Lily Waiting to Load-Up

Here is Lily waiting to load-up into the FJ after a great training session downtown.

Lily Goes Downtown

I took Lily downtown today. She did GREAT! She was a little nervous when there was a lot of traffic zooming by, but for the most part she stayed in a heel position at my sid the whole time. We walked on the rail trail and she would perform the "place" command on the park benches. She walked nicely past other pedestrians and dogs. We crossed several streets, each time coming to a sit at the crosswalk. Overall, I was very pleased with her obedience downtown. I was able to drop the leash numerous times and have her walk at my side and sit-stay on the sidewalks or other places.

Pack Resting

Mara, Lily, and Rico all enjoying their "place" and being members of a stable pack.

Rico's Training with the Cat

Rico and our German Shepherd, Mara, trained together today. They had the added distraction of Ren, the neighbor's cat. Rico is doing excellent with his training. We have not seen any anxiety with him. He enjoys our company and the company of the other dogs. He has been a real pleasure to work with. He is a very smart little guy. I have noticed, however, that he is a little camera shy, litterally. I think that he has become afraid of the flash of a camera at some point and now when you point the camera in his direction, he looks away. I may try to work on desensitizing him to the camera.

Lily at the Park

Lily and I went to the Park today. She did very well in the new environment and under different distractions. I was able to walk with her while the leash was dragging behind her. She remained in a "heel" position and did all of her commands with no guidance from the leash. She is a very smart little girl and she will do well when she knows she has a confident leader. We plan to go downtown tomorrow.

Rico Begins His Training

Rico has a lot of anxiety issues that we saw on the day of his initial evaluation. Since he has been with us, however, we have seen a different dog. He has warmed up to us very quick and is learning to get along with the other dogs in our pack. He is doing well learning his "place" command and is also learning to follow us and walk on a loose leash at our side. He is quickly learning the meaning of the collar and adapting nicely to it. We are also teaching him to sit and wait at doors before coming in or out. I look foward to seeing his improvement over his stay here. Be preparing yourself to become pack leaders. That is what he needs most. Anxious or nervous feelings that you may have, transfers to the dog. If you are calm and assertive, then he will be calm and submissive. It is amazing to see how a dog can read into your own emotions.

Heeling and Recall

Lily is beginning her transition to off-leash. She is now walking at my side without the guidance of the leash. The leash drags behind her and is only there for her safety. The only guidance she gets is verbal and a light tap using the e-collar. She is a very smart girl and everyday she makes progress.

Lily is also doing long stays and recalls from about a 15-20ft distance. She is doing excellent with her recalls. Once she has returned to me, she is learning to move herself back into the heel position, so we are then able to continue our walk.

Adding Distractions

Lily is doing great as we begin to add distractions to her training. Here, Mara and Lily are staying on their "Place" while one of the neighborhood kids rides their bike past them.

Lily is also waiting at the door before going in or out. Here is a picture of Lily and Mara waiting at the door before being allowed to enter.

Lily is accepting our leadership and is not challenging us like she was in the beginning. She is much more comfortable with us and seems grateful to know that we are in charge.

Stand, Down, and Place

Lily is continuing to progress nicely in her obedience. She is learning Stand, Down, and Place. She is learning to stay in these commands as well. Our German Shepherd, Mara is helping to teach Lily the meaning of "place", even among distractions.

Lily is doing very well learning to walk on a loose leash. We work with her on the long line so that she will learn to choose to stay at our side. She is starting to heel nicely with very little help from us. Her stays are very good and getting better with distractions, such as our neighbor's cat, Ren. She is also learning to sit and wait at the door before going in or out. The "place" command is becoming one of her favorite commands, because there she can relax on a nice fluffy dog bed.

Lily's Training Blog

Lily's first day was very promising. Although a rough start, she began showing us a lot of promise.

Lily was very nervous coming out of her crate. She appeared that she would bite if pushed too far. However, after working with her in the house as well as on the leash, she has started to view us as the pack leaders. She almost seems relieved to realize that she know longer has to protect herself. It is still early, but I feel that leadership is really going to help this little girl with her fear aggression.

She is doing great with the obedience. She is remembering her past classes and falling back into that routine quickly. She is learning how to respond to the collar quickly. I am very excited about the coming days. I believe Lily is a very intelligent little girl, just misunderstood.

This is a picture of Lily performing "Place" along with Mara, our German Shepherd.