Week #2

Just so everyone knows, I made it back to NC safe and sound after a fun-filled weekend.





Since my cold was doing so much better, and I wanted to keep it that way, I decided to clean my room. I just did some basic sweeping that I hadn't the energy to do last week, but boy has it helped. Take a look!


Yes, that is the pile of filth I swept up from my floor. Most was under my bed, but there was plenty elsewhere too. Anyway, sweeping that up meant a better night's sleep for me!

So, how was today? Today was great!!! Either they do this for everyone, or they think I'm doing a really great job, but I was pretty much unsupervised today. I have four dogs I've been assigned, and one I've taken from one of the interns. All but one of them were started by other trainers first, but it's still great to keep them improving. I feel more confident in what I'm doing because there's not someone looking over my shoulder, but I also know someone is always close by if I have any questions or concerns. So, let me describe my dogs!

1) Henry: He's a sweet, excitable, sometimes timid beagle. I am the first trainer to work with him. He's great with just about every command except for "down." We're really working hard on that one. Oh, but I finally got him to do that command today. Yay for me!!!

2) Coal: He's a very dark German Shepherd. He's also a big baby. Coal is here with his sister, Onxy, but his progress is much slower than hers. We have him on corrections (which he's terrified of) and we'll probably be moving him to the e-collar in a couple of days.

3) Odin: He's our mentally-deficient child. I don't mean he just has ADD (although he does), I mean he's an idiot. When I take him out to use the bathroom, he pees on himself. He doesn't stretch out, he doesn't lift a leg. He just pees on his leg. Basically, he's the prime example as to why you shouldn't buy a Shepherd in the states. They're idiots! Either way, with corrections we have gotten him to focus quite a bit. I'm sure he'll be on the e-collar by Wednesday.

4) Seamus: He's the ADD child. He's not quite as dumb as Odin, but he is just as easily distracted. He's in pretty much the same place training wise as Odin, so really, he's moving along nicely. Keep in mind that all these dogs (except Henry) were just on rewards less than a week ago. I've moved them to the next level!

5) Darla: She's the dog I've stolen. She's a 17 pound beagle puppy and she's adorable. Since I'm the one to take her out the most, she's always super-excited to see me. Darla is also the only dog I have now who is already using the e-collar. I just started her on it today, and she did extremely well. The only problem? She's so well behaved I never actually need the e-collar, so she's having a difficult time figuring out what it means.


So, there you have it. That's my job right now. In a few weeks, those dogs will change and I'll have new ones with different personalities and different challenges. Now, though, I'm having a great time with these 5.