Guest post by Southdowner and AJLR
Training Tails, or, An evening out with two mods
(Narrative by AJLR, Footnotes and Photos by Southdowner)
Back last autumn, in one of the journeys round parts of England that are required by my work, I knew in advance that I would have an overnight stop in Southdowner’s home city. During a conversation with her about this the week before, I was delighted to be invited to go with her to a puppy class she would be running that evening at a local vet’s premises. The idea was that we would then go on after the class to have a snack in one of the city’s noted Indian restaurants. Southdowner, puppies and curry – a much better way of spending an evening than sitting in a hotel, I’m sure you’ll agree. Mind you, the last time we’d met for an evening, in similar circumstances, I’d been forced – whimpering with fear – up some vertiginous and body-misaligning* stairways into a bell-ringing chamber for a half-hour.* Could I trust my friend not to take advantage of my diffident and yielding personality** on this new occasion..?
The evening arrived and Southdowner also duly arrived, to collect me from the hotel. It was off to the puppy class. On the way there, as I was being briefed on the situation and make-up of this class, I noticed that the warm and charming person I know Southdowner to be was becoming overlaid with an extra steely glint of determination and will***. The iron glove was being donned over the velvet hand. Obviously, I thought, this particular puppy class required something like method acting preparation in order for it to run smoothly^. Southdowner was transforming into She Who Must Be Obeyed and the impact was palpable!
We arrived at the vet’s place to find what I was assured was the usual class at this venue. There were five puppies, ranging in age from 8 to 20 weeks old, and in size from very small to rather large. Four of the puppies each had two owners with them, the remaining one (a nice little Yorkshire Terrier^^) had just the one (rather nervous) lady^^^. I sympathised with the nervous lady^^^^ and sat myself down on a chair as far out of the action zone as seemed practicable. I found that I was sitting in an alert posture, and everything seemed new and distracting. For some strange reason, I found myself looking to Southdowner for reassurance that I was doing the right thing and could feel myself relax slightly when she made eye-contact and smiled.+
Waiting for the class to start
The first exercise++, after Southdowner had recapped on what the group had been doing the previous week and asked for feedback on how the homework with the puppies had been going, was to encourage the puppies to really focus+++ on their owners#, using tiny treats of food to reinforce success in each case.
A really intense focus in action
I’m sure I could feel my own focus on Southdowner sharpening with each repetition, for some reason…. Then it was on to a variety of activities, from staying put when the owner(s) moved a small distance away, to being at ease around the other members of the class, to searching## when the owner hid and then called their puppy’s name. It finished up with a few generous handfuls of treats being scattered around one part of the floor and the puppies – by now much more comfortable and relaxed around each other – being let loose to each hoover up as many treats as they could manage###.
Mmmm, treats for relaxed puppies
I was, by now, thoroughly relaxed and those treats started to look really good. I was sure Southdowner didn’t mean to leave me out of the party…maybe if I’d crouched down a little further and sidled along the wall I could have snaffled a few####. I wouldn’t do anything to upset Southdowner though, not for the world…
After the class had finished, with lots of smiles, applause, and a certificate for each family (this was the final class of six, for that group) Southdowner and I walked over to her van. When the doors were unlocked I could feel myself tensing slightly. Would I be allowed up on the front seat? Yes! I had obviously been A Good Girl during the class~. Curry, here we come!
The rest of the evening was also delightful, with lots of chat and different dishes to try. We had a jug of mango lassi and I could feel my ability to think for myself slowly resurfacing, although it was a near thing when the waiter asked if we’d like a doggy bag to take home – I could feel my upper lip lifting slightly at the thought of him picking up Our food. Once back at my hotel, in my room, I discovered also that the bath and washing facilities looked, strangely, far less attractive than when I’d first checked in…~~
Thank you, Southdowner, it was a lovely evening. :)
************************
*wimp! A broad flight of stairs which the congregation use for balcony access, followed by a teeny tiny spiral of ten steps! AND no one dropped the trap door on your head – it has happened. :P
* Only half an hour?! What kind of cheap cheezy ringing goes on where you are? –ed
**don’t believe a word of this, gentle readers!
*** Mwahahaha!
^ you’d be surprised how much a class of 6 lively puppies not to mention 6-12 (often livelier) owners can take out of you. This reminds me – I must get smarties to click train the owners tonight :)
^^ This yorkie’s owner had been recommended to come by the vet who gave her puppy (Bruiser) his first jab, since it took most of the consult to remove Bruiser from her neck where he was clinging like a cat.
^^^ good dog trainers can tell whether a dog is nervous; excellent dog trainers notice whether the owner is nervous as well. AJLR is perspicacious enough to be my assistant any time…
^^^^ …but please don’t reinforce the negative behaviour!
+ see, knew those smarties would come in handy *g*
++ sneakily, the very first exercise is settling on a short lead while we talk, so that the pups have a skill to use when meeting visitors at home or strangers on the street.
+++ attention span of a gnat at this stage :D
# so useful to do this in a class where there are another 4 huge distractions (not in physical size you understand). Giving up on distractions is the basis of loose lead walking, recall, in fact your whole relationship together. The most common comment I get from owners of teenage dogs is “I only want to teach them to come when called & walk on a loose lead” – (thinks “so that’s the WHOLE relationship that needs adjusting then”?!) I am very tactful to clients – mostly – *g*
## hopefully for the owner, but often for the exit, other people’s treats (that would be the labradors) or other puppies
### Naughty AJLR (though we may have had a labrador puppy, in which case she is excused)! The food (I use toys if I have a food defensive puppy and give the owners a programme to desensitise them) allows the pups to interact with sufficient distraction that they aren’t full on, which causes tears. The first time all the puppies of a course play loose together I have oxygen masks ready for owners :)
#### poor AJLR – we have a late meal each time she visits – it’s either bells (Thursday) or puppies (Wednesday). At least bells can’t make you hungry…^
^ Who says bells can’t make you hungry? –ed.
~ Not just smarties, sultanas, access to all areas…
~~ O.O (covers ears – don’t tell me any more *g*)
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