I know nothing about training dogs, but it sounds like you are doing a fabulous job of it.Alright mutt and Newfie (and whoever else) here's what I did tonight. Let dogs out and fed them. Ben came in first, we practiced "leave it!" with an irresistible moving target: my kids eating pizza. They were waving it everywhere, and not on purpose to tempt him, but because what is supper without casual acrobatics? So this was something that already needed to be addressed.
Ok. If he moved in to sniff I left him alone. If he got close to a plate or a kid hand I said "leave it!" If he came to me and sat, eye contact, then he got a treat. If he did not immediately back away, I gave him a "no!" or that sound that southern people use for kids and dogs (that sharp sound like "ANT!" but with no t on the end and it's sort of growled at the back of the throat). He responded to that and came and sat and made eye contact, but no treat. I made sure he never got pizza, never licked or nipped a plate or a slice. I was totally prepared to grab it from his mouth if needed. So... Am I doing this right?![]()
I have no idea how you are doing all these things plus making a costume for your daughter. Pretty amazing
