Gentle Leader Training

Tugging while wearing the gentle leader

Running and playing

Finally - attaching the leash and walking with me - I don't let them drag the leash with the leader on though.

I have been getting Sunny used to the gentle leader for a couple weeks now.  I started by hanging it on her nose and giving her treats while I did that.  I did a couple small sessions each day.  Then I progressed to snapping it on and letting her wear it while we played out in the field and got her tugging while wearing the head halter.  I kept everything associated with it very positive.  Once Sunny got used to the halter I began the next step.  A couple days ago I attached a leash to the gentle leader and worked in very short sessions getting her used to walking with me.  Now, I have already been shaping Sunny's side walking (both sides) with a clicker and treats - with and without a leash attached to her collar - so the concept of staying with me is not new to her.  But I have also been letting her be a puppy and explore her world with a harness on, and not asking for focus on  me in distracting situations.  But the time has come to start getting more attention on me and the gentle leader is a fabulous tool for this!

I am a huge fan of the gentle leader - but you have to have understanding of the tool to use it well.  I use the gentle leader when I want the dog to focus on me and I am "working" with the dog.  I don't use it on a long line or flexi - ever!  And I will also work on fading the use of the gentle leader over time, so eventually I will be able to have the same amount of control on a flat collar.  Through adolescence the gentle leader is so helpful in keeping the pup's focus on me and it also helps to calm a dog in exciting and distracting situations.  Eventually the puppy will lose their "puppy license" and they need to learn to focus on their handler :-D  Over the next couple months there will be less emphasis on socializing and more time spent focusing on me in public and at trials.

Sunny in Training

This is my first time uploading a video to the blog.  Sunny has been going through the tunnel, jump, tire and chute consistently and I have been showing everyone how smart she is.  So today  I asked Denise to come over and get a video of her.  Of course we had several blooper takes and Sunny just couldn't  show her  cool tricks on video - oh well!  You can see that she is having fun though and really, she can get that jump and tire in the sequence :-D

I started Sunny getting on the balance discs soon after I got her.  I added the step stools as she got stronger and more confident.

Exercises like these help the puppy learn to think about where their feet are.

Developing balance, strength and confidence.

Sunny loves to do stuff and where's the cookie? 

Doing a sit and then stand on the step stool. 

See, she can do the tire!  Thanks Denise for taking the pictures and video today!

Sunny at 16 Weeks

 

Sunny started losing her front teeth a few days ago - the shedding of those razor sharp teeth begins!!  HOORAY!  But poor Sunny - her mouth hurts.  She has been sleeping a little more - BTW this puppy never slept much.   I can tell she doesn't feel 100% right now.  She isn't tugging much, but she still will chase her toys and play with me.  Her appetite hasn't been as good the last couple days either.  So I will back off asking her to tug with me for a while, and just watch and see how she feels.

And she is also losing puppy fur, and growing her real coat in.  I noticed the puppy fur has gotten lighter and the hair coming in is dark - especially noticable on her back.  The cute little fluffy puppy is changing...........sigh.......it doesn't last long.  I have cherished every moment of the puppiness though.  Taken hundreds of pictures too.  I kind of hate to see her grow up so soon, but I won't miss the teeth :-)  

A Rainy Day Adventure

Sunny loves to plunder!

I think Sunny would be good at nose work.

Izzy and Sunny check out the toy isle.

Sunny is obsessed with what is under the shelves

I couldn't believe Sunny liked a small child flapping paper in her face!

A new bed would be nice.

I think we need a pair of these.

Checking out the kitty department.

Can we get an aquarium?

She shopped till she dropped!

Growing and Changing So Fast!

After going around the house trying to find a place to bury this rawhide, Sunny decided to chew on it instead.

She caught on really fast to the doorbell game!

What a poser!

 

Ears are definitely doing their own thing.  I took them out of wraps this morning and the left ear was not wanting to hang right, but during the day it got perfect and the right ear sprung back into the folding thing.  Back in tape tomorrow.  I had left them in tape all week and I guess I should have just left them that way.  

Sunny is having a good time with the door bells!  In and out she goes.  I really don't think she has to potty every time she goes out the door, but hey - she is not going in the house so I don't mind being a doorman LOL!  Sometimes she will go to the door and ring the bells soon after she comes in, and then look at me with a mischievous look on her face - the little stinker!

I got Sunny to run through the chute this week.  I am always working by myself so I rigged a jump at the end of the chute so the bar won't fall, and then I clipped the chute fabric on the bar so it is being held up.  It was pretty easy to get her to run through and chase her toy.  Once she did that a few times I removed the jump and she just pushed right through the fabric.  She loves doing stuff.  The other good thing is that I can switch from food to toys and back and forth in a training session and she doesn't hesitate to keep working for which ever one I have out.  Good Girl!

I have been bringing Sunny out to class at night too.  She was barking quite a bit when I would move away from her pen to help a student out in the field.  So I had one of the other student's squirt her with a bottle of water and she learned real quick - now she is quiet in her xpen during class.  She gets her turn when everyone is walking the course.  I usually have five or 6 sets during a class so she gets to come out and play tug with me and visit everyone.  I might have her do a tunnel or show off her side walking, but mostly she just gets to be out and visit.  One night she tried to do the dog walk several times and I had to run get her off.  Little smarty pants, she is very observant when the other dogs are running the course!

I hadn't had my DSLR out in a few days - I swore I had to get my taxes done first - and I did!  So tonight I got out the camera and played around a little with the flash.  I was amazed at Sunny and her posing.   She has figured out that modeling pays yummy treats and boy, was she ever co-operative.  I was amazed at how good she was for me!

And on the food thing - she is totally over the finicky thing now.  She works for all her morning kibble and never refuses it.  She eats her evening meal right away and has a hearty appetite.  I am feeding her two cups a day right now.  Seems like a lot but she isn't chubby - but she is growing fast.  I noticed in the pictures how much she has grown - seems just like in one week.

Sunny Goes Shopping

Exploring the toy isles

Bargain hunting

Leave no space unexplored

One of each please

This one is perfect

Sunny got to go to PetsMart for the first time today!  She marched into that store like she owned the place :-D  It was a lot of fun shopping, visiting with people and she even got to meet some children.  Sunny liked the kids and wanted them to play with her.  She is friendly to every person and dog she meets.

More Socialization

After the trial I took Sunny and Flint for a walk around the race track.  It was a long hike for Sunny and I think she got tired <VBG>

Couldn't resist stopping to take a picture of these nectarine trees on the way home.  The valley is exploding with color!

 I went to an AKC trial this weekend and Sunny was there to get more socialization.  At 15 weeks I would say she has met at least 100  people already!  And probably even more dogs.  Going to agility trials is a big bonus for puppies :-) 

Sunny is learning how to hang out at trials too.  I walked her around quite a bit and I was so impressed when I stopped to chat with someone she would lie down and wait.  How smart is that :-)  She watched with interest dogs running agility, but she didn't act crazy about it.  She did a good job hanging out in her xpen and was mostly quiet.  Of course she did bark some - but not too bad.

Right now I still have a harness on Sunny and am not asking for attention on me when I am out at these events.  I am just letting her be a puppy and experience the big, exciting world around her.   Sunny is good at these events and is not barking or acting silly around other dogs and people.  IF she were acting like that I would not have her out in the middle of all that activity -  letting her get over stimulated.  IF she were overstimulated and acting crazy I would keep her further back from the activity until she got used to everything.  It may be that because I have socialized Sunny from the time I got her is why she is so good in these situations.  She is a high drive puppy and I know she can get overstimulated sometimes, and it may come up in the future as she matures.  My job is to keep up the socialization and exposure to many different situations for the next couple of years.  Did I say YEARS?  Yes!

I have started to put a gentle leader on her though and am getting her used to wearing it.  I put it on her and let her wear it while we tug and chase toys, and I also put it on her when I feed her.   I will do a lot more of that this week and plan to start using it soon.  I won't be letting her drag me around in her harness much longer :-D  I will write more about how I use a gentle leader in another post.