Forever home, here I come!

Well, it's almost time for Sammie to finally meet her forever family! She knows all 12 of her basic commands and also four extra commands. Her trainer is so proud of her. He has truly enjoyed training Sammie and enjoy just getting to know her. He wishes her new family best of luck and happiness together. They say you never forget your first dog, and her trainer will miss her, but he is confident that she is in capable, loving hands. Have fun and treasure each moment with this special little girl!

Sammie. A Greyt Catch.

It was swap week for Sammie and her trainer for the week said she is a really great dog!  She has a sweet temperament and is very smart!  She catches on fast.  Knows all of her commands perfectly and you can tell she enjoys doing them to make her trainer happy and proud of her.  She did miss her primary trainer, but it didn't take her long to get into the groove of the different routine during swap week. 

You are just going to love Sammie!  Get ready for some greyhound kisses.  She's a great catch!!

Tricks for Treats

Today Sammie was swapped for a new trainer until next week. Sammie is doing really well with all of her basic commands, even with strangers. She is a very smart girl! She has even learned a new extra command - bow! So now she has this added to her list of tricks which include kiss, speak, and fix it. The latter maneuver consists of her lifting her paw to untangle her leash. This command is still a work in progress. Everyone just adores Sammy, and who can blame them? She is improving everyday and her demeanor towards other dogs when they approach her in her kennel and on her daybed has improved.

This week will be a little bit different and a little difficult for her trainer because her trainer will have to be away from her and ignore her completely so that she can learn how to take commands from a totally new person. This is his first primary trained dog, and he's been told you'll never forget your first dog. Next week's blog will be about what happened during swap week and Sammy will be back until she graduates and goes to her permanent forever home with her new loving family!

Ready For Swap Week

Sammie is ready for swap week, which begins next week.   She will perform most of her commands with people she is not familiar with, so her trainer feels she will do great for her "swap week" trainer.  Tune in for an update next week.

Her command performance improves daily.  She knows all of her basic commands and extras (kiss, easy, speak, give and fix it), so the next few weeks will be spent on perfecting Sammie's skills.  Her trainer has begun weaning her off treat rewards and swapped it with affection.  She is ok with the trade, because she enjoys the attention just as much as the treats!  Sammie is a joy to have around and her trainer is not ready to get his good bye kiss from her just yet...

Sammie Loves Kisses

Sammie is doing great! She now does all 12 basic commands, although she is a little hesitant on several of them for now. It is more of her being apprehensive than confused, which she has plenty of time to correct. Her secondary trainer conducted show and tell this past week and he and Sammie passed with flying colors. So, he knows that she knows her commands, and when crunch time comes she has no issues at all! Honestly, sometimes it's like she can't wait to wow a crowd!

She still likes to play in the training room with her squeaky toys and run on the big yard, but both activities sometimes bore her quickly. Someone get this gal a library card! Maybe Sammie just needs some variety in her intellectual stimulation. Once she graduates, she'll need you to teach her courses in Tricks and Treats: Culture and Theory, and Who's A Good Boy: The Answer We've Been Waiting For! 

She likes interacting with the other dogs in her class, and gets along with them as long as they don't invade her space on her bed or in her kennel. And be forewarned: this sweetheart is a licker! And when she is released from her kennel at any time of day, she gives little knitting massages on your hands and gives PLENTY of kisses! She is just so excited to meet and greet, and she loves to lurk around and enjoy the sun. 

People Pleaser

Sammie has been introduced to and is working on all twelve basic commands.  There are three she needs extra work on:  jump, stay and sit.  She is very smart and her trainer believes by swap week she will be proficient on all twelve and anyone will be able to ask her and she will respond quickly and accurately.  Piece of cake . . .  you got this Sammie!

Sammie has begun to love squeaky toys.  A far cry from the first week, where she showed no interest in them at all.  Now she goes bananas over them!  Sammie is a happy hound and enjoys pleasing people just to receive some lovin'.  She has a unique personality and is absolutely the cutest thing!  Her trainer learns from her every day.  I wonder what the coming weeks will bring . . .

Sammie the Sweetie

Sammie's training as well as her personality are progressing just fine. She is really opening up and playing more as each week passes. Her personality is really starting to develop in particular. This morning, her trainer was surprised to find that she was a little stubborn at feeding time and that she was not wanting to remain in her kennel until she got the release command. There are these firsts every now and then, but not to worry. These pups can be just like our children and at times they will try to see how far they can push a set boundary. It's all in a day's work to teach them differently. It's never boring, and each day is never the same. But the reward is worthy of the challenge.

This week her trainer is integrating the other team members into her training process in more of a hands-on role as opposed to simply spectating. This is helping ease her into contact with others and will also keep her mind sharp. Her stair training this Saturday was close to perfect! Each week she gets better as her confidence builds. This week they're concentrating on jump, sit and stay. Overall, Sammie is healthy, beautiful, sweet, loving, and very smart. Her trainer has no doubt that as the week's build-up to swap week, she will be right where she needs to be and her personality will be in full bloom.

Shining Star

Sammie's personality is really starting to shine!  She has started ignoring all the strange noises in her new world that once made her nervous.  She isn't bothered by thunder, lightning, train whistles or any of the other noises in the prison. 

She is doing great taking walks, breaks and doing her commands for her alternate trainers.  Before her training sessions, Sammie needs to burn off some energy and excitement.  She gets a few minutes of play time and then it's down to business .  Her trainer will introduce sit and stay this week, to her growing list of commands.

Sammie is a beautiful girl inside and out.  Her trainer is looking forward to honing her skills and watching her progress over the next 7 weeks! 

Playful Runner

Sammie and her trainer have four days remaining of bonding and personal training together before her secondary and alternate trainers can begin to walk her and take her out on daylight potty breaks. Also, beginning soon, her secondary can take her out into the big yard to run in the cool of the morning. The good news is that she has been able to run since Monday because her spay sutures have dissolved. And that is a really good thing, because this girl loves to run and play.

She is really beginning to adjust well to her new environment which is allowing her personality to blossom. She is very sweet and loving - and very cute, too!

Kisses For Everyone!

Sammie was excited upon her new arrival and was very curious about her new "yard" and living quarters.  She was very sweet and cooperative during the whole intake process, which includes bathing, ear cleaning and nail trimming.  This can be a traumatic ordeal for some, but Sammie handled it like a pro!

After only a few days in the SCG program Sammie is adjusting well to her new schedule, training sessions and leash walking.  Leash walking is a bundle of training sessions in one, with lots of waits, heelslet's go's and releases.

Sammie is very loving, but a little sensitive to all the new sounds and noises at the prison.  It's all new, so that will fade in time.  Sammie wags her tail a lot and she loves to give kisses!  Wet, sloppy kisses!!!

Sammie's trainer is looking forward to watching her blossom into a well-behaved, loving girl that her forever family will be very proud of.