This is Maddux:
She is Labradoodle. She was my wedding present 4 years ago :-) She was named for Greg Maddux (ex-Cubs Pitcher)and she is fluffy like a stuffed animal...a 65 pound stuffed animal...
She is lovable and SMART - but...no fault of her own, her owners..cough cough (me) have been neglecting her training to make her a good canine citizen. YIKES! Luckily a good friend of mine is a dog trainer, and has been graciously helping us via telephone (all the way from Arizona!).
We have been working on basics the past 3 weeks, and this week was our chance to get out and practice walking on a leash...like a GOOD dog, NOT a wild dog! I have been apprehensive about this, as I know how excited she gets when we are outside- and there is so much to see... well my friend told me to gather up the confidence and DO IT!
Well I am happy to say that we just got back from her first "REAL" walk - and we walked a mile! She did awesome!! I am so happy! We didn't run across any other people or dogs as distractions - so the true test will be as we go along - but we did have plenty of NATURAL distractions... creeks, lakes, bridges, birds...PINECONES! :-)
Hopefully this is one of many successes to come!
Have a great weekend and a blessed Easter :-)
Kristen
Congratulations on her first "real" walk. Sounds like your friend in AZ and you have been very successful - via phone? Wow. Anyway, Maddux is such a cutie. Please give her a hug for me.
ReplyDeleteI'm such a fan of that handsome, expressive face (from the PTI forum). Glad to hear that you're having some good experiences using your training methods!
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