We started puppy classes this evening I wanted to log our progress on here! It went great the trainers were lovely! There was Rolo and 3 other dogs, he was very vocal at first which ive not seen or heard much as we havent had lots of contact with other dogs! He loved the playtime! He done very well and i used my clicker during the class which no one else did - the trainer compliment my clicking technique! All at the right times etc! We done a focus on me and sit stay, looking forward to the progress
4 dogs is a nice number! Lucky! Classes are invaluable for training focus and you just learn not to care about how much of a loon you sound like
We started puppy training today, too! Our instructor uses the clicker and treat system. She's teaching us hand signals too. I think it will be good. My husband and I are exhausted as is Libby. It's a lot of work and there is a lot to learn! Libby really enjoyed the other dogs, particularly a golden retriever about her size.
Sounds great! How old is Libby?! My OH couldn't make it but He does little sessions with Rolo at home where he can And i pass on my tips! We are off to Puppy Playtime tonight too!
Libby is 17 weeks. She will be 4 months on November 4th. This morning, I started practicing the clicker/treat training we learned last night. Aside from me trying to get coordinated enough to click and treat when I'm supposed to, she did great. She has picked this up so fast. It beats me using the words, and as the trainer said the words change, the sound of the clicker does not. My release word is 'ok' and she patiently waits for me to say it before she gets up from her 'sit' or 'down' position. Now this comes from the dog that up until class time yesterday, would barely get to the ground before she was off and running again. One time, she was laying down and I wanted to see if I could take her to a 'sit' position from down there. She is responding well to the hand commands and she just wouldn't get up from laying down to go to the 'sit' position. Uh, duh, forgot my 'OK' and then she bounded right up. Get it together, mom! She is definitely smarter than I am!
It's also not necessarily obvious to the dog that when you say "sit", you're talking about the end position - what we would call the sit. When you give the cue (visual or verbal), and the dog is in a stand, she will lower her bum to the ground. Well, when she's laying down and you give the cue, how is she supposed to know what to do? She's not associated the word with being sat, she's associated it with lowering her bum, which she can't do. She doesn't understand yet that, when she's laying down and you ask her to sit, she needs to raise up on her front legs. Many people have two different cues - a "sit" and an "upsit". I have just the one, but it did need training from both directions
