This morning it was cold and sunny.
07:30am – Babe did great this morning, almost no squawking. We’re feeding this little Black Bear more because the tubbier we can get him – as long as he’s willing to work for hot dog – the more energy his body will have stored up for the inevitable growth spurt.
11:00am – Session 1.
I changed things up a little and just went deep into 2 behaviors.
We walked the training field and I let him explore, then whistle recall him at the most inconvenient time. I’m happy to report he responded correctly 100% of the time.
The second behavior was ultimate workout. And we worked out – BIG TIME! I had him running diagonals across the training field.
4:00pm – Session 2
Today I started to work with Babe in our front lawn.
I noticed two girls (about 4 years old) across the street watching me with him and it did not take long for them to come over to watch. They were actually really good about keeping their distance and after I had worked a few behaviors with him I said hi to them.
They became excited and immediately came over to Babe.
He was super apprehensive and backed up unsure of them. This was a great opportunity to desensitize him to other people especially kids. I talked with the girls and let them know how to approach a dog or puppy correctly and then Babe eyed them and barked 2 times and came over cautiously.
Once he was able to sniff their hands it was game on and he was excited to meet new friends. This was a great opportunity for both the kids and Babe to learn how to socialize properly and it went so well that I had to continue the rest of the session in our back yard lol.
Sometimes when opportunity presents itself you need to change the direction of the session and this was a great one.
6:00pm – play time and dinner.
8:00pm – play time and walk.
10:00pm – play time and walk.
Some things to think about:
Exercising Your Puppy
Watch their breathing. You want them to be huffing and puffing but you don’t want them in oxygen debt. If in doubt give them a break.
Temperature. When it’s cold, run him hard. When it’s hot, make shorter throws, less frequently and have the rest spot in the shade.
After the workout always have water readily available.