Ruger and I have been attending Puppy Training at Petco for the past six weeks. One of us learned quite a bit... and it wasn't always the dog.
We were in a class with one other puppy, a Havanese named Brodie. Brodie is 3 months older and loved to play.
Classes were an hour long and started out with letting the 'boys' romp together in the arena. We worked on sit, down , stay and leave it. We walked the aisles in the store, practicing all the commands with plenty of distractions. We worked on staying when people asked to pet him. He learned to ignore the glass acquariums of mice and the cage of ferrets.
I learned little Ruger has a delicate bum, refusing to sit on the hard floor. Michelle, our dog trainer, said it was because he slid and found him a pad to use out in the store. What a problem child I have.
Every week I left class excited because Ruger always responded so well. I came home to be a proud parent and show off my well trained puppy... and he would flat out refuse to cooperate. One night I was telling our son about my stubborn dog. He looked at Ruger and said 'sit' and dang if he didn't squat his delicate tush to the ground. Traitor!
With the use of a harness called The Easy Walk Ruger doesn't pull on the leash when we walk. What a difference it makes!
Michelle is an excellent trainer. Its clear she loves animals and her job. She also is real comfortable around the dog parents. We called her the "Dog Whisperer".
Our last class was during Spring Break and our great-niece Froggie was visiting. She helped to provide distractions. We will definitely return for the Puppy Training II in two months, when Ruger is six months old. Meanwhile we keep reinforcing all we've learned.
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