new to chazhound!!!

MEG126

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#1
hey everybody! i just signed up for several dog discussion forums to get other people's advice about how to train my dog (pretty typical reason, huh?). she's a three-year-old golden named penny and a very sweet, affectionate and smart puppy. she's learned lots of neato tricks like high fives and taking a bow, and jumping over things (like me! haha - i'll get on my hands and knees and say "over, penny!" and she'll jump over me! it's adorable and i'm so proud of her because i taught her pretty much everything she knows.

we have, however, been having diffuculty with the come command, as crucial as that is (i've posted on the behavior and training forum about this) but i'm very willing to work with her and spend the time necessary.

i'll be a senior in highschool next year and then off to college for me (YAY) and my mother says that penny is going to be playing a major part in helping her cope (i'm the youngest in my family, but i think my mom will be happy to have me out of the house... hahaa). she calls penny her eternal toddler, which i guess pretty much describes her as she hasn't reached her CALM stage yet... to say the least. but we love her very much!

anyways just wanted to introduce myself, and i look forward to talking with everybody and getting advice, and maybe giving some too, who knows!

i'll be talking to you all soon!! -meg :D
 
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#2
Welcome, Meg

You might have to wait a long time for Penny to reach a calm stage. Some dogs stay young and exuberant their whole lives, and although it's exasperating at times, it's wonderfull. My first German Shepherd, Purdue, was like that until the day he died at 16.

It sounds like you've done a wonderful job with Penny already. Sometimes "come" is the most difficult thing to get them to obey consistently. My Shiva will sometimes stand across the field at her Lab friend, Stanley's house and look at me when I'm whistling for her to come in. She doesn't move (thinks if she stands still I can't see her) until I yell "Shiva, you'd better come if you don't want to spend the rest of your natural life on the porch!" You should see that big rear end of hers kick into gear when she hears that. Stanley's owner, Herbie, thinks it's hysterical. I think it amazes him, too, that she so obviously responds to what I'm saying.

Have you picked a college yet? Any idea about what you want to do?
 

MEG126

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#3
penny and college

i think one major mistake we made in training penny is dropping out of obedience school. maybe she was too young then (she was 9 months) but we should've gotten in another one sooner. it's obvious she's very smart as she's learned those other tricks, so we'll just see if we can achieve this one too!!

lots of people have told us goldens seem to calm anywhere from 3 - 5, but i don't want penny to just be a foyer dog where they just lie around and do nothing. that's no fun!! we just need to get this come thing under control and i think she can be an even better dog and hopefully do some agility!! are you involved in agility?

i'm interested in interior design or architecture, leaning more towards interior design though. i'm interested in staying instate, but my options are very limited (virginia tech or university of virginia - both of which are getting insanely competitive) or longwood, which i visited and thought it was so small it was suffocating but it's going to remain an option as a safety school. i've also looked at univ. of NC at charlotte (LOVED IT- gorgeous campus), appalachian state and NC state. i didn't particularly like NC state, but appalachian state is definitely a great option for me.

-meg
 
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#4
Nine months is actually a very good age for obedience training.

I've joked about doing agility with the Filas, but they aren't suited to it. They're very focused on what they want to achieve and believe a straight line is the best and quickest way to accomplish their goals. And they're moose enough to go right straight through anything without being detered in the least. You should see Shiva when she decides to go - she literally runs right through anything in her way.

Bimmer would be very good at agility; he's actually more athletic than most Border Collies, but he stays busy hunting and herding and keeping the Filas in line, plus he really doesn't like to be around strange people so he'd never be able to just relax and have fun; it would be an ordeal for him rather than an enjoyable experience. I think it must be the wolf in him that makes him like that.
You're fortunate to be in a part of the country where there are many good schools to choose from within a reasonable distance from home. You can look in Virginia, North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, eastern Kentucky, eastern West Virginia - even southern Ohio and Indiana aren't too far. Have you checked out Chapel Hill in North Carolina?
 
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#5
Hi Meg,
I find the more consistant you are with working with your dog,
the more consistant they are in following your commands.
I was a lazy trainer for my dobie, but I did work him about 30
minutes three times a week. Usually just reinforcing the basics.
He was an obedience school dropout like yours and did just fine :)

Glad I am finished with college. I went to a horse college called
Wood Jr. College and then Mississippi State.

Chazhound
 

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