4/20 Take a Bow!
Tessa and I started a fun little trick today that we normally call Bravo but you can call it whatever you want! It’s where the dog performs a play bow on cue which I’m sure the kids will love to do with her. She had a bit of a tough time differentiating it from a ‘down’, but she had some good moments of success. I think we would need to do more work on this before it would be ready to show off. – Casey
4/20 Polite Greetings
Today We worked on polite greetings with one trainer – to show you how you can work on this at home if you are alone. I would approach Tessa and not come close until she was sitting – then I would reach to pet her – then I would reward her – if she stood up, nipped or jumped at any point I simply left without interacting with her (or stopped the interaction and left). I rewarded her initially while I petted her and then started rewarding her after I pet her. By the end of the session she was doing great – this will take a lot of practice however – Cat
4/20 Leave It
Tessa practiced her leave it training. This was a bit hard for her at first – eventually she remembered what she was supposed to do — Great job Tessa – Cat
4/21 Hide and Seek!
Tessa and I played a fun game of hide and seek for her second session today. Playing it this way not only works on their recall, but builds problem solving skills, encourages persistence at finding you, gives them practice at locating you based on the sound of your voice, and gets them physically exercised and mentally stimulated… plus it’s fun! Tessa had a blast with this game and was a good, persistent seeker. Sometimes it took her a little bit, but she always found me, and that’s what we’re looking for! – Casey
4/22 Basics
Today we did our first session with Tessa on basics. She was a little over excited at first and was very jumpy but quickly settled down into her routine. She did a great job today. She tends to be a little sharky with taking treats so I would like to work on this on the next session. Overall a great session with a smart girl. Liz
4/22 Puzzle Toy and Shaping
Tessa started out the session with a fun puzzle toy. Then we reviewed drop it, touch, and look. I tried to teach her a paw target but she was more interested in playing with the target so I switched it up. I set an object on the floor and waited for her to interact with it (biting, nosing, pawing, scratching, etc). Every time she did any of those behaviors, I clicked and treated. It was like she was teaching herself a new trick. By the end of the session she would put her front paws on the book for a treat. What a smart girl! – Robin