Follow a class week 6
Tricks!
Week six we teach tricks.
Shake hands.
And for those clever souls who already know how to shake – we high five (paw!)
We also learn to ring a bell – let me out I gotta GO! or just to put your own cute statement with.
We learn the beginning of ‘find it!” by hiding a treat and letting puppy sniff it out.
We socialize.
A lot.
Week six is fun time.
Emphasizing fun time is important. Teaching tricks not only is fun, but is bonding time.
I love seeing the delighted grins on people’s faces as they realize their dog is Smart!!
And believe it or not, in their own way, almost all of them are.
Graduation night!
We came in with issues.
Jaxx had lived on a chain in the backyard all his life. When adopted by his new family, he had no house manners. Not surprising. 
We calmed down. Learned that this was our forever family.
Thomas was found running around a field. Probably someone’s hunting dog that got away. An assisted living center adopted him, to be their mascot dog. Unfortunately he had food agression issues. Was afraid of wheel chairs. Barked and howled. Not acceptable in his new home.
We learned some management skills for his food issues, and taught him some self control, and where his boundries were. Some cute tricks to share with his housemates. He gets to stay. 
Chloe – full of energy! Bouncing! She learned to focus that energy for good not evil. Listen – most of the time – and walk nicely on the leash.
Wrangler was a working dog who worked well with horse and cows and her people. Other people, not so much. She didn’t ever learn to like-like others – but she could tolerate us and do her commands while we were Very close.
All in all – I’m very proud of these graduates. Others, too, but these came in with special issues and I really feel a sense of accomplishment.
And that makes a job worth doing.
Patience Panties
A co-worker came to find me yesterday.
“Very upset lady! She needs you!”
So I trot myself over to find her, and she was very upset.
She and her 4 month old yorkie-poo were ‘still’ having housebreaking issues.
In the course of our conversation, I mentioned puppy class.
She said I’m IN puppy class and they told me I had to be doing something wrong because puppy Should be housebroken by now!
I said – and You’ve had her about a month?
Yes.
I summoned up all my motherly warmth and informed her to put on her patience panties.
That her little one wasn’t a lab or a doodle or a shepherd that could be housebroken in a week.
It was a teeny-tiny and very often they take months to housebreak completely.
Really.
Oh, sure you will get the occasional baby who never has an accident and tells you they need out from day one (No, you won’t, but I can’t convince the people who SAY their ten year old tiny Never peed in the house, that they just forgot or were so anal about it they were running outside every half an hour for Months).
But most take a while to ‘get’ it for a variety of reason.
I could See the look of relief on the lady’s face. “So I’m not doing anything wrong?? It’s just not going to be an overnight thing?”
YES!
How hard can that be for trainers or vets to tell people this fact? Don’t lie to them! Tell the truth “Tiny’s can be challenging to housebreak. But they can be housebroken! Don’t give up and don’t let it frustrate you!” 
Sometimes it will take Months before they are totally reliable.
There.
I said it outloud.
Maybe get a couple pair of those patience panties – in a pretty pink.
I like pink.