The ongoing training of Bella is making for a grand adventure. Especially as I have called her my Attention Deficit pup.
I have noticed in the past how people use treats as rewards to train their four-legged friends. Fearing treats from the wrong places I carefully checked the packages to see where they came from. I didn't want anything too big or anything that was not suitable for a puppy. While the pet treat aisle was long and loaded it was easy to reject the wrong products. Then, there it was. An orange and yellow bag with a window showing small treats. A bag with the words "Training Treats" emblazoned across the package. Better yet- they were made in the good ole USA. I purchased a bag and best yet- Bella loves them.
One of the first things that Bella had to learn was how to accept and walk on a leash. There is a leash law and I plan on being a strict follower of that law. Its safer for Bella.
I didn't want to purchase a leash since I had a really good one already, it is just too heavy for Bella right now. So instead I found a tightly woven strip of fabric and rigged up a leash with that and a clasp hook. Bella did not like this and was not about to take being controlled lightly. Walking with her on a leash was like fighting with a Marlon. She slid, she bit the leash, she flipped and flopped and just in general was not co-operative. I would stop and let her fight and when she slowed down I would start walking again. When she started fighting it, I stopped and waited her out. Not too different than watching a toddler throw a tantrum. Finally it seemed to sink in that no matter what she tried, the leash was staying. Before long she was walking around and around the yard, not meekly, but obediently. Those walks also wore her down to a less frantic level where she would come in and stretch out on the floor and not try to chew up everything in the house and my feet and fingers.
When we walk she wants to pull me, I'm trying to break her from this now not later. She gets excited, especially on the way back home and wants to pull. She is still a puppy so she hasn't pulled me off my feet yet, but if I don't break her and get her to walk close by my side now I'm in for a problem when she gets bigger and German shepherd that she is- she will be big. As it is, when she starts pulling now I tug back on the leash with a sharp "no". It takes repeating over and over but she eventually gets it and walks beside me, at least until she forgets and starts pulling again. That means we start the process all over again. Of course there are those times when having her pull- like trying to go uphill- might not be such a bad thing.
I am currently trying to teach her to stop and sit when I stop. I want her to walk with me when I go for hikes, especially those hikes away from the Dirt Road. Here I'm not too terribly worried as its private property and there isn't supposed to be anyone out there. I am not so naive to think that people won't trespass just because its private property so I listen closely to the sounds of the woods around me. It gets so quiet out there I can hear a beetle walking among the leaves so hopefully I will hear anyone else wandering around out there..Bella is my insurance. Especially out in other areas that I really want desperately to hike and photograph. Currently when I take Bella with me its an interesting time. She starts out fine, even minding better than usual as we start down the path and into the woods. Once we reach the pond however is a different story. It seems that the minute she sees the water she loses all restraint. Supposedly she has Lab in her ancestry. I can only suppose that the water brings that out and she wants if not in, at least close to the water. I will allow her to go tot he edge, but not in it, not yet she's still too young. There are wildflowers and wildlife that I want to photograph so I'll stop. Bella might stop, but usually she's pulling on the leash trying to get to the water, under a shrub or in the high grass. The commands of stop and sit do not register in this pup's hearing as she investigates her surroundings. Tightening and or shortening the leash helps,but she seemingly has this inability to sit and be still. So while my photographs on these sessions will not be prize winning quality Bella is learning and I along with Bella am getting outside, some exercise and lessons in patience. One thing's for sure, after those walks, Bella is one tired puppy, but you can tell she's also happy.
Training Bella is not the easiest thing I've ever attempted to do, but it is satisfying and fun. Bella is a very intelligent pup and learns fairly quickly. We just have to get past that attention problem. Until then, let the adventures continue.
I have noticed in the past how people use treats as rewards to train their four-legged friends. Fearing treats from the wrong places I carefully checked the packages to see where they came from. I didn't want anything too big or anything that was not suitable for a puppy. While the pet treat aisle was long and loaded it was easy to reject the wrong products. Then, there it was. An orange and yellow bag with a window showing small treats. A bag with the words "Training Treats" emblazoned across the package. Better yet- they were made in the good ole USA. I purchased a bag and best yet- Bella loves them.
One of the first things that Bella had to learn was how to accept and walk on a leash. There is a leash law and I plan on being a strict follower of that law. Its safer for Bella.
I didn't want to purchase a leash since I had a really good one already, it is just too heavy for Bella right now. So instead I found a tightly woven strip of fabric and rigged up a leash with that and a clasp hook. Bella did not like this and was not about to take being controlled lightly. Walking with her on a leash was like fighting with a Marlon. She slid, she bit the leash, she flipped and flopped and just in general was not co-operative. I would stop and let her fight and when she slowed down I would start walking again. When she started fighting it, I stopped and waited her out. Not too different than watching a toddler throw a tantrum. Finally it seemed to sink in that no matter what she tried, the leash was staying. Before long she was walking around and around the yard, not meekly, but obediently. Those walks also wore her down to a less frantic level where she would come in and stretch out on the floor and not try to chew up everything in the house and my feet and fingers.
When we walk she wants to pull me, I'm trying to break her from this now not later. She gets excited, especially on the way back home and wants to pull. She is still a puppy so she hasn't pulled me off my feet yet, but if I don't break her and get her to walk close by my side now I'm in for a problem when she gets bigger and German shepherd that she is- she will be big. As it is, when she starts pulling now I tug back on the leash with a sharp "no". It takes repeating over and over but she eventually gets it and walks beside me, at least until she forgets and starts pulling again. That means we start the process all over again. Of course there are those times when having her pull- like trying to go uphill- might not be such a bad thing.
I am currently trying to teach her to stop and sit when I stop. I want her to walk with me when I go for hikes, especially those hikes away from the Dirt Road. Here I'm not too terribly worried as its private property and there isn't supposed to be anyone out there. I am not so naive to think that people won't trespass just because its private property so I listen closely to the sounds of the woods around me. It gets so quiet out there I can hear a beetle walking among the leaves so hopefully I will hear anyone else wandering around out there..Bella is my insurance. Especially out in other areas that I really want desperately to hike and photograph. Currently when I take Bella with me its an interesting time. She starts out fine, even minding better than usual as we start down the path and into the woods. Once we reach the pond however is a different story. It seems that the minute she sees the water she loses all restraint. Supposedly she has Lab in her ancestry. I can only suppose that the water brings that out and she wants if not in, at least close to the water. I will allow her to go tot he edge, but not in it, not yet she's still too young. There are wildflowers and wildlife that I want to photograph so I'll stop. Bella might stop, but usually she's pulling on the leash trying to get to the water, under a shrub or in the high grass. The commands of stop and sit do not register in this pup's hearing as she investigates her surroundings. Tightening and or shortening the leash helps,but she seemingly has this inability to sit and be still. So while my photographs on these sessions will not be prize winning quality Bella is learning and I along with Bella am getting outside, some exercise and lessons in patience. One thing's for sure, after those walks, Bella is one tired puppy, but you can tell she's also happy.
Training Bella is not the easiest thing I've ever attempted to do, but it is satisfying and fun. Bella is a very intelligent pup and learns fairly quickly. We just have to get past that attention problem. Until then, let the adventures continue.
No comments:
Post a Comment