Meal Time is Dog Training Time
Lacey and I get up every day at 6 or 6:30 and go for a walk. This week, I’ve started adding in some training at the beginning of the walk. She’s doing really great with heel and sit. She has a beautiful heel, right next to me, left side, nose about even with my left leg. We stop, I tell her to sit, and she sits right down beside me, perfect position (ok not really, but at least she gives a sit most times).
Yesterday, we started in with the training as soon as we walked out the front door. But she wasn’t concentrating and her heel was horrible. I didn’t understand. Finally, she sat down in front of me and just looked up at me. I said “What?” and she looked at me some more, kinda disgusted. She got up, walked to the grass and pooped. Then she looked at me again, like “you ding bat, let me go to the bathroom first”. Of course, I had to pick it up with my ever-present zip-lock bag. We finished our training and our walk.
Today we came in from the walk and I went to the kitchen to fix her food. Dry food with egg, crushed up egg shell and a little flax oil. She’s looking at me, salivating as I walk over to the feeding spot. I tell her “sit” and she stands there looking at me. I wait a minute to see if she gives a sit. Nothing. I put her in a sit, she pops back up. I put the food on the counter and walk away.
She runs over to me saying “hey, what are you doing. I can’t reach that bowl. I’m down here on the ground.” I looked at her, she looked at me. She looked at her food bowl and back at me. I went about my business.
A couple minutes later, I went back to the food bowl. She follows — a captive and willing participant. I say, “Lacey, sit”. Her butt hits the marble. Praise, praise and the food bowl goes down.
I love this dog. Next, we’re working on “down”. She’s resisting so far. Kinda looks around and whistles as if she doesn’t hear me. But I have the power of the food bowl.
Anna