Peanut W.• Not Bad /1 week Board &Train

At first pickup Peanut, a year old Schnoodle, went into a corner, growled and almost snapped at me. Her tail was not visible because it was tucked between her legs. In the Canine College if I asked her to sit she would lay down and there was some urine on the floor. Eye contact was out of the question and when she did sit she would face away. Fortunately, she has strong food drive and by the end of the first session through the use of voice, touch, and food, I was able to introduce her to the elements of foundation obedience including the sit, down, stay, heel, and, even watch and come. To get her to take food, make eye contact, and even get her to come to me established the beginning of bonding and trust . I'll teach "off " and "take it" later since I just got her to take food no need to slow the process. She was a little shy the next day, still submissive at first but no urine. By the end of the session she was having a ball.She made about turns without even a tug on the leash and began to sit automatically as I stop. WOW! By the third day she was too excited to see me. Now I can work on calming her down. As dogs learn to work nicely with the handler in quieter areas it becomes easy to see other issues. Peanut has socialization and desensitization problems that now can be worked on. She has learned to avoid or go to flight whenever something is unfamiliar. I'm proud to say we made huge gains in the 5 sessions I spent with Peanut. She had a ball in the game of obedience. I helped to deal with some of the baggage she came in with due to poor communication. I would even challenge her to keep up with me. I can only hope that the owner continues showing Peanut that the world is a beautiful place, especially when her guide is a leader she can trust. Group obedience would be a familiar area with calm stable dogs to practice. I invite anyone to view one of my intermediate, advanced or Rally obedience classes. (Please do NOT bring your dog until it has been determined they and you are capable of working in the class.)