Did Someone Say "Belly"?

Wow!  Auggie's trainer cannot believe they are already at the end of this session.  How time flies!  He is really gonna miss Auggie.  He said Auggie is such a special boy!  He is extremely intelligent and has a great personality.  He is laid back, gentle, very sweet and quiet most of the time.  He is a little vocal when it's time to go outside for a bathroom break.  When you gotta go, you gotta go...

Auggie loves to eat and can get excited waiting for you to get his food ready.  He will bounce up and down like a kangaroo trying to see what's in the bowl.  It is extremely funny and very cute because he is normally so laid-back.  When he starts this, his trainer will stop and stand like a statue.  Auggie immediately calms down and returns to his trainer's left side in the "heel" position, on his own.  He's quick to correct and wait patiently for his breakfast/dinner.

Auggie also learned a new extra called "belly" this week.  From the "down" or side flop position, the "belly" command has Auggie rolling onto his back in the "roach" position.  This exposes his belly for a nice rub, which he really loves.

Auggie's trainer said he has been a real joy to train and nothing seems to bother this boy.  He is a greyt dog and is sure to steel your heart in no time.

Laidback Buddy

This week was swap week! His secondary trainer reported that Auggie was a great dog to work with. He seems to have no separation anxiety. He knows all of his commands well and many extra commands, too. He really likes his food and treats. He doesn't play a whole lot; two minutes in and he is wiped! He's just a lazy, laid-back, good dog who can't wait to sleep on your couch or slumber ball!

Gifted Greyhound

It's been another fun week for Auggie.  Well, in truth, any time Auggie gets lots of treats is fun for him.  His trainers continued to go over all of his basic commands as well as ALL of his extras, that is now an impressive list all on its own.  Auggie is truly an exceptionally gifted greyhound.  His capacity for learning knows no boundaries!

This week Auggie's inmate trainers added two more extras to bring his list up to an even dozen.  They are "drop" and "night-night".  "Drop" is a command used when Auggie has something in his mouth and you want him to drop it on the floor.  This works great with toys and other objects.  Not so well with food, because once it's in his mouth it's gone in one gulp!  On the subject of food, Auggie has been trained not to "counter surf".  He should only eat what he is given.

"Night-night" is another command that is so cute watching this beautiful boy perform.  It starts with him being in a relaxed side-flop position.  Once the command is given, along with the hand signal, Auggie falls all the way over and lays flat, like he is going to sleep.  Then he receives a treat.

Auggie's trainer is really going to miss this special boy when he goes to his forever home.  He knows Auggie will also be a special addition to his new forever family.  Enjoy Auggie!!!

Paws Up!

This week Auggie worked with his primary and secondary trainers to help reinforce Auggie's basic and extra commands. They even added two new commands: "bounce" and "paws up." Here's how they work:

"Bounce" starts with Auggie in front of his trainer. With both hands balled up into fists in front of the trainer's stomach, extend the thumbs straight up. Now, the trainer will simply jump up (less than an inch off the ground) and say "bounce" at the same time. This sends Auggie into a vertical leap! He will grab the treat out of your hand with his mouth, and he'll jump as high as you can hold the treat. This is such a fun trick and so entertaining for Auggie and everyone around. 

"Paws up" is a trick that has Auggie placing his front paws up on a stationary object, like a chair, window ledge, etc. All you have to do is point at an object and say "paws up!" Be sure to give him a treat quickly, because he loves those!

Auggie's trainers continue to make him do "down" before he comes out of his kennel so that he'll be calm. They also put a small amount of warm water in his bowl at feeding time to slow him down. The toy bone that was being used to slow his eating didn't work. He'd just take the bone out and wolf his food down anyway! What a goof. 

Auggie is such a well-behaved brindle boy. Everyone is always complimenting his demeanor and his beautiful coat. His trainer wishes he could adopt Auggie himself!

Command Master

Wow!  What a fun week it has been for Auggie.  After a couple of laid back holiday weeks, Auggie and his trainer hit the training hard this week.  They added four, yes I said four new extra commands which Auggie found fun and invigorating.  These new commands are "catch", "give", "bow" and "back".  Who knows . . . maybe Auggie will be making breakfast next week.

"Catch" is the most fun extra command and gave this big lazy boy a little exercise at the same time.  Once Auggie's inmate trainer says his name to get his attention, his trainer will show him an object.  It may be food or a toy and he says "catch".   His trainer will toss the object toward Auggie and he catches it in his mouth.  The food he swallows, of course, but the toys he will chase and/or play with for a minute.

"Give" is a good command to use when Auggie has something in his mouth that you want or maybe it's something you don't want him to have.   Just place you hand on the object in his mouth and say "give".  His mouth instantly opens and he releases the object.  This command goes hand in hand with "catch" and/or "fetch".

"Bow" is a cute trick that has Auggie stretching his front paws forward and dropping his head while his rear-end stays up in the air.  It's real cute!  He can't wait to impress you and your friends with this trick.

"Back" is another useful command that has Auggie backing away from you, if he's facing you, or backing up with you, if he's beside you.  This could come in very handy,  if you come home with your arms loaded down and Auggie is in your way.  It's also cute to just watch him walk backwards.

Auggie is such a special boy!  Someone is going to be very lucky to adopt this guy.  The command master!

America's Next Top Couch Potato

Another laid back holiday week behind us, and Auggie is still working hard. His trainer has been fine tuning Auggie's recall - he was responding well to "here" in the training room, but in the wide open areas he was having a little bit of difficulty. He and his trainer worked on it together and his trainer reported that he is very happy with Auggie's improvement! Especially since recall of a pet outdoors is a very, very important tool, sometimes for their own safety. And Auggie is such a smart boy; he's picked up on this effortlessly.

His trainer also introduced another extra command this week. It's called "visit." While his trainer is sitting down and he is standing or sitting by him, his trainer points to his knee and says "visit" and Auggie places one of his front paws on his knee, and then his trainer tells him "good visit" and he gets a treat! And then the off command gets him to remove his paws. 

His trainer reports that he is very happy with Auggie's overall progress in training. Auggie is a low energy dog, almost to the point of being lazy. He is going to make a great couch potato!

Training Is Fun

Auggie had a laid back fun week.  His trainer ran through his basic commands a few times to keep them fresh in his mind and he continues to perform each of them flawlessly.  So his inmate trainer decided to introduce Auggie to a couple more extra commands.  The first one is "circle".  This is where Auggie is either in the "heel" position or standing in front of his trainer.  Once he is given the command and the hand signal,  Auggie will walk completely around his trainer and stop at his trainer's right hand where he gets a yummy treat.

The second extra command is called "bang".  Auggie is either standing, sitting or in the down position and his inmate trainer points at him (with a finger gun) and says "bang".  He will fall to the floor in the side-flop position and play dead.  Auggie even lays his head on the floor.  He is so cute every time he does it.  

Auggie's inmate trainer also worked on the "jump" and "off" commands this week.  He's catching on quick.  Auggie is so much fun and he truly is a special greyhound!

Quick Learner

Auggie is such a joy to work with. He is a treat-motivated dog and this makes training him so much easier. He now knows all of his basic commands and the hand signals that are associated with six of them! Of course, we will continue to go over them daily for the remainder of the session so they are cemented in his command repertoire by the time he bounds into your home. 

This program is not only about teaching commands. We also try to integrate predetermined responses and behaviors. This way, by the time you bring your new family member home, he already knows how to handle every imaginable situation we're able to replicate here (learning to walk up and down stairs, and hopefully preventing the dogs from counter surfing!).

Auggie is such a quick learner! One day this week he was on a bed in the training room and we were playing around. I noticed he likes to use his front paws a lot while playing and used this opportunity to teach him how to shake. He learned it in about two minutes! I am so proud of his progress after only a couple of weeks. He has such a sweet disposition and he is going to be a great addition to your family! 

He's A Keeper!

Wow!  What a week it has been with Auggie!  His inmate trainer said he is so smart and picks up on things so quick.  He shows Auggie things three or four times and he starts doing them.  Maybe he has a photographic memory.  Auggie has already learned "sit", "down", "hurry", "let's go", "wait", "here", "bed", "jump", "leave it", and "kennel".  He is slow to respond to "release", "heel" and "stay", but his trainer knows he will have them all figured out in no time.

Auggie's inmate trainer said it is truly a pleasure working with him.  He is so smart and gentle.  He is such a sweetheart and gets along with all the other dogs and any humans he comes in contact with, as well.  He is friendly and outgoing.  Even though he is very laid back, he does play, but only for a short time.  Then he's ready to relax and enjoy his retirement.

Auggie is going to be an all around great family dog.  He loves to be loved on and will lean into you while being petted.  He's a leaner and definitely a keeper!

Rare Gem

Auggie is a wonderful white and blue brindle Greyhound.  He is such a handsome boy!  His coloring is so unique that everyone stops and stares at him.  Auggie doesn't seem to mind all of the attention he is getting.

Auggie is extremely smart, treat motivated, open and receptive.  His inmate trainer has big plans for this rare boy.  Auggie is even tempered, pretty laid back and nothing seems to rattle him.  He is super sweet!

Auggie and his inmate trainer have spent the first few days getting to know one another.  They worked on leash etiquette, and some commands like "wait", "let's go", "hurry", "here", "heel" and "bed".  Auggie absorbs everything like a huge sponge. He is so smart!  Don't miss the chance to adopt this boy early.  He is a rare gem and will go quickly.  Let him be that special addition to your forever family.