Belly Rubs, here I come!

It's Finn's last week here and his trainer has got to say he's proud of all he has accomplished. "It's not me who has done it," his trainer says. "Sure, I was the one that showed him what to do, but it was all up to him to do it."

Finn is such a smart dog and he made it easy. His willingness to please and being so motivated to work for the treats helped out a lot. He's very eager to please, be loved on, and work for food. His trainer says he cannot wait for you to get the chance to not only meet him, but for him to show you what he knows. 

Finn hopes you have a little treat tote ready to reward him for being an awesome guy. This boy is very treat-motivated and would do almost anything for a treat (anything except crime). You can get him to do anything for treats and he is used to seeing them on his trainer's side, waiting to be earned and eaten. When he sees that little tote, he knows it's time to work or time to pay attention. He is such a smart boy and if you are willing to teach him even more commands or tricks, there's no doubt that he would be willing to learn them.

Finn also LOVES to have his belly rubbed! Do that and then stop for a while... he will lift his head and look up at you, imploring you to resume. Or he'll roll over on his back and present his belly right to you! This boy is a goober.

Another thing Finn likes is for people to rub his ears through their fingers. He'll close his eyes and if you do it long enough he might just fall asleep!

Make sure to remember to limit the amount of water you give him because he will drink it until he makes himself sick. And make sure to keep those toilet lids down! :P

When giving him a command, remember that he is used to hearing a man's voice - so make it firm. Not rough, but firm, and this guy will follow your lead and nestle right in your heart lickety split!

Water-Lovin' Pup

Finn is doing so well on his commands and it's almost graduation time. He can't wait to show off how good he is at verbal and hand commands!

One thing about Finn is that he is better at doing his commands when you use a firm voice - not loud, just firm. When he comes to live with you and your family, walk him around your yard and neighborhood before you let him in the house. This way he has plenty of time to do all of his marking outside and also lets him take inventory of new landmarks to pee on. It's also good to take him on walkies before he gets in the car or goes on a long trip (boy greyhounds love to mark, and you don't want him to mark something he shouldn't!).

Finn, like many greyhounds, will drink as much water as you put in front of him. If it were up to him, he would end up looking like Violet Beauregard from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory - an orb-shaped water balloon of a greyhound. So only put as much as you want him to drink in his bowl or else he'll drink til he's sick! What a goober. 

Whenever you introduce him to a new family member or fried, feed him a treat and rub his ears - they'll become instant friends. He loves food and isn't a picky eater at all. 

Til next week, take care, and make sure your heart's ready to get stolen!

Fun-loving Goofball

Finn was such a good dog to work with during swap week. He whined a little bit due to missing his primary trainer, but not too badly. He adapted really quickly. He knows all of his commands and is such a big friendly goofball with lots of love to give. 

Picture-Perfect Pup

Finn is such an energetic and playful dog. He is a big dude, and he gets super excited when it's playtime and squeaky toys are involved. He is also very intelligent, and is now learning to do his commands without treats on the horizon. By the way, his favorite treats are multi-flavored marshmallows... yum! He is doing great with his commands, and only ever tries to walk ahead when he needs to go potty and is eager to go (it's a little bit of a walk to get to the designated Potty Zone), but a couple of "easy"s and he slows to the correct position beside his human. On his way back inside, he is the picture-perfect walking companion. By graduation day, he's going to be an expert at all of his commands, both verbal and using hand signals.

It is difficult to explain the joy and awe of watching Finn develop as a student and as a dog - watching his personality bloom has been such a privilege. He is progressing into such an intelligent, obedient, fun-loving companion and is ready to become part of a new family! His trainers feel honored that they have had the opportunity to make such good memories with this wonderful hound. 

Finn the Wonder-Hound!

One of the gals from SCG Academy came to visit and see how all the dogs were progressing on their training. She also took some pictures which will be up on the website in a couple of weeks (make sure your heart is prepared to handle the cuteness!).

Finn performed all of his commands with no problem during the visit. She took a picture of him doing sit and one while doing stay. He is such a good boy! Plus, he loves treats and will do anything for them. 

Finn loves to have his chest and belly rubbed. You rub it and sometimes when you stop, he will roll over on his back with all four feet in the air so you can rub it some more! What a ham.

Finn has been practicing going up and down stairs. He's getting better at jump, so if you need him to jump into the back of an SUV and he's acting hesitant, toss a squeak toy in. He'll love it!

He's also been working on his recall, so if he ever gets loose you say his name and then "here!" He's also been practicing staying on his day bed while his trainer is out of sight and on "leave it" for food and some other things. 

Tune in next week for the adventures of Finn the Wonder-Hound!

Stairs And Jumping...No Problem

This week Finn was introduced to stairs and to "jumping" up on things.  He was a little unsure about doing either of them, but with some enticing treats waved in front of his nose, he was doing both like a champ in no time!  This boy will do just about anything for a treat.

Finn's training session is half way over and his trainer said Finn has made it easy for him, being so treat motivated.  He knows all of his commands.  He is such a smart dog and his trainer has no doubt he is capable of learning any command you ask of him.  The sky is the limit. 

Top of the Class

Happy mother's day from Finn (formerly known as King)! A few of the ladies from Second Chance came to visit and see how all the hounds were doing, and Finn did really well doing all of his commands on the first try. In a couple of weeks, you should be able to see the pictures of him and his classmates from the visit. Prepare to have your heart stolen! Fair warning: this is a theft you can't prevent. Your heart is gonna fly right out of your chest when you see this handsome guy practicing for his new forever home, when he will return your heart to you so he can steal it over and over again with his smile and silly antics.

Something about Finn: he is really, really smart. You might want to hide your wallet so he doesn't figure out how to go online with your credit card and buy every treat on earth. Every day at feeding time he goes into the training room to work on his commands with his primary trainer and other members of the team. A lot of times he will automatically sit, or go into a down position before you even give him the command! Finn is smart, eager to please and will do anything for a treat.  

One thing Finn would love for his forever family to have: a treat tote always handy for when he's being good or does one of his commands. It helps to have those handy when you're going for a walk, to Greystock, or just at home chilling. Just the sight of that treat tote will motivate him to continue being the best boy ever. Finn is a really good dog and is adapting so quickly to so many new people, smells, sights, and sounds. 

Whoever is lucky enough to get this guy is sure to fall in love with him instantly - you'll be glad you gave him a second chance and a good home. 

Fun Loving, Happy Boy

This week King got a new name.  Finn.  His trainer has been working with him on answering to it.  It’s funny, but you could call him anything and he will look at you, hoping to get a treat.  He’s one silly boy that’s addicted to treats.  He will do anything for one.

Finn’s trainer has him sit or down for his food.  When it’s feeding time he will automatically come out of his kennel excited, tail wagging and hopping around.  Then he will “down” outside his kennel without even being asked.  His trainer can’t help but smile at him.  Tell him “release” and he goes into his kennel, turns around and peeks his head out the door and looks up at his trainer.  Finn is something else.

He knows all of his commands, but needs some fine tuning.  It’s early in the training and his trainer is sure he will have them all figured out in no time.  Finn is a fun and loving greyhound that seems happy all the time.  Are you ready to add a happy-go-lucky greyhound to your pack?  Then Finn’s the one for you.

One of a Kind

One thing King enjoys is when he is able to go out into the big yard and run with the other dogs. Sometimes he will run with the other dogs, and the other times he will come running toward you. If you bend down like you're going to get him or chase him, he takes off! It's so cute. Sometimes he'll circle and run with you. This boy likes to play.

Training is going well and he has been introduced to a lot of the commands and their concepts. Now it's just a matter of doing them over and over again every day. When it's feeding time, he sits on one of the beds to wait for his food until his trainer brings it out of the training room. 

King likes to lean against people when walking him or if you're standing still, like a little Greyhound hug. He likes having his ears played with, so rub away! If you rub them through your fingers he will even tilt his head sideways for you. It is so cute!

King gets really excited when it's time to come out of his kennel, especially first thing in the morning. He will try to bolt right out! So he's working on staying calm like the rest of his classmates. He's definitely getting more comfortable with his environment. He can get startled by loud or sudden noises and voices, but that is to be expected and he is already showing signs of adjustment. 

He is so good at lying on his day bed. I know this sounds silly, like how could he be bad at it? But sometimes a hound will just stand on it, not sure what to do. He will lay down and even drift off to sleep. He's been known to sleep on his back, which is super cute and always brings a smile.

To be honest, I don't think he's a Greyhound... he seems to be some sort of water-hound. He drinks water like a mer-hound! He does love his water and food of all kinds. Keep checking back, and come back next week to find out what adventures King is on!

Gentle Giant

King has had a busy weekend.  He was washed, weighed, ears cleaned, nails trimmed, and thrown into a new environment, yet he handled it like a champ.  He is a curious boy and enjoyed exploring the dorm and meeting new people. 

King is doing very well answering to King and looking at or coming to his trainer when he calls his name.  King is learning fast the proper way to walk on a leash.  He has picked up the “let’s go” command too.  This command means you are about to move forward or are about to change direction and walk a different way.  King is already paying attention to his trainer and following his lead. 

He also got to play with toys for the first time this weekend.  He had fun tossing and chewing on them, but was good at “giving” up the toy for a tasty treat.  Afterwards, King was so tired he rolled over on his back with all four paws up in the air and went to sleep. :)

King seems to be a gentle dog, even while playing or taking treats from his trainer’s hand.  He is a good eater and doesn’t mind being petted when he was eating.  Keep in touch to hear more about King’s adventures.