School's Out!

Hello again! Can you believe it's my last week here? I've been working on the "shake" command - that's where you hold your hand out to me and say "shake," and I put my paw in your hand! And then when that paw is there, a treat appears in the OTHER hand. Nice!

I took my test this past Friday and had to perform the 13 basic commands. I passed with flying colors! 

I love to exercise and chase my trainer in the yard. I can't wait to play with my forever family! During training, I do all my commands before it's play time. I'm just saying, but you couldn't ask for a better, more obedient dog than lil ole me! 

Simply The Best

Swap week is here! It’s time to put the dogs with an alternate training team to see how they do with commands from other people and how they do away from their assigned training team.  

Monica’s alternate inmate trainer says he was excited to learn that Monica was their temporary assignment because he knows she has a great temperament.  She’s easy to train, very affectionate and gentle.  She earned great scores for her commands during Show and Tell.  She’s a sweet and loving girl who just makes you happy to be around her.  He says that she’s definitely one of the best dogs he’s ever worked with.    

Just One Look, And You're Hooked

This week Monica has been working on the “spin” command.  She will turn around in a complete circle for you.  Well she will for a treat payment.  Monica has made a new friend in Charlotte.  While in the training room they just seemed to hit it off.  Monica does really well with the other hounds and is very gentle when she plays with her humans. 

Monica’s inmate trainer says that Monica loves attention.  He says to prepare yourself because just one look from her and you can’t help but fall in love.  She brings joy and laughter with her wherever she goes. 

Pretty Miss Monica

This past week for Monica has been outstanding! Not only does she know all of her basic commands, but her trainer has been working on walking her without a leash and she is doing a fabulous job! Monica stays right at your "heel," just like the command says. Her trainer practices the here command with her as well in the yard; after she's done running, he'll say, "Monica, here!" And she comes straight to him, happy and tail wagging. 

Now, remember, Monica is a very happy, motivated dog, so she has fun in everything she does even if it's just learning. She is working on some extra commands, the main one being "ruff" which is similar to "speak." The next one is "spin" when is where she goes around in a circle! It's so cute. 

Well, we are looking forward to updating you next week on all of her shenanigans and new skills! Have a great week and we'll see you soon!

Happy Birthday To Me!

Monica has come a long way in the last week!  Her inmate trainer says that she’s a wonderful dog to work with.  She’s very treat motivated and marshmallows are a big hit!  She loves to watch TV with her inmate trainer.  For her birthday she had a kibble cake with peanut butter on top and a few marshmallows.  She dove in with excitement and got some peanut butter and kibble stuck on the side of her nose.  Her inmate trainer said it was a hoot watching her try to get it off!

He says that Monica brings joy to his heart daily.  She enjoys going up to meet people and if she gets really excited you can use the “heel” command to bring her back to your side.  

Marvelous Monica

Hi there! I sure hope you have your car door ready for Monica to "jump" in, because this girl has perfected the coveted jump!  She knows it so well now, and did an outstanding job at show and tell with all of her other commands. If you have an SUV or pickup truck, you will have so much fun with the "jump" command, watching her hop up like a big grasshopper. 

Monica really loves performing and learning commands, so her trainer is working on two extras: whisper and speak. They both have physical and verbal cues.

Monica is the type of dog who will teach you new things about dogs. On the big yard at the prison, she loves to run with her friends Harley and Shadow. Monica motivated her friends and herself to run and play at the same time, and it's so awesome to see. She is so playful and friendly with people and with her fellow four-legged classmates. 

More to come next week on marvelous Monica!

Miss Popular

Week 4 for Monica came and went so fast! Just like summer lovin'. She knows the down command now and had so much fun learning it! She makes it look so easy and sleek. Sometimes before feeding time, she has to do a down and won't break it until her trainer says release. 

Monica is thriving in this program. She is so friendly with everybody and this cutie pie has a BIRTHDAY coming up on May 13th! Her trainer is going to make a kibble cake for her - how cute is that?! It'll be kibble mixed with peanut butter (a favorite of the greyhound variety). She loves special treats. 

Next week, she'll be working on "jump" which is the last command she has left to learn! With her outstanding performance so far, her trainer knows this talented beauty will learn it very quickly - and then it's off to steal your heart!

America's Next Top Companion

Wow! Everybody, it's only week 3, and Monica already knows how to do a sit VERY well. Her trainer will often run her through the basic commands, and, a rarity for greyhounds, "sit" is her favorite! Monica sits before she eats. She sits for her favorite squeaky toy, Gumby. Sometimes she gets so excited about her awesome performances, her trainer has to remind himself that she only has 7 weeks left. He's just so happy for her accomplishments, but he knows he will miss her dearly when she leaves. 

Monica loves to relax in her kennel and her trainer has three different bones he gives her to chew on. She takes them and hides them under her pillow in her kennel. What a goofball! She even watches TV with him while she's on her day bed. When you tell her, "good bed Monica" she gets very excited because that's what she enjoys - laying around and being cute. 

Monica has just been such a winner from the beginning. She is so smart and talented, and you are going to be so proud to say "that's OUR dog!" when people point and smile at this beautiful girl.

Happy Girl

Week 2 for Monica has been very exciting already! Her trainer has had the pleasure of working on the "here" command. She waits patiently inside her kennel until he gives her that command. When she walks toward him, she has something called "happy tail" which means she is wagging that tail full speed and full of joy. She IS one HAPPY GIRL!

Monica is the type of dog that gives a family everything to live for. She loves having her teeth brushed, she is very affectionate, and she has been getting along with her fellow hounds just perfectly. She's even made two friends already! They are her running buddies, Shadow and Harley. Monica loves to run with them in the big yard. And be prepared to listen up these next few weeks, because there's so much more to come about this sweet girl!

Star Student

This is Monica's first week at the Second Chance Greyhound Academy for Future Pets. She loves her kennel already! She has been practicing leash-walking, and this sweet girl has been amazing. She is working on a basic command - "wait." She is improving moment by moment! In the short time she has been here, she has been working very hard. She is a great listener, and she knows her name already. Whoever adopts this smart girl will bring so much joy to their family! 

On her first time out in the big yard, she ran and had loads of fun. She's very fast, and she likes to make it known! She loves to run and zoom around. She is already making such good progress and there's no telling just how far she'll go before these 10 weeks are over!