Boggie 1/31/11

Today I brought my nachos to Boggie's because I did not have enough time to eat it. Boggie was very good at not begging because every time he fixed his gaze on my food, I said "no!" Then we went on a short walk because it was really cold outside. He was very good and walked with me the whole way. When I finished my nachos, I still had some beans left, so I put them in Boggie's food dish and let him eat the rest. This was only ok because I was done eating. The pack leader eats first. After that, I started teaching Boggie how to speak. First I took a squeaky toy and waved it around until he barked. Then I praised him and repeated. After a little bit, I took a treat out and waved it around, saying, "say hi, say hi". He barked, so I gave him the treat. He doesn't quite understand it yet, so I will continue tomorrow. Bye!

Bella 1/28/11

Tonight I went to my neighbor's house and walked her still-in-training golden retriever named Bella. She was awesome considering I have not walked her in a while! During the middle of our walk she started to jump, so the others went ahead as I calmed the hyper retriever down. I told her to sit, then I stared straight into her eyes. After about 1 second, she whimpered and lowered herself, as if to jump. Sure enough, she started to leap up, trying to conquer me. Other than a couple little pauses like that, she was perfect! We had fun!

Boggie and Penny 1/27/11

Hullo there! Today at noon I walked down the street to walk Boggie, a chocolate lab. It is my "job" to walk him, but honestly I would do it for free! Anyways, Boggie's friend, a vizsla named Penny was there to greet me with enthusiastic barks. I let them outside to go potty, deciding to not have Boggie jump the make-shift hurdle that day. When they had finished their business, I took them inside to put on their leashes. Recently, I think starting Monday, I have been putting a choke chain high up on their neck so I could control their head instead of just their neck. I have also been talking less, because the pack leader doesn't talk when walking. They have been reacting positively, obeying me without much (emphasis on "much") hesitation. Also, when walking them like this after a half-hearted stare-down with Penny, I hardly ever tug on the leash. I would walk them leashless if I was not afraid a car would hit them. Penny was perfect, but Boggie had one flaw: he saw a dog off leash sniffing around. He wouldn't take his eyes off him, so before the situation could escalate, I tugged on his leash. After a couple tries of getting him to look away and only half succeeding, I decided to give up and walk away. Boggie looked back, but a few sharp pulls and he was walking contentedly beside me, calm and relaxed. When we came back, I took out treats and made them wait for them, but when I gave them the release command, Boggie ate his AND Penny's treat! I tried to get it out of his mouth, but he had swallowed it already, so I gave Penny a treat and then invited her to sit on the couch with me while I half read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, half watched Mickey Mouse Club House. After a while of Boggie looking sad at my feet, I told Penny to get down and let Boggie up with me. Then it was time to go, so they went potty once more and then I left.