Ubu is a clever boy. He works hard to fight his puppy impulses to do things like jump and bark and carry on. When he takes a second to think about it, he pulls it all together and behaves very politely. It's very normal for a puppy at this age to give in to those impulses on occasion.With consistency, those incidents where he forgets his manners become fewer and fewer.
It's fun to watch their little brains think. When I am transitioning him to a verbal cue, which is the hardest cue for them to learn, I give them a few seconds to process what I've asked.
You can see him thinking, "Wait, I know this one, down..."
The first time he does it without a physical cue is always exciting! It's when you know they actually understand what you are asking of them. No easy task when we don't speak the same language.
We're working more on ignoring food on the floor. Because he is still in the beginning phases of this, I am still rewarding him with a higher value treat. I want him to understand that it's better for him if he leaves the food on the floor. Dogs are opportunistic and will find food wherever they can. But, if we teach them it is better to leave it alone, we can have a dog who does not eat off the floor. This is a particularly important task for a Service Dog to learn.
Oh, and let's not forget exercise for the thinking man. It's hard to think clearly with excess energy.
It's an easy task when he has friends around to wear him out but it can be done fairly easy at home without other dogs too. He's happy to play a little fetch or tug. Surprisingly, learning new skills can burn off some energy too. Who would have thought....
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