Voodoo did great in the “Prep for Novice Competition” class! He did his first stand for exam (with me feeding him treats) and his first stay line up. While the instructor was talking or working one on one with folks, we practiced his stays, auto sit, and stand for exam with me doing the touch. The hardest part of class for him is waiting or doing nothing, so we work on something through the entire class. He’s fine with working on stays, but not just standing around at the end of the leash with no particular behavior expected of him.
I’m so thankful to have an instructor for this class who promotes positive obedience training! Voodoo and I are doing some of the things a bit differently than what she is teaching, but she is advocating for the dogs and saying things like “If the dog breaks the stay, it’s the human’s fault for pushing for too much too fast” and reminding people to praise and reward their dogs for a job well done. Such a nice change from “pop your dog” and “don’t let him get away with that” when the dog doesn’t even understand what the handler wants yet!
Raising a Genius Puppy 