I keep starting updates for Krypto, and then something happens with the computer, and I don't finish it. So, hopefully, this one will get done!
He's now very good at either sitting several feet away when we open the door for a cat and let them in, or getting on the chair and sitting until they walk by, which is no small feat for a dog who pesters the cats pretty much all the time. We absolutely had to do it, because the cats were becoming unwilling to come in the door when they were going to be pestered as soon as they set paw inside. This has solved the problem.
Also, I wasn't thrilled with the way that he tried to play keepaway with his ball, after retrieving it. While it's fun to play ball with him, the idea, a couple of times a day, is to exercise him until his growth plates close. We throw his ball 15-25 x's per session, and him being unwilling to give the ball right back was making it difficult to give him his exercise.
I started having him sit before we threw the ball, earlier this month. Then, a couple of days ago, I said that he had to stop making a game of holding onto the ball, so I implemented him sitting when he brought the ball back, as well.
That seems to have done the trick. He's giving us the ball about 90% of the time already. That's so much better for us.
Also, he used to lie down in a relaxed manner, as if he was lounging. It was fine for some things, but I also wanted him to learn a charge, which is lying down in a way that looks like a lion on either side of steps at a library, or a sphinx.
I didn't want to lure him to a 'charge' down, so I decided just to capture the behavior, which I did. After a few times, he had it down pat. I later added a hand signal and command to it. I especially like the hand signal, because it's very subtle, but isn't confused with anything else.
Bring your arm in toward your chest, just slightly above and ahead of your chest. Put your pointing finger out. Now, without changing the position of your hand or arm, moving only your finger, move the pointing finger slightly down, maybe 1/2". That's it. No pointing to the floor, no extension of the arm, etc. When we do that subtle move, Krypto drops to the floor in a perfect down.
These days, I've changed his routine to include sitting from a lying down position. People often go from a sit to a down, but I also like to go from a down, to a sit.
With the fetch, we are doing the sit, and saying, 'Go get it!' on the throw. My plan is to move, eventually, once this is solid, which it's becoming fast, to him staying in a sit even after the ball is thrown, until told to go and get it.
I want to do this, because too many dogs who love to chase things, will do so mindlessly, not paying attention to anything else. I've know of dogs ending up being hit by a car doing that. So, I'm going to try to prevent that level of mindless chasing.
When Krypto was small, and teething, I worked on impulse control, which worked. Now, we are back to it for objects that he thinks that he should 'play with.'
For example, we have a duster-mabob with a telescoping handle, to dust the ceiling with. Dh was going to put it out of Krypto's reach the other day, and I said that we should do the opposite, and put it on the coffee table.
At first he went crazy sniffing it. He wants to smell everything. If you go outside, he has to sniff your feet and legs when you come back in. Then, he pulled carefully at the fuzzy top of it, and I told him no. He sniffed a little more, then walked away. We are putting it down in various places, when we are close enough to watch out of the corners of our eyes. Soon, we'll be done with this item, and go to another.
His control with people is getting better all the time. We had the county road works along our road last week. People were walking and talking, equipment was being used, etc. and he did exactly what we've been working on for months. He barked, then after we acknowledged him, he let us take over. He would rather have kept barking, but didn't, so we encourage him a lot for making that choice.
He remained alert by the big windows in the kitchen, which face the direction that the equipment and people were, but he didn't bark anymore.
We've had one incident of him barking at someone, when he was outside, and they came up. I don't know why it happened. So far, it's not been repeated.
His worst problem, is going ape when Frankie comes over. There's no talking to him when Frankie's here. I know that he loves dogs, and doesn't have any other dog friends, but still...
Also, his appetite still hasn't improved. I am still unsure if he's just not hungry, or if he doesn't like this food much since they change the formula. Either way, he usually only eats one meal a day, often skipping breakfast, or eating a small amount of it. He's gotten leaner, but he's not too thin.
He's thrilled with his toys. Pretty much, he needs one of more squeaky balls for playing and fetching, which is something that he needs to do once or twice a day for exercise.
Plus, he's a chewer. If he can't lie down and chew part of the day, he's going to find something else to chew on. Chews are what he's allowed to have after a meal, when he can't run around and play for a couple of hours. He divids his quiet chewing time between his elk antler, and his heavy duty Nyla.
Add in a couple of heavy duty cloth toys, to be played with under supervision, and he's set. I still can't believe that everything pretty much needed replacing at once! Thankfully, it got done.
Krypto is very loving, and wants only to please. He has tested his independence a little, and like other adolescents, he sometimes turns a deaf ear to something that he doesn't want to hear, but we're making great progress while he's going through his 'teen' years, and waiting for full maturity.
Well, that's about all for now! It's time to play fetch!
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