Part 2 of the video starts with Callie working on “leave it.” The idea is to get her to “let go” of an object, or just drop it. Here she gets rewarded with a “click” and a “treat” when she looks away from the hand holding a treat.
The next lesson is “stay.” Ultimately, “stay” means “remain in place until I say OK.” Here, the idea is to simply get her to stay in place as Barbara moves a step or two either backwards or sideways.
Callie’s puppy kindergarten instructor is Ethel Mercer of the Lomita Obedience Training Club.
The fourth exercise is “take and give.” The idea is to get Callie to “take” an object (in this case, a really appealling doggie bone) but also to “give” it up on command. So she is rewarded (click and treat) when she lets go of the doggie bone.
The last lesson helps Callie learn not to jump up on people (which she has a tendency to do). We’re having to work a lot on this. The idea is that when she jumps up on any of us, we turn our backs and refuse to make eye contact (in wolf pack style). But we come back quickly and reward her (click and treat) for not jumping up the second time.
Callie’s a frisky, eight-month-old puppy, but she’s learning her lessons. She works hard in class, and with a little reinforcement during the week we see lots of progress.
