Second to the Last Class

[Krislady]

Jar had his second-to-the-last class Saturday - and it went well.

We got there, and there was a lady doing basically the same thing we do when we get there - walking the dog around the block to sort of settle it down before coming into the class. So we walked the opposite direction.

Once we got in, rather than going through the back room like we usually do, we went right in the regular door - just like the regular dogs. (There is a side room right there that we can duck into if need be, though.)

Anyway, we did our thing - sit, stay, down, come, finish. Then we did the heeling thing - and Jar was SO excellent!

He doesn't have the position quite right - he's not far enough ahead of me when he heels - but he WAS paying attention to me, and not the roomful of other dogs, so there's that. And THAT is a good thing.

We did the gauntlet, too - circle of dogs, and each dog heeled around all the others - though Jar was sort of out of the way, so mostly the other dogs just walked past him, not really around him. Whatever. Then we did it, and we mostly just walked around the outside of the room, past all the other dogs. And he was MOST excellent.

The new thing we did was to have Cameron (one of the assistants) on one end of the room with his dog, and one by one, everyone was to walk their respective dogs up to him (and his dog) and shake Cameron's hand- without either dog being an idiot.

We didn't get close enough for any actual hand shaking, but we did very well, keeping in mind that not only was there a "strange" (though Jar does know him) and a strange dog right there, there was also a roomful of strangers and strange dogs watching him. He was cool with it.

And finally, when we were leaving, one of the other assistants was basically clearing the way for Jar - kind of hustling people and dogs out of his path, Sort of "make way, seriously evil wizard coming through!" but we just walked right by them before she could even get them to move, no problem, Which is good, because otherwise I'm thinking about changing his name to "Heir of Slytherin."

We've got one class left the week after next - next week there's no class because the trainer is having his "client appreciation day" - a picnic (sort of) in one of the outbuildings at a local park. We're going to try bringing Jar, and if it's too much for him, we'll just duck out.

So. . . wish us luck.

[Connie Lea]

Way to go Jar. He is doing so great.

[Saralaya]

Kris- you and Jar are an AWESOME team! He has come SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO far!! Congrats...all the hard work has paid off!!!

[Krislady]

Thanks, guys. We're getting there.

You know, I almost wish I'd done this training stuff a lot sooner - like when my son was younger! I suspect he would have benefited just as much from a little operant conditioning.

[Cookgirl]

I want pictures of Jar!

[Krislady]

Remember when he came to the office with me last fall?



And the other day, he heard food being prepared, I think.

[Cookgirl]

I LOVE JAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Saralaya]

Krislady wrote:
Remember when he came to the office with me last fall?



And the other day, he heard food being prepared, I think.

He's SUCH a handsome guy!

[Cookgirl]

Jar's a Lab, right?


Handsome boy!

[Krislady]

Well, when we got him at the shelter, they said he was a "lab mix" - I suspect that was mostly because he's black. As he's grown, I think he's less lab and more shepherd of some sort and some mastiff.

Black labs are apparently more adoptable than black, um, large dogs.

[K9 Owned]

Great news on Jar's progress! He must be so much happier now not being stressed out so often.

[Krislady]

Hey, K9, good to see you.

Yes, he does seem a bit more relaxed - he's even been ignoring the kitty and her trouble-making antics.