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Scroll to 8:00 ... makes you wanna hug a Golden Retriever.

Fort Desoto Beach

Assistance Dog Training - Bracing

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.

Jireh Whispers, Speaks, High 5's, Sits, and Hugs

I'm Back!

Hooray - I finally have access to wifi so I can blog again! In the next week, I'll update this blog retrospectively. Jireh is doing GREAT! At 8 months old, she weighs a whopping 59 pounds and is TALL! Her feathers are growing out beautifully, and Addy is her best friend. If she hears Addy meow, she'll come running to rescue her from wherever she is, stopping whatever she is doing. Even when Jireh's friends (fellow Golden Retrievers) come over, Jireh stands in between Addy and the other dog(s). Addy starts each morning by walking under Jireh's chin seeking a wet kiss. Wait until you hear all of Jireh's tricks... wait until you hear about the joys of raising a puppy Golden Retriever and the purrfect cat... Jireh and Addy.
Here are recent photos of Jireh at a pond playdate... needless to say, she had a blast!

 

Jireh Learns "Shake"

Saturday Morning Play Date

Jireh had another play date with her pals, Mia & Jovie. The more she socializes with other dogs, the better her behavior becomes. I can't tell you the value of play dates, especially for first time puppy owners like me. I never would have crated if it wasn't for feedback from others.  Last night, Jireh didn't 'go potty' 30 minutes after dinner, and I had an appointment to attend, so I put Jireh in her crate for 90 minutes while I was out. The entire time, I was both worried and felt cruel about shutting her inside of a cage. When I came home, I let her outside and she immediately 'went potty'.

I learned today the importance of teaching the puppy to control his/her bowel/bladder, which is what Jireh had finally practiced. Dogs don't like messing in their den (aka crate), so they will wait to go potty. The crate needs to be big enough for the dog to stand & turn around, but not so big that they can potty in corner, while sleeping in the other.

Socializing is good, both for the dogs and owners.