Yesterday's OccuPaws training class offered a good opportunity to work on one of Monte's many areas of improvement - dog distraction. Raising an older puppy we were to show up for the second hour, but we decided to attend the entire class. The first hour was for the youngsters. Couldn't ask for a greater distraction than eight rambunctious, untrained twelve week old puppies running, jumping, and barking.
So Monte's assignment for the first hour was to calmly observe the canine frenzy and be quiet. He struggled to comply with my wishes for the first thirty minutes, staying on alert, before eventually relaxing. He even ignored the construction noises which would generally elicit a warning bark. Overall a good experience.
After resisting temptations for an hour, it was finally Monte's time to be active. Glad to be moving, he eagerly performed the concentric puppy wheels. Then more dog distraction as dogs weaved their way around each other - no sniffing allowed.
Monte briefly enjoyed the part of training where the raisers work other dogs. He took full advantage of a new raiser, until one of the trainers stepped in to provide advice to the raiser and a firm hand to Monte. It's always a surprise to see how your puppy reacts to a different handler.
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