Dog School part… whatever



Dog School was a bummer. We did actually meet this week, shockingly. I was afraid it was going to be called on a count of Daylight savings and it almost was. The Dogwhisperer was late 'cause it was so light, you know? Arrrgh.

Dogger was not feeling Dog School. She wasn't focusing, I wasn't focusing. We aren't learning anything new. Dogger needs to learn new things. I understand that fine tuning what we all ready know is, technically "new", but its boring. Doggger does not need to be bored. She eats things when she gets bored.

The Dopgwhisperer didn't really bring his A Material either. He spends too much time playing with the dogs and not enough time teaching them anything. It's great that he likes the dogs and everything, but jeez, dancing with them is not getting the skills learned, do something with them!

The only thing we learned this week is that Dogger doesn't like the "Down": command. It's too submissive for my little dom. Well, that’s sweet but I want the little bugger to hit the dirt when I tell her too. She hasn't run into traffic yet, but she hasn't really had the opportunity to try. I'm sure she would love the chance to chase a car or a deer or an anything else that had the bad fortune to catch her attention and chase whatever it would be to ground or the grill of an oncoming car.

Another Dogger related problem. The little bits of commands she does respond to, she will only respond to if she's on leash. This is not helpful around the house. I don't want to have her on leash in the living room. I would like it better if we could learn things that I can use with her while she's not on a leash. It would be nice if she could translate Sit! into actual Sitting while not leashed. I don't even think Down! is going to become a reality even on a leash. The way the DW had me do it at class didn't look like Dogger liked it and this morning she didn't want me to put her collar on - a sure sign her neck is tender. Thanks a lot Dog Whisperer. He may think getting into a battle of wills with her is a great challenge, he doesn't have to live with her.

She was doing so well in Puppy School before the months long interval between sessions. She was all turned on about learning and now she just doesn't care that much. I was all turned on about learning and now I just don't care that much. Maybe this summer I'll see if the humane society has classes. Indoor classes. Hopefully by that time we both will be back to being excited about learning. Or, its just that we both have hit a kind of Obedience plateau and I am just going to have to be patent and not worry about our lack of progress - that maybe by next weeks class Dogger and I will have spent a lot of time working on Down! and we won't be depressed like we, er, I am now about the whole thing. Oh, and the nephdogs are coming and it’s a holiday weekend and my parents are going to be in town. Oh, yeah… Lot's of free time to be had… No distractions there…

No new entry tomorrow. See you Monday!