Day 35

Hops did a wonderful job at the agility trial today. He slept in his crate in my car when I left him there, he walked great on leash around Argus, said hello to many different different dogs and was loved on by many different people. Hops just loves people! He was really good about sitting and not jumping up right away. He also was held by many people and I had a few of them do some handling and Hops handled it very well, no fussing! Hops was easily able to heel, do pushups, hand targets and name response and offered face many times! Curled up or upside down, Hops was able to completely relax in my lap while I watched people run their dogs. Very good puppy!

 

When we arrived home, Sarah, the first of two boarding dogs coming tonight was waiting for us. Hops had met her at his puppy party and he just loves her! He followed her around and played and played with her. She is a very gentle dog (a golden doodle) and played so nicely with Hops. A few hours later, Libby the second boarding dog arrived. She is about nine months and is a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. Hops has met her a work before and he was very happy to see her and of course the humans that came with her! Everybody played again and now everyone is sound asleep!

Day 34

Hops had a fun morning playing with Taffy then went to work with me. There he played a little with a male BC pup a few weeks older than him and said hello to many other dogs throughout the day. He did some demos of heeling and turns, crate games, hand targeting and push ups. As usual, between classes he pottied outside and ran around with me inside, doing recalls and playing tug and fetch (with coaxing). He was again a very good puppy. After work he ran through his first long dark tunnel. It was straight but it was at least a 20ft long tunnel. He loved it! Easily running through in both directions and on both sides of me.

Hops was fed his dinner while I brushed and handled him. He did very well.

Here are some clips from preschool class on Tuesday:

Now off to sleep, we have a trial in the morning!

Day 33

Hops went to work with me again today. I had him do some recalls before the first class then had him in the car during it, then he was in the crate in the classroom for the other four classes. He was great in the crate all day, only a little fussy at the end of the last class. He came out between classes to potty and play and came out during some of them to do demos. He demoed adding duration to the face behavior, adding distance to putting his head in a basket and going around a cone. After classes Hops got to meet two little girls who gave him treats. He was a little wary of them and their fast movements but improved while the visited and they petted him before they left. I stopped by the bank on he way home and took Hops in with me. He walked in well, said hello to the teller and waited calmly during he transaction. When we arrived home he grabbed a nylabone, went to a dog bed and started chewing on it. Such a good puppy!

Day 32

Hops played a real game of fetch this morning!! Yea! I tossed the toy toward the front door again stayed in the living room. He retrieved the toy to me, on purpose, about 15 times and I was able to convince him to bring it to me another 5 times. I traded him the toy for kibble each time he brought it back. I did not ask for a sit to restart the game, I just tossed the toy or held him back and tossed, telling him to get it. I am so happy with this session! Hopefully we can keep this up! Then we had a shaping session for face. He is getting much better at this and gave me lots of chin on ground behaviors to reward. I was even able to get a second or two of duration. Then we practiced roll over. He is definitely understanding this one. He is easily rolling over with a lure and a few times rolled with a hand signal only. We ended the training session with some hand touches and luring him into heel and side.

Taffy came over for a play date this afternoon. She and Hops had great time! They ran around the backyard, playing like crazy then came inside and played some more! Fun puppies!

Hops had his fourth preschool class this evening. I asked the entire class to not feed him during playtime and it really helped. He still went and visited all the people but he did not stay as long, he interacted with the other puppies lots more and played some. Jeremiah did a great job working him and had him walking on planks, downing on the table, doing it’s your choice and offering to go to and down on a mat. What good boys!

Jeremiah did a training session with Hops for his dinner. They worked on moving downs and wow if that pup could stop and down (on one verbal cue!) and stay down while Jeremiah walked away. Amazing! Then they worked on roll over, he is doing it easily without a lure now, face, play dead, sits and downs and it’s your choice.

Here are some of yesterday’s videos:

Day 31

Before work I played tug with Hops. I asked for a sit, moved away, waving the toy, released if he stayed, removed the toy if he broke, played tug when he reached me, asked for a drop, rewarded with a treat then started all over again! He did great, staying most of the time and staying in the game when he made mistakes. Then I tried some fetch, tossing the toy over to the front door where we do not go often and staying in the living room. He returned the toy to the living room every time. He brought the toy to me a few times on his own, the others took coaxing but he did come. Good boy!

Hops went to work with me this afternoon and said hello to a klee kai, a shiba, a yellow lab, a westie and he played with a frenchie (he was a little afraid but stayed in the game). He stayed in a crate in class and was mostly quiet. He talked to his toys some and whined near the end but was good overall.

Hops had a big day at work with me in the evening. He slept in the crate in my car during the first class then I brought him in to play with me before the next class started. I had a dark, curved tunnel set out so I sent Rice through it and when Hops followed him through I rewarded him on the other side. After a few times of following Rice he could go through on his own. Next we practiced the table, practiced start lines in front of a jump standard, then put it all together by running the little course I had set up for my class. It was forward through one jump (no bars), a pinwheel of three jumps to the right, a rear cross on the flat to a tunnel that turned left then straight to the table. Wow, this puppy is incredible, the course was easy for him! He was also able to do it as a demo for the class! During the rest of the class he munched on a kong and slept in a crate. I had a big break after that so Hops had a long training session, some for the camera (video will be in tomorrow’s blog, it is late!). He did pushups on a plank, pushes and pulls around cones and Rice, crate games, tug, zen cookie, and his first shaping lesson of going around a cone. He did great with everything, though perch work is going a little slow. He is giving me sidesteps to reward but they do not seem purposeful yet. Then Kate joined us with her adult black lab Cory and her 4 month yellow lab Jack to play. Rice and Hops had lots of fun with her two dogs and they played for quite awhile. Very fun! Then Hops greeted dogs and people in the last class, walked around with us while we walked the course then went in a crate again. He was good for most of class, talking to his toys some and whining when he had to pee. After class Shannon brought Allie in (his 3 month old dane friend) in and she and Hops played and played! They are a great match and had los of fun. Before we went home, Hops and Rice and I ran around the arena, doing recalls.

From this view I thought Hops was in the toy basket as he likes to be.

The next view though shows just he might be growing out of it!

Hops has bee doing great with potty training. He has been consistently sitting in front of the door or whining at it when he needs to go out. Now we are still ever vigilant. We still let him out more than the other dogs, after a nap of any length, before and after a training session, after play, after eating or drinking and definitely take him out if it looks like he is looking for something! It has been at least a week since his last accident!

Day 30

Wow, it does not seem like 30 days have passed since we took Hops home. He has been so much fun and time has flown by! This morning he had his nails trimmed and filed and was good some of the time, fussy at times too. He was also brushed and was good for that. Next we went to Roegner Park in Auburn for Hops’s first walk along the river. He did great, the new environment did not bother him at all. He was curious about the river but not enough to go in! With a lure I was able to get him to put two paws in (in a shallow inlet) but that was all he wanted to do. He walked very well on leash, pulling a little bit but I allowed it because he was on his harness. He offered lots of attention and was rewarded when he did. He greeted a small female black lab mix and a chi/jack mix and ignored the other dogs we passed. He was interested in most of the people we passed, especially the women. Hops walked along and did some pushups on a picnic table bench. He walked passed other tables without a though but when we passed by the one he had been on before he ran over to it and tried to jump on! Smart puppy! Hops also got to play on playground equipment for the first time today. He was super brave, wanting to climb up even though he was not big enough. When I lifted him up he walked all over, the heights were of no concern to him. He walked across a moving bridge no problem and sat on it calmly while I jumped up and down making it move. What a puppy! Then Rice showed him how much fun it is to go down slides and after a few slides he made the decision to go on his own! He then watched Rice and Dillon go crazy and zoom around the playground and through the puddles! When I let him join them he ran though the equipment chasing them while they ran around the equipment. He barked the whole time, I think because he could not catch them!

After the park Hops went to work with me and slept in the car while I taught a lesson then played with Rice and Dillon. Then it was Hops’s turn and I brought him over to the matted area. I had him do a bunch of pushups on a short raised plank so he could not move forward or to the side, then he did a bunch of downs on the table, then he did some push ups on a small peanut, then I shaped some perch work. On our way out he greeted or played with a few puppies, a dobie, a brittany, and three different small breed mixes.


When we came home Jeremiah and I played our recall game with him in the back yard for the first time. We were able to get over sixty feet apart and he went running back and forth when called. I always rewarded him in heel during the game.

Later I had a long game of tug with Hops. We would play then I would ask him to drop and reward with a treat when he dropped (he did every time, right away), then I asked for a sit then moved away from him. I raised criteria this time by wiggling the toy as I moved away and by increasing my speed. He only made a mistake every once in awhile and when he did I just stopped and removed the toy and he immediately sat again. I was able to get about twenty feet away from him and whenever I said release he exploded out of his sit to run to me and play. Near the end of the session I tossed the toy after I released him then ran away from him and he brought it back! Then he did it two more times with me running away and two more after that without me running away! Yea! Then Jeremiah practiced pushups, visit (lie head on our lap), zen cookie, and it’s your choice while I played tug with Rice and Dillon. Hops was able to focus on Jeremiah with only a little trouble in the beginning. After the boys’ play session Jeremiah practiced rolling over with Hops. He is getting better at it though this time he preferred to go counter clockwise! Strange, last time he preferred clockwise!

Before bed we played nosework with everyone. I had a line of boxes set out to start with then I had one, simple, low, birch hide (most would have been considered threshold hides) in six different rooms. Each dog started with multiple container searches then did all six rooms in secession. Hops did great with the boxes, working the line nicely and downing at the odor box almost every time as soon as he reached it. We have never cued a down, nor are we waiting to reward until he does one, he is just doing it. When we moved to the interior searches, Hops rocked! He was focused and went right to the odor every time. When there was a hide right in the threshold he never even fully entered the room, just turned to the right and put his nose right on it. What an amazing puppy he is! In some of the rooms he even had better times than his brothers! Good puppy!

Day 29

Hops started his day with his second outing to Petco. He was a little unsure the first time he went there but was very confident this time. He took no notice of the freezer unit today and there was nothing that frightened him. He offered to climb on metal stairs, plastic stairs, a plastic stool and cat furniture. He had lots of fun with the cat furniture! He went climbing all over and when he would find a platform he would down and look to me for a cookie like he was on the agility table! He met a woman with antlers on and was unsure for the first second then happily went up to say hello. We went there for a puppy play time but the only other puppy that showed up was a brand new mini schnauzer puppy that was not even sure about walking around let alone playing. We all sat on the floor though and Hops and the puppy sniffed each other some and Hops was very gentle. On the way out Hops confidently said hello to a large golden retriever.

The sun was actually shinning today so the whole family went for a walk in the neighborhood. Jeremiah handled Rice and Dillon and I walked Hops. I again had him on his harness so I did not mind if he pulled. He was so much more confident on this walk than the last one. I never carried him, he walked past the cars on he busy road without a problem and with his ears forward. Last time we came across a few kids, this time they were everywhere! The first two we came across were of course, noisy young boys on noisy bicycles. Hops was pretty sure the were out to get him as they came toward him. He gave a couple of little growls and I picked him up and gave him a bunch of treats. The boys were interested in him so I asked if they would be willing to hold still for a little while so Hops could get used to them. They said yes then promptly started moving around (at a lower speed at least)! I continued to feed Hops while they moved and he grew more comfortable. The boys’ father called them over (in the direction we were heading) and when we reached them Hops took some treats from the boys. After checking out a bicycle that was on the ground, he started to perch on it to ask for treats. Good puppy! That seems to be pretty common for him now, something might be scary at first but it soon turns into something to interact with. He said hello to a woman and an pre teen girl, going right up to them, wanting to be petted. He was good with the barking dogs he heard, he noticed them but did not spook. He offered me lots of attention while while walking and could easily sit and down. He did very well with all the kids running around we saw from a distance.

For part of his dinner Hops had a posing session for the camera. We put our Christmas tree up tonight so of course we put reindeer hats on the boys and took photos of them in front of the tree. The sessions I have had with Hops teaching him to put his head though different holes was immensely helpful. Hops did not fight the hat at all. Any time I offered it to him he put his nose though the hole. Such a good puppy. He also did very well staying with the boys while Jeremiah took a bunch of photos. They were all so cute!

Day 28

The boys had to have eye drops put in their eyes last night so we turned it into a lesson for Hops. I held his head, opened his eye, put the dropper above his head then Jeremiah treated him. We did that a few times until he was very comfortable with then the last time I put one drop in and jackpotted him. He was calm the entire lesson and did not react to the drop so that was good!

Last light we had a visit from the blanket gremlin! We were a little scared! All of the sudden our puppy disappeared, the blankets in the crate started moving around, the crate itself started moving around and there were very strange noises coming from it! After awhile I decided to make an offering of a chewie to the blanket gremlin. The offering was accepted and out of the blankets crawled our sweet, innocent little puppy! Whew!

Hops went with me to an appointment this morning. He was so good, he chewed on his toys or did downs to get cookies for the entire 50 minutes. He is such an amazing puppy!

Hops stayed in the car while I taught a couple of lessons at work then practiced agility with Rice and Dillon. Then I brought Hops in and ran around the ring with him, playing tug and doing recalls. We did a few tables before we left and he is sill downing as soon as he gets on.

At home Hops had a shaping session with a balance disk and he offered front feet on, front feet on with back feet moving around, three feet on, four feet on, a sit on it and back feet on it. We then did some pushups, focusing on sit to sand to sit. He needed some reminds about stand but then was able to put it without a hand signal. He is definitely doing sits and downs without a hand signal. I then had him do sit says (no stay cue) with me moving away, dropping my hand, then releasing or returning to him to reward. I was able to walk about 8 feet away and he made few errors. I he practiced heel and side. He is so smart, he can get almost into heel on his own now. I am still giving him a hand signal most of the time though because I want him to get all he way in. Then he and Rice played and we were able to get a clip of Rice dragging Hops around by his toy!

Later we did a mat shaping session and a pushup session for the camera. For the mat, he went back to it every time after he ate his release cookie and most of the time he offered a down as soon as he reached the mat. I also did some it’s your choice with food at the end of the session. Next time we work on go to mat I think it is time to add a cue, he has the behavior down now!

Day 27

Hops had a food toy for breakfast then a play session with me in the yard. I played with the chase it toy with him. The easiest way for me to play with it is to swing it around me and have him run in circles around me chasing it. But, he is too smart for that. If something is going in a circle then why chase it when you can just stop and wait for it to come back? If I ran he chased it fine of course! : )

In the afternoon we went to my parent’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. Hops had not been there before so it was all new to him. He pottied on leash no problem before we went in and did not have any accidents while we were there. He thought the trolls on the ground (about 1.5f tall) were a little scary at first but quickly they became fun to poke. He sat for all the people, hoping for handouts but getting mostly attention which he enjoyed as well. He met his first cat, Niko and was very calm but interested. He followed him around for awhile, sniffing his butt. He tried a couple of times to get Niko to play with him but Niko was not interested! Hops also had a fun play time with Taffy, Jazz, Rice and Dillon in the yard. They had a blast running around and playing! During dinner I put Hops in his crate and gave him a stuffed kong and he was quiet the entire time. After dinner we set up some interior hides for Hops and he did great! As soon as he smelled odor he started hunting for the source. In one of he rooms he did get a little distracted by things he could climb on but that only happened when I made one hide too difficult. The other hides he found right away so he did not get distracted. Hops was also easily able to show off his tugging, pushups, it’s your choice, roll over, and targeting skills to everyone. He is such a good puppy!

When we went home Hops had an it’s your choice session with toys. I waited for a sit, moved the toy away from him and released him to play when he stayed. By the end of he session I was able to toss the toy about six feet away with him saying in a sit, wow! Later for his dinner he had a shaping session with paw pods which he did great with, offering to put his front paws on he two I had out. Then both Jeremiah and I had a heel and side session with him. He is doing great with both, easily moving into heel on both sides. He is also doing a great job about remaining in heel until I release him. He even moved into heel when we said the word a few times on his own so he is starting to get it!

Day 26

Hops had no training for breakfast today because I woke up when I was supposed to be leaving for work! Yikes! Get dressed, potty the dogs, feed the dogs, out the door! Whew! I walked in just after my students did! I had a break after my first class so I brought Hops inside and did some recalls with him then played a little.

Lucky for Hops, my new tricks class only has two dogs in it. So to give them a break, I used Hops to demo how to shape a dog to lie his head on the ground (face), how to skate board and how to put his head in a basket (I had not introduced those yet). Hops is such a smart puppy. He offered me many behaviors to choose from to reward and learned quickly, changing his behavior to try to get me to click. With the skateboard, he immediately put his front feet on it and when I moved my foot, allowing the board to move, he stayed on it and pushed with his back feet, wow! He offered this several times more. When I demoed how to shape face, I started with him in a down and me sitting on the ground in front of him. I waited for any downward motion of his head (even if it was slight or accidental) and clicked and treated on the ground in front of him. In the short demo he did not get his head to the ground but he did figure out he was supposed to lower his head which was great in such a short amount of time! Shaping him to put his head in a basket was easy, he did so as soon as I put it on the ground. I clicked and rewarded him in the basket then tossed a cookie away from he basket to reset him. Each time he went right back to put his head in the basket again. Good puppy!

After work Hops had his 2nd round of vaccinations and did great with the exam. He weighed 12.4lbs and of course loved he vet and assistants. He came to his name for them and showed off some of the things he has learned. After the appointment I took him to Mud Bay with me to buy dog food (it sure goes faster with three dogs eating it!) and he did great in there too. He sat for people and said hello and walked around the store with me. He was very good.

At home Hops had a nice long tug session and we learned he has learned the word drop! I asked him to drop and he did! He did so every time during the session and did the same for Jeremiah, very cool! I rewarded him with a piece of kibble then asked for a sit. I wanted to work on him being able to stay despite my motion so during the session I moved one to four steps away with the toy and if he stayed I released him to play tug with me. If he got up I just stood up and lifted up the toy and waited for him to sit before starting to move away again. He rarely made a mistake. I was also able to say words other than release and he did not get up. He only moved on release, good boy! I also loved hat he would he the kibble for he drops then go right back to playing with the toy. Jeremiah then played live toy/dead toy with him and then we gave him his dinner in a food toy.

Day 25

Hops started his morning with a few push ups then he had a major zoomie session around the house. I guess after letting me sleep in (what a good puppy!) he had lots of energy to burn! He ran around and around, throwing himself at his tunnel, growling, barking, surfing around the living room on his toys, what a crazy funny puppy! After he calmed down I brushed him, rewarding him along the way and he was very good. We then did a bunch of puppy pushups. The challenge today was keeping position even with the treats above his head. Then we worked on lining up on each side of me. I started him in front of me and said heel, then lured him around to my left side and reward him in a sit there. I rewarded several times for him staying there then said front and lured him back to front position. I repeated that about a dozen times then repeated the session on my right side with the cue side. We ended the training session with shaping him to put his head through a harness, a cape, an agility collar and a nose loop. He definitely understands what I want and is putting his head through even further than before. Though he is improving, this is still not his favorite exercise.

Hops had his first visit to a non dog store today. I put on his little service dog in training vest and took him into Rite Aid with me. He did great with the auto doors opening and got so wiggly with the first people he saw (mom and little kid) that I picked him up for a moment to make sure he did not piddle in excitement! He then heeled though the store, did a sit stay in front of some employees then was released to say hello. He did so with minimal wiggling : ) He then heeled to the back of the store and waited in line with me to get my meds then heeled out of the store. He was great!

Hops had his third night of preschool tonight. Overall he did very well though he started the night by peeing all over because he was sooo excited to see Elinda! He did great with trotting through the ladder, doggie zen, it’s your choice and sitting. What he did not do well was play with the other puppies. During playtimes he was mainly interested in working all the human cookie dispensers. He knew just how they operated. Sit in front of them and they give you a cookie! Stand up and sit again and they give you another cookie! There were a bunch of kids in the class and he did great with them. They were just mini human cookie dispensers! Next week I think I need to feed him before class and put an end to cookies during playtime!

Hops had a handling session for his dinner. He is so much more relaxed than he used to be! I can inspect his teeth, hold his muzzle, look in his ears and and eyes, play with his paws and legs and tail, all wile he is lying upside down in my lap and he is calm. I then trimmed the hair between his toes and around his pads for the first time. He was pretty good about it though fussy at times. I fed him after every trim with the scissors. Not bad at all for his first time!

Day 24

I did a few pushups with Hops in the morning to give him a little food, then got ready for work. On the way, we went to Petco for the first time. When he first walked through the store he was a little unsure, the freezer unit was a little scary, but by the second lap he was not afraid anymore and was heeling, sitting and downing, doing touches and it’s your choice and going up to people to say hello. There was even a big man in a big hat and Hops had no fear of him, good puppy! We then went to work and I had him on a small peanut doing pushups, running through a short (4ft) yellow tunnel to chase me for a reward and we did some recalls across the matted area. To change things up, I put him in the car in the crate today during class. He seemed fine when I returned after class was over!


When we went home between classes I played a long game of tug and “fetch” with Hops. We worked in the bedroom again and I am seeing some improvement. There were only two times when he did not bring the toy “back” and the second time I was able to get him to go back and get the toy by pretending to throw it again. There was only one time I really had to convince him to “bring the toy back” instead of lying down and chewing on it so that is an improvement as well. So the way it went most of the time was: we played tug, when he lost the toy I asked for a sit then tossed that toy or another toy and released him to get it. He ran out and grabbed the toy and tried to run past me with it. I either grabbed the toy and played tug with him or played with a different toy and he dropped the first one to play tug with me with the second. So it is not a retrieve yet but there is improvement!


Hops has starting stalking the boys more. So when it is not playtime and he stalks them (mostly happens outside) I have been calling him to me, rewarding him, then releasing him. So far he has come every time.


I did another go to bed shaping session with Hops this afternoon. I turned the mat over so it was different and trained in a different room to help generalize the behavior. I started by clicking and treating him on the bed for putting all four feet on it and progressed to waiting for a down on the mat before rewarding. He did great with that and he was able to move away from me or move toward me and down on the mat with no cue. After working on going to the mat and downing I worked on distance then distractions. I was able to walk 10 feet away, toss cookies on the floor, put cookies right in front of him, and walk all the way around him while he stayed in a down. Good puppy!

I had some spare time at work today so Hops did nosework for the first time at work. I started with boxes in a line. The first 3 times I rewarded at soon as he got to the odor box and then I could see it click, oh, it’s this game! And he was off on the hunt for birch. He did great with the boxes, never moving on if he caught the odor and downing sometimes at the odor box before I could get a reward in. Then he did three interior search in the office, all low and in a floss container that blended into the ground. He was amazingly focused and easily found them all. Then I did a little shaping with perch work (put your front feet on something and move your back feet around in a circle). It is very difficult for me not to mold this (move into him so he moves away form me and moves his feet) but I resisted because I want to shape this, have him thinking about his body, not just responding to pressure. He did well, easily offered front feet on and did offer some side steps for me to reward. I rewarded away from the direction he stepped to help. We then visited the other side of he matted area between classes and he played with a young doodle and greeted an adult dachshund. Next I took him over to the rehab room in the hospital and had him play on different things in there. He took right to walking across boxes of different heights that wobbled, walking and balancing on wobble boards, doing pushups on a small peanut, balancing on a doughnut (he needed support on that one!). Then we went back to the matted area and he played a little with Casper, an aussie/bc mix and did great down stays on the table. For the last class of the day we were on the turf side. Hops did some recalls and running around with me before class started then did a rear cross on the flat demo and showed off his table skills while we discussed the course. He was passed around for a little while then was put in a big crate for the rest of class and did great. He watched quietly, chewed on toys or slept. Good puppy!


We just watched as Hops climbed up on his two stools that were stacked by the backdoor and sat and stood, sat and stood. What is he doing we wondered. Then he jumped off and started jumping up and down at the door handle. Oh! Good puppy! He needs to go out! We let him out and he pooped and peed, what a good puppy!

Day 23

Jeremiah started Hops’s day with a get out of the kitchen and stay out of the kitchen lesson while I made breakfast. He did great, Jeremiah was able to get a good 15ft away from him in his sit or down say. It helps that the other boys were saying right next to him but still, what a good puppy!


I took Hops on his first walk around the surrounding neighborhood this afternoon. Before we left the drive way our neighbor drove up and stopped and he met her and her schnauzer. So that was a new for him, meeting people and dogs in a car and he handled it very well. From our house you have to cross a busy street to get to a nice place to walk so we started just by standing 15 feet from the road and I treated him when cars passed by. He did not respond to the cars at all there. When I moved closer, eight feet or so, he watched calmly as the cars went by then refocused on me. We crossed when there were no cars and he did well with that. He was a little unsure on most of the walk, I need to be sure to expose him more to new environments. I had him on his harness so I did not care if he pulled at all or if he was ahead or to the side or behind. What I did not allow him to do was switch sides on his own.I had him walk on my right going out and my left walking back home. Most of the time he walked by my side and offered attention and was rewarded in heel. I watched for open garage doors and loitered around when we came across them. By doing so we met three adults and five kids! The first family had two girls and a boy and they all petted Hops. He was a little overwhelmed as these kids moved faster and were louder than he kids he has met so far. He got lots of treats for them being there! The next family had two boys, who of course stomped toward Hops in big boots! Lots of cookies again for Hops! He did pretty well but I definitely need to find some more kids for him to be around!

Hops stayed with Jeremiah when I went to work and they worked on stays. Jeremiah was able to get about 30 feet away from him! Very impressive!

I did more pushups with Hops for part of his dinner, mostly stand down stand. I had him by my side with a wall next to and in front of him so he could not move away or forward. He did great, standing without sitting and staying in the stand until I cued the down. He was downing in one motion, no sit first. He would also down even if my hands and food were up high. The few times he sat from the down instead of standing he was able to lift his rear up into a stand. I am very pleased with his progress with pushups! Then Hops came up with his own form of indoor agility. Jump over Dillon!

Day 22

As usual, Hops had a training lesson for his breakfast. We started with hand targeting and he was able to give me three good touches for one cookie. He will also move a good four feet to touch my hand. We then practiced roll over. Interesting that this time it was much easier to get him to roll clockwise then counter clockwise. Next was it's your choice and I was able to toss kibble on the ground while he remained in a sit which is a first, good puppy! He is still releasing immediately upon me saying release and he does not break position when I reward in position. We finished with pushups, and stand stays. For the first time he was able to hold a sand stay on his own with kibble a few inches out in front of him. Pretty impressive for 10 week old puppy! Afterward Jeremiah took over for a handling session and he says he did very well and is getting more relaxed. We both have had to really start working on him taking treats gently. He is getting stronger every day and has been starting to bite hard when taking treats. So we are being very conscious of every treat we give him, removing the cookie if he bites and only releasing it when he is very gentle.

Hops was able to do a long wait at the door from the house to the garage while we cleaned out our deep freezer. He only tried to come out the door a few times and did a quiet down stay the rest of the time. He was of course reward when he stayed.

Later we did another session of Hops watching his big brothers play tug with me. He was much better this time, only making noise when we accidentally invaded his space, then he tried to play too. Otherwise he was quiet the entire time I played with both boys and he even settled into a down.

Hops and I had two games of fetch today. The first was in a restricted area so there was nowhere for him to go but back to me. He did great with it, never keeping the toy, always a least trying to take it past me if not actually bringing it to me. The second game was later and in the bedroom so there was plenty of space to run away with the toy. This time, started by playing tug with him with one of his favorite toys and when he lost it I had him sit and then I tossed a lower value toy. He went and got that one and ran to a dog bed with it, but with coaxing I was able to get him to bring it to me and as soon as he did I whipped out his favorite toy to play tug with him. We did that many times. He always ran away with the lower value toy at first but I was also always able to get him to return it to me and play with the other toy. Good session!

Hops played the nosework game for dinner. He is impressive! We started with containers and he did great, searching until he found he odor box, not stopping at any box but it. We then did interiors and he was so focused! Searching all over until he found the odor. Good puppy!

Day 21

Hops has been with us for three weeks now, wow, time sure flies! He has put on 3lbs in that time putting him at just over 11lbs now. The behaviors he can now do are; it’s your choice (with tossing food on the ground and moving food away in an open hand), hand targeting, heeling with pushes, pulls, front and rear crosses on the flat, release on a verbal cue, sit, down and stand, name response, recall (with no or minor distractions only), will calmly allow handing, will offer to go into his crate, will offer to remain in the crate while the door is opening, can remain in a sit as the back door is opening, downs as soon as he gets on the agility table, rides quietly in the car, potties on leash, potties quickly when we take him out, sleeps through the night, can sleep through dogs barking and teeters banging, knows birch and boxes, can roll over, wow! Words I think he knows are release, Hops, come, touch, sit, down, leave it and hurry (potty word).

Hops started his day with a playtime with Rice then I did shaping with him putting his head through a harness, through his agility leash and through a cape and putting his nose through a head collar nose loop. He did great and was offering to put his head/ nose through all of them though I could tell this was not a favorite exercise. We then did some body handling then pushups. He is offering a sit from a down about 2/3 of the time now and is staying in a stand easier. Good puppy!

I had a private lesson at work today and afterwards I did some of the Fun and Fit curriculum with Hops and he did great! We did heeling with pushes, pulls and pace changes, we did pushes around a chair, I had him walking on a plank and through a ladder, walking from stool to stool to stool (5 in a row), all easy for him! He did great with lining up in heel on either side of me and was even able to line up away from a cookie distraction on the floor. Zen cookie was easy for him and he did great with tween and all the stretches. We played crate games too, and not only is he offering to go right back in after I release him out but he can stay in with the door open while I take a couple of steps away! Boy this puppy is smart! We then ran around doing recalls until he was tired. And my plan worked, he is now sound asleep!

For his dinner Hops did nosework and blew Jeremiah and I away. He clearly knows birch and loves the sight of boxes already. So far he is easy to read as when he gets into odor and never left an odor container (though I was close so I could reward him quickly). He even downed some of the time before I got there. When we did interior searches he was clearly searching for the odor and worked to source every time. Too bad he has to be six months old to enter an ORT!

This puppy is something else. Jeremiah asked him to come when he was on the opposite side of the coffee table and Hops attempted to come right over the table! It will not be too long and a crazy antic like that might work!

Jeremiah wanted to introduce Hops to the treadmill tonight and he took to it faster than Rice or Dillon did. What a brave and food motivated puppy he is!

Day 20

Hops earned his breakfast by doing some shaping for the camera. We started with his second shaping session of go to bed. I used a different mat this time to help him generalize the behavior. He immediately went to the mat and I clicked and treated on the mat. I released him off and tossed a kibble to reset him. I was able to stand about 6 feet away from the mat and he had no problem working that far away from me. At the end of the session I tried withholding my click when he stepped on the mat to see if he would offer a sit or down. Once he walked away (but came right back), once he offered a down and once a sit. I ended on that one.

For the next video clip we had a shaping lesson of go in your crate. He offered a few sits and downs and barks outside the crate but for the most part offered to go right back in after he was released out. The one time I closed the door he was able to stay in until released on the first try. Good puppy!

His third shaping lesson was with a large plastic bowl with the goal of him offering to put all four feet in it. Hops immediately offered to put his two front feet in it and put all four feet in it a few of times. He might have been getting a little tired because he was offering lots of downs. He did a great job though!

Hops had his first session of watching me play with Rice and Dillon while he was on a tie down. I started by playing with him, first with a game of “fetch,” meaning him chasing after a toy and trying to run away with it and me reeling him in (the toy was on a leash) and playing tug with him when he got to me. Then we played tug sit tug then I put him on his tie down. I played with Rice first because he is a lower key tugger. Hops barked right away and I gave a verbal interruption of Ah Ah! and rewarded him when he was quiet. I interrupted Rice’s game of tug often to reward Hops when he was quite. He was staying quiet by he end of Rice’s session. When I started playing tug with Dillon I had to start all over again with interrupting the barking/lunging and heavily rewarding being quiet. By the end of Dillon’s session Hops was lying down quietly, watching us play. I then rewarded Hops by playing more tug sit tug with him.

Hops had another very good day at work with me. During the first three classes I moved him into one of he larger crates that was already there (versus the small one I had been carrying in) and covered him. He had chewies and stuffed kongs and he chewed or slept during the classes. For the last class he was on the opposite side of the arena for the first time (though Rice was in the crate next to him) and cried at first but quieted when I covered the crate so he could not see out. He woke up about an hour later and fussed through the last 10 minutes of class. After everyone left we practiced the table. He is so awesome, he offers a down right away almost every time he gets on it. I worked on adding motion away from the table and was able to get about 6 feet away with him still in a down on the table. I am sure it helped that Rice was doing adown stay on he table too : ) Then we ran around and around the arena, doing pushes, pulls and front crosses and rewarding him in heel whenever I stopped. When we were all out running, he really barked! Between classes Hops pottied outside on leash, did recalls, visited and played with other dogs and people, played on balance disks, and practiced heeling. He is now a tired puppy!

Day 19

Hops had a handling lesson for his breakfast and then played with Rice and Dillon before going to work with me.When we got there he played on a bosu ball, getting all four feet on it and even was even able to hold a sit for several seconds before falling off! He then did a bunch of recalls with me running away and rewarding him in heel with his toy. He even played some fetch! Woohoo! He brought back the toy I threw to play tug with me about 6 times! After the 6 retrieves he came back but did not bring the toy (much preferred to keeping or running away with it though!) so I stopped that game. Later we played the “come and get it” game. I said come and rewarded him when he came, then I said get it and tossed a treat so he moved away from me. When he ate the get it treat I said come again and rewarded when he came. We probably did that a dozen or so times as he loved the game! He also had fun playing with Taffy and some of the bigger puppies in my first class and at the end of the day he played with a very friendly 1yr old Papillion, Casper. Hops was once again quiet during classes, though he did talk to his toys a little bit :) 
Hops did some training for the camera for dinner tonight. He showed off his hand targeting, doing very well. The one time he did not touch my hand, I removed it and then brought it out again. When that did not work I  moved my hand back slightly when I represented it and he touched it then and from then on in the session. When I did not reward a touch Hops would offer me a second one!
We then did some it’s your choice. First I had him doing it in a sitting position. He had to keep his sit while I moved the treat away from him in my open hand, waiting form my release. He is doing very well with this.

Then he did it’s your choice in a down with me tossing the treat a short distance away. I rewarded mostly in position for this one, only releasing him at the end.

We ended with some pushups then I decided to start Hops’s first trick, roll over! He did very well with it, I was able to lure him into rolling over many times and very easily. Good puppy!

Day 18

Hops started the day by playing with Rice and Dillon, then for his breakfast he had his first shaping lesson of go to bed. I put a mat down and stood next to it. Hops immediately came over to investigate the new thing and I clicked and rewarded him on the mat. After he ate the kibble I said release and tossed another piece off of the mat to reset him. After eating that kibble he went right back to the mat. I clicked and treated that about a dozen times (tossing the kibble in different directions so his approach to the mat changed each time). Then I raised criteria by stepping back from the mat. His response was to sit in front of me, to down, to bark at me, and finally when I did not respond to any of those (I just looked at the mat) he turned around and went to the mat and got a click and a jackpot! He had no problem going away from me to go to the mat after that. I was able to get about 4 feet away and it did not matter where I stood around the mat, every time he finished his release kibble he went right back to the mat. Smart puppy! I call this step the “magic mat,” when you step on it cookies appear! Later I will add a down position to it, duration, distractions and more distance.

Taffy came over today for another play date and she and Hops played for 45 min solid, rested 1 minute, then played another 10. What fun it is to watch puppies play! They are a perfect match.

Hops had his second week of preschool today. He played well with the other puppies and loved the people. He was so funny, he would offer a sit to anyone paying attention. If they gave him a cookie he would sit again, they move, he moves closer and sits, it is like he was saying, can’t you see me sitting? That means I get a treat! For one lady he sat very nicely, but was facing her back! We laughed at him, I told him he had the wrong side and he moved around to face her and sat again. He was a little sitting machine! He enjoyed playing on the planks with Jeremiah and offered to walk and run on them over and over. When we worked on self control he was not only able to leave cookies alone that were on the ground right in front of him, but even when they were on his paws! He is so smart! He also did some very nice pushups and hand targeting. I think that the down time between play and training sessions at class is just as important as the sessions themselves. So while other puppies played or had training sessions I was either rewarding Hops for being quiet in his crate, or I was opening up the door and rewarding him for staying in it, or I held him on my lap and petted rewarded him for being calm and quiet. He never barked in the crate or lunged at the crate door like some of the other puppies. He also peed right away whenever I took him out, he is such a good puppy!

I know the video is small but it is funny! Hops offered his sit to the wrong side!

Hops was fed his dinner while I clipped and filed his nails. He was pretty good for the clipping but was fussier when I was filing. I clip my dog’s nails when they are upside down in my lap. He does not have any problem with being upside down or having his feet touched, he just does not like the clipping and filing, which is pretty normal!

Day 17

Hops played on balance disks at work for breakfast then slept through the private lesson I taught. He was awake for most of my afternoon intermediate class but was well behaved. He even did a rear cross on the flat demo! 

We spent some time playing in the yard between work shifts and then Hops slept through my first 3 evening classes. He was awake for about half of the last class but was again, quiet and well behaved. He did well pottying on leash outside between classes and also did some great heeling and sitting for petting (by students) between classes. 

For dinner Hops had a handling session. He did very well this time, no tantrums! Then I played tug-sit-tug and live toy/dead toy with him then Jeremiah played with him too. He finds many ways to play with his tunnel besides running through it, very entertaining!

Day 16

Hops slept through the night during his first hotel stay then had another full day at the agility trial with us. He had fun playing with a 5 month old sheltie and a 5 month old golden, and with his two sisters when they came to the trial. Fun! He was great with the noise again and the couple of things that were a little scary yesterday did not phase him today. Confidence will not be problem for this boy! He was once again able heel, hand target, do it’s your choice and pushups, loved being held and played with by different people, was not phased if he was left with someone new, and slept soundly in his crate despite the barking. He was also a good puppy during the ride home, falling asleep in his crate. Even though it will take a little while for him to grow into it, we found the perfect agility collar and leash that matches the puppy collar Elinda gave him.

Love, Solar, Hops and Colleen

Hops and Colleen giving great attention

When we came home, Hops was full of it! Too much sleep I guess! He played with me played with Rice, did zoomies around the house, ran around the yard, and had a training lesson! We started with tug, waiting for sits to restart the game and adding in a little it’s your choice by moving the toy away from him after he sat. If he moved I removed the toy, if he stayed I released him to play. We then did it’s your choice with him in a down with food on the ground. By the end of the session I was able to toss kibble two feet away and he stayed until released. Smart puppy! We then did a handling session and he must have still been full of it because he had his first full on tantrum! My goodness! Even Rice and Dillon were concerned! He finally settled though and we worked through it. I think I need to be doing a minimum of one handling session a day!

Hops and his handsome daddy Solar

Being away from home this weekend definitely helped Hops potty better on leash. Other things he is improving on are waiting in the crate and Xpen to be released and I can now open the backdoor all the way with him still in a sit before releasing him to go out.

Before bed we played more tug and I remembered I have a chase it toy (a toy on a rope attached to a pole and handle) so not only was it fun for him to chase it around, but I could reel him and the toy back in to play tug with me each time he got the toy! A little later Hops started following me around and sitting, meaning he was hungry, so I had him do some pushups for some kibble. One more trip outside and we are all off to bed!