Harley & Jasmine, Week 2

Wednesday was training day with Harley and Jasmine, two adorable little Yorkshire Terrier puppies I started last week. It was pouring rain all day, and naturally, they weren't very happy with the understanding that they weren't going to get indoor plumbing to go potty!! Harley wouldn't go this morning, despite several opportunities, and his momma said that the little guy held it all day long and then raced to the door when she got home! Two snaps up for that little guy!! Woo to the hoo!

So today, the minute I walked in the door, all bets were off with any hope of calm puppies! They were both knocking one another down to see who could get to me first. This is one of the best things about my work day. Every time I see one of my students, they are beside themselves to greet me. What a different world we'd have if everyone got greeted that way by others--especially those who really love us!

Within 5 minutes or so, however, they both settled down and were ready to focus and earn some yummy fish cookies. The training treats that I use are 100% fish. 85% is of salmon, and 15% is of fish meal. So, they're fish cookies, but truthfully, I call them "crack" for dogs! I can get a dog to do almost anything I need to have them do for a fish cookie, and I love giving them a reward that makes them go crazy! Harley has a calm enough personality and is such a little lover, that he really appreciates getting some good loving. Don't get me wrong; he won't turn down a treat, but he really, really likes to get some physical attention for his work. Jasmine, however, is barely holding herself together and can sit still long enough for a cookie. A hand reaching to love her up is more than she can manage well! Anything more than a cookie, and all bets are off! Time and again, she's wiggled herself up and she's jumping and being silly with her focus wide open on everything except the task at hand! Gradually, she's learning how to calm herself, but it's just going to take time for her to catch on and grow up. She calmed much quicker this week than last, and could focus longer today. She was also willing to sidle right next to me today, rather than keep her little terrier independence. She was good and hungry by the time I arrived, and dogs learn rather quickly that I pay my dogs well, when they work hard for me. She was clearly saying, "Miss Sally, I like the way that you roll!" It's the fish cookies, I'm telling you!! Crack for dogs!

Today, I taught them to lie down, a command that many dogs don't enjoy. It's the command that will cause many dogs to bite the handler, so I'm always extra careful when I teach this one. True to form, Harley took a lot longer to learn the command, but once he got it, he had it and was doing it easily and calmly. He would gently lie down and look up with the sweetest little expectant eyes...ahhhh....they melt my heart!! Jazzy quietly waited for her turn, taking good notes watching him work, and was doing the command quickly! By the end of our training session both of them were able to lie down and stay, side by side while I gave treats to them both, one after the other. It amazed me that they were able to down and stay and not try to push the other one out of the way for the cookie reward. Not only were they incredible distractions for each other, but the focus they gave me was really, really good! Great progress in just one week!

Their owner said that when the full family was there for Thanksgiving, the other family members remarked about how much calmer the puppies were! Woo to the hoo!! That's the kind of feedback any trainer wants after only one week of training!! It just proves to me once again, how much dogs really do want to please their owners, if only they can understand what it is we want them to do! It really comes down to our learning how to speak "dog" so that we can really communicate with our pooches in meaningful ways!

I'm so very proud of the puppies' owner. She's doing an amazing job with them in a short amount of time. She works a job full time, has a son in high school, and comes home to train her two dogs for a total of an hour every night! The proof is when I ask the dogs for a review of the previous week's work, and they give me exactly what I want. I told this owner that she's going to have her hands full learning how to manage and train such completely different personalities! She's going to be a much better trainer/handler as a result, because most owners only have to focus on one dog and learn how they tick. She's sooo relaxed on the leash, and low key with her pups, and they are responding so very well to her leadership!

So, after two weeks, they're doing nicely, and I couldn't be more pleased with them or their sweet mama if I tried!!

Harley and Jasmine

So Wednesday, I started training two new little Yorkshire Terrier puppies. Harley is 9 months old, and Jasmine is 4 months old. They are as cute as they know how to be, and if Jazzy wagged her little puppy tail any harder, it would fall off for sure! She is completely enthusiastic about life, and as busy as any toddler!! Harley is the more calm puppy, more of a lover than a busybody, and he definitely wants all of the attention, all of the time!!

I really, really love watching owners see their dogs begin to learn how to learn. Most of my training is "show and tell" where I work with the dogs, showing the owner what to do, and telling them how to do it. Often, my first lesson begins with just letting the dog figure out how to earn a treat. Usually, they are all over the place with excitement, jumping up on me, pulling on the leash, sniffing, being silly, etc. Once dogs cue into me, however, they are all focus and offer the behavior I want in a very, very short time. I do all of this without putting a hand of correction on the leash or speaking a word of command to them. Owners just marvel at how quickly their dogs figure things out, and for owners with really, really naughty dogs, they often feel a tremendous sense of relief that their dog can and will learn how to behave!! For me, the fun is in watching not only the dogs learn, but the joy of seeing their owners watching their dogs! It's similar to parents who have chosen the perfect Christmas gift and they are watching their child unwrap it!

Harley was much more calm to start, but he was the one who took longer to figure things out. When he got his treat, he was all over wiggly with excitement, and wanted to kiss to say thank you! And then we'd start the process all over, because his attention and focus was all over the place again. But what a little dear he is! He decided that it made sense to stay close to me, because he liked getting some treats and praise from mel!! He will probably take a little longer to learn the commands, because he's not as focused, and he didn't seem to grasp that I wanted him to continue with a specific behavior. Over time, that may change, as he figures out that that words have meanings, and can focus long enough to learn them! Dogs like Harley often take a bit longer at the front end of their training, but once they learn a specific command or behavior, they're often more than willing to offer it up, because they like the attention that results from compliance.

Jazzy, was definitely more interesting to watch! She was almost hyper with excitement and busy-ness in her surrounding environment, exploring as far as the leash would allow. However, she caught on to what I wanted almost immediately, but she stayed at a distance, to keep her independence. To start with, I had to really lean or take a step toward her to give her a treat. Where Harley was willing to stay close to me, Jasmine looked at me with savvy eyes that said, "This is some kind of trick, right?" She offered me the behavior I wanted much more consistently, and much more quickly than her big brother, her little tail going crazy the whole time. She was also willing to accept some praise without losing her focus, which is amazing given her little personality! She's going to be the one who will catch on more quickly to the commands, but she's also the one who will be much more independent, having a "make me" attitude. She was happy to get some treats and loving, but she wasn't initially willing to get very close to me to get them. Some of that may be that she doesn't trust me yet, but it's more likely because she's a terrier and wants to maintain her level of "terrier decorum" by accepting treats and pets from a distance as a show of her independence. After all, she could lose her "Terrier Club Card" for complete and shameless compliance to what I want from her, right?

Many people see Yorkies and think that they are really cute little lap dogs. They seem to forget that the second half of their name is TERRIER!! They may indeed be cute, darling little dogs, but they are also feisty, independent little terriers who know what they want and just how to get it! I know that I'm really going to enjoy training them, watching them learn and grow and helping to shape those sweet little personalities into dogs who will be furry friends for life!!