Day Six -- Brush Up

Awww...he's growing up. Lost the other tooth today. He didn't eat much today but I also noticed he would eat the soft treats and spit out the hard treats so his mouth might have been a little tender. The substitute Tooth Fairy failed at finding the teeth but he was well rewarded none-the-less.

So all his big boy teeth and heading into adolescence. Adolescence isn't that big of a deal just know that it will be a time when he tests a little, he might be a little more distracted, and he might be a little more forgetful. Consistency and following through with him will help you survive unscathed.

I noticed he wasn't responding to his name readily, especially if he was busy sniffing something. But we'd really like him to respond the first time we call his name so he will respond to the next thing you ask of him (i.e. "Come!).

 So we do a little refresher of name recognition and attention work.

Same his name, when he looks at you say "Yes!", and give him a reward.

It is ok if he does it just because he is going to get a treat in the beginning.

It will condition him to like doing the behavior later on. Looking at you when you call his name should equal good things to him. I spend a lot of time, especially with young dogs, working on this very basic exercise. We work on it at the park, in the lobby of the veterinary clinic, at a pet supply store, on a neighborhood walk, at a friends house, etc. Wherever he may get distracted.

Even when he's with his pal...

He still needs to look at you when you say his name.

No easy task for sure...

It will help with his ability to function around distractions and improve his responsiveness to commands.

Even the basics can wear a guy out.

Might be time for a nap.

Day Five -- Progress

What? Is it too bright now? Silly boy...

We worked on different surfaces today and he did great. So I suspect he just doesn't like getting his feet wet. But it's still a good idea to get him use to different surfaces (grates, slick surfaces, gravel, etc.). That's just a normal part of socialization that's important to a dog's development. It's often overlooked until you have an adult dog who refused to walk on the slick floor at the vet's office.

We've been working on "leave it" and he's doing great! I start out with a lower value treat that I'm offering up to him (initially in a closed hand) and tell him "leave it" once and then wait him out. He will try different things to get the treats and I patiently wait for him to try the behavior I want.

The second he backs off of it, I mark it with "Yes!" and give him a higher value treat from the other hand. He quickly figures out that it pays off well for him to leave the item. I never give him the treats from the "leave it" pile. I don't want him to think that he gets to have that item after he has left it (imagine coming across unknown medication on the floor and telling him to "leave it" only for him to leave it and then go back for a taste). I also make sure that I'm only saying it once so he learns to listen the first time I say it and I say in an upbeat tone. Not a harsh, booming "LEAVE IT!!" When I say it in an upbeat tone, he's happy to comply because it tells him that good things are coming.

He's doing great with his "Go to your mat" command! We've practiced in various locations, various mats, etc.

Now we are starting to send him to his mat from a distance. He's progressing very nicely. Just in time for the Tooth Fairy to pay a little visit. One biscuit for one tooth.

He's also during really nicely on his stays. We added a few more distractions in today (there were dogs playing behind me) so he was breaking a lot in the beginning which tells me a couple of things. We've either added in too many distractions or I am not rewarding fast enough.

He's a pretty focused guy so I first try increase the rate at which I am reinforcing him. That did the trick and he was able to handle the level of distractions.

His tricks are coming along nicely too. He loves to roll over! I'm getting to the point where I can hold under his chin with one finger over his nose while I treat him so we're getting closer to putting a treat on his nose.

Indy has been a very good student...

And a lot of fun to have around!

Day Four -- Baby Steps

Oh buddy, I hate to tell you, but you live in Oregon. It rains here.

After begging to go back in (before going to the bathroom, mind you)...

He decided maybe he could just play on the stoop.

Had we had more time in the rain, I would have spent more time doing things he loves in the rain so he can change his association with it to something more happy. We did what we could but then the rain stopped.

He may figure out on his own that it's not such a bad thing. For now, he doesn't even want to go out if the ground is wet. Oh sir...

Life was grand once the ground dried up.

I think maybe he was practicing getting on this platform in case the floods came. He does have somewhat sensitive feet. We've been trimming a couple of nails a day to get him use to that handling. Getting him use to walking on a variety of surfaces would be beneficial as well.

He's not super thrilled with the treat on the nose trick. We're doing that in baby steps too. In the training world, we call those successive approximations. We reward each baby step until he is comfortable doing the entire trick. So, right now, we're just working on Indy being comfortable when I steady his nose. I don't put pressure on his mouth but he might be a little sensitive because he's cutting teeth.

But he says, "How about this one? I can do this one..."

His roll is coming along nicely too. He likes it. No surprise there with as much time as he spends sleeping on his back. I am teaching this command with a lure. In the beginning, I don't use the word "roll." I just shape the behavior I want. When the light bulb goes on and he starts to anticipate what I am going to have him do and he'll easily roll over each time I lure him, then I introduce the word. I always say the word first before I bring out the lure. If I brought the lure out first, he is unlikely to hear anything I say, being too focused on the treat and all. Lures are a fast way to teach a dog a skill but it's important to wean off of them pretty quickly so he doesn't become dependent on it. We are almost to the point of weaning off the lure to a hand signal.

I think at this point Indy wishes I would teach him to talk.

If he were able to talk...

I think he would probably say, "Can we keep him?" He and Remo get along very well.

Day Three -- New Experiences

It's nice to have a lot of new experiences when we are practicing our skills.

Not only is it fun to have a new friend around...

But he can also provide a nice distraction when we are working on our skills, like recalls. I have no pictures but we've been practicing recalls off of my cat too. Now that he's gone from a dog with hackles up barking like crazy "Get away from me you scary, fuzzy thing" to squishing the kitty as he playfully pounces all around her, it's very nice to be able to call him away just before Mo hits her max on puppy antics.

It's one thing to be able to do things at home...

But it's a whole different thing to be able to do it in the face of distractions. Not to mention that it's super nice when you don't have to utter the words, "But he does this so well at home..."

So we practice "Go to your Mat" on his regular mat in a variety of locations but we also practice on other mats. How handy is it if you go some place without your regular mat in tow and you can easily send him to any dog bed, towel, etc?

Sometimes when it is something new, we have to back up our training a bit. But, because they already know it, they are quick to pick it up with the new circumstances.

My criteria is the same. Most of your body needs to be on the mat and you need to be lying down. Rolled over on one of his hips is ideal. This helps him settle into his stay.

And now we can work on that stay. I can work on all three components (duration, distance, and distraction) in the same session, just not at the same time.

We got a little side tracked when we were working on "roll." But he has the body for a cute "Take a bow."

He's starting to get it. If he starts to go down, I encourage him to let him know he's doing the right thing.

Not to worry, his roll is coming along too. But, if he has a whole arsenal of tricks, he has to be able to take a bow at the end.

He's been having a good time with his posse.

But now he has to brace himself for the fact that the rains are coming. He is not a fan. The weekend sunshine will be here soon...we hope.