Obedience Training.....

Last night I attended with my inlaws...our 1st obedience class...to train Harly to be obedient and well behaved dog. We left him at home; this 1st lesson was to help us be aware of whats important in training our puppy..I feel we are on the right track, but have lots to learn. Harly is a very wonderful, smart and alert puppy and in one month ..has already learnt to sit..and ring bells when he wants to go outside...but now attending class..we can really concentrate on training him the right way...and after seeing how well behaved and obedient the trainers 7 month old Alaskan malamute is...its very encouraging to know its very reachable to have a well behaved and obedient dog.

I am excited to work hard over the next 7 weeks with Glenn also. He will attend classes with me too :)

Important to make aware all people living in house with puppy to say and do the same things..being consistent is the key to a quick easy and relatively painless training..hehe ...if that's possible !!

here is a list of things we will concentrate on over this next week.. yes..we get daily homework !!!

1: Make a list of all the things that makes Harly's tail wag. Also, note all the things that I think make our dog feel uncomfortable. ( dislikes, fears)

2: "YES" and "GOOD": work on associating this word with pleasant sensations...a tummy rub, eating, stroking. remember to use a happy tone of voice and SMILE!

3: PUPPYS NAME: encourage Harly to look at us when we sue his name. Begin with sating his name when he is already focused on us, then begin to use his name to get his attention in non-distracting situation. To help Harly look us in the eye when we call, use our hands to frame our eyes. once we have Harlys attention, do something interesting ( throw a toy, get his dinner, go for a walk) to reinforce the behaviour.

4: BE A LEADER: To demonstrate our leadership, incorporate some doffie social behaviour into our routine at home. This includes not allowing our dog on chairs or beds, our dog should follow us ( e.g...through doors, on walks) and not vice versa, don't chase our dog ( if we need to catch him, run the other direction) and we should always have control of toys and food.

This is our starter list to work on this week..somethings will work great..others wont..some we might agree with ..some we might not. For instance i don't like to "control"...but i do believe its important to be the "alpha"..to teach him we are boss but always in a loving way !

Just as God disciplines us..the ones He loves..so we discipline our puppy..whom we love and adore ! :)

Will now update every Tuesday with progress from Monday nights class!

Have a great week...or til next time we post..

Blessings....