Leo has TWO Pen Pals!

Tonight, I met Megan at the shelter. She's going to be a second Pen Pal for Leo, so he'll get extra face time for training and socialization, and have double the exposure!

I took him into a dog run outside, and let him run to burn off a fraction of his energy (he has a LOT!). I attempted to take him for a walk, but mostly just got dragged around the yard.

Then, Megan and I took him into an empty office. We practiced "sit," and "down." Leo performs both of these actions with great enthusiasm! It's really funny to watch him dive to the floor.

We started to introduce the verbal command for "down," and also started "touch." "Touch" is a precursor to "come." "Touch" teaches them to hit a target. You start off very close to the dog, then gradually move the "target," (your hand) further and further away.

But the biggest obstacle to training Leo is his boundless energy. Leo will need a very active family. As I said, running in the kennel burned off only a fraction of his energy. While training in the office, despite the lack of distractions, it was hard to keep his focus.

So, we ended the evening with some belly rubs.

So, the plan is that at least one night during the week, Megan will go to ACCT, take him to an outside run and exercise him, and practice the commands that have already been introduced. Coleen will go on a separate night, and do the same. And hopefully one day a week (most likely the weekend), they will both meet at ACCT and introduce new commands together.

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.