Day 2: Beginning with the Basics

Sage had a very good night - slept soundly and didn't wake me up till she thought it really was time to greet the day, around 7.30am. Late for me but I guess we were both tired from our first day together.

I awoke to very gentle soft curly nose kisses - and after we had had a cuddle, I grabbed my ipad to record the moment, somewhat to Sage's disapproval (what's that square thing doing in my face in the middle of a perfectly good cuddle?)

Good morning, I am your furry alarm clock.

Sage brought me her dinosaur as soon as my feet hit the floor, and played happily as I got ready to go out with her

We went down to the yard so Sage could take care of morning business and then took off for the first walk of the day, a gentle hike around the back of the meadow. and a ramble by Wenner's Creek, then back to the house.

Sage had some breakfast followed by a brief consultation with her dinosaur, who recommended a nap.

Sage agreed that this was a fine idea.

In our morning training sessions, we got down to business - although it was all fun. Most dogs learn so much faster if they are having fun, and Sage is delightfully playful. So we played all the way through her lessons, 

We began Sage's whistle training protocol by simply pairing the whistle sound with something she loves - lamb lung treats and/or playing with squirrel toys in a game of 2 Toy Fetch. We will do this  at least twice a  day for 1-2  minutes every day for the next 1-2 weeks, to make a rock solid positive  association: Whistle =  Wonderful Stuff! During this time, the whistle will not be used to call her at all, so she cannot form an association between the whistle sound and not coming. This procedure makes the whistle sound similar to the crinkle of a cheese packet, or the sound of a food can or a fridge door being opened. It is 100% followed by something GOOD, and therefore not to be ignored, even from a deep sleep!

While we are doing this, we can still use another recall signal ("Sage, Come!") and practice with that. Today we played recall games all over the house, calling her from between 5-10 ft away, and rewarding her with lamb lung or Squirrel Fetch. We also played outside with the ratty old rope frisbee that she loves. I call her and run away, tossing the frisbee ahead of me. The reward for coming is a wild game of toss the frisbee. Then we do it again. and again. Lots of repetition in dog training! 

It is already paying off. Today at lunch time when she was sniffing in the far corner of the yard, I called Sage Come! in my most enthusiastic voice and she immediately ran to me flat out from about 100 ft. She got a whole 5 minutes of Squirrel play and lavish praise for that!

In between recall sessions we practiced Name, Sit, Down, Stay, and Wait, with focus on speeding up her response to me saying the cue once only. We are also working on getting more precision with Sit and Down - she tends to throw out whichever one she feels like or thinks will get her the reward, regardless of what I actually ask for. That's ok - enthusiasm and speed are the things to work on, then we'll refine her accuracy.    

We also practiced Sit to Say Please throughout the day - anything Sage wants is used as a reward at that moment, giving her the chance to practice with life rewards, not only food or toys. 

Our other main focus for today was walking on leash. Again we started with the basics, making it fun. Walking on leash the way humans want is not at all natural or fun for dogs, so it is important to harness motivation before anything else.

We did this with a game called Choose to Heel, where Sage was rewarded any time she chose to come to heel position - which was often, once she got the drift of it! Treats magically appeared out of my left pant seam whenever her nose was level with my leg, and she quickly realized it was a good idea to stay close.

We walked all the way round the house and up and down the stairs, spacing out the treats as she got the hang of the exercise. We started in the garage but  she seemed nervous there, so we moved inside - then she was able to relax and get fully into the game.

After all that fun, activity, and brain work, Sage was ready for a nap.

As you can see, she is feeling quite at home, and very relaxed!

In the afternoon we went to visit my friend Andrea and her dog Sy, for a play date and dinner. Sy is a 10 year old Smooth Coat Collie, with the longest nose in dogdom, leading to all sorts of nicknames, including "His Royal Syness" and "Lord Nose."  Everybody loves Sy, so I thought he would be a good first play date for Sage.

He is a kind and gentle dog,  although he can get a little excited and clumsy when he likes another dog. And he definitely liked Sage! So we had both dogs sit for treats, and kept the greetings short at first, because Sage was a little shy.

Pleased to meet you. And your treats.

Then we  took the dogs on a walk by the river together, which helped Sage feel more confident. She dragged her long line without me holding the other end, and  didn't show any signs of wanting to go far away. We played Come games along the river path and she came back every time to play with her Squirrel toy.  

Inside the house, Sage explored all around and then got a little frisky with Sy.

 Guess who ended up with Sy's big dog bed?

Sage was very good during dinner, and much appreciated as a guest. She managed to ride to Andrea's house and back in the crate in my van, but didn't like it much. So we are just doing short trips, ending in something fun, to help her get used to it (just in case she ever has to be crated e.g at the vet or in an emergency.)

Back home, Sage was happy to be reunited with her toys. We played a few more Come games, and right now she is playing by herself with a small squeaky bird.

Such a sweet girl!  She had a good day and we'll be going to bed soon, ready for another one tomorrow!

Goodnight and Good Duck!