As a puppy, my little Yorkie, Marlowe got a basic puppy training class. Sit, down, stand, stay, etc. The usual stuff. I learned a bit as well, but neither of us got a lesson in behavior.
We knew from the first time we laid eyes on her, at 8 weeks old, that she would be a handful. Waking from a nap, she was alert, inquisitive, and very engaging with these two strangers who had come to say hi. The other pups in the liter when back to napping.
When we first brought her home, at 10 weeks, she learned to adapt to her new family. After getting used to the new “dogs in her pack,” including not just her people but an actual dog, our 40 pound mutt, Kafka, Marlowe began to find her place in the pack.
Seven years on now, I remembered how much fun both Marlowe and I had when we trained together. More than that, however, I needed to get her some retraining. While we were on a trip out of state last summer, the dogs were being cared for by a friend. One day, Marlowe escaped the backyard through an accidentally unlatched gate. We were told upon return that she had bolted out of the yard, across our large front yard, straight across the street, and stopped in the neighbor’s yard, where the frantic friend was able to retrieve her.
Marlowe had stopped answering to the “come” command months earlier. Lack of recall training will, I discovered, UNtrain a dog. So, I started searching for a trainer. I had originally gone back to the same big-box pet store where we had done our first training, but their staff was irresponsible and didn’t even both to show for the first class. I found out from the manager that the trainer had cancelled that class and never bothered to tell me, even after I had paid in full. Refund.
I remembered that friends had taken their new rescue Weimaraner to a trainer for some serious remedial butt kicking on a 6-week intensive training camp. The dog had developed a taste for neighborhood cats. He came back very much better for the experience.
I knew Marlowe didn’t need that level of training, but she and I both needed to learn the basics again. In addition to the ignored recall, over the years, she had started parking incessantly at anyone who walked by on the street, parked in front of the house, or came toward the door. It had gotten crazy and frantic, no longer just a warning bark.
So, in late October 2011, Marlowe and I began a new 6-month journey to better behavior. I meant to update our progress sooner, but if you read A Quiet Holiday, you’ll know why I never got around to that.
Our successes so far:
- Marlowe now walks loose-leash like a pro. She only occasionally requires correction. Prior to training, she would pull so hard, you would’ve thought you were walking a sled dog.
- She has solid success with “leave it”. In all fairness, this was the one singularly consistent skill that she learned as a puppy and that we have never stopped using. Drop an ibuprofen and the dog gets it? It can kill her. Same for chocolate, onions, garlic, raisins.
- Her sit, down, and stand has returned quickly. She has pretty consistent success with this accept when she is excited. Then it becomes a real challenge. We’re working on that.
- We have just started “push-ups” this week (intensive little sessions where she goes from down back to sit). These are HARD, make no mistake about it. I have a new respect for dogs and owners who can accomplish this task. She is beginning to make progress on this as well. It’s going to take a lot of practice.
- Remember that recall she had lost? The trainer calls it Really Reliable Recall (RRR). You select a secret word. It must be something that will never get used in regular conversation. We chose the Dutch word for danger, for example. We don’t speak Dutch. This is the word you train your dog to come to and associate with the best super special treat in the world. It is different from the regular training treats and is only ever used in this context once you start training. It’s pretty intense, but Marlowe is coming along.
There are days when Marlowe drives me crazy in class. She gets so excited and hyper that she not only doesn’t pay attention to me, but doesn’t allow me to pay attention to the instructor. I’ve had to really check myself to make sure I stay calm. (One day, the instructor called right after we left class to ask me if everything was okay. She had noticed how frustrated I was during that day’s class.) I’ve learned to arrive early for class so that we can be one of the first there. Marlowe tends to do better then for some reason. If we arrive after most of the other dogs are already placed, she’s just impossible.
Every week I see progress in her. Over the holidays, there was even a day when someone came to the door and I was able to keep her quiet until they rang the bell. That was a milestone.
I look forward to more successes with her. I’ll keep you posted!
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