train my dog to get his C.G.C. certification.

the winter has passed and i’m now brave enough to venture out of doors for training again. woo-hoo! we started class again on monday and jonah did really well. i’m thinking he’ll be ready in about a month.

ok, we’re not exactly digging this new class. the instructor is overly harsh with her students, both human and canine. i see no reason to belittle folks that came to class to learn to communicate and work better with their dogs.

jonah and i are back to working on our own. at this point we have taken enough courses that we’ve both got the general idea. now we just need to be dedicated to this goal and work every day on it.

our intermediate class with the obedience training club of greater lansing was last night. the good and bad are that they are so very serious. it’s good because i really think that jonah will improve and so will i, but bad because they’re constantly telling you that you’re doing everything wrong. oh well, they should seem to be very good at proofing commands with your dog, which is what jonah needs. we shall see if our self-esteem holds up.

ARGH! I took a ten minute trip to the bank and returned to find scattered bits of plastic that used to be a single cellular phone. Why Jonah? Why do you eat only the most expensive things I own? There are much more tasty things to choose from. ie. bones, nylabones, kong toys, rope toys, etc.

Well, I had managed to save up some money to take a couple of courses with the Obedience Training Club of Greater Lansing and although that money would cover the cost of replacing my phone, I think obedience class is of higher priority at present.

The picture is from another of Jonah’s dietary experiments. Black inkpens. Apparently he has decided he prefers a more expensive menu option.

jonah and i met with a woman who trains k-9 dogs for a private lesson this past sunday. she was very encouraging and jonah behaved beautifully. the minute we left the building, he was back to his usual disregard. scurb. we are making progress though. just need to work on the consistency. we’re going to join up with the obedience training club of greater lansing in the new year. yay!

i need to find the best way to motivate jonah. he’s great when he knows i have food in my pocket (ie he sees me put there), but otherwise, all commands take on an optional element. hm…. we shall see. i want him to have fun, but he mostly likes to sleep. lol.

I’m so proud of my Jonah! I’ve been trying the technique from a clicker training website to teach Jonah how to heel. It mostly just involves clicking and treating anytime Jonah is in the position I want him to walk in when I’m walking. No leash, no commands. It must be working because last night we walked by a couple with two small dogs and he looked at them, but never left my side. I can’t believe it!

His best pal, Maxey, showed him a mudpit to roll in this afternoon, so the picture is post-bath.

argh! i can’t seem to get any of my entries to post today. perhaps the third time will be a charm.

jonah and i have started the intermediate obedience course at petsmart this week. after that it will be on to a class geared towards canine good citizen testing. he’s such a sweet pup.

we figured out shaking hands and rolling-over. i think that with a nose like his, it’s only natural to give treat balancing a shot, right?

growing up in a zoo was a wonderful experience. with 3 dogs, two cats and several gerbils (all named jitters), respect and joy in all forms of life was an easily learned lesson. however, not everyone wants to be knocked to the ground by an ecstatic collie. keeping this last part in mind, i plan to train jonah to be a canine good citizen. let me tell you, we have a great deal of work ahead of us.

my pup:
jonah is an 8 month old, sable, smooth coated collie. he’s a sweet, clutzy and beautiful dog. he loves other people and dogs to the point of distraction, which is going to be our biggest hurdle. i am thrilled that he is so well socialized, but we need to work on some restraint such that others can choose whether or not they want a collie hug. he’s a smart guy though and already knows the basics (sit, stay, down and come) and a couple tricks (shake and roll-over).