Another outing

It was outing day for Apollo today.  He is still having trouble not barking at other dogs in the store but he is getting better.  It is a fear bark as I can see the whites of his eyes and his fur is not raised.  I thought that being part of a pack would help his socialization as he was not socialized by his previouis owner.  People think that if they have another dog, that is socializing the dog.  According to Dr. Dunbar, a puppy needs to see 100 dogs and people before they are 4 months old.  How many dogs do you think see that many?  We went to Super Shoes where there was an adoption clinic.  Apollo was finaolly quiet and his reward was to go greet the other dogs.  One of their dogs was very aggressive towards Apollo but the other one was fine and they did the normal greeting.  Then we went to PetSmart and he did pretty good.  Need to work on "watch" more to redirect his attention, although he can look at me and bark at the other dog at the same time.  Then I took Emma and Apollo to Joann's.  Emma is supposed to be training Apollo and Apollo is better behaved than Emma is.  I guess I'm not strict enough or consistent enough with Emma when my attention is directed elsewhere.  Every time I stopped, Apollo would lay down and wait.  I've been putting a Starmark collar on him but I don't think he needs it anymore.  So ever onward.

Courage

Courage arrived last evening around 7:30.  When I picked him up at the airport, he was a little traumatized and didn't want to come out of his kennel.  I took him out, put a leash on him and he was fine, except for the slippery floor at the airport!  We got home and he was introduced to the pack. I let him outside and he didn't want to come in.  It took Apollo, my husband and some beef to be able to get him in the house and then it involved me carrying him in. He made immediate friends with Apollo and they played hard for an hour and a half until they both fell down from exhaustion.  I think Courage has some pent up energy from his long trip.  So that I could get some sleep, I set up a crate for Courage and put him in there to sleep.  He didn't complain at all.  He slept until Apollo woke him up to go out and play at 6:30 this morning.  Courage is much happier this morning.  He went out and played and came in when the rest of the pack came in.  He has bothered Emma some (Courage has not been neutered yet) but she growls and he backs off.  He knows to sit to get a cookie.  I'll get an idea of what else he knows later when I work with him.  He is a very lovable boy and everyone is getting along wonderfully.  I am looking forward to working with him and watching him evolve.

Another trip to PetSmart

Apollo went on another outing to PetSmart today.  He was more successful than the last time but there was only one other dog in the store.  He barks at things, people, birds, when he is in the car.  Today we worked on the quiet command.  I took hotdogs for treats.  My plan was to feed, feed, feed while the other dog was in sight and stop feeding when the other dog disappeared.  Apollo's plan was different.  His plan was woof once, put his butt on the floor and then wait for a hotdog to appear.  He did very good with his plan, however, having the other dog in his sight is still a problem.  Guess I have to come up with another plan.

The Second Outing

Apollo went for his second outing in public today.  First we went to PetSmart.  One of the local shelters was having an adoption clinic so I knew there would be dogs there.  Apollo sat and waited by the door until I told him to go in.  As soon as he got in there, he saw another dog and started barking.  I made him sit and be quiet.  We gradually made our way over to the dogs that were up for adoption.  It took a while, but Apollo was finally able to greet them without barking at them.  Hen quickly learned then when he saw another dog, the appropriate behavior was to sit but he still barked a little.  We will need to work on this some more but he did get a new toy for being so good. Then we went to Target.  I took both Emma and Apollo in Target.  Apollo stayed right between me and Emma.  Every time I stopped, Apollo sat.  I was talking to some of the employees about the dogs and Apollo even laid down.  I was hoping Apollo would learn from Emma and Apollo was better behaved today than Emma was!  Now we are trying to get a poodle up here from the south to be trained.  What a great job I have. 

Day 28

Thought I should post about Apollo's progress.  Today he is feeling his oats and trying to convince everyone else he is in charge.  He barks and snarls and the other dogs just look at him and walk away.  He is coming along nicely on his training.  He has his basic commands down although he is still a bit reluctant to down, but he is getting better.  His stays are good and we are increasing the distance and time on those.  He has an object that he has been taught to "take it" and "bring it", however, not without some tooth marks and some shaking it around.  He is a very mouthy dog and is having a little trouble with this.  He will go around behind me and sit on command, however, he sits facing me instead of away.  My arms are nowhere near long enough to get that treat out far enough to get him to turn around.  Guess I'll need another human to help me with this.  He needs a lot of work on come, as most dogs do.  I'll be teaching him a really reliable recall that will teach him to come every time he is called.  So all in all, he is doing pretty good.  He is really a very smart dog.

Day 18

Well, today has been quite a day for Apollo.  Two dogs pooped in the house this morning while I was in the kennel.  From the looks, I am going to blame one of them on Apollo.  And they had all just come in.  I was sitting on the couch and noticed Apollo pulling on the homemade quilt my husband bought me years ago--I looked and he had chewed a hole in it.  I was getting dressed and noticed a rip in the crotch of my most comfortable jeans--I have no idea when he did that.  When I was getting ready to go outside, I could only find one red clog.  I finally found the other one hidden in the bedroom in pieces.  Good thing I love him.  I just want to know--how do I get the puppy out of him???

Day 17

Apollo was neutered last week and is doing well with no complications.  It didn't slow him down at all.  He was right back to himself the next day.  His training is going well.  He knows "sit" and we are working on "stay".  He will do "down" for a treat.  Today he learned "take it" and "leave it".  That went pretty quickly.  It's easy to work with a dog who will work for food!!  When I looked over the lists of tasks he needs to learn to do, it doesn't seem as overwhelming today.  There are 3 lists and some of the behaviors are the same on all 3 lists.  Apollo is going to make me a better dog trainer than I was before he came.  Every dog has something to teach me and I am grateful for everyone that comes and spends time with me.  They have picked out 2 veterans that might be appropriate for Apollo.  I have talked to one and she seems very nice. I think Apollo would be a very appropriate service dog for her.  I will be calling the other one this afternoon to see what her needs are.