It is hard to believe but Trapper goes home tomorrow. He has made great strides but work remains to be done. He knows all of his commands and he is much more reliable than he was but he still gets overwhelmed and scared sometimes or other times he is just plain defiant and when that happens it is vital that he still comply with the command.

Even though a scary truck startled him while we were doing a Down command tonight I still made sure that he went into a Down. To allow his fear or stubbornness to trump a given command allows his fear or stubbornness to have the power in the relationship.

Trapper is a special little dude and he thrives with consistent handling. He doesn't like question marks or uncertainty. He does very well when his handler is able to take control and lead him in a way that removes uncertainly. If he knows what his job is he visibly calms down.

I know his folks will be happy with his progress. He has worked very hard this week and I am proud of him. Go Trapper!

Trapper is doing pretty darn well considering how hard he sometimes makes things on himself. He is still a bit shy but he has enjoyed some house time and is getting along with all the other dogs when they are calm. If they start playing too rough with him he gets a little snappish but they take the hint and leave him alone. He likes the baby when the baby is in his high chair but when Noah is walking around Trapper hides so we make sure Noah does not pester him.

Trapper's obedience commands are all pretty solid except for Down but he is making progress. Tonight, after an 8 minute "down battle" which is a systematic delivery of command/correction without giving up until the dog complies, he laid down without help. The corrections were not harsh. The point was not to cause pain but to rather offer an incentive. The annoyance would stop when he laid down and then he would get a pat. It took a while but he did it. He got confortable making me push him down and so changing to corrections was the best way to get him to do it on his own.

I hope to continue this forward momentum tomorrow. We are also going to do Placemat because I have a mountain of laundry to fold. Good job Trapper!

Yesterday was day 2 for Trapper and he is making great strides. We haven't started Placemat but everything else has been introduced. Down is still a struggle for him. Down at the Side is pretty good. He still needs some help and requires a little push but he will do the rest on his own. Down from the Front is a much bigger struggle and I plan to push that today.

On our walks he does very well though he is flighty and often spooks. It is kind of like walking an Arabian horse. If you spot the thing that will spook him before he does you can avoid him escalating but if you miss it he will break Heel and jump around for a second.

I have not come across any cyclists during our walks yet so I may take him to the bike trails before Thursday.

All in all Trap is doing fine. I like the cheeky smile he gives me when he is feeling good. Now if I could just get him to pee in the back yard!

Welcome Trapper! Trapper is a sweet natured but timid Soft Coated Wheaton Terrier mix. He is here for 5 days of supplemental obedience training. His mom has already taught him some skills but they thought he could learn some new skills while they went on a trip.

Yesterday we brushed up on his Heel and after a little temper tantrum he Heeled nicely. His Autosit is almost there and will get more reliable as the week moves forward. He has retained his Implied Stay well and his Come command is good, I can tell, but he is still a little shy of me so he needs some gentle coaxing to come as close as he is supposed to.

Soft, gentle, sincere praise is what this guys works for. He loves a quiet pat without eye contact. Praise which asks for nothing in return.

We started Down today and he struggles with it and locks his elbows but with help (a firm but not heavy handed push with constant pressure on his shoulders) he does it. He will definitely be a dog who is slowly weened off the help but I know he will get there.

Trapper has made some friends here. Ace is determined to be his friend even though he comes on a little strong for Trapper's liking. He prefers Kylie's company because she doesn't really care about him. Ted just lays there so they neither like or dislike each other.

I am looking forward to watching Trapper's progress. For now he is snoozing on his bed.

I just realized that Pebbles' last day never posted! I'm not sure why but I am sure I made some silly mistake.

Pebbles is a super star. She did awesome this week and I hope her family is happy with her progress. Her owners are prepared to work with her on her self restraint as she matures.

I think her people will enjoy the freedom that her remote trainer gives her and will also appreciate how well it works to reign her enthusiasm in and help her cool her jets a little when she gets over excited.

I thoroughly enjoyed working with Pebbles. She is a special girl indeed.

I just realized that Pebbles' last day never posted! I'm not sure why but I am sure I made some silly mistake.

Pebbles is a super star. She did awesome this week and I hope her family is happy with her progress. Her owners are prepared to work with her on her self restraint as she matures.

I think her people will enjoy the freedom that her remote trainer gives her and will also appreciate how well it works to reign her enthusiasm in and help her cool her jets a little when she gets over excited.

I thoroughly enjoyed working with Pebbles. She is a special girl indeed.

I just realized that Pebbles' last day never posted! I'm not sure why but I am sure I made some silly mistake.

Pebbles is a super star. She did awesome this week and I hope her family is happy with her progress. Her owners are prepared to work with her on her self restraint as she matures.

I think her people will enjoy the freedom that her remote trainer gives her and will also appreciate how well it works to reign her enthusiasm in and help her cool her jets a little when she gets over excited.

I thoroughly enjoyed working with Pebbles. She is a special girl indeed.

Pebbles was introduced to her remote trainer today and I am thrilled with how well she is doing. She still needs a leash for walks but in the house she is much easier to calm down. It is easier to get her to drop something she picks up also. Her Down/Stay and Placemat are more reliable and she is starting to understand that she can't playfully run away from correction anymore so the "chase me" game is potentially a thing of the past (unless her folks like playing that game).

Right now we are staying on Placemat while I watch some tv with the family. Pebbles has been so sweet and careful around Noah and hasn't even been in his face too much. I hope to do Placemat for 45 minutes to an hour.

More on her progress tomorrow. Yay Pebbles!

Pebbles had another good day today. She was very feisty and silly but she did good work. Her Down command usually ends up with her on her back wiggling around but at least she is on the ground. She didn't throw any tantrums today.

Tomorrow I am going to introduce her remote training collar and I am going to introduce Placemat. So it should be a fun day for everyone.

Right now she is curled up with her rhino in her kennel, snoozing. What a sweet girl.

Pebble is a Pit Bull (or pibble as we like to call them) who is here for 5 days of basic obedience and some house manners. She had a few lessons before she was dropped off so she has a head start.

Pebbles is so sweet. She wants to please but she gets frustrated easily and this can turn into bucking tantrums if you don't redirect her energy. Sometimes this redirection isn't fast enough and you just end up letting her throw a fit for a second or two (correcting of course) until she composes herself. Luckily she had no such tantrum today. We introduced the Down command and worked on her skills with Heel/Autosit, Implied Stay, and Come. All of which her parents taught her nicely.

She has quickly become good friends with Ace and they have already been booted to the yard to finish a game that was too wild for the living room. In the house she is active but calms down after a while. I plan to introduce Place either tomorrow or the next day. Good job Pebbles!

Well sweet Roland goes home tomorrow. His owners will be tasked with the job of maintaining his obedience. He is still very young and so he will have lots of opportunities for his owners to communicate to him the right things to do. The important thing is that they back it up. If they don't want him to jump up on people then he is never allowed to jump up. If he is not allowed to pull on the leash then even when the best smell ever is in his nose he is not allowed to pull. These strict rules for him now mean he will get to enjoy more freedoms as he gets older.
He has done well with his training and is responsive if he thinks his handler means it. He can smell a pushover a mile away and he will break out those hound dog puppy eyes and lay it on THICK if he thinks someone will let him out of work. But he knows his commands and when he is on point he is just the sweetest little dude with all of his new skills.
I will miss this guy. Right now he is teaching us the song of his people in his kennel while we get everyone else put to bed and there is nothing like the melodic yodel of a beagle voice in the house. I hope his family is proud of him. I know I am! Good job, Roland!

Roland had an up and down day today. The morning workout was not very good. He struggled with Down and with Stay and was very hyper and it took a while to get him to calm down and work. The important thing was that I did not give up. I stayed calm and insisted that he do the command. And he eventually did do a good job. All in all the workout took about 15 minutes.

This afternoon he was my helper in lessons and he threw one little beagle tantrum and he was great for the rest of the time. This was followed up with his last workout of the day which was the best workout he has had so far. I wish I had it on video because I was very proud of him.

I would say that this day was a success even though he was a little argumentative at first. Tomorrow I hope we can keep the forward momentum.