March 04, 2003
Settling down for some serious websurfing!
9:00 p.m.
I think I'm guilty as any other new dog owner of expecting too much. I was expecting too much.
As one friend pointed out, she is only 4 months old, afterall! Instead of being ecstatic that she managed to go a whole month without a single mistake, I was obsessing over a small accident that really couldn't have been prevented.
Well, that's not exactly true. I have a new procedure for post-naptime potty breaks. I put on my polar fleece, my coat, my hat and make sure the boots are ready, the mitts are close at hand. THEN I got get the puppy and clip her leash and *carry* her to the door.
And I guess it's only human to talk about the misteps and not acknowledge the many victories. Perhaps it's because it happend so gradually, but I forget that there was a time when she didn't know the difference between 'sit' and 'down' and couldn't hold a stay.
She does SO much now and she is pretty solid in the basics. I've faded out the use of the clicker on most commands and only use it for reinforcement or for new skills.
Dusty and I have learned to understand each other and I find it easier and easier to teach her new things. Perhaps it's because I pay attention to her body language and she watches me more carefully. When I'm frustrated, I've learned to back off and watch her. I think she understands then that I'm trying to communicate. I take a deep breath and try again.
One of the things that she's learned recently that I'm really proud of is long-distance sits and downs. She can do Puppy Pushups when I'm 5 metres away!
'Stand' is a skill that I tried to teach her during the second week, but she never got it. We've been working on it with the clicker this week, using a lure and shaping the behaviour - she's almost got it!
And Dusty deserves a gold star for her good behaviour during our many grooming sessions. She is calm and relaxed as I brush and comb her. We've worked very hard on this in anticipation of our first visit to the groomer.
Today, I clipped Dusty's nails for the first time and she was so blase about it - I think I was more nervous than she was!
So, in a nutshell, we're working hard and seeing results and I've been negligent in not acknowledging the astounding progress we've made together. I'll try to be more diligent about documenting our daily training sessions.