Truly made a big step forward today. We started work with the remote collar. She still needs a leash to help her know where to stay right with me but her commands are coming right along. She is trying hard but sometimes she gets so excited or anxious or silly (usually silly) that she makes mistakes. She also thinks she can tease me into playing instead of working. She is very cute but I am immune to the antics of puppies trying to avoid work.
She has really come out of her shell now and has become great friends with Ace and her kennelmate Peet. They play massive games of tag in the yard. She seems much calmer now that she has a friend or two and she isn't as nervous. 
Right now she is barking at the sound of the train going by but soon it is time for bed. Good girl, Truly! Hopefully tomorrow we make it one step closer to taking that leash off.

Peet is just rockin' right along with his training. We have taken walks around the neighborhood and he is almost spot on with most of his obedience (Down is still a bit of an argument but he is getting better). However, my neighborhood has been stubbornly quiet this week and we have not passed many people. I am considering taking him to the arboretum or to a park with the understanding that if he is not ready we may have to cut the walk short. 
In the yard he has had completely off-leash workouts and has done well for the most part. He is not ready for off-leash in an unfenced area yet but I hope to try soon. However, if he needs more time it isn't an issue because we are making excellent time! Good boy Peet!

Ms. Truly did a good job today. We worked more on her Heel work and we worked on Implied Stay. We started Down but did not get very far today which is fine. We have lots of time to fine tune her commands.

Her leash walking is still a struggle for her. She will Heel really well for a few minutes then she will throw a little tantrum and then she will shape up again. I am confident that with consistency and praise she will understand better how to get the answer right. She is a sweety and just needs some good direction.

Right now she is happily working on her bone in her kennel and getting ready for bed. More work tomorrow, Truly!

Peet had a decent day today. We took our first walk around the neighborhood and we established the rule that we do not growl or bark at people while on a walk. He wasn't perfect but he did not throw any real tantrums.

We have now introduced/worked on Heel/ Autosit, Down, Implied Stay, and Come. He is doing well in all of these commands in a low stress and distraction environment. We will be upping the distractions as the week goes on but I am pleased with how he did today.

Boing! Boing! Boing! Truly is here! What a happy and silly girl she is too! A young black lab with a tendency to bounce everywhere she goes she is a delight to have around. But at the same time she can be excitable, and (and I say this affectionately) a little tiresome with her endless energy and welcoming of herself into your lap.

We mostly got acquainted today and walked on the leash some but tomorrow the real work is starting and we will get her leash manners ship shape. She is here for 2 weeks and we will eventually have her on a remote trainer but step one is getting her to be responsive on the leash and teach her a little bit of self-restraint. I know she can do it! I'm glad you're here, Truly!

Peet is a sweet Yellow Lab male who is here for 2 weeks of advanced off-leash training. His major problem is inappropriate reactions to strangers. He can be quite intimidating but makes friends easily.

It is our hope to gain better control of Peet and teach him to restrain himself while also learning how to keep him from escalating to the point of being threatening.

He spent his first hour here learning to leap out of him 6' kennel and dissecting his bed. But as soon as his roommate, Truly, arrived he was much happier to stay in his kennel.

Tomorrow we are going to get some real work started. We won't take the leash off for a while but we are starting him on his remote trainer sooner than usual becuase his owners have been diligently working on teaching him "No" and some basic commands.

Welcome Peet!

Well today is Dexter's last day of training. He has done really well and I am proud of him. His off-leash obedience is pretty good, not perfect. Every so often he tries to get out of work by feigning deafness or laying down under a tree. A correction is enough to fix his hearing problem and get him to rally. For the most part though, he is willing and happy to work and loves the praise he gets for it. In the house the collar has been instrumental in stopping his thieving behavior and he has rocked a down stay during breakfast for the past couple of days. 
One funny thing that is going on is that he has become a little scared of my back yard. I don't know if it is because something spooked him out there (probably Kylie who is much bigger than him and who likes to lurk out of sight and body slam other dogs in play) or if is smells funny or what. But I have been walking out into the grass with him so he can potty or else he just wants to stay on the deck with me, which I don't mind but sometimes, Dexter, you just need to poop.
Today he gets the morning off as my car has an appointment at the car doctor but this afternoon we will take a nice walk and make a trip out to the farm for a run around. He has come to really like the farm and he gets excited when we turn to go over the dam, but he stays put in the back hatch of the car like a good boy!

What a happy day for Dexter. We spent half the day at the farm running around and enjoying our remote trainer. He did spectacularly when we took the leash off. He came when called all but once (one time he got a smell in his nose and needed a tap from the collar to get him to turn around).

His off-leash obedience went well as well. Other than not wanting to sit or lay down on the rocky driveway and scooting into the soft grass he did just fine.

Tomorrow we are going to take steps towards removing the leash in an in-town environment. Check out Facebook for a cute video of Dexter today.

Dexter is doing fine. Yesterday was technically a "down day" but we did introduce his collar and we started using it to correct inappropriate house behaviors like stealing food or being impatient at the door. He takes a slightly high correction but I don't credit that to Dexter being tough. Instead I think it is probably because he is so poofy. If they keep a small area of his neck trimmed a bit shorter where his collar pack can sit we will likely be able to lower his correction level.

Today we did all our workouts with the remote trainer and his physical leash. He responded very well. For some reason he got a little pokey with the Heel after about 20 minutes on our walk. But just a little encouraging with a sweet voice and a leg pat got him to catch up.

Tomorrow I plan to take him to the farm to try removing the leash entirely. I will be taking a buddy with him to encourage him to play and get rowdy. Sometimes dogs think it is a trick when I take the leash off and they don't really loosen up. A buddy will help them to forget the collar and get to more important things, like running and sniffing. Ace will likely be Dexter's buddy.

He is a good boy and while he is still getting used to the collar I think tomorrow he will start to understand the freedom that comes with it.

Not much to report today. My lesson schedule ended up being a bit more complicated today than I anticipated and so Dexter got more down time today than I was planning. He did some good house work (down/stay, etc) during a friend's visit this evening and he was a good boy on his exercise walk but we did get around to introducing the remote today.

I hope to introduce the collar tomorrow and have him pretty well understanding the basics with it by evening. We are having a few friends over and so he will have plenty of opportunity for naughty behavior.

I do not keep the blog on Sunday so look to Monday for his next update. Right now he is enjoying a nylabone that was so skillfully swiped from Ace when he wasn't looking. Silly boy!