Chapter 8: Puppy Kindergarten Continues...

Things went well after the first two weeks of Puppy Kindergarten and my hu-mom and I practiced the "Sit" and "Come" commands until we had it down.  In fact, this wasn't part of the training that Lisa gave us, but my hu-mom heard about using hand signals, so in addition to voice commands, she also would give me hand commands, for "sit" and "come". 

Here is the hand command my hu-mom used for "Sit"...

She started with her hand down at her side, palm forward, and as she said "Sit", she would bend her elbow and raise her palm up so it was parallel with the ground. 

The "come" command was a bit more dramatic...

but she said it was necessary so that if I was off at a distance or there was too much noise and I couldn't hear her, she could put her arms out to the side (a big movement), and I would come running into her open arms.

So, as I said before, we had fun practicing the "Sit" and Come" commands, but now it was time to learn the "Down" and "Stay" commands, and follow it up with Puppy Massage....aaaahhhh....

The "Down" command was taught by having us sit -- then a treat was placed in front of our noses, and our humans pulled the treat down and away from us, so that we would follow with our nose...  As soon as our elbows hit the ground, we were given our treats.  My hu-mom learned quickly that she had to move the treat away from me a couple of feet, otherwise all I did was look like the hunchback of Notre Dame, but didn't accomplish the "down" command.

Instead of saying "No" to me all of the time, my hu-mom would say "Augh!" whenever she wanted me to NOT do something.  I must confess, the "Stay" command was filled with lots of "aughs!"...

My hu-mom was instructed to have me sit, then she would place her palm in front of my nose and say, "Stay".  She would then take a step back, wait a couple of seconds, then call me with a "come" command.  At first it was a little confusing, because she had a treat in her hand and I wanted that treat, so when she started moving away from me without giving me the treat, the foodie in me took over and I would follow her to get that treat!  She would "augh!" me, and take me back to the starting point, have me sit again...give me the "stay" command...again...then take a step or two away from me, wait a couple of seconds, then call me to "come."  I finally got the hang of it and she could more and more steps away from me and I would wait until she called me.

I must confess that after hearing so many "Aughs!" in one session, I was ready for the puppy massage.  Lisa showed our humans how to give us a deep, but gentle massage using small circular motions from our head to our tail, down our legs, in the little indentation just above our paws, and how to rub our muzzles, ears, face.  She told our humans that as they touched us, they built trust, and got us used to touch.  Lisa said that it would help us to not be afraid when other people tried to touch us, including the Veterinarian.  All I can say is THANK YOU LISA...I LOVE MY MASSAGES!!!!!  (If you want to learn more about puppy massage, click here)

In fact, it's time for one now, so I'll be in touch again tomorrow.  BUT, before I go, there is just one thing.  A reminder to Vote for Liberty!  Today is the last day of the contest, and I would really like to see Liberty ride on a Rose Parade float, so if you haven't voted, please click here and do so today.

Thank you and have a WOOF-derful day!  ~Zoe