We took Fred and Rosie down for doggie training tonight. Second time
around. Last time we took them, Rosie spent the entire time eyeballing
the other dogs and growling. I was so embarrassed. All the other dogs
were exciteable, but none growled. The trainer basically just dismissed
Rosie's behaviour explaining: "some dogs are just dominant" *gulp*
This time around, she was placid as a lamb. All chilled out sitting at
my feet. I was so pleased. I think she's learnt that this is a chance
for her to meet other doggies. That or she just decided she was going
to be good for once. Naughty girl. Even the trainer said that Rosie was
a troublesome one. =/
So far we've been taught to teach them 'watch' so that they'll look at
us, and tonight we learnt 'heel' where they lean against your left leg,
and then there as another one, where you teach them to walk at your
ankles.
We also ran out of treats!! =( Last time we brought the wrong treats
(too hard to chew, not fast/gratifying enough to enforce the reward
rule) and tonight we didn't bring enough. I had bought a 6 pack of hot
dog sausages, and chopped em up small, but we ran out by the time we
got to learning 'heel' and had to beg the other owners for treats. LOL.
One of the main reasons that we're taking them to training is that each
dog has a different owner/boss so to speak. Fred adores me and will
follow me everywhere but doesn't really pay attention to the bf. Rosie
in comparison doesn't usually listen to me. Because she originally ran
away from the bf during what will know be known as "the incident"
(where she ended up spending a night at the pound) and the bf was the
one who ended up picking her back up from the pound, she treats him as
boss rather than me. Which is fine (coz I have Freddie), except that
she then decided I wasn't worth listening to. So at training I take
Rosie, and the bf takes Fred.
Basically training gives us both a chance to exert dominance over the dog who usually doesn't pay much attention to us.
Since we started training they have both gotten better on the lead. And
now they will both run to us whenever we call them (well Fred always
did, but Rosie didn't).
I must say, training is a lot of work. You have to constantly reinforce
things. As the lady explained ruefully to me tonight, 'you have to use
a lot of treats on Rosie. she loses attention fast, and you have to
keep her occupied' =/ at least anything i feed her will be taken out of
her dinner. I'm not having fat doggies..
It's amazing what one night of training can do though. She responds a lot better to me now, and Freddie went up for a cuddle with the bf after dinner. I'm glad he still believes that I am boss though. I came online to check email and eventually he left the bf and is currently asleep at my feet. =D
I love the fact that I have a dog which absolutely adores me. Sssh. I don't care if he's just a puppy and that's what puppies do. I choose to believe that he'll always be like this =D Even if I have to tie him to the chair so he'll be near me. no no no, jk. LOL.
We met a deerhound tonight, which is similar to wolfhounds, but a bit ganglier and taller. And boy was she tall. Only 6 months, and she was double the size of Freddie. She was gorgeous though. Freddie looked tiny in comparison. I love the idea of a big dog, and had really high hopes for Freddie. I must admit I'm slightly jealous that this woman had a bigger dog. Freddie is actually quite stocky, and the bf has agreed with my suggestion that Fred's crossed with either Bull Mastiff or Boxer. In case you're curious, here is what a Deerhound looks like. This is one that is currently available for adoption.
Just FYI, these dogs were bred as their names indicate. Wolfhounds to hunt (hound) down wolves, and Deerhound to hunt (hound) down Deer. Yet in general they are one of the sweetest and most affectionate dog types you will ever find.
I've also been checking out the rescue pages again. I swear, I know that I can't adopt another dog, but once you rescue a dog, you automatically find yourself drawn to all the others, just to see what else is out there. If only as an unconscious way to show your support. Least that's what I tell myself anyway.
Anyhow, I found the most adorable wolfhound the other night. Again fairly small, blonde, no brindle, and a sharper nose than Fred. But soooooo cute. Here, take a look yourself: here and here If no one takes him he will be put down =( The rescue groups are currently trying to save him. I wish I could do something but he's in Bland Shire, (which I have NO idea where, and anyway, I have a full house as it is). But he is just soooooo adorable. I really hope he can be saved. Such a waste otherwise..
Oooohhh, that wolfhound is SO adorable!! That's too bad that he might be put to sleep if no one adopts him *sobs*.
ReplyDeleteAwww, Fred would be mommy's boy! :D
p/s: the wolfhound is huge! Ahhhh...obviously I've not seen the biggest dog yet. So far a St Bernard would easily topple me over, and Siberian Huskies & German Shepherds are hugeee for me. Now Fred & Rosie...hmmmm...they look like giants! LOL.
I look even smaller next to huge dogs due to my tiny, skinny frames. A bite from a dog would probably snap a bone. :p
yeah, isn't that boy adorable? i just showed my bf and he just went all exasperated: why are you showing me this? i think he's worried i want to bring another home ( i do, but i won't, so it doesn't matter ;)
ReplyDeletethe other dog i showed you is a deerhound.
fred's and rosie are probably around the size of the huskies and german sheperds.
hahaha... bf just sent rosie outside. she ate his icecream and cake while he was in the kitchen. *wicked laugh*
It's fun and interesting learning about your dogs. I've learned a lot from our two as well as from all of the dogs we've fostered.
ReplyDeleteFiguring out what motivates a dog is key in training (in addition to consistency and lots of practice). Haven is motivated by treats. Beacon more by praise and almost a military structure.
Beacon is also more of a dominant (at least acting) dog. He has to tell all of our foster dogs that he's the boss. But if the new dog respects him he's fine. He doesn't like meeting other dogs while on leash. But off leash he doesn't feel threatened or like he has to protect us. Haven's the social butterfly that loves people and other dogs. They're both alike and different at the same time.
Good luck to Rosie and Fred on their training!!
[this is good] Your pups are going to make you such a proud mum when you stick to the training. I wish we'd been more diligent about our dogs' training. Actually on the lead- they are the best- but in the yard they are PITA! I think the problem stems from their having the run of the yard and neither is willing to allow the other to be dominant. So they are constantly fighting over silly things and of course Jack's neurosis over the UPS truck doesn't help. I need to do a video of it- you wouldn't believe how nutty it is.
ReplyDeleteI use cheese for training purposes, I cut them in tiny cubes (remember Gigi is a tiny dog. lol). I have to use the best treats when we are training, because otherwise she would rather go for some other stuff than listening to me. I love training Gigi (obedience and agility), it's load of fun.
ReplyDeletei have heard conflicting stories about using cheese - apparently it's not supposed to be very good for their diets?
ReplyDeletei had my treats in fairly small pieces and learnt fairly quickly to hold the treats with the flat of my hand, because otherwise she'd nip - and her teeth are SHARP.
i'm toying with the idea of buying some offcuts of some sort. liver? i dunno - might need to visit the local butcher and see.
Cheese is high in fat. That's why I only use it for class, at home I just use plain old boring dog treats. haha. Because when they are at new environment, you basically have to "compete" with the smell or whatever for your pup's attention, that's why you want to use something they like, you can use your leftover steak or meat. :) (Sometimes my classmates uses treats that are even better than my dinner!)
ReplyDeleteAnother reason I like to use cheese is because she can bite off little bits at one time, so that means she is eating less...
Gigi has sharp teeth too and she does NOT take food gently. I got bloody finger from her numerous times.
the trainer said you have to put the treat in the flat of your hand, and hold it above and near their nose. so that they can only nuzzle and lick it out of your hand. I find this only works if i'm holding the treat in my right hand. which makes it tricky when i'm doing the walking trick, because technically i should be feeding from my left hand. but all that happened when i tried it was nipped fingers =/
ReplyDeletei noticed a lot of ppl had cut up cabanossi and cheese.
yea putting treat in your palm will stop us from getting hurt (lol), but for me it doesn't work during agility when I need to give her the treat quick.. And I don't think she understand what "gentle" means.
ReplyDeletei'd be tempted to take my doggies for agility. but i might just go for lure coursing (which i think is a bit different?) for fred when he gets older. coz his hunting instincts should kick in as he gets older
ReplyDeleteAgility: you have to run with them. For Lure Coursing, they do all the running. lol.
ReplyDeletein that case, i choose lure coursing. LOL
ReplyDeletelol. Look at the vid I posted and you can see how we do agility. :)
ReplyDeleteLOL about going lure coursing! Sully takes food very gently-- he still sees humans as dominant and waits for permission almost. Jack is a spaz and requires a lot of "easy" and you still might encounter a bit of teeth. Jack is the performer though. He launches himself at "roll over" almost does the flip in the air. Sully on the other hand reminds me of when I was very pregnant and trying to roll over in bed--- a 3 or 4 point turn- not one continuous motion. LOL.
ReplyDelete