TRAINING THE PUPPY

I know the dogs most people are interested in are the Bassets, but at the moment I am kind of heavily involved with this NOTABASSET, Doc the Belgian Sheepdog Puppy. This is what he looked like when he stepped out of his crate at O'Hare airport, in Chicago.

Sweet li'l Thing, isn't he? All fuzz and wondrous eyes..............

This is Doc now, two weeks later or so, when he has grown a little and settled in here at home:

 

Not quite the same shy, innocent, nervous little thing he was. Not even a little thing anymore, weighing in at over 16 pounds and able to run like a gazelle.

So the Puppy (Doc) goes to class. Once a week. We have learned sit and down and sort of sometimes "come" and now working on around, and a couple of things I have already forgotten about.

 

 

1.THE SIT
Call the puppy to you and hold a treat over his head slightly until he sits. Good puppy. Give treat. Call the puppy. PUPPY!! HEY YOU!!!
Grab puppy as he shoots past trying to leap on the 2.5 pound mini Aussie puppy to "play". Grabbing puppy by tail as he goes past is frowned upon by most trainers as is snatching him off the floor and trying to avoid shaking him until you can hear his brain cell rattling because he does this PERFECTLY at home, time after time.

2. THE DOWN

This is actually called the "partial down". It is a specialty of Doc's. The next step is to push the front legs out further propelling with the rear and sliding along the floor without actually having his butt end touch the ground.
The other variation is the SEAL TEAM 6 CRAWL-- in which nothing really touches the ground but the puppy crawls, military style, after the treat.
The cure for this is NOT to step on the puppy to force his rear to the floor. That will get you excused permanently from class and perhaps from owning other dogs.

 

This is how Doc looks at the trainer. He is sitting because she told him to. In a moment he will do a perfect down. He also came from across the room just to do this for her.

 

I am standing by the door while other owners cast sidelong glances at me and shake their heads slightly as they pass by with their 10 day old baby Chihuahuas heeling and doing fronts and finishes. (Well not really that young, but you know what i mean.)

Even the evil wheaten terrier is perfect.

 

As she goes past with the dog in perfect heel position,  the trainer says to me "I don't understand what problems you are having with him!"

 

 

                   'I don't know," I respond sulkily, "Ask Conley."