Groucho Is Sure To Be A Big Hit!

It’s the last week ladies and gents!  Groucho’s inmate trainer says that he’s going to miss this wonderful boy!  He says that it’s been a great learning experience for both himself and Groucho!  Groucho arrived with his own ideas about things.  He was a little picky about the food, had no interest in toys, and was a bit headstrong but with a little time, treats, and love he has flourished!  After settling in his true loving and easy going nature emerged.  He’s a sweet playful boy who is friendly and affectionate.  He knows his commands well and doesn’t mind showing off his skills.  He might be a little leery of new things at first but once he’s had a chance to figure them out he’s good to go!  He’s eager to please his human and to meet new ones!

His inmate trainer offers a bit of advice saying that keeping Groucho’s nails shorter seems to work best.  They seem to chip easily and having them short should help.  He says that he hopes his new family enjoys Groucho as much as he did!  He’s sure to be a hit in his new home!

Just a Big Teddy Bear

Where to begin with Groucho? This guy is just a big teddy bear of a dog. He is laid-back in his kennel, but when he is running and playing, he goes all out! He did all of his commands for his swap week trainer this week, and he seems to have adjusted very well to a new environment with his swap week trainer. He was such a good dog to work with - and hard to give back to his primary trainer!

Easy Going = Groucho

Show and tell was this week.  This is sort of a progress report on the dog and trainer as well.  As expected, Groucho did great and received high marks on all of his commands.  His trainer never had any doubt, but it feels good knowing he's ready for the big test... graduation and heading off to his forever home.

Next week is swap week and his trainer is sure he will have no problems.  Like his trainer has said before,  Groucho is such an easy going greyhound, that not too much bothers this sweet boy. He loves to pet on him, rub his floppy ears and talk baby talk to him.  Groucho just eats it up!

Monkey Business

Week 7 is here and everything with Groucho is going well. He's a great dog: very relaxed, well-behaved and even-tempered. There's not much that Groucho can't do! Well, you should probably still take your taxes to a professional. But who knows? World's first canine CPA - Groucho the Canine Professional Accountant!

Normally, Groucho is calm and chill with his primary and secondary trainers. When with his secondary, he's sometimes very energetic up until his primary will enter the room, and that's when he puts away the energetic side and becomes the sweet boy. It's actually very funny to watch! He's like a little kid, testing his parents.  LOL  Grouch is  such a great dog though. He has his stubborn moments, like all dogs, but even if he's stubborn to do commands, he will still do them. It just takes him a little long to follow through, but he's getting better all the time! Tune in next week to see more of Groucho's antics!

Groucho is Cool, Calm and Collected

Groucho’s inmate trainer says that he loves Groucho!  He says that Groucho is not only a great dog to train, but is wonderful just to have around.  He says that Groucho is so easy going and takes all things in stride.  For example while in the yard his leash got tangled up around his leg.  Where most dogs would yelp Groucho just looked at his trainer like, Dude a little help here… and waited patiently while the leash was removed.   His inmate trainer says that Groucho seems to accept things and moves on.  

Groucho’s great passion in life is sniffing out new and interesting things.  He loves exploring!  As far as training goes, he continues to do great.  He has all his commands down pat.  He’s a little slow responding to “sit” and “down” but his trainer says not to worry he’ll be responding to those like a pro very soon.

Lovable, Happy Boy!

Groucho’s inmate trainer says that it’s hard to believe that they are half way through this training session already!  He says that being with Groucho makes time much more enjoyable!

Groucho is a lovable boy.  He loves to play with squeaky toys in the training room!  He loved playing before, but recently it’s like his enthusiasm has reached a new level. He’s added running, jumping, shaking his head back and forth, and rearing up with his front paws in the air all the while his tail is wagging 100 mile per hour!  His inmate trainer says it’s a lot of fun seeing Groucho letting go and truly enjoying life.  

Training continues to go well and Groucho responds to most of his commands with both hand signal and verbal cues.  His inmate trainer says it’s just a matter of time before he’s responding to all commands with both cues.

Leader Of The Pack

We are grooving now!  It's week four and things are moving right along.  Groucho has the walking commands down, like "let's go", "wait", and "heel".  Time will improve them to perfection.  He has also made good progress with "sit", "down" and "stay".  

More good news....  Groucho got a new bed and boy does he love it!  Nice, big, thick mini-mattresses that fit snugly in the kennels.  Thank you Second Chance Greyhounds.  Groucho says, "You are the best!"

This week Groucho's trainers will work hard on all the basic commands and don't forget some good playtime.  He loves to lead the pack running on the big yard.  It's his favorite thing to do.  Until next week...

Your New Favorite

Week 3 and we are moving right along with training and on track. Groucho can do all of his commands including jump, but not every time and not as quickly as he's supposed to. That's okay though, because it's only week three. We also worked on stairs this week and he did just fine. A little nervous at first, but by the second and third trip up and down he felt confident enough and trusted his trainer enough to not hesitate. Practice makes perfect, so we'll keep at it like all the other commands.

Groucho is quickly becoming a dorm favorite. He loves everybody and comes up to you looking for some love and petting with his tail just a wagging. You definitely can't be sad when he's around. What makes him truly special in his trainer's opinion is he does this without being too needy or too excited. He can be calm and relaxed on the daybed just as easily. And, he can go from a play dog to a cuddle dog in an instant. Not all greyhounds are comfortable with people all up and around their face, but Groucho just loves it. He just thrives on being loved. He's going to make such a great companion!

Attention Hound

Groucho is adjusting nicely to his new routine.  Dog runs, training, treats, and relaxation all are becoming quite the norm these days.   Groucho’s inmate trainer says that he thinks that Groucho is the friendliest dog he’s ever had.  He loves everyone and loves to be petted and shown attention.  The attention seems to be a real motivation for him!  He loves to investigate anything or anyone new.  His inmate trainer says it so cute to see Groucho’s tail going 90 mph with happiness.  He greets everyone with a happy, “Hi, I’m Groucho and we should be friends”! 

Groucho’s trainer says that Groucho loves to run!  He’s the first one off the leash and the last one in.   His trainer says that Groucho has got to be one of the smartest dogs he’s ever met.  He’s not very motived by treats, but will take a pat on the head or an ear scratch for proper payment for a job well done. 

This week Groucho and his team worked on: stay, bed, heel, wait and sit.  It’s only week two and he’s doing great with all commands!  His trainer plans to start him on some extras soon; kiss and visit.   Tune back in next week to see how training progresses!

Off and Running!

This first week WW's Bustleton and his trainer are getting to know each other. His trainer can already tell that he's going to be a great dog. From the moment he got off that transport, he's been as friendly and excited to be around people. He's just such a happy boy! His trainer has decided to name him Groucho. No, not because he's a grouch, but because, one, he likes names that are different, and two, he's very funny in a physical comedy kind of way like Groucho Marx. His trainer loves those old movies.

Anyway, Groucho and his trainer are bonding and Groucho is getting used to life and his new schedule. They're walking on a leash and he's learning not to pull on it, and he's also learning to wait at doors. So far, Groucho is ahead of the curve. He's very smart, eager to please and is motivated by lots of "good boy!" and petting. Treats are not so much of a motivator, but that is normal for some dogs so early in the program and it may change. His trainer will know more in the coming days once they start on sit, down, and stay. We're off and running!