I always feel sorry when the internet is so spotty like this. Last night it was taking over 35 minutes just to load a text email. Blogs were not happening. Tonight isn't much better but blogs must be posted so we will let it take as long as it needs to.
Matia is doing great. She is now completely off-leash and is trustworthy in the yard and in the garden. Once she gets started her obedience is pretty good. She is still very much a puppy and so mistakes are made here and there but tonight I had a friend and some family members help me and we all "threw a party" for Matia. We let her get very excited playing with other dogs and we would clap and squeal and skip around trying to entice her to jump up and she only jumped up on someone one time. She is getting much better about this but it is vital that all people know the rules so that no one confuses her by allowing, or even encouraging, jumping up behavior.
Her obedience is fine. She still needs some help getting started but once she starts she is alright. She will need practice once she is home or she will backslide. I have had my husband and my sister work with her to help her understand that rules apply even if her usual handler is not present. I will be sending her home with a "training tab" which is a leash that was cut at 6" long and she can wear it all day. This will allow her to be off-leash while still giving her owners a way to correct her without slipping a finger into the d-ring of her collar, which is almost never effective.
She now enjoys a good game of fetch before a workout and knows to bring back the ball (or stick) and sit. Sometimes she pouts about giving it back but will happily retrieve anything tossed.
Placemat is still only so/so. She will go onto her mat easily and will lay down or sit on it while I am in the room but she sometimes still hops up when she gets bored or if I leave the room. We will be pushing this tomorrow to try to get it fixed.
She has always had a hard time restraining herself around Angela the kitty. She just wants to pounce on her and does not seem to understand that Angela is not a toy. She is sporting a tiny scratch under her eye from Angie and that scratch has helped Matia to understand that maybe she should be gentler with the cats but I am going to recommend that she be supervised and, if necessary, leashed at first when she gets home and any pouncing towards the cats be sharply reprimanded. She has improved slightly but even after 8 days of reprimands and getting hissed at and scratched at she is only just now started to grasp that maybe Angela does not like getting flattened by a huge dog.
Matia has done a bit of growing up this week and with firm and consistent discipline and will timed praise from her owners she will continue to improve. Even though her Board and Train is not quite finished yet I feel she has a good foundation of obedience and better listening skills for her owners to build on once she is home.
Matia is doing great. She is now completely off-leash and is trustworthy in the yard and in the garden. Once she gets started her obedience is pretty good. She is still very much a puppy and so mistakes are made here and there but tonight I had a friend and some family members help me and we all "threw a party" for Matia. We let her get very excited playing with other dogs and we would clap and squeal and skip around trying to entice her to jump up and she only jumped up on someone one time. She is getting much better about this but it is vital that all people know the rules so that no one confuses her by allowing, or even encouraging, jumping up behavior.
Her obedience is fine. She still needs some help getting started but once she starts she is alright. She will need practice once she is home or she will backslide. I have had my husband and my sister work with her to help her understand that rules apply even if her usual handler is not present. I will be sending her home with a "training tab" which is a leash that was cut at 6" long and she can wear it all day. This will allow her to be off-leash while still giving her owners a way to correct her without slipping a finger into the d-ring of her collar, which is almost never effective.
She now enjoys a good game of fetch before a workout and knows to bring back the ball (or stick) and sit. Sometimes she pouts about giving it back but will happily retrieve anything tossed.
Placemat is still only so/so. She will go onto her mat easily and will lay down or sit on it while I am in the room but she sometimes still hops up when she gets bored or if I leave the room. We will be pushing this tomorrow to try to get it fixed.
She has always had a hard time restraining herself around Angela the kitty. She just wants to pounce on her and does not seem to understand that Angela is not a toy. She is sporting a tiny scratch under her eye from Angie and that scratch has helped Matia to understand that maybe she should be gentler with the cats but I am going to recommend that she be supervised and, if necessary, leashed at first when she gets home and any pouncing towards the cats be sharply reprimanded. She has improved slightly but even after 8 days of reprimands and getting hissed at and scratched at she is only just now started to grasp that maybe Angela does not like getting flattened by a huge dog.
Matia has done a bit of growing up this week and with firm and consistent discipline and will timed praise from her owners she will continue to improve. Even though her Board and Train is not quite finished yet I feel she has a good foundation of obedience and better listening skills for her owners to build on once she is home.
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