Parker Starts School

My plan was to get to class early, give Parker a chance to eliminate before going into the building and get the paperwork done with. The first indication that this wasn’t going to happen was when I backed out of the garage and got stuck in a snowbank. Several repetitions of four inches forward and two inches back and we were on our way. There are about a dozen traffic lights between our house and the training center and I had my timing perfect. I missed every one of them.

We got there on the dot of nine thirty when classes were to start, but apparently I wasn’t the only one who had to deal with the weather. Eventually eleven of the twelve who had signed up for the class arrived, but we didn’t get started until nine forty-five. There’s a year old German Shepherd who wanted to meet everyone but whose owner had other ideas and popped him on the head when he tried. Hopefully the teachers (there are three of them) will put a stop to that. A year old Australian Shepherd whose owner hopes to end up with a calm house dog, which makes me wonder why she got an Aussie. A six month old Border Collie who lives in the barn with her sheep and who has a life of herding ahead of her. Hardly seems fair -- like ‘training’ a Papillon to be cute. A six month old German Shepherd wearing a muzzle. An eighteen month old Golden Retriever whose owner is an elderly lady who brought her grand nephew along to handle the dog, as she (the owner) has an injury which makes it hard for her to handle the dog, and who started to cry when explaining that the dog was still acting like a rambunctious puppy. The teachers explained that Goldens act like puppies for longer than lots of other dogs. An Airedale whose future holds therapy work. A seven year old white Standard Poodle in show coat who has just retired from the show ring and whose owner wants to start something else with her for more titles. A seven month old Standard Poodle with a show career ahead of her. A beautiful dog of indeterminate heritage with one eye who was rescued a year and a half ago and may be about three now. She was very timid when rescued and is now a very happy pup. And a little mixed breed with a Japanese Chin look to her whose tail never stopped wagging and who never stopped barking.

And Parker. Parker wanted to meet the little barker and was very polite about it. But when a teacher came over, he ignored her offer of food and leaned heavily against my leg.

Once the talking was over, we started on sits. We were supposed to first lure the dog into a sit and then move the dog into a sit (hands under the chin and the rump). One thing Parker knows very well, so luring him wasn’t necessary -- I just said sit, with a hand gesture and he got clicked and treated. Putting him physically into a sit was harder because, as soon as I moved to touch him, he sat. I did ask if I could use the clicker and was told it was fine.

Then we were supposed to walk the dogs in a circle. Parker was fine with this, too, until the other Poodles came around. Their owners wanted to meet Parker and he was perfectly fine with all the sniffing. I did warn them that he wasn’t neutered.

So it’s an interesting mix of dogs and should be fun.