I Like to Blog So Much...

I made a new one!

http://dctourist.blogspot.com/

Thank Whomever!

Forecast is for highs in the low 70's tomorrow. Outdoor puppy class will be a pleasure after 6 months of fa-reezing out there on the field.

This is why I need 10 acres of usable land...indoor dog training!

How about this? (click)

In Under the Wire

Puppy class just made it before the Naweastah of Aught Seven (that one's for you, Mark Grace) hit. The weather was quite lovely, actually.

One dog was moved up to the next level, Off Leash Readiness, because he already knows how to down & stay. I suspect he'll even be more advanced than that class.

Meanwhile, one student in class has two dogs, and his other trainer was not available on Saturday. So, I had the pleasure of handling Tucker, the little black pooch of unidentifiable lineage. He's a handful, let me tell you, but he's very smart and food-motivated (perhaps I detect some Border Collie in him?). I love handling different dogs in class - you'll remember last year I got to handle the lab/husky mix known as Bonnie Blue Eyes. Each dog presents its own challenges to the trainer, so my experience widens.

My earworm for this morning is Smoke on the Water.

I Can Seeeeee You!

So, since I don't get too many comments (ya jerks), I decided to put a little non-invasive script on my blog's template to count how many of you are actually reading this thing.

And here's me as a Modigliani painting:

Momma's Got a Brand New Dog

My Ma's new puppy came home on March 21. She's adjusting to life at the Steingrandt household (oy vey!). Here are some pictures to warm your cockles.

Introducing Higbee!

Back to Sleep Deprivation

Lloyd informed me on Saturday that we'll be moving the puppy class from 10am to 8:30am. That means my blissful 4 weeks of sleeping until 8:00 have come to an end. It's said that people need less sleep as they get older, but in my case, my ideal range is still 9-10 hours. But given my teevee addiction, I find it hard to turn off Donald Trump and get to bed at a decent hour.

However, the good news is that Off Leash Readiness is starting again, which means Franklin can finish up his lessons. I dropped him out of class last year because I was handling another dog as a favor to a client, and the weather got too hot for Franklin to be comfortable.

Class on Saturday was really great, yet again. One of the students was out of town, so her mother brought one of the two dogs to class. Let me tell you - Mom "got it" right off the bat. She wasn't worried or concerned about the little details, but understood the over-arching concepts over rewarding the wanted behaviors, even if the dog wasn't "commanded". For example, it usually takes several classes for owners to understand how to keep their dog under control by either holding the leash as close to the collar as possible, or by dropping to their knees and holding the collar itself. Owners will many times have dogs running & jumping all over the place until they can remember that the closer the dog is to them, the more under control it will be. Mom got this right away, and was kneeling and holding and reinforcing that dog at all the proper moments.

That is why this (as I said below) is a fantastic puppy class!