Testing .....

Today we worked on leash management.  Or, dog management via leash.   Whatever!  Through trial and error, I think I've concluded that for OUR dog at least, a series of short corrections works better than a long, drawn out tug of war, constant-strain-on-the-leash approach.

In other news, we tired of Gunnar shredding the old towels and blankets we used to line his crate.  He seems to enjoy shredding them.   Tearing everything into tiny little pieces, some of which occasionally hang from his canines.  So....., we replaced that stuff with a nice padded cushion from the store.   Which lasted ALMOST one day.   Mary came home from morning run to find it demolished.  If this continues, the plastic tray in the bottom of the crate will be all he has. Grrrrrr.

Throw-Fetch-Drop

Well, 2 out of 3 ain't bad!  In Gunnar's case, the throw and fetch thing works well.   In his case, the game becomes throw-fetch-chew.  The goal seems to be to shred the tennis balls or devour the Frisbee.  Oh, well.  Perhaps he'll eventually come to enjoy the repetition part of the game.  I hear that those proverbial puppy teeth will fall out and that he'll be a lot less chewy, if there's such a word.  Hmmm.  Spell-check seems to think there is. 

We did have an accident this afternoon, though.  Gunnar violated the zone of our invisible dog fence and got the reminder that he shouldn't do so.  The flags are down now so the visual cues are gone.  I imagine that this will be something he remembers.

Weather & Other Phenomenon

We had a VERY uneventful walk this afternoon, with virtually no pulling or straining at the leash.  I'd like to chalk that one up to diligence in training regimen and consistent rewarding of positive behaviours, but, there's an outside chance that the high temperature and high humidity may have had some impact.  On our way back home, Gunnar clearly had enough, and mosied over to a nice-cropped lawn in a shady spot, and plunked himself down, full recline, soaking up the coolness of the grass. After that brief break, we made the slow march back home. 

Now, the internet news sites are full of articles about some "giant moon" we're supposed to have this Saturday.  So, thinking about all that hard-wiring in my cattle-breeding puppy, will the lunar influence drive him to another kind of beast?  If we're not at class on Sunday, you'll know that he has evolved into something horrible.

The penny bottle traps have gone untouched all week, until this evening.  The temptation was too great, and Gunnar went for a nice, white running sock.    Yummmy!  The crash sent him scurrying.   We'll see how long before he strikes again.

The Storm Before the Calm

I have to wonder what behaviours are hard-wired and which are just that, a particular behaviour.  Gunnar continues to give strong resistance to Mary.   I'm including a pic of tonight's work through the "down" command.  He spent much of the time biting the leash.  After about 5 minutes, he did comply, but......

The Stocking Thief

We lost a few socks this week.  Gunnar is an opportunistic shredder.  So, I put out a penny bottle setup for him.  Sure enough, it didn't take more than a minute for him to spy the sock, and drag the bottle crashing to the ground.  He left it alone until the next day, when he gave it another shot.  Same result.  It's been untouched for a few days now.   Mary set him up with one of her socks hanging from the laundry basket.  Sure enough, he went for the bait and scurried off when the bottle crashed to the laundry room floor.

We have a few bottle planted around the house, working on that extinction thing.

First Attempt at "Down"

Mary gave the command a shot.   On the first attempt, he fought for about 3 minutes before giving in.  Biting, jumping, turning, the whole range of tricks.  The second attempt took only about 20 seconds.

I gave it a shot after dinner.  No challenge here!  Almost immediate response.  Obviously needs to be worked on some more.

Is Puppy Training Exhausting?

I wonder if others in the class are experiencing the same thing we are.   Gunnar is exhausted after the class.  Kinda' nice!  Right now he wandered off into the bedroom and is sacked out, away from the noise and hubub.

Uh, oh!   I think he heard me typing.   He's back!!!!!