I have a good exercise program. I've tried this one before and it worked very well for me. I'm on the walk-my-dog exercise program. I'm about to leave to go for a walk in about 20 minutes. So far, I've walked every day but one since we brought Teddy home. Oh, he couldn't go very far at first, and I ended up carrying him in my jacket. that jacket will never be the same after walking with him in the rain. His distance is increasing and soon, he'll be challenging me to go further and faster.
Nick is getting more walking time in too.
The problem I'm having with having a puppy is the house training and the whining. Do you know how hard it is to train a dog to be quiet, then train him to speak when he needs to go out? Plus, this dog is so tuned to being with us that he just wails when I leave the room even for a moment, like to get something out of the freezer. I read that I'm not supposed to support behavior that I don't like, so sometimes I have to wait as long as twenty minutes to get back into the kitchen. Really, I'm just waiting for a five second break in the sounds he's making so that I can go in and tell him, "Good quiet, good quiet."
The other thing I read is that I'm supposed to use single words when he does stuff so he gets the idea. I've spent years learning this complicated language called English and it's hard to revert to single syllable words. Since I'm with him all day, all day is teaching at this point. It's kind of like when I spent all day with Nickie, back when he was a baby and by 5:00, I just needed to talk like an adult for a while.
Nick is getting more walking time in too.
The problem I'm having with having a puppy is the house training and the whining. Do you know how hard it is to train a dog to be quiet, then train him to speak when he needs to go out? Plus, this dog is so tuned to being with us that he just wails when I leave the room even for a moment, like to get something out of the freezer. I read that I'm not supposed to support behavior that I don't like, so sometimes I have to wait as long as twenty minutes to get back into the kitchen. Really, I'm just waiting for a five second break in the sounds he's making so that I can go in and tell him, "Good quiet, good quiet."
The other thing I read is that I'm supposed to use single words when he does stuff so he gets the idea. I've spent years learning this complicated language called English and it's hard to revert to single syllable words. Since I'm with him all day, all day is teaching at this point. It's kind of like when I spent all day with Nickie, back when he was a baby and by 5:00, I just needed to talk like an adult for a while.
So now I'm at Tully's enjoying a breve Fireside Chai tea latte and some precious time to myself. It feels wonderful, though I'm a little annoyed at myself that it's still all about Teddy.
Oh, don't get me wrong. Teddy has learned how to 'sit' and 'down' just by telling him he's a good boy when he does it. Then I give him a treat. He's learned to 'slide' down the stairs too, just because I laughed and gave him a treat.
If he does it and I like it, I give it a name, sometimes a signal, and I give him a treat. Being excited about it helps too.
You should have seen him last night, trying to thing of something else to do that would earn him a treat. He sat. He slid into a down position. He jumped on my leg, then backed up into a sit. Over and over, he did this until I was done. He wasn't done yet and kept trying.
Nick has gotten him to do some things, but he needs more practice with the words and the praise. Teddy is trying so hard, until he gets into the tired phase and nips at anything and falls all over himself. He's going to be an amazing dog, but I'll be grateful when we get past the house-training and the whining.
Thank you for listening, jb
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