I have been doing great since I came home to live at my forever home. I sit, paw and fetch like a boss. I do tend to get overly excited and forget to be polite, though. When someone comes in the house I HAVE to jump up on them so they know how much I care. When I'm out for a walk or a hike and see another dog, it would be rude not to RUSH them and sniff their butt and let them sniff mine. I admit that these things seem less important to my humans than they are to me. And so we have decided to compromise and bring in an expert.
Shelby Place arrived today. She's wonderful. All blonde and tall and smelling like treats. When she put the treat bag on her waist and the clicker in her hand I knew we were going to do something amazing. And we did. She showed us the food lure, marker word and the no reward marker. We reviewed sit (which I already knew of course) and then we added down, stay and watch me. I did the down awesome and sometimes even added a little shoulder drop for more flare. My girl, Trista, did great when she worked with me. My boy, Russell, had a little more trouble with the clicker and food balancing so he's going to use a marker word instead of a clicker, which works for me as long as the treat is still involved.
This week we'll be practicing everything we worked on today. We'll be working on SIT DOWN STAY and WATCH ME. Oh the treats we will share! I am ready to work. I'm up for the task! I won't disappoint! I really thrive when I'm working and learning and there is so much to learn. Maybe I'll even become a stunt dog for movies. What do I need to learn to do that? Either way I love the attention and the attention to detail with this work. I'm very clever and have always insisted on consistency .. and treats. And I think my voice is finally being heard loud and clear!
