Coaly Update!

[Guest Anonymous]

I always like to give you guys an update on how Coal is doing once and a while. Usually it's when something new, good or bad has happend! Good news, today is mainly good! :D

Well, after seeing how Coal acted in the obediance classes I took him to, I decided I better kick my butt in gear and work like hell with him. I'm SO not use to having a puppy, and it has only been about four years since i've had one!! So, I even made a chart which,... I keep forgetting to mark on :roll: To keep track of how his training progress is going, and to mark down when I do it, and to keep myself doing it. We have been working on the basic commands, and shaping his behavior (trying to stop the jumping up, and the nipping, and his just plain rudeness), as well as a few fun tricks too. He's SO good at laying down, I'm VERY proud! I wanted to make sure he knew that one for agility, Hazel was one of those dogs where she'd get up on the pause table and I'd be like "Sit... Good girl.. Down... Down... good girl!' with Coal it's just "down" and ZIP he's down! :D
So, his big toughy lately has been heal, he lunges forward, or spins around, or jumps up, and it was getting really frustrating. Finally, I tossed the leash, and walked down the kitchen length, she was up against the counter, or by it at least, and we'd walk up to the other counter in front of us, so he couldn't spin around, and i lured him with treats to stay with me, then praised like a mad woman, clicked and gave him a TOTAL jack pot. After doing that about three times, I could get him away from the wall, adn walk down the hall, then finally around the island without even a wall by him!! I'm SO PROUD!! :D :D
So, he use to run past and push me through door ways, and I had been trying forever to teach him not to, and I think by accident I taught him :o But not quite in the best way :oops: You see, I went to go to the washroom and was walking through the comp doorway and he went blundering past like a bat outa hell and smacked me into the wall. Ouch, so I sit down and complain to dear Icey about it some, then decide to try again and he did the EXACT SAME THING!! :evil: This time though, my knee went square into the corner of the door way, and i heard this huge snap. Well, I have bad knees to begin with, and right away I just screamed, and cursed like a mad woman, and slammed the door and crumpled down and bawled my eyes out. OOHH It hurt. Still does some. THere was this huge line down my knee from the corner, so I called Jared bawling and hyperventilating, and he goes "it's not broken, touch it" and i wa slike 'NOOO I'm not goin gto touch it!' and he goes "come on, just touch it" like this guy on this one movie (I think it was Scary Movie) and that made me laugh... and he goes "see, you'd be like on the floor bawling if it was broken" and i go "I am" anyway, long story short, ebcause I could go on for hours like this, it's not broken, just suverly hurt.
But ever since that day he walks pretty good with me through door ways, although I wish he didn't have to learn that way :-?
Then tonight after training I was so proud, and had thought I mighta go through to him not to jump up too, cuz he was doing pretty good, then suddenly WAM, he jumps up and the end of his muzzel went into my face. Split my lip open and hurt my tooth, ooh, I was mad. I hate that, I swear he does it on purpose, as soon as I think he's getting it, he goes around and be's a ****head! :evil:
But other then that, he has been pretty good lately, with his training anyway, we still have TONES of work to do, but he's slowly but surely learning.
Oh, and he does know how to be nice! I was crying, from pain... something else... tonight and he came in and put his head on my lap, and i scratched his ear and then he looked up and i was like "Can I have a kiss Coaly?" and he licked my neck and in my ear, man that tickles, got me laughing though, he always chears me up like that :iloveyou: No better way to get cheared up but by getting tickled by a big puppy tongue! :D

[PatriciaT]

sounds like things are coming along....even if it is seredipitiously. Good idea about heeling with something along side of him so he couldn't twist himself about. :)

OP almost pulled me down on the sidewalk today when she saw the two bratty bull poodles walking towards us. I don't know what it is about those dogs but OP just gets all wound up over them. Anyways...when she pulled me, I lost my balance and started to fall to the ground. OP noticed immediately, stopped her fussing with those poodles, and turned around to look at me and concern herself with me....just enough time to stop myself from falling and gain control of her. Whew...probably a good thing she almost made me trip.

Oh yeah....the story of Coaly jumping up to nip you....reminded me of when OP was a puppy cuz she used to do the same exact thing.

[imported_Kat]

Sounds good! One thing though if you want to improve heel, walk before you can run, and train him with his lead on,( I still do most training with meg on lead) then you can correct him if he jumps up on you or lunges forward. keep your treat level with your left hip and do big wide right handed circles with him, so its a catch up type thing, then break out of the circle, run backwards with him coming to you, then zip into heel position again, saying close or heel or whatever your command is. don't bombard him with Coaly Coaly here boys or whatever, make him want to work for that treat, and use his name and a close/heel sparingly. Dogs switch off if they have too much ino to process!

Keep up the good work :wink:

[Guest Anonymous]

Kat napisał(a):

Sounds good! One thing though if you want to improve heel, walk before you can run, and train him with his lead on,( I still do most training with meg on lead) then you can correct him if he jumps up on you or lunges forward. keep your treat level with your left hip and do big wide right handed circles with him, so its a catch up type thing, then break out of the circle, run backwards with him coming to you, then zip into heel position again, saying close or heel or whatever your command is. don't bombard him with Coaly Coaly here boys or whatever, make him want to work for that treat, and use his name and a close/heel sparingly. Dogs switch off if they have too much ino to process!

Keep up the good work :wink:

Thanks Kat, and while I'm glad for the advice, and I really don't mean to sound rude at all cuz I know your just trying to help, but it bothers me when people try to tell me how to teach my dog when I've finally figured out a way that works for him, and i Know you don't know that he's got problems on the lead, and how I've taught him totally and why, so I don't mean to offend at all! Coal is worse on the lead, and it's my fault too because I have trouble controlling him with the lead, and correcting him, and guiding him, as well as click and treat, I only have two hands, and he just drags me so I can't do anything, or he'll pull the lead and causes me to accidently click. So I figured I would teach him off leash first, and once he gets that 'oh! I know what that means!" we'll work on leash manners, because once he knows the command, it will be a LOT easier! :D