Puppy School: Part 3 - Graduation

Stitch ended his Beginner's Puppy School last week. I can't believe he's learned so much in just 6 weeks. Some of the basic commands he's learned include sit, down, stay, release, come, and leave it. We still need to refine these commands, but he knows them pretty well. On Stitch's final evaluation, Trainer Ally wrote, "Stitch is a very bright boy and so fun to work with! He has learned a lot of new things in the past 6 weeks and you have both been great students." As you can imagine, I am one proud mom!

So on the last day of class, Trainer Ally "tested" the pups on some of the things that they test for on the AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Program. For those of you who don't know, the CGC is a program administered by the American Kennel Club that recognizes doggie good behaviors and doggie owner responsibility. It involves a 10-step test that is conducted by an evaluator. If a dog passes, they get a certificate stating they are canine good citizens!

More information about the test can be found on the AKC website (linked above), but here is a summary of the ten things that are on the test.

1. Accepting a friendly stranger- Stitch did this really well
2. Sitting politely for petting - Stitch did this well, too
3. Appearance and grooming - not tested
4. Out for a walk (walking on a loose lead)
5. Walking through a crowd - Stitch gets distracted when a crowd of people and other dogs walk by him
6. Sit and down on command and staying in place - Stitch did well on this
7. Coming when called - Stitch did this well in class, but needs to practice it in "real life" :)
8. Reaction to another dog - not directly tested, but Stitch is not always comfortable with other dogs. He also tends to prefer big dogs over little ones like him.
9. Reaction to distraction - not tested
10. Supervised separation - not tested

Stitch waiting for his turn at the walking test, photo by BFF

Stitch and I are having so much fun learning good doggie manners and other dog tricks that we've enrolled in the intermediate training classes, which begin this week. We hope to work on the commands he already knows, and learn some new ones, too!

Puppy School: Part 2 - Recall

Stitch is now into his third week of puppy school.

Last week he learned the "down" command, given from a distance with the "down" hand signal (palm flat, facing down and parallel to the floor; then bounce a couple of times as if bouncing an invisible basketball).  Trainer Ally also went over "up" to come up for hugs or onto furniture (if allowed), followed by the "off" command, to get them off whatever they were on (like people or aforementioned furniture). Since Stitch was recovering from his surgery last week, we didn't really have time (or him, energy) to practice a lot of the new commands.

This week, however, the conehead is gone and Stitch is back to his regular, energetic self. Just in time, because trainer Ally went over "Recall" and "Stay," and it certainly tuckered out my little guy.

So "recall" is basically the term used for getting your dog to come when he or she is called. Trainer Ally had a great session for recall this week. First, the puppy parents identified their pups' greatest motivator - either a favorite toy or a treat. Ally recommended a tug toy, which works great for Stitch because he loves to play tug-o-war (plus it's a no-cal alternative to treats). Then we did some "restrained recalls" in class. This is how it worked:

• Trainer Ally holds Stitch [or insert other puppy name here] by the leash
• Doggie-mama (that's me!) takes the toy and starts walking away from Stitch (For the purposes of the in-class exercise, Stitch "borrowed" a tug rope with a squeaky toy attached at the end)
• Doggie-mama makes toy really attractive for Stitch (swirl it around, press the squeaky toy, etc.) to get his attention and get him excited
• Trainer Ally gives the command and Doggie-mama says, "Stitch, Come!"
• Trainer Ally releases Stitch who runs excitedly towards mama and gets rewarded by playing with the toy
• This is followed by the "Drop it" command, teaching Stitch to drop the toy (with a treat incentive)

After several exhausting rounds of Recall training with all the pups, we moved on to the "Stay" command.  Stitch was already somewhat familiar with this so it was just tidying up our routine, complete with hand signals:

"Down. Stay. Walk backwards away from puppy. Release! Sit. Praises and Treat."

Stitch, sitting and "staying," albeit slightly distracted

So after a very fun-filled yet tiring class, Stitch and I (mostly me) decided to take a few pictures in his class surroundings. You know, for his puppy scrapbook* and this blog:

Photo-op: Going once...

Photo-op: Going twice...

Photo-op: Gone!

Of course with all that activity and attention, Stitch's only recourse was this by the time he got into the car:

Stitched passed out on the passenger seat.
Yes, he is wearing a doggie seat belt.

*Note: Stitch does not have a puppy scrapbook. I'm not that neurotic. A blog is sufficient.

Puppy School: Part 1 - The First Day of School

Stitch went to his first class of obedience training last week at our neighborhood Petco. Mind you, Sitch doesn't have any behavioral issues and in general is a very good dog. But as a pup, he does have his mischief-making moments.

[begin fuzzy flashback sequence]

• like that time he bolted out the front door as I was heading out to work, hands full with purse, bags, coat, keys, scarf, kitchen sink. We live along a main thoroughfare so imagine my horror ("Quelle horreur!") when my little pup started running towards the street, happy and oblivious as a clam. My heart would have jumped out of my ribcage were it not for the intricate musculoskeletal framework that held it all in.
• or like that other time when he was so excited to see my roommates come home that he bounded happily towards them, 14-lbs. at full speed. While BFF was holding a hot cup of coffee and her brand new designer handbag. In a way I was glad I wasn't home at that time to see how livid she was. I am happy to report that Stitch came out relatively unscathed (yes he did get in trouble). In response, BFF (half-jokingly) quotes Genghis Khan when dealing with Stitch's puppy-isms: "If you had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you."

[end fuzzy flashback sequence]

So at my BFF's suggestion, I decided to sign him up for obedience training (only $89.99 with a $20 OFF coupon!). I agreed that Stitch not knowing/responding to the word "Come!" has it's general annoyances (often, he just sits there and gives me this "Duh..." look), but there are other, potentially life-threatening, ramifications to this (see point #1 above).

So with that said, Stitch and I entered the brave new world of doggy obedience. And boy are we glad we did!

Stitch's trainer, a petite, teen-like woman named Ally (Ally, if you're reading this, I mean that as a compliment. You know you rock!), has 7 years of dog training experience. But don't let her diminutive appearance fool you - that girl knows what she's talking about! By the middle of class, Stitch was looking at her with adoring eyes and was in absolute rapt. Not that I was jealous or anything. Hey, I was looking at her with adoring eyes and was in absolute rapt, too. She did reassure me by saying, "Don't feel bad if your dog likes me. I'm feeding him and giving him clear, consistent instructions." I have to admit that did motivate me to be a better mom-student, right along with Stitch.

The class started with introductions. Aside from Stitch, there were 2 other eager pups in the class -- a 7-mo. old (looked-like-a) Border Collie mix named Kota and a 23-mo. old chocolate lab, named Zoe. Kota was in his second week of class and was a few commands ahead of Zoe and Stitch. Zoe needed a little more attention from Trainer Ally since her mom says Zoe only behaves for the men in the house, but not for her.

For that first hour, we covered the basics: "Sit" (plus "Stay" and "Release" while giving them their food bowls), "Watch", "Leave it" and "Wait" before going through the door. I decided (upon Kota's mom's recommendation) to try the clicker training with Stitch. I was a very proud mom! I was so happy and, admittedly, pleasantly surprised to see Stitch following Ally's, and eventually my, instructions so well!

Stitch did particularly well with the "Sit, Stay, Release" but needs more practice on the "Leave It" (he's quick on the draw when it comes to something he wants, especially when it's a treat).

So here are some highlights of what Stitch and I learned in class:

• Make sure you have a lot of your pet's favorite treats on hand. Break them up into smaller chunks to make them more manageable (and to avoid making your pup an obedient yet pudgy pet)
• Do not feed your dog before going to obedience school. Otherwise they get full and won't respond to treats. That or they'll respond to the "new" treats presented by the trainer
• Don't repeat a command over and over again until your pup does it - they'll associate your repetitition as what it takes to get them to do the action. Instead, say the command and just wait quietly until they do it
• If you're trying clicker training, here's the order:

(1) Say the command
(2) Wait
(3) Pup does the command
(4) Click
(5) Give treat and praise
(Optional 6) Smile at yourself for having a well-behaved dog

Stitch and I are looking forward to our next class and will share the new tricks we've learned!