Sunny Can Do.......

http://stardogs.smugmug.com/My-Dogs/Sunny

Sunny loves to run - she is smiling in almost every picture :-)

Sunny getting to know Jappie - I keep working at socialization!

A rare moment - Sunny standing still.  I love that butt!

So many things!!  The past few days Sunny's training has really stepped up.  She totally wants to be doing something with me :-)  I started using food for training again and she is readily taking kibble as a reward now.  I have been using the clicker and shaping some behaviors.  I started with 101 things to do with a box (I use a medium sized rubber feed tub for horses.)  Sunny caught on real fast and was inside the tub in no time.  I even got her to get only the back feet in the tub.  Turning the tub over she will jump on the top of it and I am working on getting her to do a sit and then a stand.  I like teaching the stand on top of something - that way they learn to stand by thrusting the back end up and not stepping forward into a stand.

The balance cushion work has progressed to a line of "obstacles" and getting her to negotiate over them.    I use small step stools in between the cushions.  She will carefully go from one to the other using her back end and thinking about foot placement.  Sunny loves doing this stuff.  I need to get Denise to come out and take pictures of Sunny doing all her new tricks!

I have a tire that is just the "tire" part  and I strap it to two stick in the ground posts that hold it upright while the tire rests on the ground. I started with the clicker and rewarded her going through the tire with food.  As soon as she figured it out I started using a thrown toy as a reward.  She thinks she is hot stuff when she does this.

Sunny walked through a  tunnel the first day she was here, while  going on her exploration walk.  That progressed to running through tunnels just for fun.  A couple days ago I took her toy and got her to run through the tunnel and then threw the toy as a reward.  Now she will go tunnel when I ask and chase her toy as a reward.

I started shaping side walking on both sides this week also.  Gosh, she is such a smart pup!  She is figuring out real fast where she needs to be to earn a treat.  She figured out the clicker super fast.  I also started teaching her hand touches today.  Although I have been shaping the folding down and the sit I have not added any cues yet and am treating those behaviors as just tricks.

Also on her list of "can do" is teaching eye contact.  Again, Sunny caught on real fast if she looks at my eyes she gets a click and treat.   I love the balance of thoughtfulness and drive in this puppy.  She is a wild child in so many ways, but she will also stop and think a situation out without spilling drive all over the place.

Her toy drive when she is playing with me is really good and tugging is holding steady despite teething.  She is still tugging pretty strong, although some days I notice that tugging isn't as vigorous as other days.  Ears went wacko again (after a week out of the tape) and today I got a friend to hold her while I put her ears back in tape.  Still using the taco method as that is working good.  Sunny is growing so fast.  She is eating about 1 1/2 cups of food a day right now, plus she gets a few biscuits for going in crates and pens. 

This morning I was working with Sunny before people got here for class.  Lois and Rachel came early so I wanted to show them all the things Sunny was doing.  I didn't know if Sunny would work with the distraction of other people around (she is really a friendly pup and loves people.)  I was shocked and amazed when she ran over to her balance cushions to offer behaviors and show off for them!   Lois and Rachel were pretty impressed too!

Gosh, I sure love my puppy :-)  Sunny loves to show me all the things she can do!