Dog Training: Week 7

Warning: the first paragraph might be gross to some people since it contains vomit talk.

Last night was our next to last training class. I left the house at the usual time, but traffic was awful, so Pete, Annabelle, and I were ten minutes late to class. I was embarrassed, but there was nothing I could do. Justin was on time. Robert, the instructor, was super nice and waited for us. When I was pulling in the parking lot, I heard what I thought sounded like one of the dogs throwing up (I guess my driving really is bad). Soon after, my suspicions were confirmed by the odor coming from the backseat. I called Justin before we arrived so he could come out to the car to help me. As I was getting the dogs out and trying to avoid the vomit, I managed to drag Pete through it and some of the vomit ended up in my seat. It was on Pete's paws, so as I was carrying her inside, I got it on me, too. It was great.

We mainly talked about grooming and first-aid. Someone also asked how often to bathe the dogs. Most people in class said they bathe when the dog smells, which is usually every five to six weeks. He said that's a good schedule. I asked if weekly was too often and he said yes and that frequent bathing can dry out the dog's skin. I bathe them frequently because they smell and because of Annabelle's skin allergies.

Robert told us that when a dog is in extreme pain, like after being hit by a car, you should always muzzle a dog to prevent bites. He said even though you are trying to help the dog, they are very likely to bite you due to the pain. He told a couple of stories that made me nearly cry.

After the discussion, we practiced walking around the store. Pete actually walked quite a bit last night. She didn't want to walk in line with the rest of the class so I kind of let her do her own thing for a little bit. She seems to like to sniff out potty accidents in the store, but she was walking and that's a big change. When I tried to direct her walking, she would sit down and refuse to move.

When we got back in the classroom, we practiced our sit-stay-come command. Everyone did really well, except for Pete. She sat, but wouldn't come. I've started taking her off the leash when we're in the classroom and practicing commands. She seems to do better without the leash, but she's got to learn to do stuff on the leash.

Next week is our final week!