MY FIRST FORMAL TRAINING SESSION

My humans do training with me, things like not pooping or peeing in the house ~ I leaned that pretty quickly.  I know how to sit when told and Catherine, one of my humans has even trained me to "floor" which basically means I lie down flat on the floor. She was very impressed when I did it the 2 nd time she showed me.  She just put her hand down to the floor when I was sitting down and I automatically followed it to the floor (in case there was a treat there).  She was delighted and that made me happy so when my other human came into the kitchen and Catherine showed him, I did it straight away when told.  I continue to impress them!

Me ~ concentrating

The other evening I was taken to the car and we went on short drive and landed at a place I hadn't been before.  Apparently we were there for my first "Formal Training Session".  There were lots of humans but I was the only dog.  The humans smelled very interesting and I know they must have a dog too.  They must have left their dog at home because even though I could smell them, I couldn't see them.

But this was good because I got lots and lots of pets from these other humans.

Kathleen always gives me treats!

Kathleen appeared ~ I have met her twice before when she came to my home to visit me.  She is really nice and smells of lots of dogs.  I might get to meet them sometime because one of the times she was at our home she said to my human that she should take me for a beach walk with her pack.  Even though I don't like waves and beaches have waves, I would love to go and play with lots of other dogs and especially if Kathleen will be there too!  You can read about my first two beach visits HERE and HERE).

Everyone sat down and Catherine pulled me in to sit beside her while Kathleen spoke to the humans.  I lost interest and lay down until I heard my name which made me perk up.  Kathleen said that although this class was without dogs and puppies, I had come along because I am a big soft lump.  I don't know what a big soft lump is but everyone laughed so I must take it that it is good to be a big soft lump.

Me learning to "stay"

After a LOT of talking ~ humans never stop talking, Kathleen asked Catherine if she had taught me to "stay".  She hasn't because I don't know what that word means.  Catherine told her "no" so Kathleen took my lead to show the others how easy it is to train "stay".  

She had my lead and stood in front of me.  She didn't say anything but just held up her hand.  I decided to site still to see what was going to happen.  She took a step away from me then she walked back to me and gave me a treat.  Then she did the whole thing again, this time taking two steps away from me and I stayed in the same place because I knew I would get a treat!

Look!  I "stayed" even when Kathleen went far away!

The next thing she did was drop my lead and step away from me with her hand up.  I am pretty smart so I knew this meant I had to stay where I was.  I think Catherine and the rest of the class were very impressed with me ~ especially when Kathleen took lots of steps away from me and I stayed where I was.

Afterwards Kathleen gave all the humans some of my treats ~ were they going to eat MY treats?!

No, thankfully.  It was for me!  After my first training session with Kathleen and my doing so well and all that, Kathleen told Catherine to let go my lead and let me wander around the others and as I went to each human they gave me a treat and a pet. 

I really like this formal training (that is what Catherine calls it).  Later, Sean came in to collect us and take us home and Catherine asked Kathleen to show him what I had learned ~ he was very impressed too!

In the car on the way home Catherine told Sean that next week everyone was bringing their dogs or pups so I can't wait until then to meet them all.  And she also told Sean that Kathleen really is amazing with dogs.  I agree!

CATHERINE:

Of course I knew Kathleen was great at training dogs but I have never been to one of her classes before.  With earlier dogs work and other things got in the way of devoting time to attending classes and I did all the training myself.  Now though, I have a little more spare time so I decided to give it a whirl with Oscar.

The first class is where Kathleen speaks to all the dog owners and we introduce ourselves to each other, telling them what breed we have, his or her name, and what we hope to achieve from the class.  It is a brilliant idea to have the first class (almost) dog free as I would imagine were all the dogs there, we would have been too distracted to take in all that Kathleen was saying.

Kathleen has met Oscar a couple of times so she knows what he is like and she asked me to bring him along so that she could use him to demonstrate on.  He is so docile and calm that it makes him ideal to work on for a quick demonstration.

After chatting for a while with the other owners and Kathleen, she took Oscar's lead and lead him into the middle of the floor for a demonstration to show how she teaches "stay" (she first checked whether I had taught him stay yet but I haven't so that was perfect).  She took Oscar on his lead to the middle of the room and I was almost certain she would have little success straight off.  Yes, Oscar is a smart cookie but given there were so many strangers there and so many distractions, I never in a million years thought he would manage it so quickly.

Kathleen is really amazing.  She took Oscars lead, took a step back holding up her hand in a "stop" sign way.  He stayed!  As he did after she took two steps away.  I was massively impressed but then she said she would do it having dropped the lead.  I was sure Oscar would dash off to investigate something.  He didn't!  No matter how far away she stepped from him, he remained where she told him to.  Now that is some ability in a trainer I think.

Kathleen's website

THE OTHER DOG, TRAINING MY HUMANS & ANOTHER NEW FACE

OSCAR:
(27th August 2013)

"I wakened up early this morning when one of my new humans, Catherine, came into the kitchen where I sleep.  She took me outside and it was a bit cold after my cosy bed.  I still have no idea why my new humans take me outside and away from the warmth of the kitchen!  After a while she took me inside ~ I think she is learning I need to get back into my bed to do a wee.  Once again when I did this she took my rug away to the other room and once again I heard a machine starting.  So there I am in my cage with just the base to sit on.  Humans are weird.

After my breakfast, Catherine put me on my lead and I sat beside her as she checked her emails.  I fell asleep on the floor beside her and later wakened up to find we were going on an adventure!  She kept saying "lets go and wake Sean up".  I wondered where Sean was and soon I was lead into another room where he was asleep in a very big bed, well bigger than mine anyway.

Who is this other dog?!

It was then I saw the other dog!  I got a bit of a fright and let out a little bark which made my humans burst out laughing.  They were talking about me (I now know my name is Oscar and so I know when they are chatting about me).  

I barked even more to send this dog away but all Sean and Catherine did was laugh and then take a photograph!  Have they no concern for the fact a strange dog, which looks very like me, has wandered into their house?  Or maybe he lives in the room with the humans bed?  The other dog didn't bark and he didn't approach me but stayed where he was for me to approach him.  I think I am safe for now!

Sean got up and we all went back to the kitchen where Sean again took me outside.  They are obsessed with taking me outside for some reason.  But a strange thing happened.  I needed to 'go' and did my business and I got lots of congratulations and pets afterwards.  Maybe my humans prefer me to do my business outside the house?  I might give that a try later if it means I get lots of pets and even a little piece of liver as a treat.  

I came inside and had a sleep for a while and when I wakened up another human was in the house.  Catherine told me her name is Kathleen and she is the best dog trainer in Donegal.  Surely she means human trainer?  I don't know.  But I know one thing, I really like Kathleen.  She petted me and chatted to me like she'd known me for ages!  And I can smell dogs on her!  Lots of exciting new scents.  I know why too.  She told Catherine she had just finished a class to she must have had lots of dogs at it.  I might like to go to her class to see her and meet all these new dogs.  Catherine said I can once I have my inoculations complete.  Whatever that is!

My new ball & rope toy!

When Kathleen left (she said she had another class so there must be a lot of dogs in Donegal ~ even more than my old home!), Catherine took me outside again and this time she took one of my new toys.  

It's like a ball but there's a rope on it and so it's easy for me to carry.  Catherine threw it and I ran after it and brought it back to her and she very quickly learned to keep throwing it for me!  She is going to be easy to train.

We played for ages and Catherine kept throwing the toy in return for my bringing it back to her.  Then I really needed to have a wee and did one in the yard.  Catherine was very happy with me and even gave me a little cube of that delicious liver!  I think I am having another training breakthrough with my humans ~ I 'go pee pee' (as they call it) in the yard and I get a piece of liver.  I am enjoying training my humans as I am getting lots of rewards.  I suppose they are grateful they have such a great trainer.

Resting with my Nylabone

I was quite tired and so Catherine took me inside and I went into my bed and chewed for a while on another new toy (my humans call it a Nylabone).  It is really good to chew on because there is something delicious inside it and it helps take away any aches I get because apparently I am teething (another new word).  

Catherine only gives me it to chew for a little while each day which makes it a bigger treat for me when I get it.

And now for another snooze ~ I am a growing boy after all!"

NOTE FROM CATHERINE:
Dog owners should read this WARNING about Nylabones before giving one to your dog or puppy.