# Cosmo goes to obedience school



## ziggylu (Jun 26, 2010)

Cosmo went to his first obedience class last night. This was not a puppy class but a beginner obedience class instead. There were about ten dogs and a couple of them were puppies as well. No off leash time though as it wasn't a puppy class. It was outdoors as well. 

He did really well considering he's a nearly 6 mo old puppy that's still working on his focus skills. The first half of the class he did really well and stayed focused on us. The exercises were all things we've been doing at home - sit, down, stand, look, stay, and follow the cookie to work on positioning. Walk on a loose leash. After the little break in the middle of class he had more trouble focusing. I forgot and fed him before we went so I think had he been hungrier the treat mix of salmon, natural balance beef, and cooked natural hot dogs would have kept his attention. 

He was distracted by the people and other dogs but didn't bark and lunge. It was nice to be outdoors instead of in a room - lots of room to work and I think it helped him stay more relaxed. He tried to play with a couple of the dogs around him but nothing too bad. He even managed to greet one dog politely on leash which is a first for him. not sure what it was about this one dog but hey, we're taking it as a success and building on it. 

He's a completely different dog from 4-6 weeks ago and coming along nicely. He's still a pretty independent and in someways aloof little dude and you need to find ways to keep him interested and motivated to please you but nothing like what we were dealing with. In hindsight, I think a lot of his early issues may have been pain and stress related as so much of it now seems like it must have been defensive in nature. He doesn't mind us handling and holding him anymore and hasn't growled or snapped at us in weeks. Not that he's been comfortable and out of pain, I think he's learned he can trust people. He follows us around the house most of the time and likes to keep us in his line of sight(he's still not a snuggler but he does want ot be near us). He's been great at vet and they comment all the time on how much more relaxed he is. We're hoping to get to the groomer tomorrow but I anticipate she'll say he's really come a long way since his last visit as well. My family was here on Sunday and hadn't seen him in a month and all of them commented as well on the change. He was really good with all them too. they got a kick out of him showing off his two "tricks" he's learned so far: Shake hands and roll over. 

So all in all....he might have been a "difficult" puppy when I started that other thread, but it seems that getting him out of pain and giving him clear boundaries is really working to help just be a typical puppy. Now we're teaching him to stay off counters and not steal laundry - all those things puppies should be doing at this age. That stuff I can laugh my way through. 

We're aiming for him to earn his CGC. It's going to a take a bit because of the reactive on leash to other dogs issue but I think he'll get there. I think we'll get there too. We're learning as much, if not more, than him along this journey!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I am so glad things are going better - I think you may well be right that pain and stress triggered his earlier behaviour. It sounds as if you are really bonding now, and enjoying being together - what a change in a few weeks. Onwards and upwards!


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## Beach girl (Aug 5, 2010)

Gosh - I am sitting here with a great big grin on my face and tears in my eyes reading this. What a wonderful illustration of how helpful it is to get to the root of the problem!! 

I think you are so right that the pain was a huge issue for him. So glad you got a handle on that and fixed his mouth pain.

All that you have done - the various trainers, the vet skills with fixing his pain, the obedience classes, the NILIF method of training - it's all very positive and very dog-centered in terms of finding out his individual needs, and training accordingly. It's just great to hear.

Sounds like Cosmo is well on the way to being a great dog.

Not all poodles are snugglers. Pippin is, Casey isn't, but Pippin is the one who is perfectly calm when we leave the house, Casey is the one who barks and gets agitated. It's just an individual thing and I don't think has anything to do with how much attachment they feel emotionally.


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## flufflvr (Mar 20, 2010)

I'm so, so glad to read this. I followed your other thread closely, and felt your pain. Serious kudos to you for sticking with him and seeing him through. I bet he's so much happier now that his mouth isn't hurting. It'll give him a chance to relax and think straight and realize what a great family he has. Sounds like you've figured out what works and you can now go with it. A big hug to you all!


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## faerie (Mar 27, 2010)

that is good to hear. he's going to be a really good dog because you all are good owners. i really admire your dedication and perseverance. 

and my dog still wants to great and play with dogs in obedience classes. and she loses focus too ... so cosmos is just being a 6 month old!


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## ziggylu (Jun 26, 2010)

Yeah, we're just dealing with puppy stuff now that the growling and biting has ceased. He's continuing to come along nice. I took him with me to do some observations at the farmers market yesterday. This was the first time he'd be in a crowd. He did really well, only jumped on person at the beginning and then greeted everyone else polite wtih all four feet on the ground, no mouthing, no nipping. This included some small kids - he really ate up the attention from them. There were other dogs there and he did pretty well with that, some jumping and barking but on the whole actually much better than I expected given the sensory overload he was probably on. He laid nicely under a table while I sat with some coffee and took some notes as well. Anytime I stopped to ask questions to vendors and talk with them, he sat calmly for the most part and just looked around.

We had a friend over for dinner last night who hadn't seen him in about 6 or 7 weeks. She, like everyone else, commented on the difference in his overall demeanor. He was again pretty well behaved for a young puppy. He jumped once when she first came in, was corrected, and then just followed her nicely into the kitchen while she ignored him. Once he ignored her, she called him over and pet him and he was very polite for that - again no mouth, no teeth. 

All in all, he's coming along well. He hasn't been to daycare since Thursday so he's had LOTS of energy this weekend. Unlike other times when he's been wound up though he's not been aggravating the greyhound and he's been playing very politely with us. So more real progress...


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