Yesterday we got everyone settled in and started the real work. In the first lesson we fixed Rocky's leash manners. With the help of an H.S. prong collar his manic pulling issue was addressed in under a minute and hopefully it will be well on its way to being solved soon. He will likely need the prong collar for the next few months as he enters a more argumentative stage of development. This is a STRONG dog but not too tough. I stepped on his toe by accident and he thought he was dying.
So he has heel/autosit down though it is not as neat as I'd like it to be. We still have 4 days. Yesterday we laid the groundwork for down and implied stay.
Today we worked more on heel/autosit and down and implied stay as well as introduced him to a "place mat" command. He spent 2 hours on his mat today but did need to be put back 4 times in the beginning.
The owner wants to start running with Rocky as soon as he (Rocky) is done growing and so we are going to do some low impact jogs with him just to make sure the heel/autosit translates to running as well. This is an athletic boy so the runs will suit him well.
Yesterday we simply ran Chewie through everything he was taught 2 years ago. He remembers heel/autosit and down but he only lays down grudgingly. He dramatically slinks down and then curls up and acts like Christmas was cancelled. I am certain that he is being manipulative and isn't actually upset. His implied stay is still intact but needs polishing. This afternoon we are going to re-learn "come" and his down-from-the-front.
I like both of these dogs very much and will soon be posting a picture of this odd couple. Proof that dogs from two different molds can make wonderful housemates (did I mention that these boys are