Sarah and I started puppy class last Saturday (Abby had to stay home for the first class). We spent last week practicing rewarding good behavior with a treat and a click from the clicker. We also threw ourselves into housetraining.
Abby came trained to use a potty pad, which was a blessing during the holidays and the extreme cold during and after. We went cold-turkey on Sunday, removing the pad and taking her out every 45 minutes. It's a big time commitment, but she's doing great...only a few "accidents" indoors. She certainly seems to know to go potty outdoors; the next step seems to be learning NOT to go potty indoors. :)
Yesterday, Abby came to class with us, and it was so much more fun! She was definitely the cutest pup there, although the Pomsky (Pomeranian/husky) was a close second. We started on "sit" and "down." It seems the common way of holding a treat and moving it straight down doesn't work so well with short-legged dogs, so the instructor showed us how to teach Abby by making her crawl under our legs. This certainly appealed to my gymnast.
The social time at the end of class was a hoot. Abby was the first to try to play with the other pups, but some were a little too pushy for her. She assumed a very submissive posture, but they were right in her face. The instructor put her and a couple of quieter pups in a pen together, and she was much happier.
All the humans were entertained by Abby's "splooting," when she lies with her legs stretched out behind her, like a swimming frog. It's one of her favorite positions.
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