Obedience Class part 2

Well like I knew, she is very very very food motivated and she loves to do stuff with the trainer but not for me. This week we learned to walk with a loose leash and down. She was wonderful with the trainer and did exactly what she was suppose to do. Then I tried. At first it seemed hopeless as we went out into the aisles and she was distracted by all the smells. But once she realized I had food in my hand she was great. I've tried to do the same thing while we are on our walks but I don't have food. I need start carrying treats so we can practice while we walk. Then we got to down. It was the one we had issues with when I tried on my own. So the trainer showed us what to do with her dog and then she tried with Daphne. Well finally there was something she wouldn't do with the trainer. We really worked on it and I just need to really really praise her when she actually does it. I wasn't a huge fan of the fact that the trainer tried forcing her down. She pushed the butt of another dog down when we were learning sit. Not hard or anything but I have always been told/seen that you shouldn't manipulate a dog into a position. So we've been working on it this week and I discovered if I do a modified leg tunnel like Victoria does, she'll go down. Now I just need to work that with the clicker and hopefully she'll get when I say down what she is suppose to do.

Friday I'm going to get her microchipped. The local pound is doing a clinic where it is $20. Can't really pass that up and in case she ever runs away, I know she won't be put down. I've also been slightly clipping her nails one by one. I'm debating whether to get it done professionally or just grow a back bone and stop being so timid when I go to clip them. I do know that we need to at least get her teeth brushed after class this weekend because her breath is disgusting!

It looks so fast on TV

Today was our first dog obedience class and Daphne was eh. She's way to interested in the food so the whole "Watch me" exercise didn't really work. She watched the food. She's also much more interested in the food and things other people are giving/doing. It's the same way at the dog park. I try to play fetch and she's usually not super interested but the next second someone else can pick up a ball and she's all over it. I'm not sure why. Have I failed as alpha dog or am I too successful as alpha dog. But I shouldn't expect all that much as it was our first day and only an hour. We definitely have some homework to do this week. I'm glad that it is clicker training. But it was fun and I'm optimistic. We'll just have to see. First step get her to associate clicker with good and then the watch me command. The biggest issue is she gets so excited when she thinks there is food involved. It looks so quick and easy on TV . . .

The couch

I got a new couch, my first real one basically the same time as I got Daphne. The have been living in harmony for awhile now but today I noticed some stuffing on the floor and traced it back to the couch. At first I'm not yelling but asking her what she did. She plays the I'm so sorry, please love me look. I got a warranty on the couch which does cover rips and tears but after reading the fine print it doesn't look like it covers those done by pets. I guess I could try but it just seems like as hassle when I'm sure they won't cover it. I could lie and say it was caused when I was moving something but it's in a rather odd location and I do have a dog. It's not all that bad and I think I could make it look even better with a bit of sewing. But I discovered it wasn't boredom or some other reason that she suddenly decided to attack the couch. Her kong with her treat went under the couch and she must have been trying to get it rather vigorously. So I have my first doggie damage. I think I'm going to try and find some small boxes or something to put under it so that things can't as easily get under there. I probably also should stop encouraging her to dig the stuff out on her own but I don't think that would have stopped her as it was food that was involved.

Why does no one in Oklahoma listen to Bob Barker?

I probably wouldn't take notice of this fact if it wasn't for the fact that Daphne tends to not care for them, but there are tons of unfixed male dogs (probably female too but it's harder to tell) here in Oklahoma. Previous to moving here everyone I knew who had dogs and all the dogs I saw at dog parks are all spayed or neutered. I mean I guess I don't have any problem with unfixed dogs but really but unless you are a breeder, I think it's irresponsible not to fix your dog. They also annoy me because they annoy Daphne.

Another dog park note, I hate when people bring kids to the dog park. Okay I just don't like kids but if you are going to bring them be responsible for them. Like don't let them leave the gate doors open. Every now and then someone accidentally leaves one of the gates open but this time after a father and his three kids came to the park with a semi-annoying unfixed male jack russel terrior they left BOTH gates open. Luckily Daphne didn't notice and there were no other dogs around but seriously how irresponsible can you be. People who don't follow dog park rules piss me off. Don't bring your dog if you aren't going to be responsible!

She's one fast dog

Daphne likes to chase balls but she really likes it when she has competition or when someone else is throwing the ball. Normally she'll play fetch for a few minutes with me but if someone else is throwing or there is another dog, she'll play for hours. And she's fast. She tucks back her ears and seems to skim across the ground. She can often outrun much larger dogs since they don't seem to put the same effort into chase that she does. I need to get one of the small chuck sticks to help me throw it further. Yesterday at the dog park she played fetch for a long time and running full out each time. She was really good with the other dogs and even Gus and a new puppy.

She also is getting better at getting at food which has me wondering what exactly I need to do to dog proof my house. I had a cookie or two that I had baked the night before on some aluminum foil on the counter. I guess a small part of it was hanging over the edge and she was able to get a hold of it and pull it to ground where she ate up the cookies. She's smart and crafty, that's for sure! I don't understand why she's so hungry all the time that she's scavenging for more food. I just hope she doesn't get fat. I just need to clean up my apartment and really make sure that things will be out of her reach. Perhaps it will motivate me to clean up more!

It has been one crazy adventure so far

I have always grown up with dogs but I've never had one on my own before. All that changed two months ago when I went to the local pound and discovered Daphne. It was love at first lick. Since then there has been a lot of fun and a lot of learning on both of our parts. I though since I've been putting so many entries in my main journal about her, that I should start a separate one. Plus it will be great to look back at our lives together.

It has definitely been an adjustment. The least difficult to my surprise is waking up early. I've always been a late sleeper and have been known even now at 26 to sleep until 11 on the weekends. Well that life is behind me. Daphne is a rather good dog and doesn't really wake me up in the mornings, it us usually guilt that gets me up sometime between 8-9. It's amazing how long the day is when you get up before noon. We are usually able to hit the dog park and get some shopping done all before lunch.

Speaking of the dog park, we go every sunny day because right now I feel guilty that we don't go on long walks due to the heat. She seems to enjoy it though the first few times I was a bit nervous about how she would react with other dogs. I wasn't afraid she'd get attacked but that she'd be the aggressive one. She's not aggressive but rather dominate and she doesn't like unfixed males sniffing around her. She's definitely not afraid to tell dogs no. I sort of call her the dog park sheriff because she likes to get into the middle of other dogs playing and sometimes trys to break them up. It's definitely a learning experience and allows me to notice dog behavior and dog owner behaviors.

She also enjoys getting into food. Whenever I believe my apartment is doggie proof she proves me wrong. At first it was all the food that was in my moving boxes so those got unpacked or put in the 2nd bedroom. Then it was the garbage. Luckily she doesn't seem to get into the different can I got but I have bungee cords just in case. If I ever forget anything on the coffee table it becomes her's and now she has moved onto the dinning room table. I'm not sure sometimes how she gets up there sometimes but she has climbed up there, dug through a tote bag and discovered a bag of treats which she quickly ate up. Today was the biggest scary when she got into my purse which I believe was on the table and ate a pack of gum. At first I was worried about it getting stuck and then I googled for info. That's when I found out that an ingrediant in it is toxic to dogs. Luckily she seems perfectly fine.

We've been having a great time so far and I'm really looking forward to our first obedience class next week. It should be fun and post worthy!

But of course I must leave you all with a photo of her favorite resting place.