Hi all!
Here is a Lucy Training Update!
My goal is to have Lucy pass the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test this year. The CGC is a test standardized by the AKC that tests dogs for good manners. The test can be performed by a wide variety of people (professional trainers down to those people at PetsMart). There is a certificate awarded to the lucky dog that passes. The CGC has ten challenges, listed below.
Test 1: Accepting a friendly stranger
We live in a hotel. Lucy has this down cold. She loves strangers!
Test 2: Sitting politely for petting
Again, we live in a hotel. Many a person has swooped down out of nowhere to pet, cuddle, or pick her up. She’s always very polite and enthusiastic.
Test 3: Appearance and grooming
Didn’t I say in my last post that this dog is a diva? She won’t go out in public looking any less than her best.
Test 4: Out for a walk (walking on a loose lead)
Yep, she walks on a loose lead.
Test 5: Walking through a crowd
We’re in Seattle. Any walk requires maneuvering around people, strollers, and shopping bags.
Test 6: Sit and down on command and Staying in place
This is where we run into some trouble. Lucy does none of these three things on command. She knows when I want her to sit (waiting for the elevator or to cross the street) but doesn’t know a word for it. I’m actively working on teaching her the necessary vocabulary for Sit and Down. Stay might be harder as she is something of a velcro dog.
Test 7: Coming when called
I’m about 80% sure she could do this if she could ever stay in one place long enough for me to get far enough away to call her.
Test 8: Reaction to another dog
Friendly dogs? She’s wonderful! Looks at them a bit and keeps walking. Big dogs that bark at her? She gets scared stiff. She just sits down wherever she is and watches that dog very very carefully.
Test 9: Reaction to distraction
She has very good focus. I can even get her attention away from pigeons.
Test 10: Supervised separation
Yep, I have been away from her. There were those couple of days in doggie day care and then occasionally I leave her with the front desk staff when they want to pet her and I want coffee. She kind of sits there for a minute looking in the direction I went, just waiting for me to get back.
So, 8/10 in 2 months? Not half bad, puppy-girl! And she doesn’t even get points for her only-bark-once-when-someone-is-at-the-door trick.
If she doesn’t pick up sit/down/stay by the time school starts back up I’ll enroll her in one of those PetsMart beginner classes. I’m sure she’ll ace it.
After the CGC I will feel confident enough to start Lucy on public access training. However, she needs knee surgery in September so for about 2 months she’ll be in recovery. She will have a lot of trouble walking so I’m not sure public access training will be able to start until Spring Semester.
tl;dr version: Lucy is too damn smart for her own good!