Yesterday I had a very different day. It started with the need to get my daughter to work in Dorking for 8.30 am, normally not a problem but the level crossings in the village were closed which meant we had to go through Guildford and round, coupled with my lack of direction we ended up going via Leatherhead! This set the tone of the day when I did none of the usual Sunday things. Well, a change is as good as a rest!
The weather was apalling! Not good for Staffords, but despite this Sam and I took Sandy to The Doghouse basic/puppy training. The idea was for Sam to do the training with me as backup.
Sandy was very good.
We learnt recall by fussing our dogs and playing with toys then moving into the middle and ignoring the dog for a few seconds and then returning with more fussing and play. This was repeated several times then we returned to the middle and one of the instructors took the lead we returned to the fussing spot and called our dog.
We also learnt how to get a sit by using a toy and holding it above them. This worked really well with Sandy who does not know sit and we had struggled to establish it.
The majority of adult dogs we take in do not know sit. I would think most of you reading this find that astounding as it is one of the first things you teach a dog. As we were instructed yesterday, to get a sit the dog needs to be looking up, most of the dogs we take in put their heads down when given an instruction which shows you what sort of training they have had! This is not the odd one this is most who come to us which surely speaks volumes!
We also learnt how to hold a dog when greeting people so they did not jump up.
All in all a worthwhile time.
Which goes to prove old owners can still learn new tricks!
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