a wonderful dog but has a terrible habit of spinning when he is excited -- especially before a walk. He could use the "back" command -- he would crowd the heck out of the door and freak our two dogs out. Not that they have any skills either...
I had great intentions of doing agility training with Riley, but haven't done it yet. I think her intensity would serve her well!
Rosie is growing up...kudos for her!!
Gosh it is such a relief when commands are respected. Took me 2 years with Ansa who had an awful first few years of her life tied up until rescued.
She is not allowed to come down steps or stairs unless given permission. Very, very useful as she could kill someone on the stairs.
A friend recently had a terrible concussion having been tripped by her dog on the stairs. 3 months in a dark room, no stimulation. she could have been killed.
Training pays off for everyone, including the canine, and Rosie is a delight!
XO
WWW
I'm so impressed. We didn't go this far with our "wolverine." Go for the agility training! You'll both have a blast!
Good job Rosie, you are a smarty pants
Benny & Lily
Huge props to you guys.
And I support you in teaching Riley stuff -- Rocky had basic obed. when he was little, but we started Rally Obed. when he was 7 or 8 ... and he liked it. As you say, SO much depends on how good the teaching is.
IMO, Rosie will have a blast in agility, and it will be good for her. It'll help her figure out what to do with those long legs. As she has already grasped "watch me," she'll get the teamwork aspect of agility. Plus bonus running and jumping and stuff!
Congrats.
Good job Rosie..yes give agility a whirl! :)
I don't think Rosie will be good at agility. I think she'll be great!
Really pretty pieces!!
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Roooo rosie looks like a real smark cookie. I remember my puppy classes - I kept howling through most of them *waggy tail*
Rally Obedience is a lot of fun, too. Indoor or outdoor. There's a course with signs. You and the dog have to do what's on the sign, plus there's an overall time score. Buddha does well at it, and seems to enjoy it. The last time we did Rally, I did a circle left when the sign clearly stated circle right, and I swear Buddha gave me a "Can't ya read?" look.
Congrats on doing so well in obedience. Buddha was the star of puppy, 1, 2, 3, and Canine Good Citizen. Now that I've bragged about the Buddha Man, I will tell you that Alfie refused to Sit. When the instructor bent over to push Alfie into the Sit position, Alfie jumped over her shoulder, cleared her, and ran around the training building several times, stopping only to lift his leg on various pieces of equipment. Alfie and I flunked Level 1. We repeated it and passed, but I suspect we passed only because the teacher didn't ever want to see Alfie again.
I used to try to use Buddha's success to motivate Alfie, but it didn't work. I'd say to Alfie, "See Buddha's certificate on the fridge? If you tried harder, you could have a certificate on the fridge just like Buddha!" Alfie would just exhale sarcastically through his Jack Russell whiskers and reply, "Buddha--that suckup."
Yes! Oh, yes! Do the agility training. And take lots of pictures.
ari, i'm embarrassed to say that i know nothing about agility training and don't know the difference between regular (?) agility and rally agility. i guess we'll just see what we can get... and what she likes.
Rosie looks so studious. That's awesome. Congratulations to all of you (including Riley) for all the hard work. How rewarding. I think agility training is a great idea! I would love to do something like that with Murdoch but that would be difficult with him trying to start a brawl and not listening to a word anyone said.
its great when dog's really "get it" isn't it.
Oh, I wouldn't worry about "what next." In my experience, training a dog is NOT like learning to ride a bicycle. They need to practice over and over and over... (weary sigh). But you'll probably both love agility!
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