Coolio

My Pen Pal's name (for now) is Coolio. He is a 1- to 2-year-old pit mix who was found as a stray. He has been at ACCT since August 6th, 2009. That's 150 days (4 months, 28 days).

I interacted with him for the first time today. I determined that he already knows both the verbal command, and the hand signal (a raised, closed fist) for "sit." I also determined that he has selective hearing. He listens when he wants to.

My first two goals are to introduce loose-leash walking, and to teach him "down." We worked on the second one today. I was able to easily lure him with treats into a down position several times.
I'll work on loose-leash walking once I fit him for a Gentle Leader head collar. It is a special training collar which loops over his muzzle. To some, it looks like a muzzle, but it's not. The dog can still open his mouth to take treats and drink water. But it gives the walker control over the dog's head, which (if you're familiar with walking a horse), gives the walker control over the dog's body.

He is a very energetic dog, and VERY curious. Since it was below freezing outside, we were working in the "bowl room" of ACCT, and he was interested in exploring EVERYTHING.

His behavior notes say that he has not been cat-tested yet, but does well with most other dogs.