This is an older photo of Rebbe with Ashley. They enjoyed a quick dip in the stream.

Haircut!

Rebbe got a haircut today and got to do some leash work around town in Rosendale. His haircut looks great. We'll post some pictures tomorrow. The most Interesting part of the experience was the way he acted while at the groomer. When I returned to pick him up, they said that he had acted menacingly toward some men that had come in to pick up their dog earlier. So, I brought him out on the street and worked with him with people passing by so as to communicate to him that he should keep his attention with me. I wasn't able to calm him to degree that I would have liked on the street and I was able to notice the tension that came over his body at the approach of a stranger. This is definitely something to work on through time. While outside of the range of what we're dealing with in this phase of his training, I do think that we are laying the groundwork for the discussion later. More tomorrow...

LE RESISTANCE (PART 1 OF 42)

So, today is a day that the work has been kind of a blur. I worked with Rebbe in really short interactions (2 or 3 minutes at a time) throughout the day. My goal has been to shift his expectation as to the purpose of our interactions so that he expects calm and that the initiative will come from me rather than from him. I aim to use this tactic to offset the jumping and biting that he is doing at the door when people arrive.

It is too early to tell what the residual effect will be, but he is accepting my handling with less resistance than he was this morning. We'll see how it carries over to tomorrow.

Until then.

'Night Rebbe!

Rebbe, on the road to Co-Operation.

The Past Few Days...

So, the last few days have been great working days for Rebbe and myself. The vet trip on Wednesday proved extremely useful as a training exercise as well as a chance for Rebbe to gather more people into his growing fan club.

Yesterday's work was quieter, calming work. I gave Rebbe his first real taste of doing absolutely nothing, with intention. He, of course, found this quite distasteful. This is something that will change over the next few days. Already today, he didn't hate it quite as much.

Rebbe is a smart dog. In his case, this is more a liablilty than an asset. I say this because he keeps himself really really busy in his head. The way this relates to being smart is that it allows him to gather a lot of data to keep himself busy. It also allows him to shift his attention from one place to another very quickly.

I'm pretty sure his family is laughing as they read this, remembering how he moves along the sidewalk at 90 miles per hour, ablsolutley fascinated by everything. This is a wonderful thing to witness, especially in a puppy. It's the excitement of becoming, and it makes raising a puppy endlessly rewarding. It also makes walking on the street in New York City the physical equivalent of a cage fight.

Rebbe is also a pretty strong little guy so when he gets an idea in his head, you know. You know because your whole body at once sends a signal to your brain that says, "Hold on!!!!" I know this because while not particularly petite, I have a hard time convincing Rebbe that darting after the cat on the stairs or the chicken next to the cedar tree is not next on our To-Do List...

Luckily, we are not going to rely on physical control to get the job done. We are well on our way on the journey of directing attention and establishing a great rapport. Next stop> Le Resistance.

It was really cool watching Rebbe on this soggy Sunday afternoon. He enjoyed a quick dip in the brook, got to watch the ducks(from a healthy distance) and negotiated a walk with Kiela. At first he wanted to show her how to walk, but by the end of their excursion, they both walked together.