Got Treats. Will Perform.

This past week Little Bit was put to the test.  Her trainer had her taking commands from several other people to see how well she would do.  She gets excited when meeting new people, but she did them for everyone!  Little Bit is very treat and toy motivated and will do just about anything for them.  The sky is the limit with her training/learning.

Little Bit and her trainer play "hide and seek", which has worked great to help her on the "here" command.  He will hide and call her name and then "here".  She is getting really good a coming when called.  He keeps some treats on him, so when she finds him, she gets a yummy treat.

Little Bit's favorite command is still "Jump".  She loves to jump up on the pads on the chairs without much coaxing.  She's a super sweet, fun loving girl that is sure to win over her new family in no time.  Enjoy Little Bit!

Sure To Win Your Heart

This week (swap week) an alternate trainer had the great pleasure of working with Little Bit.  He says she's quite the joy, to say the least.  It's too bad "sweet" isn't a command because she would have mastered that long ago.  She's an active Greyhound who loves to play.  She's obsessed with squeaky toys, but will give you the toy when commanded to.  Little Bit knows all her commands, so her alternate (swap week) trainer mainly worked with her on leash walking and "waiting" at thresholds.

Little Bit is good about being in her kennel.  She will be perfect for a family with kids or a semi-active lifestyle.  Either way, Little Bit is sure to win your heart.

Play Hard Sleep Hard

Well, it was pre-graduation testing week and Little Bit did… well, she did… fabulous! She knocked out her commands easily.  Her favorite command is the “jump” command so she’s always proud to show that skill off.  

Her inmate trainer wanted her forever family to know what kind of toys Little Bit liked so that they have an idea of what to expect when they take her shopping.  She likes her stuffed fox, loves to chase balls and even has a fascination with a stuffed skunk! Now, if that toy squeaks or makes a noise she’ll pretty much fall in love instantly.  As you can tell she’s not going to be very hard to buy for!  

This girl loves to play!  So much so that when she’s running and playing in the big yard her inmate trainer calls her back to rest otherwise she’ll just keep going and going.  

A Ray of Sunshine

Little Bit’s inmate trainer says that training Little Bit brightens his day and that a person can’t help but feel lighthearted around this amazing girl.  She works and plays hard with a love for life that shines through.  She loves to have her belly rubbed and her favorite command is the jump command!  Her inmate trainer says that Little Bit's favorite toys are a Santa Claus squeaky and ball.  

Little Bit brings a lot of joy to the prison and her inmate trainer believes that she’ll do the same for her forever family! 

Jump Little Bit, Jump

This week Little Bit worked on the "jump" command.  At the race track the female kennels are on the top of the male kennels, so the girls are used to jumping up into them.  But for some reason, Little Bit was a little bit hesitant jumping up on the chairs with the pads.  So instead of using the chair, her inmate trainers stacked bags of kibble on top of each other.  She loves toys right?.  Well, her trainers used a toy and turned "jump" into a game.  Now she loves to "jump".  She will have her tail wagging and her mouth open in a smile!  Say cheese Little Bit!...

Counter surfing is a big issue the inmates like to try and work on before the Greyhounds go to their forever homes.  Little Bit is doing great with the "leave it" and "no" command.  She will now go up and sniff the food on the table, but not grab it.  A firm "leave it" or "no" is all she needs. 

So far Little Bit is doing really well on her commands.  "Stay" is still a work in progress.  She does a better "stay" in a "down" position, than when she is standing.  Her inmate trainers will keep working with her on this.

Little Bit is such a sweet and loving girl and is ready to show her forever home all that she has learned here at the prison.  I bet you can't wait...

Friendly and Playful

There are two things that everyone loves about Little But Proud (Little Bit).  She has the cutest little mohawk on the back of her neck and they love the way her tail curls.  Her inmate trainer says it looks like a monkey tail.  It is the cutest!

Little Bit is so playful and friendly,  She is not shy in the least.  She will go up to new people (guards, staff and other inmates) to sniff them, with her tail wagging and waiting for some sort of petting.  She's definitely an attention hound!

Some of the other Greyhounds in the group don't play much at all, even with toys. Little Bit loves to let the other dogs join in on her fun.  Her trainer will toss a toy from one person to another, while she chases after it.  Her expression says it all...Little Bit loves to play!

Her trainer is doing well.  She knows most of her commands well, and is getting the hang of the others.  Her "stay" is only at a short distance, but her trainer is working on distance and duration.  It seems like the commands that have to deal with sitting still are the hardest for this girl, like"wait", "sit", "down", "heel".  No worries, there's plenty of training time.

Little Bit is a lot of fun to work with and train.  Her inmate trainer has no doubt that whoever adopts this girl will enjoy having her in their home and family.  She is a greyt dog and a real sweetheart!

Learning The Art Of Sitting

This week Little Bit worked a lot on the command "sit".  She knows the other basic commands quite well, but "sit" seems to be a challenge.  Each day at feeding time her trainer will take her to the training room with her bowl of kibble and give her the "sit" command.  He would ask her twice to "sit" and then he would put her in the "sit" position.  This week her trainers saw her "sit" on her own.  She did it every time she was asked!  She is learning the concept of the command.  It was a big moment for her trainers and they were very proud of Little Bit!

Little Bit still has some puppy in her.  After all, she won't turn two until December.  Her trainer says she picks up new things very easily, so the sky is the limit with her training.

Her trainers are still working with her jumping on people.  She gets so excited, especially when he has been gone for a little while.  When she jumps, her trainer tells her "off" as he turns his body sideways.  She is learning that this is unacceptable.

If you are looking for a sweet, playful, friendly, not a care in the world greyhound, then Little Bit is it!

Working To Be A Stair Master

Little Bit tackled the stairs this week!  She was a little hesitant at first, but with some encouragement and treats she tackled that fear and marched right on!  Before training was over her confidence had grown a great deal.  Her inmate trainer believes that she’ll be a stair master in no time!

Little Bit is a very friendly girl who doesn’t meet a stranger.  In fact, when she sees someone new she walks right up for a hello sniff and a bit of petting.  Little Bit is the kind of girl who welcomes attention, but she’s not all about demanding it.  She’s confident in her cuteness and knows that resisting her is impossible. 

She loves to play!  Her inmate trainer says that you can take her in the dorm or training room and she’s always ready to play.  She loves to chase toys that have been thrown in the air or bounced against the wall.  She’ll also chase the other dogs for fun when running in the big yard.

Ready To Play

Today Little Bit got a surprise visit from a 12 week old puppy.  With her muzzle on, she sniffed the puppy.  He would bark at her wanting to play.  Little Bit let the puppy jump all over her and nibble on her ears with no problems.  Later on, the puppy was laying on the bed and Little Bit went over and flopped down on the bed next to him. The puppy crawled all over her and she even played with him gently.  Little bit seemed to know he was small and her motherly instinct kicked in.  It was amazing to watch her with the little guy (puppy).

Little Bit got another surprise visit from Ms. Patti.  She got to show off what she has learned so far.  She knows "hurry", "let's go", "kennel" and "wait" very well.  She needs to improve on:  "heel", "here", "down", "stay", "bed", "jump". "leave it" and "back", but she's a smart girl and will get the hang of them very soon.

Her newest command she is learning is "sit".  She likes to do this one in her kennel. She kind of side-saddle sits.  She seems most comfortable like that.  She picked up on this command very fast.

Little Bit loves to play and would play all day if it was up to her.  She loves to chase all types of toys you throw for her.  She will even bring it back to her bed to chew on for a bit.  She will stop and then want you to take it and throw it, so she can chase it again.  She also loves balls.  She will catch it after it bounces once.   She's one fun greyhound!

Exploring And Learning

Little Bit has been doing really well these few days in her new environment.  The first day was hectic with getting a bath,  her ears cleaned, her medical check and more, but she handled it really well.  No whining or fussing out of this gal.

She was more curious about her new living area and she wanted to explore everything.  She smelled everything and her cute ears would perk up at any new sound.  Her inmate trainer said she was really cute during her exploration.  She saw her reflection.  She stood there in a daze, sniffing her reflection and looking like "who are you?' and "why do you look like me?'  It was too cute.

Little Bit went out in the big yard and was able to run.  She really enjoys running with the other dogs.  She seems so happy and playful, and she's very fast for her size.

These past few days her  Little Bit has been learning her name.  She has already started to pick up the concept of several commands: "Let's go", "wait", "hurry" and "kennel".  Her trainer made a trail of kibble going into her kennel and to the back the first time she went in her "kennel". this way she associates it with a good thing.  Check back to see how Little Bit progresses over the next week!