Update on Betty training!
August 16, 2010
Betty learning to skateboard!
Betty is getting hairy!!
Betty has the best sense of humour, I think she is constantly laughing at life! She certainly makes me smile a great deal of the time, she is just so funny! From the way she hurls her toys about, they often land on top of the work top, to the way she throws herself about! I can see how much she will love agility, not a trait she gets from Pie, but her Mum Gracie was bred very purposely for agility!
Training wise we have been doing a little of everything that she may need in life, recently she has been getting a little confused and offers up all her tricks to find the right one! So far I have taught her the baby beginning’s of sit, down, heel, come, high-five, stays, retrieve, roll over, and watch, plus she is starting to learn to ride a skate board! Confusion is a part of training progress and a very useful one too! Confusion means that the dog is trying hard to please and simply throwing everything in the pot to try to find the right one! I always praise whatever Betty gives me, it is all good and by encouraging her efforts she stays willing, the most precious gift any dog can give!
To iron out some confusion I am focussing on 2 exercises in any one training session, this is already paying off after one day of 3 training sessions. This morning when I asked for the down, Betty threw herself straight down, whereas yesterday she tried the sit, high-five and a bit of a spin to heel first:)!
You can see in the photo’s Betty is very leggy now and sprouting whiskers, you can see why she makes me smile! 🙂
Next time your dog sits when you asked for the down remember to praise the effort and then make yourself clearer, maybe use a hand signal for the down? It is a common mistake with beginner handlers not to recognise when the dog is trying to do what you want as opposed to being naughty, the best clue is if your dog is looking at you he is trying to do the right thing! When a dog is not interested in pleasing he is looking elsewhere if not further from you! Attention is the key here to knowing if the dog is trying!
Avril Munson's Blog 
August 17, 2010 at 12:01 pm
I have noticed with pugs (not had any other breeds but I have heard it is a particular thing with pugs)that it is easy to think they are being naughty when they sit down and yawn and look away. In fact what has happened is that you have confused them so much that they just can’t handle it, so they shut down. The yawn is the classic indicator of that. This quite often happens when you are actually getting quite frustrated with them not getting something, and they are picking up on your frustration. Hence if we get to that stage I always try for a really basic thing they can easily do so we can end the session on a high note and then try again later when we have all calmed down!
August 18, 2010 at 9:56 am
good comment thank you Bella! and I think that could be true of any breed, plus the yawn indicates a relaxation of the stress and the end of the resistence, so just the time to do something simple and stop!