Pleased Gotcha Day to Lewis!

I can’t imagine it has been a 12 months. However certainly it was December 28, 2021, when I welcomed boisterous eight-old-month Lewis into my life.

If you wish to see the checklist of issues I first recognized as difficulties, right here it’s. However as an alternative of making a progress report based mostly on that checklist, I’m simply going to jot down in regards to the methods we now have realized to dwell effectively collectively.

Lewis’ and My Achievements, Successes, and Enjoyable

• Lewis’ door-related behaviors are good. He waits till I take a look at the yard and inform him to go forward, and can proceed to attend if I cue the opposite canines to exit first. I by no means did particular coaching on launch cues, however he is aware of when I’m cuing the opposite canines and never him. Ready on the door is for the canines’ security, not some form of dominance rule!

• I taught Lewis by classical conditioning that using within the automobile is cool and results in nice adventures. I needed to go slowly at first, as a result of he had points with each the crate confinement and the motion of the automobile. In some unspecified time in the future, I’ll write a publish about it. He loves going locations, together with to the vet, the place he lived for greater than a month as a pet.

• Lewis and I’ve an amazing play relationship. He’s recreation to play something. Tug, balls, fetch, and something that includes working. (See the video!)

• He loves coaching video games, too.

• He has actually taken to nosework, shock!

• He’s progressing properly in Dr. Mindy Waite’s husbandry examine, funded by Worry Free. Right here’s a video of a session.

• He settles the place I ask him to on the mattress at night time (relatively than pushing Clara round).

• I haven’t labored a lot on extending crate period, however he hangs out within the crate generally, and I ask him to go in there for brief intervals with the door shut for administration. He eats most meals in there.

• I taught him the family’s sleeping schedule; he’s not on vet clinic time. The truth is, I needed to stand up sooner than normal yesterday, and he stayed in mattress and declined to return alongside once I supplied to take him outdoors!

• He has realized to take pleasure in walks. He walks decently on lead, largely as a result of his regular tempo is slower than mine due to sniffing. However we now have labored on it as effectively. A lot of his worry of recent issues is gone.

• He’s made a few human buddies on our walks and displays reasonably good greeting manners even whereas being thrilled out of his thoughts.

• He has a good recall, and I do know we will work it as much as nice.

• He has been very cooperative throughout some intervals once I or my accomplice was not feeling effectively and I didn’t have time to play and do issues with him. He was capable of calm down and settle for the downtime with the remainder of the family. This was a very long time coming, however who can blame him! Teenager!

• He has made buddies with the neighbor canines on either side of the yard: doodles on one aspect and Danes and a Border collie on the opposite. We incorporate them into our video games; when he’s taking part in with me, he may also run to every fence to incorporate them (or, generally, taunt them). He goes on his personal generally, and generally I cue him to do it (“Go see your pals!”). You’ll see this within the video.

• He holds again from going for dropped meals or different objects and doesn’t lunge for different canines’ treats.

• He waits his flip quietly when I’m coaching different canines (thank goodness!). He may even station in the identical room whereas I practice one other canine, though we haven’t labored on it a lot since I wrote about it final Could.

• He stays mouthy however not grabs sleeves, and rarely tries to seize issues out of my palms.

• He’s affectionate and continues to be good-natured.

• He’s enjoyable!

Video

Listed here are some highlights of our 12 months collectively.

Copyright 2022 Eileen Anderson: all textual content, photographs, and video

Associated Posts

Most of my different posts about Lewis are linked within the textual content, however listed here are his intro publish and the “checklist of challenges” posts another time.

• Pet New Yr!
•Coaching a Teenage Pet