Stealing Hearts Everywhere

Can you believe it? It’s time for Zippy to depart Jenkins and head to his forever home. His trainer said it has been amazing working with Zippy. He did his final testing this week and did great! His trainer is really going to miss Zippy so much. He has a way of making you feel happy. They say dogs help people in many ways and Zippy did just that with his trainer.

Zippy loves attention and being rubbed on his belly. An attention hound he is! His trainer knows you will love him just as much as he has.

Gorgeous Goofy Guy

This week was swap week, so it gave the trainers a chance to get to know a new dog for a whole week. This week, Zippy got to spend time with a new trainer who found him to be very smart, fun-loving and playful. He is so happy to be around everyone and did a great job practicing his commands with his swap week training team. He performed all of his commands for him perfectly! His swap week trainer really enjoyed his time with Zippy, as his fun and goofy antics make for endless entertainment. Zippy also likes watching TV and will lie down in the day room and stare at the TV all day long. He is so fun, laid-back, and an all around great dog!

Bring On Graduation!

This week has been a fun week with Zippy, playing with him on the small yard and working on his commands. He has them down pat, so extras may be on the agenda this week. Zippy is such a sweet boy. His trainer has enjoyed having him around, and is happy to hear he has a forever home to go to after graduation.

Zippy is a sports fan. He loves to lay on his bed and watch tv, especially the sports channel. Zippy is ready to cheer on your favorite team!

Zippy's Bag of Tricks

Zippy's training this week consisted of adding new elements to his basic commands. His training team increased his holding times, tested him on new commands and had him work with trainers outside of his primary team. They also let Zippy socialize and have playtime with other hounds. He doesn't seem to mind sharing his toys and play area, and whenever treats are being handed out, he always wants to be included! Zippy is progressing well and his training team hopes to add more to his bag of tricks in the coming weeks.

Mr. Sunshine

Zippy is doing amazing with all his basic commands.  The past week he learned the “down” command.  He’s doing great and now knows all of his commands.  His inmate trainer plans to work on a few extra tricks soon. 

Zippy is calm and laid back most of the time but he perks right up when playing.  He likes to play with toys and treats are always a good idea. His inmate trainer says that it’s a pleasure working with sweet Zippy!  

Zipping Right Along

Zippy made great progress on his training this week. After showing a thorough comprehension of the 10 initial basic commands, his trainer was finally able to introduce him to sit. He resisted the position at first, and even tried to side saddle his way into a half-decent sitting position. However, with about five to six days of consistent training and the added motivation of the best, meatiest treats, he was able to learn the position as well as perform the command on cue. His training team has even progressed to teaching him the down command, which doesn't seem to be any trouble at all for him. Right around the halfway mark of the session, and Zippy seems to have developed the proper social etiquette and enough command cues to make an awesome pet! They’ve even got another five weeks to improve on these things, and maybe teach him a fun trick or two!

People Pleaser

Zippy has mastered all but two of his basic commands. He has been extremely easy to teach, so his trainer figures at the rate he’s learned these commands, that he shouldn’t have a problem learning a couple extras. Which ones will it be?

Zippy is still a calm and laid back boy the majority of the time. If Zippy sees something that excites him or he finds interesting, he will curl his tail. His curled tail seems to be the only indicator when something strikes his curiosity.

He hasn’t shown any interest in toys, but the squeaks and noises seem to peak his interest, but the toy itself, he’s not too sure about. Zippy will make a perfect addition to any family. He’s a calm boy, a great learner and a real pleaser.

Settling in Like a Champ

This week in training, the trainers introduced Zippy to the jump station. It's actually a setup of day room chairs that they arranged to mimic a car door entry. Zippy was hesitant to jump at first, but with a few treat lures and some motivational coaxing, he seemed to catch on just fine. They worked with him for two separate training sessions and by the end of the second one he was jumping on command without a leash attached.

They've also been grooming Zippy regularly, and this is worth mentioning because initially he was completely against the concept of having his teeth brushed! Now he allows them to brush them three times a week with very little resistance. He handled his first nail clipping like a champ and he actually enjoys having his fur brushed. He's not so enthusiastic about having his ears cleaned, but he'll tolerate it as long as you're gentle and easy going. They only have two more basic commands to teach him and at the rate he's learning, they should have no problem covering those within the next two weeks. Hopefully he'll even be able to learn some extra tricks!

Ticklish Boy

Zippy’s second week has been progressive.  He’s improved on his leash walking skills and general social etiquette.  Extremely loud and sudden moves can startle him a bit and cause him to want to find a place to hide (usually in his kennel).   Otherwise Zippy is very interactive with others and something as simple as eye contact seems to be rewarding to him.  When zippy is happy or intrigued by something it’s very noticeable.  His inmate trainer says that he has a very unique tail wag that’s always hovering in the air, above his back, and curled to look like an elf shoe. 

Zippy also has some interesting “feel good” spots along his back and sides.  When he gets groomed his legs will jump or twitch.  When you rub the spots it’s as if he’s being tickled. He also leans heavily into the rub as if he’s trying to deepen the massage.  

His inmate trainer says that altogether, with is personality and acceptance to teaching; Zippy seems like he would be adaptable to any environment, except maybe a working train yard or anywhere with loud horns, bells or whistles. LOL

A Gentleman and a Scholar

Zippy started his session with a somewhat hurried introduction – he was pretty reluctant to be bathed and groomed on the first day, but that’s to be expected. So many new changes in so little time! Initially, Zippy wasn’t a fan of being touched or hand-fed, but after a day of settling in he realized that he was in a safe place and relaxed. Zippy is very fond of lounging around in his kennel and he gobbles down treats and kibble from the bowl, floor and hands with no reluctance.

Zippy is also a very good learner. It doesn’t take much repetition to show him a behavior that they would like him to learn. He has been very calm and reserved, and he has phenomenal manners. He walks in pace with his trainer and will even remain at pace without a leash! His trainer feels that this will be an easy-going and fun training session with this gentleman!