Cooper the Lab is doing great

Cooper is doing well with his daily lessons

He will make someone a great pet if they are upto the energy of an active Labrador Retriever. Labs need regular vigorous exercise and training for a healthy mind and body.

Self Control

He now has some self control and is able HEEL by my side most of the time without surging ahead. When he does I just turnabout and head back where we came from. When he catches up and is in the right position at my side I click and treat (clicker training). He is also getting good at sitting without being told the command SIT when I stop -- the automatic sit. 

Today when I took him to my mother's house down the road I left him clipped to the picnic table while I was inside for about 25 minutes and he didn't bark or whine.

Evening Fun

I just had him loose in my yard with my three dogs and he found an old bone to chew on. My dogs walked right pass him while he was chewing and he didn't growl or snap. I also was able to tug on his tail while he walked pass me with the bone in his mouth and he didn't mind (please don't do this to dogs you know well). I can handout treats to each of the four dogs while they are sitting close together in front of me without a problem.

He found a box turtle this evening and was chewing on it--didn't hurt it, their shells are quite hard. I was able to take it away from him -- once I got to him -- he did trot away from me a couple of times. I couldn't find any of his toys so I just played IN and OUT of his crate for a few minutes -- no more push him in the crate like I had to do a few times in the begining. He does well in his crate. I keep him there when I am not working/playing with him three or four times a day. 

I let Cooper spend sometime outside in the yard this evening to just sniff around the yard and chew on old bones he finds. He also goes after the toads in my garden. I do hope he finds a wonderful home soon.

Cooper is available for adoption at Labs4Rescue.com

Playtime with my foster dog

Cooper loves clicker training

From Cooper Chocolate Lab

Cooper is doing very well with his daily clicker training lessons. He LOVES food/treats and now knows he can get the food to come to him faster when he responds faster. I think he is also more at easy with me and this forster home so he able to stay focused on his training better. Of course he will never have the strong focus of a Jack Russell Terrier or the super focus of a Border Collie. Labs just aren't like that -- except when they are tearing after a fast thrown ball. 

HEEL

This morning I took him out of his crate and he was excited and jumping around me like crazy. I only tossed him two balls before I clipped on his lead for some Heeling work on the road. But he amazed me with how quickly he settled into the work. He is gaining self control and did quite well at maintaining his correct position most of the time. Until we walked near the cattle pasture. He is still worried about those big creatures and kept turning to kept his eyes on where they were in the pasture. I click and treat for returning his attention back to me.

Video on clicker training a dog to walk on a loose leash near you.

Cooper is not the bravest dog I have ever met. The other day when we where doing some heeling work on the road he saw my large German Sheperd behind a bush and spooked like a horse -- tore the leash from my fingers as he bolted down the road about fifty feet. He stopped turned around and looked -- saw it was just Lobo and then came trotting back to me. I clicked and treated for him returning to me. From now on I will click and treat him for moving closer to items that he is a little worried about to make him braver.

Body Work

I put him in a DOWN and moved my hands all over him. He is now quiet comfortable with me handling his tail and gentle squeezing and tugging on it. He is also good about his feet. I can massage between his toes and squeeze his toenails without him getting worried about it or mouthing my hands or arms. My fingers do tickle his feet from time to time, specially his hind feet, and he will do a little kick with them. 

Cooper is also doing a lot better with me rubbing and massaging his ears, cheeks, and face. I am also able to put my fingers down inside his ears. Now when he starts to get mouthy when I am touching his face and ears it is because he wants to play and is not because he is worried about what I am doing to him. 

Mouthy Puppy Play

He is still quite mouthy when he is loose and playing with me. I have to keep trying to replace my hands in his mouth with a ball or other toy in his mouth. In this area his is still very much like a young puppy. He needs to be distracted away from mouthing your hands to playing with a toy. I also say NO (calmly in a normal voice)  and click and treat when he mouths the toy instead of my hand. With a little time he will learn that toys go in mouths but human hands do not.

Playing Soccer Ball

I found a soccer ball that is about three quarters filled with air -- soft and Cooper can get a grasp on it and pick it up. I kick it as hard as I can for him. He runs after it then tackles it, sometimes flipping or tripping over it. He likes this new ball game.  For someone looking for a big puppy acting dog Cooper might just fill the bill. 

Cooper is available for adoption at Labs4Rescue.com

Video: Clicker training a dog so you can handle his feet. 

This is how I am working with Cooper and he is learning to like having me handle his different body parts. 

More youtube videos: Nail clipping the easy way and Dog shortening own nails and How to train your dog to relax for nail clipping

Foster Dog Training Time

This post is covering May 18th and this pass weedend: Saturday and Sunday May 16-17. 

Saturday May 16 - day six with Cooper

Cooper did very well on his heeling lesson in the morning -- paying more attention to where his body was positioned and my movements. Midday I took him for a rode run to my mother's house where I checked on my ponies. When I went inside to visit with my mother I left Cooper's leash clipped to the picnic table.  This time he barked a few times after I was inside and whined a little then he was quiet for the rest of the time I was inside -- about 20-30 minutes.  My sister visited with him a bit -- petting him all over and rubbing his ears. He was wanting to play and like a puppy was a bit mouthy.  In the evening I played with him in my yard with my dogs -- tossed toys for him.

Sunday May 17 - day seven

Because I have a hurt hand (hurt it last weekend moving a large plant container)  and it was hurting me a lot today I didn't take Cooper for any road running. On our times together I played toss with him and worked on some of the following lessons: Heel, Down, Down-stay, sit, retrieve, and Come. 

I also handled his his feet/toes, tail, and ears.  He did very well -- not mouthy in the begining like he used to be, only getting mouthy when I put my figures down into his ears. I click and treated whenever he let me handle his body parts in a calm manner without putting his mouth on me. He is way more relaxed with me touching him all over. I even gave him some gentle tail tugs. 

Monday May 18 -- day eight

Cooper morning started off with some toy tossing and then some heeling on the gravel road. It was cool this morning and he kept wanting to forge ahead. I kept making inside turns (turning into the dog) to get Cooper to learn to keep back a little. Also did a little jogging and reversing when he lost focus on me.

When my son left in the golf cart to go down the road Cooper started barking and whining but he didn't keep it up for long. As soon as he was quiet I went outside and asked for a sit and click and treated him for it. Then I circled his crate and repeated.

Links to some good dog training articles...

 

Fearful or aggressive dog? Torture is bad. Boring is good.

Why does dog aggression happen?

Do not ask your aggressive dog to sit

Dog training tips - find time to train in your busy schedule

Dog clicker training - try it you might like it

How to use a clicker to train your dog