Saturday I went to STORY LAND!!!! And not just me! Almost all of the puppys in the program went, too! And we all walked around and showed off our vests and got to see lots of kids! There was food, which smelled good (not that I was smelling any of it... shhh! don't tell!) and there was so much to do! We went to a room that was full of balls flying around everywhere and we were supposed to watch! It was easy for me because I don't fetch but some of the other puppies wanted to play. We watched a show that had lots of music and dancing and clapping. The clapping got my attention for a second but then I remembered it wasn't for me, so I didn't care anymore. We went on a boat ride and a train ride, and a safari ride. Getting on the safari and the train were challenges for me, I was nervous about the steps. I had to get lifted up =/ but I didn't mind jumping off of them! It's way easier to get down then up! Story land was tiring. I ended up sleeping at lunch, and then I slept every chance I got for the rest of the day! Working is tough, I was running low on energy.
My Lunchtime Nap :)
Waiting patiently
And after Saturday, there was SUNDAY! And Sunday was a GREAT DAY. It was sunny again so we got to be outside, and this time I got to be at a lake house! Nice, right? Well I thought so. There was another dog there, Sidney. Sidney is 8 years old, and more playful than I am. I loved her energy because she played with me and I got to have fun. Once, Sidney ran into the water and I tried to follow her, but did you know that water gets deeper? All of a sudden I was about to not be able to reach the bottom anymore! I stopped. I didn't want anyone to know I was startled so I kinda just stood there. I drank a few sips of the water and just hung out. Sidney was way out in the water and I don't know how she did it! Did her legs just suddenly grow? Does she have water legs? I couldn't quite get it. Allie was at the shore calling me so I finally went to her after I realized that the water was more shallow over there. It was a relief! After that, I just played where I knew it was safe. That water is tricky stuff! I loved being at the lake, and we went out on a big boat and I got to be right in the wind. I eventually got tired and laid down, but what a good day I had! I hope I get to go back.
I had a great and tiring weekend, and I got in SO MUCH PLAYTIME. It was awesome!
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Westin is doing well with his trainig. Since he hasn't been a great listener, I have started reinforcing some things around mealtimes and I have him do things in order to get his food (like "down") - it's been working, so that's good!
StoryLand was good, he pulled a lot which we need to work on, but overall I was happy. He got really tired later in the day and we put his gentle leader on without it being attached to anything, so he would get used to wearing it in public and not just for a meal. He mellowed out when he wore it, but he still pulled since there wasn't too much of a consequence for it. He didn't eat anything that he wasn't supposed to (as far as I know!) which was very good, and he didn't reach much to the performance besides the clapping, which was only once and didn't last longer than a few seconds. On the rides he was calm and just laid down, and the hardest part was getting him to get on the train!
One topic of conversation when we were on the swan boat at story land was swimming. Friday (another dog) LOVES the water and Dot mentioned Westin probably hadn't been swimming. On Sunday, we brought Westin to the lake with us and he was playing with the other dog who really liked to swim and he couldn't figure out how. It was amusing to watch, you would think it comes naturally but it definitely didn't! I want to take him again and see if we can get him to figure it out, but at least he liked the water. It probably helped cool him off. The one thing I didn't like about the lake was the amount of sand he got in his fur from rolling around. It felt like I was brushing it out for hours! :)
The "special word" we are working on is called The Really Reliable Recall. It is the most genius thing I have ever heard of. You choose a signal that is a word you know you won't use any other time, because you don't want the dog to hear it unless you're using it. You always say it like this: "[Dog's name], [special word]!!!" and when they get to you, you praise them and give them a super special treat for an entire 30 seconds, or even more. You never repeat the command in the same time trial and the point is to teach them so that they will come to you every single time you use this, no matter what. If you need to call your dog away from an emergency situation (if he runs into traffic, etc.) and will be able to save your dogs life if every necessary. I have never heard of this before and I think it is one of the best ideas, and definitely an essential part of training.
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