Okay so Geordie is hilarious. He is the labbiest lab ever and he has been cracking me up all day. However, being a labby lab also means that he has almost no impulse control and very little self restraint. He is a smart boy but he usually just lets his enthusiasm take the driver's seat. So my task this week is to help him learn to restrain himself and to listen to his handler.
We started with Heel/Autosit, Implied Stay, and Down today. At first he tried to use his pinch collar like an ox yolk (like he does his flat collar) and when that didn't work he decided bouncing was the next best option. But within 10 minutes he was walking like a dog and was even sitting automatically when I stopped now and then. His Down was fairly easy to introduce and more difficult to keep once he got distracted. He lays down pretty well but then he wants to boing right back up and go do Geordie things. So we are going to work (probably daily) on his staying power around distractions. Luckily he finds chickens VERY distracting so he is gonna be my helper and lay down while I take care of the chickens daily. Don't worry, I am very good at keeping my chickens safe while I work the dogs.
So far he is settling in just fine. He didn't want his breakfast but he ate his dinner with gusto. He is relaxing in his crate while I put the babies to bed and then we will get one last potty walk before it's his official bed time.
I'm looking forward to working with this goof this week. He is going to be a light hearted guy, I can tell.
We started with Heel/Autosit, Implied Stay, and Down today. At first he tried to use his pinch collar like an ox yolk (like he does his flat collar) and when that didn't work he decided bouncing was the next best option. But within 10 minutes he was walking like a dog and was even sitting automatically when I stopped now and then. His Down was fairly easy to introduce and more difficult to keep once he got distracted. He lays down pretty well but then he wants to boing right back up and go do Geordie things. So we are going to work (probably daily) on his staying power around distractions. Luckily he finds chickens VERY distracting so he is gonna be my helper and lay down while I take care of the chickens daily. Don't worry, I am very good at keeping my chickens safe while I work the dogs.
So far he is settling in just fine. He didn't want his breakfast but he ate his dinner with gusto. He is relaxing in his crate while I put the babies to bed and then we will get one last potty walk before it's his official bed time.
I'm looking forward to working with this goof this week. He is going to be a light hearted guy, I can tell.
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