“We worked on the basics this session. Dixie is a very food driven dog, and learns very quickly. We worked with sits, downs, and some puppy pushups. After we were warmed up, we went into stays and waits. We reinforced which foot to lead with and the correct hand signals to use when commanding the dog to stay and wait. Dixie learned the beginning of ” heel” and began to differentiate it with “come”. The end result was Dixie sitting directly in front of the handler and looking at them in anticipation of the next command. Jose and Dixie learned a simple correction using eye contact and a “not so friendly” face will work to make Dixie submit to the commands when she decides not to listen for a spell ( see pic below). Dixie is also overweight, so I taught Jose a game called “sit pretty” that will help Dixie to tone the muscles in her hips and shed some of that weight in the process,( see pic below) and will also help prevent hip dysplasia when she gets older. Both Dixie and Jose are learning the value of playing games and having fun in their sessions. They both learn extremely well and anticipate each session with vigor and excitement!”
