Time to Move Forward

Preparation for the final exams have been underway and it shows!  Opal’s inmate trainer is proud to report that she did a great job passing her tests!  He says that Opal has been an absolute joy to train.  He’s going to be very sad to see her go, but finds hope in a bright future for her with her forever family.  He says that she’s so cute that he just knows that she’s going to get extra treats and love from everyone!  

Her inmate trainer would like to extend best wishes to Opal and her new family!

Counting Down

Opal is back with her primary inmate trainer after swap week!  Her trainer says that he’s very happy to have this sweet girl back!  He’s proud to report that she is doing really well!  She has improved a great deal with the “stay” command.  They’ve been using their time to perfect all of her commands and she’s doing a great job! 

Her inmate trainer says that it is going to be hard to let Opal go, but knows that she has a wonderful life ahead of her.  

Angel Face

This week sweet Opal spent some time with an alternate inmate trainer to practice commands. Being away from her primary handler and staying in a new kennel did cause her to be a little anxious.  Her temporary trainer said that Opal maintains a very soft demeanor only whining a little to let you know she misses her human.  While with her alternate trainer she earned the nickname “Angel Face” because she is so sweet and beautiful.  

She knows all of her basic commands with the exception of “jump”.  Her leash etiquette is good, but could use some fine tuning as she will sometimes cross in front or behind you.  She focuses really well while training and seems to have a long attention span. She had some tummy troubles for her first few days, but is back to normal now.  It was probably due to the stress of switching kennels/trainers for the week.  

Her alternate inmate trainer says that Opal is the oldest among this group of hounds and carries a maturity about herself with playfulness and calm in a good balance.  Everyone agrees that she is so adorable and sweet that it is simply impossible not to love her at first sight!  He believes that she is going to make a great addition to some lucky family out there! 

Prepare to Lose Your Heart!

Opal is starting to work with other members of her training team!  She follows through with her commands, but looks over at her primary inmate trainer as if to ask if it's okay!  Her primary trainer has a game he plays with her during training.  He holds a treat in his hand, says her name, and when she makes eye contact with him she gets the treat.  Whenever she’s walking around or playing with a toy he’ll say her name and she’ll stop what she’s doing and look right at him.  

She is also doing really well with her basic commands and has even started learning a few extras! She still a little slow responding to paws up, bow, and lap but she’ll have these figured out soon.   

Opal is a sweet girl who’s bound to win the hearts of those in her new family.  Her inmate trainer is enjoying his time with her and can’t wait to watch her personality grow more every day!

Gaining Confidence

Opal is doing very well.  She was able to work on stairs again this week and she did really well! Her confidence is growing every day and her inmate trainer says that this makes teaching her easier.  They’ve been working on some extra commands and while some are coming along better than others she’s doing really well with them all! 

She knows let’s go, kennel, here, and sit really well!  She’s a little slower responding to hurry, release, wait, down, stay, bed, jump, bow, give it, paws up, and lap but her inmate trainer knows that as she becomes more comfortable she’ll have these down in no time! 

Stair Master

There have been big improvements with Opal’s training this week.  She has been doing great and learning fast!  She now sits with verbal or hand signal cues!  Her downs are okay, but still need some work.  Her inmate trainer says that he can’t help it, but it makes him laugh when she stays only when she wants to.  

Opal worked on stairs this week!  She did very well going up, but had a little trouble coming down at first but quickly got the hang of it.  Her inmate trainer says that by the time they finished Opal had become a stair master!  Because Opal enjoys toys her inmate trainer started working on the give and drop commands.

Opal is an outgoing and sweet girl.  Her inmate trainer says that when she goes to lay down she’ll paw the bed until it’s just fluffy enough to curl up in.  He says that she could be the cutest dog ever! 

Baby Steps

Opal has been doing well!  Her response time for her commands is getting much better.  She is now sitting on her own but that one is still not consistent.  Sometimes she'll sit and sometimes she won't.  Baby steps! :)

Opal gets along great with the other Greyhounds and other people as well.  She's pretty easy going, loving everyone around her, especially if she is getting lots of attention!

She is doing well with her kennel training but when the dorm goes to chow and everyone leaves, some will bark and cry.  That's normal since they are rarely left alone.

Team Opal continues to work with her, fine tuning and introducing new extra commands.  She'll be ready for graduation in December!

What a Beauty!

Opal is still doing well and training is going great!  She is a very happy girl.  She has now picked up on her name and loves playing with squeaky toys. Her inmate trainer is working to perfect the "sit' command with Opal. 

She is doing great with her other basics - "let's go", "kennel", "release", "wait", "heel", "here", and "bed".  "Sit", "down", "stay", and "jump" are works in progress.

Her inmate trainer is loving the time he spends with Opal. She's such a good, sweet girl!

Sweet and Shy

Opal has been doing very well this week!  Her inmate trainer is taking training slowly to help build her confidence in this new environment.  She hasn’t been very treat motivated so her inmate trainer uses lots of praise and affection as her rewards. He is proud to report that she's catching on to the kennel, wait, heel, bed, and let's go commands!.  

Opal is doing great with leash training!  Her inmate trainer says that Opal is a true joy to work with and she’s brightened this difficult time for him.  He can’t wait to see what the future holds for Opal!

Prison Training Time

Opal is a friendly easy going girl ready to start training for her new life.  Her inmate trainer says that she hasn’t been very treat oriented so far, but is performing “kennel,” “wait,” and “hurry” really well!  She does great leash walking and enjoys attention.  She hasn’t started playing with toys yet, but her inmate trainer hopes she’ll catch on to toy fun soon. 

During her first few days at the prison Opal was given a deworming medication which made her a little sick, but she’s been much better since then and hasn’t had any other issues.

Her inmate trainer says that Opal is a happy girl and he’s expecting her to open up more soon!