Linus had a very productive day today. He is doing well with his obedience and with his basic manners. The thing he still has trouble with, manners wise, are leaving things that he shouldn't investigate. He is doing well about waiting patiently for his food (he hates it though) and is making progress with restraining himself at the door. The only time he is really terrible about this is when he needs to pee but most other times I can get him to sit and wait for me to open the door all the way before he scrambles out.
His leash manners are going great. I decided that, for now, we are not going to use a chain on him. He gets so overwhelmed sometimes that it was slowing the training down. For now I have him on a British Style Slip Lead. I am using this type of leash for the very reason I usually do not use them to teach. It dulls the correction. This will allow me to still define the word "No" with a mild correction but it won't scare him. I am almost certain that when he gets back to his people and he is back in his comfort zone he will need to move up to a slip chain. The British Style Slip Lead will allow me to guide him a bit more gently and it seems to keep him happier during training.
Tomorrow I am going to skatter some treats on the floor and work on "Leave it" it might be a disaster or it might be great.
We are also going to learn Down from the Front, and we are going to work on Recall some more. He also still needs a little work on Implied Stay. I am hoping to use a long line later tomorrow or early Thursday. The long line is a tool that allows him to make mistakes (like breaking a heel "off leash") while allowing me to keep him in check. It is the first step to off leash training.
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