2022.5.22 The first FULL week!

 What a week!  

So much he is learning and so much to do!  What a SMART puppy!  I try to go somewhere each day and this week we went to the Winnegamie Dog Club 3 times.  The building has 2 super sized rooms, several storage rooms, 4 bathrooms and a kitchen so Mookie had lots of new real estate to explore!

  • The 1st time it was just 2 other dogs so he got to snoop around on his own to check things out.  
  • The 2nd visit was for the drop in rally that I help with and there were lots of dogs and distractions.  He sat calmly in his crate with Jake by his side.  For those who knew Jake, it's almost hard to believe that he is a calming influence but age has mellowed him more than I could have ever imagined!!  
  • The 3rd visit was during classes where I help.  Again, he sat quietly in his crate between Jake and 2 Aussies like it was something he has done forever!  And when students were gone, he checked out all the rooms again, this time very confidently!  
We also went to Winchester Town Hall to get his license and he explored inside the building and then hung out by the picnic tables as I chatted with the caretaker.  Mookie was a super hanger-outer while I was socializing!  

Also he explored the vegetation about Culvers in Oshkosh and flushed out a duck (pretty exciting for both of us!) and was not affected by the traffic.  In Winneconne at the park by the lake he got his toes in the water but not before he grabbed a fish skeleton and ran off with it. So glad I always have him on his new 30 foot line now because he wasn't thinking of sharing it with me!

So what did he learn this week...  LOTS!  Some "around the house" phrases are:
  • get in the house (from yard)
  • get in your crate
  • get in the car (I lift him up now but he HAS tried to do it himself)
  • go in your room (his large pen area where he can see all that goes on and has a window to look out)
  • time to go to bed (runs to bedroom)
  • let me put your collar on (whenever I'm fiddling with his harness, collar or leash behind his head)
  • drink some water
Other things we've worked on:
  • treat and click or yes (marker training)
  • uh-uh (stop doing whatever you're doing - jumping)
  • recalls to name and whistle
  • lots and lots of different surfaces
  • platforms (up-up verbal then sit, stand - no words just hand motions/fronts)
  • disk (up-up verbal then pivots)
  • tracking (scent pads)
  • circle right, spin left (hand motion no verbal)
  • around a cone (no verbal)
  • eye contact 
  • 2 toy retrieve game
  • bringing clothes on bathroom floor to kitchen (he started on his own once while I was making breakfast and since bringing me things is something I wanted him to do I started leaving things out and rewarded him when he brought them to me)
  • up and down stairs with different surfaces (up is great.. down needs some work)
  • up the ramp to the grooming table with treats, then down (and click/treat) on table (no verbal)
  • through a tunnel (verbal "tunnel")
  • started scent work per NW101: Introduction to Nosework course (Fenzi Dog Sports Academy)
Mookie is a super dog and Jake has been amazing.  I believe that Jake has helped him settle and be calm in his "room" and learn house protocol!! 


  


OH..  and as a PS...  Mookie has adjusted instantly to my home cooked food plan that Jake has been on for almost a year now (with modifications for Mookie as a puppy).  Real food (venison, vegetables, rice or oatmeal) is SO much better than kibble and homemade training treats (chicken or dehydrated mackerel with vegetables) are a favorite!! And pumpkin, yogurt and blueberries... oh my...