Amazing Atlas

It was swap week this week! Atlas spent time with a new inmate trainer to see how he would do following through with his commands and how he adjusted with being away from his primary training team.  Atlas did great!  He had no problems being away from his primary training team and he performed all of his commands with no hesitation!  

Atlas’s alternate trainer says that Altas has really big paws so shake with him is always fun.  His trainer believes that speak is probably his favorite command.   His alternate trainer says Atlas is one of the most amazing greyhounds he’s had the privilege of working with.  He has no doubt that he’s going to be a big hit with his new family.  

Atlas = Happiness:)

Atlas knows all his basic commands!  Heel is if favorite command with sit being his least favorite.  He does great with stairs, although he does try to go a little fast.  A quick leash correction slows him down to where he needs to be. 

Atlas is a super friendly guy who is outgoing and happy.  He and his inmate trainer added, “speak” and “shake” to his list of commands.  He loves to speak and his eyes light up with delight when you request him to talk to you.  He’s grown fond of playing with toys and will run around the room throwing them around. If you ask him to “drop it” he will drop the toy and look up at his trainer like now what.

Training time is dwindling down which means that Atlas will be headed to his forever home soon.  His inmate trainer says that he has no doubt that Atlas will add love and happiness to his new home! 

Atlas. One Special Hound

Atlas did really well demonstrating his commands this week!  His inmate trainer is working to make sure that Atlas gets in the correct position of “heel” and is proud to say that Atlas continues to show improvement every day!  He’s doing much better with keeping his attention focused on his trainer and his trainer thinks that Atlas will have one of the top performances at graduation!

He says that he likes to watch Atlas run because he’s super fast on a stretch and can catch up with the other dogs even if they got a head start on him.  He runs himself tired every morning playing and enjoying himself.  His inmate trainer says that Atlas is one very special dog who is sure to make his forever family very happy!

Sweet, Sensitive Guy

Atlas’s secondary inmate trainer says that if he could choose just one greyhound to adopt out of all the ones he’s worked with it would be Atlas!  He says Atlas gets compliments on his unique appearance everywhere he goes.  He looks like a tiger wolf but he’s actually a very quiet and sensitive guy.  He’s showing himself to be a very sweet and personable boy.  

In the beginning it seemed like it might be harder to get Atlas to focus since he had no interest in treats.  Lately, he’s really come out of his shell and enjoys treats, meeting people, and investigating new things!  

Atlas is now sitting and following through with all of his commands and preforms like a pro at group demonstration.  Atlas is not a hyper boy, but he does enjoy running with the other hounds.  His inmate trainer says that he believes that Atlas will genuinely care about his humans and will strive to please them.  

Attention Hound

Well, the halfway mark has arrived. It’s hard to believe that training is half over!  Atlas’s inmate trainer says that Atlas has come such a long way.  From the boy who didn't like treats and had to be lured with ice. To the boy who now has a non-stop wagging tail!  That tail is wagging from feeding time to training and lets not forget his after session visits for human attention.  He loves to walk around saying Hello to everyone and receiving a bit of attention.  

Outside for playtime his inmate trainer says that Altas is the talk of the town.  Other inmates and guards can often be heard saying that Atlas is their favorite.  With his sweet personality and unique looks he’s hard to resist.  He’s a gentle goofy giant that’s guaranteed to steal your heart. 

I Can Jump!

Atlas has made a lot of progress this week!  He’s gotten the hang of the “sit” command!  He hasn’t quite reached the master level yet, but he’s well on  his way.  He did master the “jump” command this week!  His inmate trainer says that he wasn’t even planning to train on jump this week, but they were walking around the day room and Atlas saw some other dogs working on jump.  He kept watching them jump on the platform with interest.  He was so interested that his inmate trainer decided to give it a try and what do you know, Atlas jumped on the first try!  

They also worked on the stairs and Atlas didn’t have any problems going up or down!  Ms. Patti from SCG stopped by to check on training progress and Atlas showed off his skills by responding to every request on the first try.  The only one he hesitated on was “down”.  They’ve just started working on this one so the delay is not really a surprise. Atlas’s inmate trainer says that he’s very proud of Atlas and can’t wait to see what he learns next!

Improving Every Day

Atlas has made a lot of changes this week!  He’s made great improvement with the “heel” command.  His inmate trainer has been working on the “sit” command this week as Atlas is not too fond of this one.  Sit is actually one of the harder commands for Greyhounds due to all the muscles in their hindquarters.  In truth, Atlas would much rather perform the “down” command rather than some ole request to sit.  Not to worry though, his inmate trainer believes that Atlas will be sitting in time for the next blogs. 

There’s also been a bit of treat interest this week!  This new interest will help a great deal with training.  The ice is good, but nowhere near as yummy as treats!  Toys are also peaking his interest of late.  His favorite is a squeaky teddy bear. His inmate trainer says that Atlas is opening up more and more each day and he can’t wait to watch his confidence grow and more of personality emerge. 

Ice. Ice. Baby.

The second week has come and gone.  Atlas’s inmate trainer says that Atlas is a gentle guy who is laid back and a little lazy. His favorite thing to do is lie around and embrace retirement.  He’s not really motivated by treats so that makes training a little more difficult, but not to worry a little work around has been found… ice!  Atlas really likes ice cubes so they’ve been using those as training rewards.  It seems to be working as he’s picked up on “here,” “kennel,” “heel,” “sit,” “down,” and “bed.”

Atlas is a sweet boy who is always looking for someone to give him attention and love.  It will be interesting to see what he learns next!  

Who's This Big Ole Teddy Bear?

Time for another 10 week training session to start!  Atlas has entered the program and met his training team.  His primary inmate trainer says that Atlas is a big boy with a unique snout who is sure to turn a few heads.  Don’t let his size intimidate you because he’s just a big ole teddy bear. 

His inmate trainer says that he’s taking time to get to know Atlas and starting slow with training.  So far they’ve been working on leash walking and bed and Atlas is doing great!  Next week he plans to introduce sit and heel during meal times.  Stay tuned as training progresses!