2021 Life Logs, Day 139: Day School for Shadow
Date: Wednesday, May 19, 2021
Weather: Sunny and Warm; High 73, Low, 49 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
The wonderful run of spring weather we have had for the past week continues. I’m hoping this continues right through until summer. It is fabulous.
Who knew parenting a dog could be so hard and so expensive? Not me. That’s for sure. And I am not new to dogs. I had two Wire Fox Terriers when I met Mark and he had an Irish Setter. When we decided to head to the mountains to build a cabin, I had to give my terriers to friends, but we kept Shane, the Irish Setter. Shane was not a smart dog and he was not obedient. But other than trying to knock Mark’s mother off her feet on Fort Myers Beach, he did no harm. While we were visiting in Florida, he kept running away. He finally succeeded. Then when Justin and Heather were almost one and three years old, we got a Collie puppy. Her name was Starr. She looked like Lassie and never gave us any problems. She barked at strangers, but other than that, we never had issues with her. At the same time, we had fourteen sled dogs that we ran daily. We certainly didn’t need expensive dog trainers. When Starr died, Justin talked me into getting the cutest little Cocker Spaniel I had ever seen. I spoiled her rotten, but still, I never felt the need to pay a trainer. I just had a spoiled, misbehaving dog that didn’t attempt to hurt anyone. But Shadow is another story. He is so very exuberant and anxious all at the same time. He jumps on everyone, nips at the grandkids’ pants leg, jumps at their faces, as well as Heather’s, will not come when called, and on and on. But he is a very smart dog. Too smart. Despite the very expensive training that we both went through when he was a puppy, nothing changed. The training was for me and I failed! So, we are trying again. This time Shadow is going to a very expensive day school with a few other dogs. He had his first day today and he is already better. I picked Shadow up just before going to pick Ollie up from school, so I took Shadow with me for the after school pick up. Normally when Shadow sees Ollie and the other walkers coming from the school, he starts pulling at the leash and jumping like a wild thing. I can barely control him. But today, he sat and watched as Ollie approached. He did jump once when Ollie got close, but I pulled him away and he settled. The difference was amazing. The reason—treats! The first trainer did not allow the use of treats. Her training was based solely on voice command and the use of a choke collar for corrections. The new trainer, Ian, doesn’t allow choke collars and trains using a special treat. I did not think this would work with Shadow as he is so picky about what he eats. But he LOVES Ian’s treats, and they work like a charm. Eventually, the use of treats will be lessened. But for now, lots of treats are making an unbelievable difference. Tonight, will be the test, however. I can no longer allow Shadow to sleep on my bed until he is fully trained. I have to put him in a crate at night. We are both going to hate that, probably me more than him. I am hoping it is going to be easier than it sounds. Shadow goes back to school on Friday, so you’ll get another update then.
