This visit was even shorter than the last. Too short for us...we're all going to miss Zoltie.
He's been having a great time with his friends and learning to play appropriately. No pinning another dog for more than a few seconds. Not too much vocalization. Lots of good give and take. So many rules to learn...
The play gives us excellent opportunities to practice his recall. He had a hard time "checking in" with me when he first got here and needed some reminders about recalls but not he's doing it just great. I can hide in the house while he's playing with the other dogs and call him to come. He's lightening fast!
But sometimes having his friends around, even when they are not in the same room, can prove to be a challenge. Something dog trainers hear frequently is "But he does that so well at home." Simply being away from home can be more distracting for dogs. They also do not generalize what they have learned very well so practice in a variety of locations is very important. It teaches the dog that "stay" means "stay" at home and "stay" away from home.
One little trick to stays is teaching the dog to lie in a relaxed position with his hip out (instead of square up on the hips). This teaches him to settle into the position. It's also helpful to catch him naturally in the position and reward him by praising him and slowly stroking him all the way down his back.
Another thing to remember is that he is heading into adolescence. It may seem like he will have forgot everything you taught him or maybe he keeps testing to see how much he can get away with. I like to use mistakes as teaching opportunities. If you follow through with his lessons, it's a chance to make sure he really solidly knows what you are asking of him. So stay not only means "sit" or "down" but also means to not move out of that position. He wouldn't have a full understanding of that if he never had an opportunity to get up and have someone redirect him back into position.
Adolescence doesn't last long and pretty soon you have that bright, attentive dog back who still has all the foundations from the lessons you taught.
Until next time Zoltie...we'll see how big you are then.
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