Bob, other dogs and new people

So my last post I mentioned that Bob had a training walk with Larry Gelvin, the Puppy Program Manager. That walk went really well, we had gone to a nice, older neighborhood in San Antonio. Bob got the opportunity to work more on crosswalks and street noise. Once, when we were stopped at a curb a big delivery truck passed right by him and he didn't even flinch. We also learned a new left turn technique to work on with Bob. His pulling has improved dramatically, just a few tiny reminders at the beginning of the walk and he's golden!

Larry had invited along two of GDTX's newest employees to go with us and observe and try out a training walk themselves. Hillary, who is Gelvin's new assistant and puppy program supervisor got a chance to walk with Bob after about 10 minutes of him walking with me. I'm sorry to say it but he tested her like crazy. He didn't pull too much, which made me happy, but he didn't really obey any other commands given - at least not the first time it was given. Next was Rene, the new Breeding and puppy acquisition specialist. His walk went a bit better but Bob was completely unfocused on working and just focused on the treats that he knew were in Rene's pocket. Bob started to focus a bit after he figured out he wasn't going to get all of those treats immediately but still wasn't on his game anymore - a lot of that had to do with him starting to check out as he got tired. We need to work on Bob's stamina.

The issues Hillary and Rene had with Bob have all happened to me multiple times but I gotta say, it was very interesting to see him just 'switch' like that. It really reinforced the importance of having a connection with a dog and making sure that he/she knows that you are the one in charge. I love learning more about doggy brains and that was a really good learning experience for me. I suppose it was for them too so it all works out for the best.


We also had a training day at GDTX on Saturday with all but two puppies in the program. There were a few older dogs there for the boarders to learn some new info so all together there were at least 13 dogs there. It took Bob a few minutes to get over the fact that he couldn't go play with all of his friends (there were 2 dogs there that he had spent time with while we were moving) but once he settled down he did very well. We went over some basic stuff - the A-litter puppies are on their way to turning 6 months so we worked on the correct way for people to greet the puppies, and the four important things all puppies must be able to do when they get into formal training. Head up, tail wagging, straight line walking and straight sits. There were a few other little lessons but they were mainly for the younger puppies, such as 'going busy' on command and potty training stuff. GDTX is getting really close to breeder evaluation of the new litter so I'm excited to see who they choose.

Sorry there are no pictures from the training days, I forgot my camera both times. So instead here is a picture of Bob from this weekend. Just so you can see his happy face!



Here is Egypt because I know you love her too ;)