Down for Lovin'!

We are back with the final update on Chance's progress. As you know, this session has come to its 10th week and therefore its at the end. Chance is such a wonderful dog to have worked with. He knows all of his commands very well, and passed his exam with flying colors. You will be so proud of him! He loves to have fun with his toys and it is just such an amazing feeling when Chance opens up to you. He is sure to build an incredible, strong bond to whoever opens their heart up to him. It is truly unbreakable once you have it! Chance's go-to command is down. Anytime he sees something he wants, he'll down for it.  It's so cute! 

Also, Chance loves to receive treats for good behavior. His trainer says he is very honored to have helped train and work with this lovable guy. He is going to make his new family so happy!

Here Comes a Special Boy!

Welcome back to another update on our boy Chance! This week was swap week here at Second Chance Greyhound Academy for 45 MPH Couch Potatoes. During swap week, we test to see how the dogs do with taking commands from a new trainer, as well as test for separation anxiety. Well, Chance's swap week trainer is very proud to say that Chance has had no problems during swap week at all! His swap week trainer even said he was able to teach him extra commands this week. Chance learned "shake" and "paws up," which is where he puts his two front paws on a chair or object in front of him. Is your heart melting yet?!

Chance also received another toy, which is a yellow pig. He is so excited whenever his new buddy comes out to play! He also loves to snack on popcorn and marshmallows, so have those ready when you bring home this good boy. He's really good at catching them in his mouth - hours of entertainment await!

Chance has come such a long way since he first arrived. He's very interested in what goes on around him, and he is so interesting himself! He is a sight to behold, and his trainers have learned as much from him as he has from them.

Paws Up for Chance!

This week Chance and his trainer have been polishing all of his basic commands. He does all of them so well! He's also working improving his response time on his extra commands, which are paws up and shake. His favorite extra command his paws up. He is improving greatly with shake, and when his trainer tells him to shake he will lay down with ears perked up and gently touch his paw to his trainer's hand. Chance is also loving toys more and more. He is very gentle while playing with them; he'll be shaking a plush toy around and when his trainer says give it, he will easily give up the toy. Chance is such a great dog and his trainer knows that he'll make his new family very happy. And his new family gets to meet him SO SOON!

Sweet Fellow

It's blog time again for Mr. Chance.  As usual, he had another great week.  He's mastered all his basic commands, so his trainer introduced a couple low-key extras, since Chance is such a laid-back kind of guy.  He is learning "paws up".  This is where his trainer will point to an object, like a chair, and say paw up.  Chance will then put both front paws on the chair.  The second extra command is "shake".  This is a big deal for Chance, because when he came to the prison, he did not like for someone to hold his paw.  He is doing a fist bump kind of shake, but hey, it's a start and his trainer will keep working with him on it.

Chance is loving toys more and more.  His new favorite toy is a blue whale with a sonic squeaker.  Supposedly humans can't hear the squeak, but dogs can.  To us it sounds like a puff of air when he squeaks it, but Chance loves it.

Chance's trainer is really enjoying his time with this sweet fellow and he knows his adoptive family is going to be very happy to have Chance in their life.  

Mister Popular!

This week's session working with Chance has been amazing, as always. He is continuously getting better at performing his commands and interacting with everyone. He is very treat-motivated.  He just loves kibble and is always eager to please to get a tasty treat. He is very attentive both inside and outside of his kennel, and  loves coming out of his kennel to play, especially with his squeaky pink elephant, or to do his commands or just hang out.

Chance is very sweet and a very calm dog who loves a good belly rub. Chance is just a great dog, a blast to be around and work with, lovable and attentive, a perfect addition to a family. Is it going to be you? Are you that lucky duck?

Learning and Loving

Another wonderful week has passed with sweet Chance. This past week he's been polishing his basic commands, as well as improving his response time to completing the command that has been given. He's also been improving on the distance and duration of stay in all positions. The stay position is a little bit difficult, particularly the dreaded Sit-Stay. It's just so hard for these greyhounds to sit! Look at those long legs. After several seconds he likes to lay down instead of staying in this position, but he's getting better with every training session so his trainer is sure that he will have that worked out soon.

Chance is also starting to love toys more and more every day. His trainer is making him do a sit or a down before he throws him a toy. He is very gentle and gives the toy up without any problems. Chance is such a great dog and his trainer says he's having such a good time training his new buddy. His new family is going to love him!

♫ Oh, Happy Day! ♫

This week has been a breakthrough with Chance. He has come such a long way since his last blog. Just to start off, he now SITS!!! His trainer was so happy when he did his first sit, it was like watching your child take their first steps. He's still a little slow to respond on sit, but he's getting quicker every day. He also knows all the other basic commands. His trainer thought that he might have trouble with jump, but he just jumped right on up there like a champ. His favorite command is down, and he likes it so much that he just downs for no reason. Some more good news is that Chance is now playing with toys. He still a little unsure of some of them, but he's starting to get the hang of playtime. Chance has really made his trainer proud this week. His trainer says that he knows he'll make his new family just as proud. See y'all next week!

A Ray Of Sunshine

This week Chance has been working with his secondary inmate trainer.  His alternate inmate trainer says that Chance was a little unsure at first, but warmed up and let his friendly and loving side shine. 

Chance loves to run in the big yard and when he sees his human, his tail wags wide open.  His trainer says that when you point and give the “bed” command he will look at where you’re pointing then back up at you as if to say… Okay, what’s in it for me?  The production of a treat equals proper payment in Chance’s mind!  Chance is doing really well with “sit” and waiting at the door.  His inmate trainer says that Chance is sure to fill his new family’s hearts with joy. 

Sweet, Loving and Smart!

Chance and his trainer have made SO much progress this week! This week, Chance has been working on leash walking and the commands that go along with it - let's go, heel, and wait. Chance is so good at walking on a leash. It's almost like he had prior leash training... He picked up on let's go and wait very quickly, and his trainer is very confident that he will have the heel command down in another week. 

His trainer has also introduced him to the "sit" command. He's picking up on it a little slower than the other commands, but that's to be expected - imagine if you had those long legs and had to sit on them! 

His trainer is having a blast getting to know Chance. He is such a sweet, loving boy. It took a few days to get his trust, but now that he has it, they're friends for life. Check back next week for more updates on sweet Chance!

Take a Chance on "Chance"

It's the start of another 10 week session at Second Chance Greyhounds Academy and look who walked in....  A handsome brindle boy with a race name of BL Vanguard.  After some brainstorming, his trainer decided to name him Chance.  Second Chance Greyhounds has given "Chance" and his trainer a second chance, so no other name would do. 

Chance is a super sweet boy.  He's a little unsure of his new surroundings, but with a little time, he should fit right in to his home away from home.  So far, Chance has been working on leash walking, which his trainer has to say is excellent!  He is also working on "heel" and "kennel" this week.  Chance is super smart and his trainer is sure he'll be a breeze to train.  Check back next week for more updates on Mr. Chance.