2022.5.23-29 - Week 2 - Learnin' is such fun!

Monday FUNday!  Well wait ... so was the rest of the week!  And we were glad for the weekend to stay home and catch up. We trained (which is really played) at Winchester Town Hall, Winnegamie Dog Club twice, Bonnie's where we met ducks, and Marble Park in Winneconne.  Since all play is training for something, we did a whole bunch of things!  

Notes from Mookie's perspective:

  • PLATFORMS are great and I do all sorts of stuff on them...  SITS and STANDS, TOUCHing mom's hand, making EYE CONTACT, FRONTS and even I walked BACK a few steps. And round disks are a fun challenge! 
  • Ramps are cool...  they get me on a table to do stuff  she calls cooperative care but mom needed to block off the side so I wouldn't jump off.
  • Mom calls them RECALLS...  there is a WHISTLE and she also calls my name.  And sometimes she has someone hold me which makes me run faster!!
  • Sometimes it is so easy to work.  All I have to do it touch a little thing that smells really good and mom treats me.  She calls is SCENT WORK.
  • What's easier than scent work is eating hot dogs off of the ground.  I smell her footsteps under the food and she said that's how I learn how to TRACK.
  • And I'm so lucky...  all I have to do is CIRCLE to the right and SPIN to the left and she gives me homemade mackerel treats and the same goes for going AROUND a cone!
  • And OMG, she took me downstairs and there was a whole new world with toys and a TUNNEL to run through.  She said something about me doing AGILITY when I'm bigger.
  • She also gave me a pointy think that smelled really good that I took and ran away with.  Apparently, it's good that I like it because she said it was a SHED and I would learn to HUNT for it when I'm bigger. 
  • And OMG...  DUCKS!  So exciting! She said that I would be a good little HERDER!
  • I really like the Dog Club! I know I'll be really good at RALLY and OBEDIENCE because mom is making it fun!!
  • My favorite and most exciting, I think, is when mom has 2 toys and tosses them and I bring them back or when she plays tug with me!!  
  • We also started with what mom says is MUZZLE training which is no big deal.  She said it is good for me to get used to in case I need it for anything.



Some notes from me:

  • Mookie's hierarchy of excitement from low to high in a pen where he met ducks is:
    • ducks not moving
    • sheep wool
    • sheep poop
    • moving ducks 
  • He is NOT excited about rain so we have that to work on!  While he watched the stream from the hose, he wasn't running to it but as he ran around it, his tail was high!
  • So far so good with his time in the crate when we go somewhere and they are other dogs.  He barked and an excited dog so he's clearly not perfect but it's something to work on. 
  • Took him to my training area and it was late in the day and it, I think, was a little spooky for him.  There were geese and barking dogs in the distance and tree shadows.  The next day we (in crate in vehicle with Jake also) drove in and he watched me clean up and then I got him out, walked around and then hung out for quite awhile. He was much better!  
  • Probably the BEST thing this week is that MOOKIE and JAKE can go in and out together and hang out under supervision!!!