Puppy Class

So, last week, we taught Howie to come and sit at our feet when we call his name (we're about 94% on this and still practicing), and this week we learned "touch" and "leave it," both very useful commands for us to master. We can use "touch" to call him away from Lulu, and we can use "leave it" when he's sneaking up on our shoes/dolls/books/laundry/toys/mushrooms-in-the-yard/etc. We need lots of practice on both, but Howie did really well with the little bit of time we had in class to practice.

And next week? Next week we're learning walking-nicely-on-a-leash!! WOO-HOO!!!! Howie and I sooooooo need this training. We've done a little on our own, but since he rarely walks nicely, we haven't had much opportunity for rewarding and so aren't quite getting it yet. Also, it'll be good because Howie really needs to learn walking-nicely-at-PetSmart. He's a people person dog, and a dog dog and so gets to the end of his leash a lot.

Also, I have been hunting for the perfect collar and I think I found it. It's black (so you can't really see it) and nylon (I might get leather eventually) and good for tie-out, which is essential since we don't have a fence. So Pete and I used the engraving machine while Howie got his nails clipped ($9! but worth it) and got him an ID tag (it was cool to watch). When we got home we put it and his rabies tag on his collar and strapped the collar around his neck and then sat and laughed at him flopping around trying to bite the jingling things on his neck for the next 10 minutes. He seems used to them now, though, so no more funny. Also, at the moment, he is wearing his collar and his harness, simply because the harness is hard to get off but important when walking so he doesn't hurt his neck. Hopefully we'll be able to take it off for good soon (see above)...

So far puppy classes seem like a good investment. Thank goodness for 3 calorie dog treats!