Down to Two

At puppy play time, we continued to work on Hobey's dominant play style.  He spent half the time with the younger and smaller puppies where we had to keep a close watch and be ready to stop any inappropriate behavior.  This time can be mentally exhausting, however, there has been noticeable improvement.  He also did very well working on the FOLLOW command with puppy distraction, following me as I did laps around the area.

Halftime is a good time for a potty break and we decided to spend the second half with the older/bigger puppies.  The energy was much more stable and relaxed.  When not bouncing around between the elevated rest area/beds and initiating play, Hobey spent the time practicing submissive behavior with the older dogs.  We were able to relax.

We began training class cradling our tired Labrador.  During class we are fine tuning his SIT and he actually began responding to the hand command for DOWN, no luring required.  We practiced our technique for FOLLOW and reviewed how to calmly greet strangers using the WATCH command. Hobey responds well to COME during class, while his recall at home needs work.

His reward for a good performance was to spend five hours at car dealers - torture for humans and canines alike.  Only three additional test drives, but many opportunities to greet sales staff and customers.  Tired from two hours at The Dog Den, Hobey tolerated conducting the vehicular research, although he would have preferred some uninterrupted rest.  He did enjoy napping during the test drives.

Our house guest and Hobey's playmate left us and returned to his home this evening.  Having endured Hobey's nearly constant harassment for over a week, I imagine that Norman was glad to get back to being the lone dog.

Tired from the long day, we didn't make it back to the carnival.