Week Three

Last week I said that we were going to pick up something really special. At the beginning of the week we had a very important visit to do. When Osborn has finished all his injections and is consistent in coming back to me when I whistle for him, he will be allowed to go on ‘free runs’. These are special times when he will be allowed to be off the lead and run about with my dog Alfie or other friendly dogs we meet. It has to be carefully monitored as little puppy legs can get damaged if they are overused too early. Where I live there are a lot of fields and open areas, however in my experience, they are full of rabbit holes and we meet the occasional dog that is not particularly well behaved. Not the best place to protect young puppy legs and I don’t want Osborn getting frightened. So I approached my local school, Brine Leas High School for their help. They have a lovely field behind their school which is flat, rubbish free, and away from main roads, perfect for playtime for children and pups! They were extremely helpful and have said that we can use their field after school hours any time we like when Osborn is ready for this part in his training. Just in case we should get stopped by anyone, they have provided me with a special card saying who I am and that they have given their permission. How lucky are we! So we went to collect the cards in person, and Osborn got a lovely welcome from everyone in the school. Thank you so much Brine Leas for helping Osborn in his training.

I have been practising ‘leave’ with Osborn this week. The way I have been doing this is to hide a piece of his food in my hand and hold it in front of Osborn. He initially pawed or nibbled at my hand to get it. When he stopped for a brief moment I gave him the piece of food. He very quickly worked out that if he didn’t paw at my hand then he would get the food. I introduced the word ‘leave’ and hid the food again. Gradually he has associated the word ‘leave’ with leaving something alone and getting the reward. After a lot of repetitions, if he is holding a toy (or something he shouldn’t have, like my slipper!) I can now say ‘leave’ and he will drop it and swap it for a treat. This way hopefully he will never become possessive over anything as he will always do a swap for something else he wants.

Osborn has also decided that my other dog Alfie is now his personal cushion rather than just ears and a tail to chew. Osborn delights in playing games with my other dog, and Alfie has been brilliant in teaching him when he has overstepped the mark, they can convey so many things that we can never understand just with a look or a low noise. That is something no puppy walker can teach, the interaction between one dog and another. So it was really nice to see Osborn cuddle up to Alfie and fall asleep. It is not going to be long before Osborn is actually bigger than Alfie!
We also went into town again this week, the last time we went; Osborn was really interested in the pigeons in the town square. I do not want him to think they are going to be either something he can chase or bark at. So I just sat in the town square, with Osborn on my lap and we just watched the birds for a while practising our ‘leave’ training. It will come more into effect when Osborn is allowed to be on the floor and nearer them but it’s a good start.