Temperament: As you know, Foxie is a puppy pre one years old, and his behaviors are typical of that. He is friendly, loving, slightly timid, and likes to get his way when he feels comfortable with you. He can be bossy at times, and this usually shows in the following behaviors:
Poking you with his nose
Barking at you
Trying to chew or tug on your clothing
Trying to chew or tug on the leash
Bumping you with his body
Barking in your face up close
Pawing at you
There are probably more that I am forgetting
This does not happen all the time and is really quite mild. I just want to point out those things I do not encourage in a younger male puppy. He likes to keep busy and is energetic, but his energy level is within a reasonable range that play, walks, and training will keep him satisfied.
He has been good with dogs on leash, although this has been very early on. At first, he was a little too much for an elderly dog that comes here, but with tethering him to me and training, he has become more conscious that Bandit does not love to be bounced on all day when I let him off leash with him now.
Foxie is more pushy and obnoxious than truly reactive, and this is improving as the training is going. He just gets very excited, then frustrated if he can't go to play (because he has not calmed down or the other dog is not into it), and then that leads to some obnoxious herding (non herding dogs hate this) and nipping behavior that needs to stop. I had him drag the leash at first so I could stop it right away with his first friend, Bandit. He just needs this guidance and the ability to follow commands going forward. I don't think this is going to be a long term problem.
He likes other dogs, greets them very nicely on leash now, and does not seem to have problems sharing or hanging out with dogs that come here (there have only been two so far, but there will be more this next week). The first time Robert brought him to the beach, he was barking and complaining a lot (It was just a walk for exercise so I wasn't there). The next time we brought him (I should mention we had done some training before we went on the walk), he was quiet and curious. It was a very busy day, and he was able to meet and greet (on leash while the other dogs may have been off leash) very nicely (both humans and dogs).
Foxie is a nice puppy that just needs more reliable skills and polish, which is what we are working on. Keep in mind these observations, while on Week 1 work, are actually close to the end of Week 2. Sometimes puppies or dogs demeanor can change as the weeks go on, and they get used to you. Foxie's has stayed relatively the same, although he is a little bit more pushy with me on week 2 LOL. This is nothing to worry about, and nothing out of the ordinary for a puppy of his age or stay here. It has been typical stuff they try as they get more comfortable with you.
Week 2 Beginning Outside (one of these is the 30 minutes it took for him to go down outside, and the other one was when he went down after I turned off my camera but was right after and he finally went down):
Sits First Command (working on reliability for future distractions):
NOTE: THESE ARE THE BASIC STEPS TO GETTING TO THE END GOAL. AFTER THIS THE STEPS ARE GETTING THE GOAL IN MILD OUTSIDE DISTRACTIONS, AND THEN GETTING TO THE GOAL IN HARDER DISTRACTIONS.
Long place is technically the 4th step in the overall place command: First step is intro. Intro is just walking the dog and letting them pass over it. "Place" is said when all paws are on the place. Second step is teaching the dog to step on the place themselves. Third step is teaching them that there is a boundary they should not step off. Fourth step is beginning to proof and advance this exercise by having them keep themselves on the place for a period of time. Trainer only gets involved if they try to leave. This teaches your dog that you might very well be in a seated position when they are in a place (while the third step has started the idea that you may be moving around the room). This is tricky for dogs as they usually want to be petted or cuddled when you take a seat, but it is important that owners have time to read, work, eat a meal, and so on without constantly needing to pay attention to their dog. Usually ...
Equipment needed: Long Line, Training Collar, Food Reward (if that is what we are working with) STEP 1: You will be wanting to hold the end of the long leash for this one. STEP 2: In the opposite hand, you will want to be holding the food reward. STEP 3: Let your puppy get distracted. If they go to the end of the line, just keep constant tension on until they turn towards you. When they look at you OR they are not putting pressure on the line (in other words distracted but not going to the end of the line and they do not need to be looking at you) say the command "let's go". STEP 5A: When your puppy starts to come towards you, say "good girl/boy" and then they get to you give them the food reward. STEP 5B: If your puppy does not turn towards you, give a little tug on the leash, and the instant they lock eyes and come towards you say "good boy or girl" encouragingly until they get to you. ...
STEP 1: Place flat leash on the ground. STEP 2: Step on the leash, but you do not want the leash tight on the dog or puppy. They should be able to stand if they want, but not get too far away from you. ***Note unlike sit on the dog we are standing, and also we need to start in a really quiet non distracting area first, whereas on sit on the dog you can get away with being in a much more distracting area. STEP 3: Wait not only for the puppy to go down, but also, you want their chin to rest on the ground. Additionally, you want them totally relaxed and not sniffing or still actively seeking to check out their environment. STEP 4: Time how long it takes to 1st Target behavior (total body relaxed and everything on the ground including their chin) and then how long the puppy or dog remains in target behavior. STEP 5: Once the puppy or dog lifts their head up or engages in the environment again, wait until the second target be...
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