Training Classes

Shula had a full day yesterday, in the morning we took her to the vet for her annual vaccinations and worming. She also had her nails clipped and was weighed, the vet was pleased that at 14.6 kilos she has not put on any weight since her last visit. Everyone tells me they think she should be fatter but the vet says she is perfect for her sort of breed, his opinion is that most people overfeed their dogs and don't take enough notice of the shape the breed should be.

In the evening I took her to dog training classes. I don't think I was as well prepared as I should have been. Firstly I wore open sandals, not a good choice for the park, next week it will be trainers. I also didn't have enough treats, in future I will be better prepared.

The training didn't go too badly, although to start Shula was more interested in what the other dogs were doing than in what we were trying to achieve. Once I managed to get her attention we got on a little better. I haven't been to dog training for years and every trainer has their own method. Although Gary's overall aims are the same as previous trainers I have had, his training is a bit different. I have done some basic stuff with Shula like sit and down when I tell her but Gary wants the dogs to sit each time you stop walking without a voice command. This is achieved with a slight tug on the lead and a hand signal, something Shula and I will have to practice. Once I get used to this guys methods and get the timing right things should get better. The other problem I have is keeping Shula's interest as she gets bored and is not keen on doing the same thing over and over - she may look a bit like a Border Collie but she is not, she is a little hunting dog with all those tendencies - once I learn how to keep her focused things should improve. Getting her to lay down with just a hand signal was easy - lazy toad - getting her back to a sitting position, really hard. It is early days but if I want to continue I will have to practice a bit every day. Some of the other dogs go to classes twice a week but we can only manage one.

This morning after our walk I bathed Shula, she looks lovely. We played in the garden while she was getting dry. I also did a bit of training but only ten minutes at a time. I think with her little and often will be best.