Bev's first 'owner training' session for Oscar (and Simba)

[melinda]

Bev came to our house on saturday and has taught us all about the wonders of freeshaping, she had us being doggies so we learned how hard it was and we have taken it all on board...thanks Bev!

Oscar is taking to it like a duck to water, he's a smarty-pants in the making, probably a bit more 'switched on' than we are  .  Simba's better when it's just us Bev, but she's not so forward in offering behaviours as Oscar.  She just keeps going through all the 'tricks' she knows when she sees we've got a treat and then she cries when I don't give it to her.  We'll get there in the end!

We've now got him locating to a mat, lying down, learning the 'touch', going to his bowl etc so we're getting the hang of it.

He's now managed to open the bedroom doors though, since we shut him out of the living room (he's had the blinds down so he can look outside).  Not sure what we can do to wedge the doors shut... the reason we want him out of the bedrooms is it leaves a space between him and the walls adjoining next door and hopefully they then won't hear his eppy fits barking at things when we go out without him 

I shall practice every day, he's got a new obsession now that we discovered since Bev came.  He likes to 'hunt' insects... Crane flies/daddy longlegs are a favourite and he's nearly destroyed the house leaping after them.... it's quite an obsession (silly Pointer!)

[SuzAndTheDiva]

Sounds like your having fun  we ended up turning our door handles upside down to stop our collie opening them and then getting door knobs - think bevs dogs can do door knobs our collie never mastered that 

[melinda]

lol, maybe we'll need to get door knobs then!  We have door knobs downstairs but handles upstairs.  I'm leaving him stuffed Kongs and things and he seems ok to be left when we go out to work, it's when we take Simba out for a walk without him that he loses the plot and starts barking his head off.

He barks at a lot while we're in the house, so i'm worried about upsetting the neighbours when we're out and i'm trying to put as much space between them and his barking as possible.

Dogs Trust told us he doesn't bark when left....or at all.  He's DEFINITELY a barker 

They also told us he had been let off the lead though, and his recall is non-existent so back to basics.

Bev has instructed us to walk them seperately for the time being as being with Simba makes Oscar pull more on his lead and generally lose focus.  He's far better when I take him out on his own, hopefully they can start going out together soon though, i'm itching to take him on the nice long walks we give Simba and get rid of some of his energy.   All in good time though I guess, hopefully when Bev is done with us i'll have 2 very lovely dogs to walk/live with