One of the first commands Jireh learned was ‘sit’. She now sits whenever she faces me, which I’ve been rewarding her for such consistent manners and obedience. She is truly a smart dog, and catches on amazingly fast. I still marvel at the fact she is not quite 9 months old.
Since I am training her as an assistance dog to help me with things such as providing a sturdy base if I fall, I need her to stand on command (which she does when I am standing too). So now we are working on getting her to stand when I am sitting on the ground. She is slowly catching on. After this, I have to teach her to keep standing long enough for me to put my hands on her shoulder blades in a way that doesn’t hurt her so she can help me stand. This is called ‘bracing’.
Jireh is a great dog. When she was a little puppy, she truly was a challenge. Thank goodness I had Jennifer and PJ to help me guide her. Since Jireh turned 6 months old, she catches on much quicker. Like walking on leash, I don’t move if she starts pulling me, so she has to sit. This is hard for Jireh as she’s easily distracted by birds. But now, she looks at me when walking and is, for the most part, a joy to walk. I’m hoping she will be ready for the Canine Good Citizen test next month, but we have a lot of work to do.
