Time To Say Goodbye

Fable's training journey at the prison has reached its end.  Fable's inmate trainer says that Fable is a wonderful dog who has learned all of her commands both verbally and with hand signal cues. He says that Fable is a very smart girl and can learn so much more!  She sometimes hesitates when given the “down” command with a hand signal cue, but wait her out and she’ll follow through.  

Fable is a playful girl and she loves to run with the other dogs, play chase with her human, or play ball. She does get excited when she knows that she’s going to go out and play and will pull on the leash.  Her inmate trainer says to stop and have her “heel” and she’ll settle down.  She passed her final test with flying colors; no surprise there!  

Fables inmate trainer would like to tell Fables new family, “Thanks for giving her a chance to be a part of your family.  It’s a relief to know that she will be going to a happy home and to a family that will love and take care of her.  She deserves it and will show her love and happiness to you in many ways.”  

Look Out World, Here I Come!

Fable's "swap week" trainer said he had a spectacular time this week.  She ran through her commands like a champ the first day with him.  He was amazed with this girl.

Fable is bursting at the seams with energy.  Her trainer had to amp up his energy level this week with this beauty!  She loves to run and is itching to release her energy on the field.  She's a sight to see flying around the big field.

Her fun, kind, loving, energetic personality will make her a great companion.  Whoever is lucky enough to adopt this sweetie will be in a world of euphoria when bonding with her and learning her inside and out!  Look out world here I come!!

Chasing The Ball

Hello humans!  Fable here trying my paw at this blog stuff.  My inmate trainer tells me that these blogs help you get to know me and keep up with my training adventures.  

So, no question about it I’m beautiful.  Just wanted to get that out of the way to make sure we were on the same page.  So I used to race for a living now I’m doing this training gig.  My inmate trainer tells me I’ll be graduating soon!  (I’m not sure what that is.  I tried to took it up, but couldn’t turn the pages in the dictionary very well with my paws so I’m still clueless.)  Anyway, he makes it sound pretty awesome.  I’ll show off my skills to the SCG folks and get this nifty certificate thingy and go to an amazing forever home filled with food, love, toys and more food!  I kinda wish I’d heard about this retirement thing a long time ago!  

Okay, okay, training… I’ve been learning some pretty nifty stuff like sit, stay, bed, down, etc.  I will say that humans can be awful confusing.  Why just last week they laid out this spread of temptation on the table.  What’s a girl to do but check it out, right? Well my inmate trainer tells me it was to help me learn not to counter surf or steal food. It’s about respecting human meal time.  I can understand and respect that.  

So this week I got to play with this Frisbee thing.  It’s awesome when it’s flying around in the air, but I lost interest when it landed - it’s nowhere near as cool as a ball. Speaking of ball throwing, three inmate trainers thought it’d be fun to toss the ball between the them so us Greys could chase the ball around.  BAAHAAA you shoulda seen the looks on their faces when like six of us rushed the ball heading straight for them!  Oh it was great fun as those dudes learned to hand that ball off fast! 

Silly men! Us Greyhounds will always win at that game!

Star Student

For those who are keeping track of Fable's progress report, she has been getting all "A's".  This week they worked on something that is very important in the home environment and that is counter surfing.  It's doubtful anyone wants a dog who steals food off the table.  So, they have been baiting a table in the training room with enticing dog treats and human food.  Then, the training part. This is where they walk Fable past the table and each time she would attempt to grab something off the table, her inmate trainer would snap the leash and tell her "leave it" in a firm, commanding tone. The would practice this several times, on leash. Then, the true test- letting Fable approach off leash. She would continue to attempt to take the food.  So, another approach was implemented.  This time, they would take a metal food dish and clank it against another metal food dish, thus creating a loud noise.  This creates a negative response in Fable's mind that is directly associated with her trying to steal the food.  After three attempts, she then left the food on the table alone.  With her inmate trainer in the room or out of the room. 

She continues to take treats from him, and eats out of the same metal bowls but the counter surfing issue has been resolved. You can now simply say "leave it" and she will do as directed.

She is such a good Greyhound. Her inmate trainer is thrilled for her new family who will soon be able to enjoy this sweet girl!

Now That's Willpower

Fable is having a fabulous week so far.  They have really been working on her "stay", "here" and "kennel" commands this week.  Her inmate trainer recommends putting a treat in her kennel when she is out, so when she returns with the "kennel" command there is a yummy reward waiting for her.  Her inmate trainer can let her off leash at almost anywhere in the dorm, and tell her "kennel" and she will return to it.

She is also doing very well with the "here" command.  Her trainer says if you make a habit of giving her a special treat when you say "here", she will come to you from almost anywhere, no matter what she is doing.  This is a very important command for any greyhound to know.

Fable is doing marvelous with the "stay" command, and they have only been working on it for a few days.  In the beginning, she would only stay in her kennel for a couple of minutes.  Now she will stay until her trainer returns, which has been up to 20 minutes.  Go Fable!  This girl has some willpower!

Staying Power

Congratulations to Fable!  She knows all of her commands and will do them without any assistance!  She learned to “sit” on her own without any coaching and “down” was no problem for this smart girl!  Her inmate trainer now plans on working on command response time and holding the positions longer.  

Fable gets excited when it’s time to go out for a bathroom break or play time.  She will pull on the lease in anticipation so her inmate trainer stops her and has her come back and “heel” at his side. She’s catching on and responding to the training - it’s only a matter of time before she has it figured out! 

Fable’s inmate trainer has been working on the “leave it” command and she’s doing really well!  They performed all of the commands in front of everyone this week and Fable was very impressive!  She did great with “stay” with all the other dogs and people around her.  She stood still while her inmate trainer left her and walked behind everyone and even a few feet away! (GO Fable!) 

Fable seems to have the most fun playing with a ball in the training room or big yard. Once she’s done she wants to lay down for a nap.  Retirement is serious stuff; playing and napping!  

You Got Toys? I Got Training Time!

Fable is doing really well with training!  She has a basic understanding of most all of the commands.  She needs a little more work with “sit” and “down,” but her inmate trainer knows that she’ll have these down pat in no time!  As a matter of fact, she actually managed a full “sit” on her own this week!  Her inmate trainer wants to keep training fun and stimulating for Fable so they only work for about 15 minutes before taking a break.  

Fable loves squeaky toys and gets to enjoy a good round of play after training.  She absolutely loves the ball that squeaks.  She even enjoys playing with a non-squeaky ball in the big yard.  Her inmate trainer says that she could have been a soccer player with the way she uses her nose and muzzle to move that ball all over the place!  He says that it seems like she’s playing keep away from the other dogs even going around, over, and even under some of the dogs to get the ball! Even with all this love of toys she doesn’t seem to mind sharing the toys.  

Her inmate trainer is working with her on her leash skills.  She gets a little over eager to get to where she’s going and pulls a bit on the leash, but her inmate trainer believes that in time she’ll get the hang of proper leash manners.  

Play Time!

Fable is doing great!! She is learning how to play, becoming more playful everyday.  Lately, she has discovered the joy of squeaky toys.

Fable still has not shown any aggressive behaviors, getting along wonderfully with people and dogs, alike.  She takes her "hurry" command to the extreme.  She takes super fast potty breaks.  She is doing great with her basic commands.  Her trainer will continue to work with her on "down" and "sit" in the coming week.

Week Two - Fable

Fable is rocking it in week two!  She knows her name.  She responds well to "heel", "here", and "kennel". This week, they have been working on "sit", "stay", and "bed".

Fable has not only adjusted to her surroundings, but also to her inmate trainer's schedule.  That flexibility will make her transition to her forever home much easier!

Fable is very laid back and easy-going.  Her trainers love working with her.  The trainers are working with her on remaining calm while she waits for her food.  She has shown absolutely no food aggression towards dogs or people.  She will be a perfect addition to the right family.

Guess What Time It Is?

Fable is beginning to adjust to the new environment. So far Fable and her inmate trainer have been bonding and working on a few commands. They’ve been working on:  kennel, heel, here, and her name. She is doing a great job staying calm and relaxed when the kennel door is opened and her inmate trainer puts on her leash. She has also learned to stay calm during feeding time.  

Fable is a gentle girl who is already showing some interest in toys. Her inmate trainer is looking forward to working with sweet Fable!  She is treat motivated, which always helps with training.

Fable will be a great pet for a very lucky family!