Fiona's Second Day of School and More

Fiona attended her second class of basic obedience training on Friday night.  I was able to give her a bit more exercise before class than I had the first week and I think that may have helped Fiona's behavior a small bit.


Fiona once again did very well in class doing all that was asked of her until, again, all the dogs started moving.  Right now that is just too much stimulation for her and getting her attention on me, even with the use of food, was very difficult.  At one point I pulled her out of the group of circling dogs into a quieter area to try to get her attention back on me.  Again, this is puppy behavior and she is very much a puppy.  It also shows that she needs someone who will take her places and show her new things so that she will learn to be calm in all environments.  I could tell a big difference in her at just the second class, that she was calmer and more settled than the first week.


Fiona did her sits and downs and she worked on the beginning of the sit stay.  We did more work on the "leave it" command and she was ignoring a treat in my open hand and looking for the treat that would come from my other hand.  We also started to work on getting Fiona into heel position, which will be very helpful for getting ready to walk beside me.


During part of class I put Fiona in a crate, just to give me a break, and I stayed right beside her.  She never made a sound and even played a bit with a toy that was made for her by one of my friends (Thanks, Pat).  I must say that Fiona maintains her happy attitude all during class time and her tail is wagging and she has a very happy look on her face.  She loves to be a part of things and wants to please.


At the end of class Fiona got some time to play in the building once the other dogs had left and she enjoyed getting some extra attention.


Fiona continues to enjoy our daily walks through the fields and is getting more and more fit.  Yesterday she spooked a deer and watched in amazement as he ran away.  We continue to work on her recalls on the 40-foot line and she is pretty good about paying attention to me, although it's sometimes hard when there are birds she'd much rather be watching.


At home Fiona is really enjoying her play time with my boy Rocky.  She has learned that his favorite thing is his dog bed and she loves to tease him by laying on his bed and daring him to get her off of it.  He barks at her till she jumps up to play with him again.  They play pretty roughly, but both seem to know the limits of their games and they are truly enjoying each other.  I just hope Rocky isn't as sad when Fiona leaves as he was when Gretchen left, he had a bit of a hard time dealing with her absence.


Fiona continues her diet and is looking very good.  She seems very healthy and has a beautiful coat.  I get so many compliments on what a pretty dog she is.