Stormy's first day of puppy kindergarten was yesterday. It's a small class: Stormy, a 9 week old St. Bernard named Noelle (with the softest fur ever), and Stormy's buddy Anya, a pit mix puppy. Noelle was super sleepy and tried to nap the whole time. Stormy? Well...
Stormy kind of lost her ever-lovin' mind. My interpretation: "There's my friend Anya! And a new best friend! And why can't I play with them? Constantly? Since I'm on leash and you put me in a down, I guess I should belly crawl to them? No? Okay, I guess I'll bark and bark and bark and what does the trainer mean she's never seen a lab bark so much? You told me to hush so now I'm whining and that's not getting Anya's attention so it's back to bar- hey, wait, why did you just turn me around so I can't see *anyone*? It's not worth barking if I can't see my friends. Guess I'll be quiet. Hey, now I can see people! I'll be quiet, I promise, except it's been minutes and the TRAINER HAS AMAZING TREATS and Noelle's getting them and I'm not and probably I need to tell the trainer *I* want treats- HEY! Why am I in timeout again?"
DH and I took turns handling her- it was quite a workout! By the end of the class, Stormy was wiped out and laying on the floor.
And we were pretty happy because it turns out this is pretty much exactly the class she needs. She's been learning commands very quickly at home, and she's even done them in public settings around other dogs, so we weren't sure if puppy k was worth it. But we'd never had such a high distraction environment and it turns out she definitely needs practice there!
And to give her credit: while she was Miss Troublemaker, she was also Most Likely to Succeed. She got every new trick thrown at her well before the other dogs. Mastering and making them solid will take time, but she's super fast at recognizing and following patterns. If we keep working on her concentration and the so-important 'watch me', she and I could have a lot of fun in future classes!
Stormageddon, Princess of Darkness, aka "Stormy"
Birthday 9-13-18, Gotcha Day 11-11-18
Hidden Content
Miss Kimber, CGC, 6/15/2005-1/27/2018 forever in our hearts
Sounds like a successful class...one you'll both enjoy, especially as she learns more.
kimbersmom (01-04-2019)
Ha ha! Stormy barking her head off sounds like Henry, at EVERY class! The instructor would put a chair in front of him to help block his line of sight. It was pretty interesting to see how much he matured over the 2 months of the class, though, barking notwithstanding. When you said you and your DH took turns handling her and it was quite a workout, I thought you were going to say the 2 of you were wiped out after the class! It sounds like you guys are having a lot of fun with your little rascal!
kimbersmom (01-04-2019)
Stormageddon, Princess of Darkness, aka "Stormy"
Birthday 9-13-18, Gotcha Day 11-11-18
Hidden Content
Miss Kimber, CGC, 6/15/2005-1/27/2018 forever in our hearts
I still remember Brooks first puppy class. All I kept thinking was "what the hell have I gotten myself into this time"! He was all over the place, lunging, barking, whining, you name it.
Something tells me Stormy will be at the head of the class when it's all over!
kimbersmom (01-04-2019)
Lol you right about puppies. Sounds like a good first class
kimbersmom (01-04-2019)
Oh my gosh this sounds like Diggity’s kindergarten experience, minus the barking! (Thankfully he’s not a barker.) I was definitely at least as exhausted as him after class. He has improved a ton since then though. It’s interesting because when we have to sit and wait for the trainer to explain something, he’s very restless and pulls away from me as far as he can until his leash is fully extended and he’s either way in front or way in back of me. I have a very hard time getting him to stay settled next to me in my chair. But the minute we start doing training he’s laser focused and even the trainers remark at his behavior switch and how focused he gets. However, when we’re outside and there are other dogs or people around it’s a whole different story. Focus goes out the window!
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kimbersmom (01-04-2019)
OMG, I love your description of class! SOunds so familiar!!! I remember being in tears after one of Murphy's beginner classes thinking what have I done to myself?!?!? But we kept at it and he's a dream now.
Continue having fun...and sharing your stories!!!
kimbersmom (01-04-2019)
Omg. This was Macy's kgard class. She also barked and barked at the trainer because she had treats and played bitey face with new friends. She was absolutely "that puppy". Sometimes I felt like we were in the corner with the dunce cap on.
I'm glad Stormy had fun and can't wait to hear more about her puppy kgard experiences.
kimbersmom (01-04-2019)
Yep, sounds about right! Barley earned the nickname 'Barky' at puppy kindergarten, and in Obedience I he had to have screens put up so he couldn't see the other dogs. At the end of Puppy K he earned two titles: smartest, and class clown. The trainer said it's par for the course with labs in her puppy K classes! Pick up commands like no other, but with the attention span of a flea and energy of a bucking bronco.
bmathers (01-04-2019), kimbersmom (01-04-2019), Macy (01-05-2019)
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