The Next Steps

After six seemingly grueling weeks, we have finished Puppy 1 class.  Upon reflection, I would have to say that this was an experience we definitely needed to have and indeed benefitted from.  The last time I was involved with obedience class of any type, I was enrolled with my rescued Rottweiler and that was over twenty years ago.  At that time, training methods were quite different and for me, learning or relearning was important in what I wanted to accomplish with Ray.  In the beginning, I just wanted a dog/puppy that wouldn’t use me regularly as a chew toy.  I wanted a companion for walks and I wanted a stellar obedient pet.  I had high expectations and mixed results.

At home, Ray is good.  Really good.  He is improving in his life skills every day and though I know it is just a normal part of his growing process, I can’t help but feel that he is going to be a great dog.  His leash walking is improving, though we need a lot of practice and much of the time that is something I just don’t want to do.  It is probably the most stressful endeavor so far but my new plan is to start even slower and keep it in the yard for a while longer before we venture down the busy street.  When we’re at home, I feel like it just might be too stressful to continue with classes.

But I know in my heart that I want more.  I want to be able to expose Ray to more and to enjoy things with him.  I want to be able to take him to parks and to events like the upcoming Pits in the Park.  I know we have more work to do and I am committed to doing it.  I’m pretty stoked that we’ve actually advanced enough to go to Puppy 2 class and I think we’ll grab a little individualized training before the next round starts.  Stay tuned for continued progress!