Every Monday for 7 weeks, we bring our pup to puppy school. I swear, it's more for Phil and I than it is for Charlie but she loves it and it tuckers her right out (bonus!).
WEEK ONE
WEEK ONE
The first 10 minutes are for playing on the obstacle course. Week 1, Charlie wanted nothing to do with a few of the obstacles but after we loured her with treats, she was game to try anything. After the 10 minutes she was jumping over, climbing and go through the tubes. It was so much fun to watch her learn in such a short period of time.
During class were doing a sit 'drill' and Charlie was getting a little nippy. When the instructor asked how it was going we brought it up and she asked if she could teach Charlie something in front of the class - Um, yes please! She held a treat in her hand and only rewarded it to her once she sat and waited nicely. It's to teach them that they'll only receive the treat once they back off. Once again, Charlie picked up on this right away! Phil and I now can have anything in our hands and she will smell and then sit and wait nicely until we give it to her. So crazy!
WEEK TWO
Week two's class was as much fun as the first! It took Charlie 2.5 minutes to remember where she was and how much fun she was going to have! She ran through the obstacles like she was queen of puppy school! She loves all dogs and all humans!
In this class we worked on laying down from the sit that we practiced last week. We have already been working on this but the way the instructor had us lure the puppy to the lay position was genius - I guess that's why they let her teach the class! Charlie was a champ!
Then we talked about little hands and feeding pups. It's no secret that Phil and I hope to be parents someday so this is especially important to us. We have worked a lot with Charlie to make sure that she doesn't get too protective of her food and her space. When she eats we will futz with her bowl, her ears, everything... to be honest, she doesn't care what we're doing as long as she is eating! The one tip that we will take away from this is that the first time a 'little hand' feeds her to make it be something really good; a hot dog, piece of cheese, etc.
WEEK THREE
Week three was similar to the first two. We started with the obstacle course and greeting friends. Charlie was so daring she would run through the tubes without seeing Phil or I on the other end. I seriously can't believe how much braver and how much she's learned. Her best friends in class are Sunny (a beautiful yellow lab) and Eddie (a little yorkie).
This week we worked on the 'stay' command from the lay position. We have worked on this one a little bit at home but she did great at school. She laid so long that when we gave the command 'break', she kept laying. We'll have to work on that.
The other exercise was 'ready'. This is to train the dog to tune out other distractions around them and focus on their humans for the command that will follow. As always, it's treat based! Colleen used Charlie as the example and she picked up on it right away in class - at home is a different story. We are continuing to work on this one at home before we go back to class.
sitting pretty for the camera (and a treat!)
WEEK TWO
Week two's class was as much fun as the first! It took Charlie 2.5 minutes to remember where she was and how much fun she was going to have! She ran through the obstacles like she was queen of puppy school! She loves all dogs and all humans!
In this class we worked on laying down from the sit that we practiced last week. We have already been working on this but the way the instructor had us lure the puppy to the lay position was genius - I guess that's why they let her teach the class! Charlie was a champ!
Then we talked about little hands and feeding pups. It's no secret that Phil and I hope to be parents someday so this is especially important to us. We have worked a lot with Charlie to make sure that she doesn't get too protective of her food and her space. When she eats we will futz with her bowl, her ears, everything... to be honest, she doesn't care what we're doing as long as she is eating! The one tip that we will take away from this is that the first time a 'little hand' feeds her to make it be something really good; a hot dog, piece of cheese, etc.
practicing laying down.
Week three was similar to the first two. We started with the obstacle course and greeting friends. Charlie was so daring she would run through the tubes without seeing Phil or I on the other end. I seriously can't believe how much braver and how much she's learned. Her best friends in class are Sunny (a beautiful yellow lab) and Eddie (a little yorkie).
This week we worked on the 'stay' command from the lay position. We have worked on this one a little bit at home but she did great at school. She laid so long that when we gave the command 'break', she kept laying. We'll have to work on that.
The other exercise was 'ready'. This is to train the dog to tune out other distractions around them and focus on their humans for the command that will follow. As always, it's treat based! Colleen used Charlie as the example and she picked up on it right away in class - at home is a different story. We are continuing to work on this one at home before we go back to class.
In short - we're so proud of her so far. It's been a blast to watch her learn so quickly and interact with other pups.
Until next time..
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