Training Days Concluded

Wow, ok, so I'm not doing one of these posts every week or every other week as I had hoped.

Last Saturday, we had our final training session for Jenny. She did reasonably well with the new commands, but we were surprised how much encouragement it took to get her to run to one another following the "Come!" command. She steadily improved with each attempt, though.

So now we have a perfectly trained and well-behaved dog.

Um, no.

One thing we learned during this training is the importance of consistency in working with Jenny. Sandy and I are inconsistent with each other, but also at times inconsistent with ourselves.

Jenny has proved she knows every command and will obey in a timely manner if not distracted by anything at all. So we get to spend time reinforcing the commands until they are second nature to her and to us. We have no aspirations of attending competitions, but we would like her to stay, heel and come on command for her safety.

Through all of these efforts, Jenny has also been training me! At the most inconvenient time (for me) she will sit very close to me on the couch and tap my shoulder or arm with her paw. I envision these thoughts going through her mind:

"Hey, you realize what time it is? It's time to go out and throw a ball so I can chase it and maybe pee.
"You aren't getting up. (harder pushes) Put your phone down and take me out.

"Yes, I realize the door is open and I can go outside whenever I want, but I want you to watch me run after the ball and then sniff the ground for five minutes before I squat."

Sometimes the tapping/pushing turns to scratching; other times she just stares at me with the ball in her mouth, allowing the drool to slowly pool and drip onto the couch or me. I consider it a brilliant training method, and she has experienced great success in interrupting our evening.

I love you, Jenny. Thank you for training me to take care of you so well.