In working with dogs, there are so many magical days. I normally forget to document most of them. Then there are times where I didn't bother to get the camera, just wanting to stay in the moment. Yesterday was just such a day:)
It started with our boarder and behaviorally challenged, Gigi, waking up. Gigi is so much fun, the very first thing she wants to do each morning is play. Play with doggie companions who are game for such play:) So she tippy tappies around on her toes identifying each playmate and making "inquiries". Gigi is also a student of play, as she had never done it before with a dog. I notice she studies hard what the other dogs are doing, and then tries it herself. I noticed her doing this, when she figured every likes to chase each other. Then she didn't know what came next after she got to them though LOL. Then she started figuring out about boxing, wrestling, and mock mouth fighting.
So yesterday, Leon was fetching my slippers, and it finally clicked to Gigi. You chase the thing, you get the thing, and then you run and get chased. Her and Leon had such a wonderful time doing this. Gigi even brought the slipper back a few times as Leon was trained to do. You have to watch her though, as she is likely to rip and shred, and these were my good slippers:)
Gigi and Jack also got to playing for a little bit. Jack's been teaching her that mock mouth fighting does not mean giving pressure to sharp teeth by whining at her when she is too rough. So Gigi had a heavenly morning right up her alley and gave my dogs a bit of entertainment as well.
Yesterday was a horrid weather day. It started with snow, and by the time Roxy and Harley, two Great Dane clients, needed walking, it was sleeting out. So I put on my boots with the screws in the bottom (works great by the way) and leashed up Leon with his pack on. We walked there with Leon being reintroduced to the concept of heeling to a client's house, as his knees have been doing really well lately. Leon and I got the Great Danes and went down to the beach, which was at low tide.
The dogs really had fun despite the adverse conditions. Well everyone except Roxy who has a horror of all that is damp. She does not do wet, and so she just stuck close by me as Harley and Leon tore up the beach. The good thing about bad weather days, is that the beach is totally empty even at low tide!! My hands were numb by the time we went back, because I had to take the gloves off to get all the dogs leashed up again.
When I went home it was time for training. I did fetch exercises with Jack around the worst distraction I could think of, bread that he couldn't eat while training. I had him also doing fronts through two English muffins lying on the floor, and needed to concentrate on fetch and give while auto sitting and staying next to two muffins. A whole lot of training has been going around things he tends to be an aggressor to Leon over in order to increase his tolerance threshold and obedience threshold around those things. In the meantime, and until a semblance of that goal is reached, he is limited as to his total freedom that he used to have in the house.
Leon was next, and we did his practice retrieve. He understands getting and retrieving keys, gloves, scarves, remote controls, and his toys. Now I am starting working him on a bowl. We also did his freestyle dance moves, which he loves. I think I will start this with Jack as well.
And thus ended a very productive and fun day. All the dogs slept very well that night:)
It started with our boarder and behaviorally challenged, Gigi, waking up. Gigi is so much fun, the very first thing she wants to do each morning is play. Play with doggie companions who are game for such play:) So she tippy tappies around on her toes identifying each playmate and making "inquiries". Gigi is also a student of play, as she had never done it before with a dog. I notice she studies hard what the other dogs are doing, and then tries it herself. I noticed her doing this, when she figured every likes to chase each other. Then she didn't know what came next after she got to them though LOL. Then she started figuring out about boxing, wrestling, and mock mouth fighting.
So yesterday, Leon was fetching my slippers, and it finally clicked to Gigi. You chase the thing, you get the thing, and then you run and get chased. Her and Leon had such a wonderful time doing this. Gigi even brought the slipper back a few times as Leon was trained to do. You have to watch her though, as she is likely to rip and shred, and these were my good slippers:)
Gigi and Jack also got to playing for a little bit. Jack's been teaching her that mock mouth fighting does not mean giving pressure to sharp teeth by whining at her when she is too rough. So Gigi had a heavenly morning right up her alley and gave my dogs a bit of entertainment as well.
Yesterday was a horrid weather day. It started with snow, and by the time Roxy and Harley, two Great Dane clients, needed walking, it was sleeting out. So I put on my boots with the screws in the bottom (works great by the way) and leashed up Leon with his pack on. We walked there with Leon being reintroduced to the concept of heeling to a client's house, as his knees have been doing really well lately. Leon and I got the Great Danes and went down to the beach, which was at low tide.
The dogs really had fun despite the adverse conditions. Well everyone except Roxy who has a horror of all that is damp. She does not do wet, and so she just stuck close by me as Harley and Leon tore up the beach. The good thing about bad weather days, is that the beach is totally empty even at low tide!! My hands were numb by the time we went back, because I had to take the gloves off to get all the dogs leashed up again.
When I went home it was time for training. I did fetch exercises with Jack around the worst distraction I could think of, bread that he couldn't eat while training. I had him also doing fronts through two English muffins lying on the floor, and needed to concentrate on fetch and give while auto sitting and staying next to two muffins. A whole lot of training has been going around things he tends to be an aggressor to Leon over in order to increase his tolerance threshold and obedience threshold around those things. In the meantime, and until a semblance of that goal is reached, he is limited as to his total freedom that he used to have in the house.
Leon was next, and we did his practice retrieve. He understands getting and retrieving keys, gloves, scarves, remote controls, and his toys. Now I am starting working him on a bowl. We also did his freestyle dance moves, which he loves. I think I will start this with Jack as well.
And thus ended a very productive and fun day. All the dogs slept very well that night:)
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