Time is flying by…how is he almost 4 months old already?
We went to our first puppy class on Wednesday. He was a little nervous at first but it didn’t take him long to come out of his shell and show off his smarts. There were some things that covid19 affected and some things that were the same as last time I did puppy classes. The one thing that covid19 affected is the puppy free time at the beginning of class. At every other class I have attended the puppies got a bit of free time before class to play and socialize on their own. I loved that aspect because they got to play with other dogs their own age(ish) in a controlled environment. But because there are so many strict rules with covid19 we aren’t allowed to pet each other’s dogs or come within 6 feet of each other, and of course hand sanitizer and masks are mandatory. Kane was eager to meet the other puppies and spent a bit of time crying to let me know that he was disappointed with my “rule” that didn’t let him go play and meet the other puppies…if only he knew how disappointed I was as well.
Covid19 rules and limitations aside the class was a huge success. I learned a few new things to help him build confidence and I also think training in different environments with distractions is so important to having a well rounded dog. This class is focused on positive reinforcement and encourages clicker training. There were a few people that chose not to use a clicker, but the majority of us did. The other thing I like is that the trainer still took time to work with all of our dogs so that they experienced different trainers and realized they have to behave and follow commands from other people.
We came home with “homework” which we have been doing numerous times throughout the day. He catches on to things really quickly. So I’m anxious to see how he does this week.
The weekend was bitterly cold (-30 Saturday and -44 Sunday), there wasn’t much wind, but both dogs weren’t interested in walks…And neither was I. So we enjoyed some cuddle and couch time and worked on our homework. I was looking forward to working on leash walks, but I guess we will have to do those this week when it warms up a bit. I also missed his weekly picture to track his growth, but we can try and get one this week I guess.
Common Scents Living 