Graduation

Maddie graduated from PetSmart puppy school this past Sunday. She has learned to sit, stay, lay down, etc. but the training was not that good of an investment. It is in the middle of the store so the dogs get distracted by people and of course if you practice leash walking in the store, the dogs are more interested in the spilled treats and food. You also give them treats for everything so they end up only listening when they know they will be rewarded. It was good for Maddie to socialize with and be around other dogs, but other than that we feel like we wasted money. The trainer passed around a graduation hat for pictures but of course no dog wanted to wear it and people spent long periods of time trying to make their dog wear the hat so they could take pictures. I tried it once on Maddie but she ran away so we don't have any pictures.

We have now started Maddie in obedience school. The trainer is a little rough but we think it will be good for Maddie and cure some of our issues. We have learned what to do when she jumps up, barks, and picks up something she shouldn't have. We are also learning to walk nicely on a leash. By week 5 the trainer guarantees we won't even need a leash. We'll see. The first class didn't seem so promising. Maddie was crying because the collar pinched her and she also kept chewing her new leather leash and didn't want to walk. We have to practice every day so we'll see how it goes. She is smart and picks up on things fast so hopefully in the end she will be a well-behaved dog.