Test day is tomorrow. We will see how far Dena has come and the other dogs too.
Jim had Dena tested for Canine Good Citizen last fall and she failed miserably.
I took her to Petco to train a little this afternoon. Those aisles are wonderful for making straight sits. As always, in a pet store, she nearly had a nervous breakdown. We heeled up and down the aisles and sit/stayed and plotzed until I could take no more.
I will keep my fingers crossed for tomorrow.
March 23 was our test. Dena did as well as could be expected. Last year she took the Canine Good Citizenship test and she failed. She failed because she was overly concerned when she was left alone for 3 minutes which is the final task. This year she passed. She was not happy to have me leave her but she didn't make a huge deal about it. Way to go Dena!
This is the end of the training blog. I will continue working with Dena and of course Jim will continue to train Dopple. If there are more classes, I will return to posting.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Friday, March 7, 2014
Dena training continued
The previous Dena post was getting very long.
3/5 I took all three dogs out together for a walk. The only training that could be done was sit/stays since it is impossible to heel 3 dogs at once. I felt like a doggie kindergarten teacher. I put them all on a sit/sat and took a couple of steps back. Dena and Dopple both got up 3 times. Of course Kingsy sat and watched the entire debacle without moving. Finally I stood right in front of them for a few seconds and then released them so they could have some success.
3/6 Dena and I trained in the street for a little bit. She gets huggier the longer we train. Her plotz doesn't always get her elbows to the ground. That is hard to correct as she is mostly down and then jumps right up. When she and I finished I took her and Dopple out again for some doggie kindergarten work as Jimmy injured himself and still isn't walking well. Again the two of them broke the sit/stay 3 times. Then I stood over them and they had success. They both walked real nicely on the leashes with their pinch collars. That is a huge improvement since we began training.
3/9 We had plotz school today. We stayed inside and I used Kingsy as an example. I took a handful of treats and told Kingsy to plotz. He did. I gave him a treat. I told Dena to plotz. She ignored me. I turned to Kingsy and told him to plotz. He did. I gave him a treat. It took 4 treats before Dena figured out that I wasn't going to give her a treat, or push her down, or put the treat on the floor. If she didn't plotz of her own free will then I was just going to work with Kingsy. The first time she plotzed after I turned my back on her to work with Kingsy. The second time she plotzed much more quickly. Would she plotz without the collar or a treat? I doubt it. However, I still see this as progress.
3/10 Lois has been away for a while. She tells me she is amazed with Dena's better behavior. Dena is upset to have Lois home and is extra growly and bitchy at night.
3/11 I had the luck of having Lois to step on Dena and Dopple's leashes during the sit/stay and so I only had to correct them once.
3/12 I was hoping for an excellent day for training. It is the first time we have had all 3 dogs and their owners together in such a long time. We all went off for a walk together. Kingsy was being very good. Dena and Dopple were acting up. I took Dena and began to work with her. I got angry then because Jim did not appear to be happy to train Dopple. He was punishing more than praising so I left the group and trained on my own. Dena was compliant and good. It would have been nice to have the other dogs for distraction.
3/13 Today I took Dena for short training in the street after her walk. She sat, plotzed and heeled. Her heels were sloppy and her sits at the end were sideways. She is much happier to train than before so I don't bother to correct her.
3/16 Plotzkreig - that is what we have now with Dena. Each nicht all the dogs line up for treats. Kingsy plotz! and he does it. Dopple plotz! and he does it. Dena plotz! She looks at me like she doesn't have a clue. I turn my back on her and start to work with Kingsy and she lays down. She waits till my back is turned. What weirdness is this?
3/19 We did a small amount of training in the street. Dena lags in heeling whenever she receives praise. She will be heeling well, I praise her, she falls behind or once she charged ahead. That was because the driveway was coming into view and I believe she was making a break for it. Today the plotzs were ignored both inside and outside. I had to correct her with the collar for failure to plotz. We have reached an impasse.
3/5 I took all three dogs out together for a walk. The only training that could be done was sit/stays since it is impossible to heel 3 dogs at once. I felt like a doggie kindergarten teacher. I put them all on a sit/sat and took a couple of steps back. Dena and Dopple both got up 3 times. Of course Kingsy sat and watched the entire debacle without moving. Finally I stood right in front of them for a few seconds and then released them so they could have some success.
3/6 Dena and I trained in the street for a little bit. She gets huggier the longer we train. Her plotz doesn't always get her elbows to the ground. That is hard to correct as she is mostly down and then jumps right up. When she and I finished I took her and Dopple out again for some doggie kindergarten work as Jimmy injured himself and still isn't walking well. Again the two of them broke the sit/stay 3 times. Then I stood over them and they had success. They both walked real nicely on the leashes with their pinch collars. That is a huge improvement since we began training.
3/9 We had plotz school today. We stayed inside and I used Kingsy as an example. I took a handful of treats and told Kingsy to plotz. He did. I gave him a treat. I told Dena to plotz. She ignored me. I turned to Kingsy and told him to plotz. He did. I gave him a treat. It took 4 treats before Dena figured out that I wasn't going to give her a treat, or push her down, or put the treat on the floor. If she didn't plotz of her own free will then I was just going to work with Kingsy. The first time she plotzed after I turned my back on her to work with Kingsy. The second time she plotzed much more quickly. Would she plotz without the collar or a treat? I doubt it. However, I still see this as progress.
3/10 Lois has been away for a while. She tells me she is amazed with Dena's better behavior. Dena is upset to have Lois home and is extra growly and bitchy at night.
3/11 I had the luck of having Lois to step on Dena and Dopple's leashes during the sit/stay and so I only had to correct them once.
3/12 I was hoping for an excellent day for training. It is the first time we have had all 3 dogs and their owners together in such a long time. We all went off for a walk together. Kingsy was being very good. Dena and Dopple were acting up. I took Dena and began to work with her. I got angry then because Jim did not appear to be happy to train Dopple. He was punishing more than praising so I left the group and trained on my own. Dena was compliant and good. It would have been nice to have the other dogs for distraction.
3/13 Today I took Dena for short training in the street after her walk. She sat, plotzed and heeled. Her heels were sloppy and her sits at the end were sideways. She is much happier to train than before so I don't bother to correct her.
3/16 Plotzkreig - that is what we have now with Dena. Each nicht all the dogs line up for treats. Kingsy plotz! and he does it. Dopple plotz! and he does it. Dena plotz! She looks at me like she doesn't have a clue. I turn my back on her and start to work with Kingsy and she lays down. She waits till my back is turned. What weirdness is this?
3/19 We did a small amount of training in the street. Dena lags in heeling whenever she receives praise. She will be heeling well, I praise her, she falls behind or once she charged ahead. That was because the driveway was coming into view and I believe she was making a break for it. Today the plotzs were ignored both inside and outside. I had to correct her with the collar for failure to plotz. We have reached an impasse.
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