Sally has been such a good dog to work with. She truly does not know the concept of a stranger - everyone is a friend to this sweet girl. She loves to have fun and play, and nailed all of her commands during final exams. She's ready to get her diploma and graduate so she can move onto Forever Home University!
Sally had the final testing on her commands and she passed! It won't be too long until she's all yours.
Sally has been such a great dog. She's very submissive, so when she plays with other Greyhounds there's no danger of her getting aggressive. Girls just wanna have fun!
This week is gonna be swap week, so Sally is going to be doing her commands and testing for signs of separation anxiety. Sally has shown so far that she is all right with being in her kennel for extended periods of time, and everyone expects her to do really well during swap week.
She loves Y-shaped bones and rubber bones to chew on while she's in her kennel. Switching them up every other day will keep her happy!
One recommendation for this sweet little gal: get a little treat tote bag you can hang by your side and that way you can reward her with she does something good, and you don't have to go find a treat and THEN come back. Sally does love treats, but she's also very toy motivated - especially if that toy makes noise! They're really useful for getting her to jump into the back of a truck or SUV and also to keep her entertained.
You are going to love having Sally in your life. And next week, you'll find out just how much you'll love her!
Sally was introduced to a new toy this week and it's her favorite! It is a bunny on the top half and an octopus on the bottom half with a squeaky in the middle. She absolutely loves it! Sally is a sucker for any toy that squeaks. She will do just about anything for one. "Jump" is one of those things. If you need her to "jump" up in your vehicle to go for a ride, just squeak a toy and toss it up in there and Sally will go get it. She's awesome!
Testing was on Friday and Sally's alternate trainer gave her the commands. She did very well doing her commands for someone else. When she did "down" and he gave her the "release" command, she just flopped over on to her side. It was so cute, and the guys got a laugh out of it. When you give the "release" command they can do whatever they want, and she did. Sally's such a silly girl. She's quite the entertainer. Check back for more updates on Sally.
Sally lives up to the name "gentle giant". She is very sweet and gentle around people and other greyhounds. She is also extremely smart and responds well to commands given to her by anyone, as long as she is rewarded with love, her favorite treats and of course playtime!
Sally is highly motivated by chew toys and gets excited when it is time to play. In her playful antics she is very comical. She will "give" up any toy with just a gentle voice and tug on the toy that she is playing with. She loves to choose the toy she wants by burying her head in the basket before coming up with her prize toy. This adds to the amusement of watching her play. Sally is hoping her forever home has a basket of toys ready for her to dive into!
You wanna see something funny? Just wait until you see Sally play with a toy - especially if that toy makes noise. Her trainer gets her to sit, or do a down position, then throws the toy for her to pounce all over and bite. What's funny is when she stops playing with it, you grab the toy and act like it is walking away from her or playing keep away on the ground. Do that while you squeeze the squeaker and watch her face - it's like she's wondering, "wait, didn't I just kill you? Why are you still making noise?" And then she pounces on it again!
And if you want some more fun, grab a squeak toy and hold it in your hand under her day bed. Squeak it and ask her "what's that?" Keep squeaking it and she will try to get it! She makes the most priceless expressions. I'd pay big money to find out what she'd be saying if she could talk.
As far as her training, Sally is getting better with stay. She seems more comfortable staying in a down position than in a standing, which is normal. She's more toy-motivated, so her trainer gets her to stay, walks back several steps, then releases her to get the toy. She responds to leave it for toys as well as treats.
Her "waits" are getting better, too! She can wait at a door and watch her trainer take several steps without budging. She is also learning to use her day bed and lie on it for extended periods of time, so that when you're watching TV or reading on the couch she will be used to lying down next to you.
Sally knows all of her commands now, and the next several weeks she'll be studying for her final exam. You're gonna be so proud of your new best friend!
On Fridays the inmate trainers do show-and-tell. They get all the dogs to show what they have learned and how they are progressing. Sally received lots of good compliments from the senior trainers in the program on how well she is doing. She has come a long way in just a few weeks. She is doing a lot better with walking by your side. At first she wanted to walk out in front of you, which you do not want, because then that means they're leading you. You are supposed to lead them. The only time that she likes to pull is when going to the bathroom for potty breaks and when she's in the big yard. She gets excited, which is understandable, and so Sally and her inmate trainer are working on this. When she pulls out in front of him, he gives a slight tug on her leash and tells her “easy” or stops and tells her “heel,” making her come all the way back and standing at his left side before they start to move again.
Sally is a really good girl. She's not an aggressive dog at all and tries to get along with everyone. She likes to nuzzle and lick all the other dogs right in the face and comes up to everyone with her tail wagging. She loves meeting new people and is a very friendly dog.
On her commands, she is doing really well. The more they do them the better she gets. Sometimes she will try you though; she will go into a lazy sit or down and try to get a treat for it. But her trainer doesn't give a treat because she knows how to do it properly. When he has her out on her daybed, he treats her when she first gets on it and lays down. Sometimes she'll stand up, circle a couple of times, and lay back down looking up at you basically wanting a treat. Smart girl! You just have to be careful what you treat and what you don't. She loves all types of treats. It does not matter to her what kind of treat it is as long as it is a treat. She loves food and toys of all kinds.
This week Sally was introduced to stairs. The first time going up, she was a little hesitant, but the second time she was more confident and sure of herself. A few more practice runs and Sally will be a pro.
The ladies from SCG came to see how all of the dogs are doing this session. Sally did great. She showed them just how well she can "sit" and "down". Sally is a good girl and very smart.
Sally loves to run on the big yard. She is the only girl on her run team of 4, so she's in heaven. She will chase the boys and they will chase her. She will nuzzle, lick and kiss the other Greyhounds wagging her tail the whole time. She loves dogs and humans just as much. She is so friendly. She will come up and nuzzle your hand or leg wanting to be petted and to check and see if you have any treats.
Sally is improving every week with her commands and will have them all mastered in no time. She has gotten in the habit of going into a "sit" without her trainer asking, in hopes of a tasty treat or a toss of a toy. Sally loves toys and treats. She's a smart, beautiful and funny gal.
Look out forever family... here comes Sally!!
This week Sally was formally introduced to the "jump" command. Her inmate trainer and team stacked bags of dog food (5 bags high in 3 stacks) to make a little bridge for the hounds to practice jumping up on in case you need her to jump in the back of a truck or SUV. And she did really well! Especially when a toy was involved. She did it for treats, but also responded well to a squeaky toy. Basically, her trainer used it to get her attention and rolled it along the top of the stack. She jumps right up there to get it! Plus, her trainer gives her some treats while she's up there. He was so proud of her. She performed it with no problems and he says she is a fun and smart hound to train. You'll be astounded to see how much she learned in just 10 weeks!
Her trainer reports that she is already doing "sit" and "down," two commands that normally take a little bit of time for hounds to get the hang of. She was doing them on her own when playing with toys. She would take the toy to the day bed and would sit on it and go from there into a down position, or would go straight into a down position. Smart girl! The only two commands that are proving to be a little tricky are wait and stay. But her trainer feels she will get better with both. Just have to put some extra time in, but there is plenty of time left for her to master all the commands. She is such a fun, loving, friendly and all around great dog. You will love having her in your family.
Sally has had a great week. She was tested Friday on her commands and is doing so well considering the little time she has been here. She is getting the hang of "let's go", "wait", "bed", "heel", "hurry" and "kennel". Sally surprised her trainer by doing a "sit" and "down" while playing with toys in the training room. He knows she can do them on her own, so now to teach her to do them on command. It shouldn't be too hard with this smart girl.
Sally is a very friendly girl. She loves to come up to everyone, sniffing, tail wagging, wanting to be petted or to get a yummy treat. She is a happy and playful dog for sure. Sally will go up to every Greyhound and nudge their face with her nose. It's like she is saying "hey" and giving them a kiss. She is a sweetheart!
While her trainer was writing this, Sally was in her kennel on her back with all four feet in the air sleeping. She has perfected "roaching" and has decided retirement life is pretty sweet.
Sally's trainer will let her play in the training room after she does her commands. She loves for her trainer to toss different toys around for her to chase. When you want to get the toy from her and toss it again, tell her to "give" you the toy. She is getting very good at that command.
Sally is an all around good dog and one you will enjoy having in your home. Check back next week for more adventures with Centex Sally.
Sally's inmate trainer decided to keep her name and boy did she have a busy first day. She handled it great. Some dogs are nervous or scared when they come in here, but not Sally. She was just curious about everything really and wanting to sniff and investigate her new surroundings.
First she had her bath and that went really well. She just stood there while they wet her down and soaked her up. When she was rinsed off she did shake a few times and managed to get them all wet. But that's all part of the process. She had her nails trimmed, ears cleaned, teeth cleaned, and did well at all of these things. She did not put up a fuss about anything. After all that her trainer let her into her new kennel where she found a little trail of kibble leading to the back of it and a small, little pile of food in the back. Needless to say she had no problems going into her new kennel.
The past few days have been all about letting her get used to her new surroundings, exploring her environment, and working with her on the basics. She is learning to walk properly on a leash at your side, not out in front, recognizing her name, waiting at thresholds, obeying “let's go,” which signifies movement or a change of direction, kennel, and heel which means to come and stand at your side. She's doing really well considering she's only been here for a couple of days. She's a good girl and her trainer thinks you're going to love to have her in your home.
After her bath, the shampoo really brought out the white in her fur. She is a beautiful dog and her fur is so soft. While petting her he found a couple of spots she love to be petted on. Petting her there gets her going so much that her back leg goes to tapping on the ground repeatedly and fast. Yep, she knows how to dance already!
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