Dogs!

Since you last heard, things have changed rapidly. Instead of having the run of the property day and night, our beloved puppies are kenneled 24/7 unless out walking, leashed, with us. This extreme change is entirely brought about by their newest talent: Jumping The Six Foot Fence. Being incredibly intelligent and motivated, they have developed a cunning way of running at the corner, bouncing off one side while simultaneously pushing off the diagonal bar, and launching themselves to freedom. This provides them with access to their favorite of all things: RABBITS! Once outside, both dogs proceed to run frantically back and forth across the vacant lot across the road, chasing anything that moves, until they are exhausted. No amount of calling or offering of cookies can convince them to come close, we just have to follow them until they are too tired to run away.

Since this is not something we enjoy doing, they have been confined to quarters for most of the past week. We toyed with the idea of putting hot wire around the fence, but have decided that we would like to try some training first. We have a trainer coming next weekend to consult with us. I have talked with her at length on the phone and I am very excited about her ideas. Basically, we are going to make them work (sit,stay,down,heel,come) so that they are already too tired to go hunting. They are walked three times a day right now and we have started working on sit, stay, and down with them. I can tell that a walk full of commands is more tiring to them than a walk full of running and sniffing, so I have hope for this program.



I have my work cut out for me, though. Trooper is eager to follow directions, but not really smart enough to catch on quickly. It takes many repetitions before he understands what I am asking of him. Once he does get it, he responds fairly well. Mia, on the other hand, is stubborn like you wouldn't believe. She knows exactly what I want, but will often refuse to make eye contact with me in an effort to pretend she can't hear me. It is going to take awhile before she accepts that I am the alpha dog around her. It's a good thing she is so darn sweet!