Growth! That is the simplest way to describe the last couple weeks. Don’t get me wrong, the ups and downs continue. Gryff has learned to sit, look at me, lie down and stay in the last few weeks. At the same time, we have continued to see a regression in his ‘potty’ training and I definitely need to look into what has led to his desire to ‘mark’ everything when he did not do this before. Regardless, I celebrate the growth I am seeing!
I mentioned in my last post that Zak George offers a free 30 day training program. I went for it and signed up! It has been a bit of a struggle to keep up with it, however, it has been very useful content. There are daily emails with instructional videos as well as an additional daily email with varied tips. The fact that it comes right to my inbox is handy in keeping me accountable and committed. Everything, and I mean everything he has gone over so far has worked and worked quickly! It will definitely take a little more than 30 days for me to get through but I think that’s okay!
Zak is so reassuring. He makes it clear that everything we work on will take far longer for mastery and will need continuous practice and reinforcement. The message of consistency is repetitive and clear, but also makes it okay that we may not achieve exactly the goals I was aiming for by the end of this ‘project’. Regardless, I am feeling like a much better puppy parent these days!
In addition, these boys are more spoiled than ever! I have never spent so much money on my dogs as I have in the last two months. Between new leashes and harnesses, searching for low calorie treats (Zak George was using 1 cal treats and I realized mine were 5.5 per treat – YIKES), new toys meant to tire them out more quickly and a new subscription Bowzer box, these boys are currently living the life!
I have shared some of the videos and individuals I have been following on TikTok. There isn’t too much to share regarding my TikTok though as I am not posting anything! However, I may do a screen record and share some of my resources on my FlipGrid. Today I would like to share my Wakelet and my Flipgrid with you! Wakelet has given me a way to keep some of the content I am finding in one place. I have found that despite following trainers on Instagram and Facebook, my main sources have been TikTok and other resources I have checked out as result of recommendations of others (or TikTok). Wakelet has been helpful to keep this organized.
My Flipgrid has been a work in progress! I appreciate how it is showing the progression of things however I wish it captured all the learning that has been taking place behind the scene. I do struggle to get videos, particularly of the two things I set out to improve at the start – the leash walking and how they react when people come in. However, this whole project has led to so much more than a focus on these two skills! I will definitely try to capture some film in the final two weeks of this major project, but for now, please enjoy a look at how things began as well as some of the awesome gains we have made!
Thanks for reading and for checking out our puppy progress!!
~ Gillian
Sounds like you are making good progress! Some low calorie treats we like are the fruitable minis! We also use plain cheerios for training a lot as they are low calorie and small.
Sounds like things are going well. Our dog is terrible at the door when people knock. It drives me nuts and we have tried everything. I’m sorry if you mentioned this in previous posts but are you happy with the harness you have been using? Or are you still on the hunt for something different? I tried access your flipgrid but it wouldn’t let me?
Hi Jocelyn!
Thank you so much for your response and for taking the time to try to check out my progress videos. I spent some time fighting with Flipgrid and I think I figured it out. You will have to register as it does not allow me to bypass this but I have it set so anyone with a @prairiesouth.ca, @gmail.com, @hotmail.com or @uregina.ca account can now access. Please do try again and let me know!!
I am happy with the harness! The Canada pooch one gives us the flexibility to just use the front clip which has worked well with our older pup Duke. The Halti harness was awesome but required attaching to the back clip at all times, not giving the option for front clip only. For ultimate control, this is a good option though. I have used both clips on the Canada pooch one when Gryff is being particularly difficult and found it limits his ability to mess around which is helpful! I hope that answers your question. 🙂
That is great you have seen success with the different leashes! It is so much nicer when you can enjoy the walk and not fight with the dog the whole time!
I was able to get on flipgrid! Such a great idea and awesome videos!!! Well done!
Sounds like you are making a lot of progress with training! With our last dog, we brought a behaviouralist to the house and she suggested giving high calorie/high-interest treats when learning something new. So for example, we used small pieces of hot dogs and cheese. It was crazy how much more willing he was to learn something new. With our current dog, he trains quite easily. When we took him to puppy classes we found a choker to be the best when walking to correct behaviour. Not the ones with the spokes as that were too aggressive for him. I highly recommend taking a course from one of the local training companies, as it did teach me a lot of things outside of what I learned on the internet. I liked the in-person learning too, and it really forced us to practice at home and in front of other people and dogs. Keep up the great work! I don’t miss the puppy part that’s for sure.
Glad to hear things are going well!! I’m curious what your thoughts are on the Bowzer Box? I’ve heard some good things about subscription boxes, and have thought about trying it out!
I will let you know as soon as we receive it Colton! It should be here any day! 🙂