Oliver has had two sessions at the CAHS obedience program. Most of what they are teaching he already knows but they are teaching eye contact as a means of getting your dog to focus on you. He picked up on that almost immediately with food motivation. He needs socialization with other dogs so being in a controlled group setting with other dogs has been good for teaching him more self control. The trainer said he has 'a middle of the road approach to other dogs.' If they get into his space by touching noses with him too quickly he growls but if they can sniff eachother's rumps first he is fine. She said that this is normal. I will take him to the next level training session after we complete this class. Nathalie attends these sessions with me. We enjoy watching him grow and mature. We may be buying a house in South Lansing. It is Nathalie's Grandmother's house. We encountered a nieghbor with a Labradoodle. Oliver and she seemed to like eachother very much. He does seem to prefer the company of female dogs. We took a nice walk in the neat, well kept post WWII neighborhood. If we do get the house there are 3 little mop-haired dogs next door that bark intensely. When Oliver met them he stared for a couple minutes as still as stone, then erupted into barking and play stances. I have noted that Oliver loves to watch one take a bath. He loves water. He will hang his paws over the tub. When he gets bored he waits patiently snoozing on the bath rug until I get out. He loves to play 'tug-o-war' and tends to chew on his bones and toys avoiding our things unless Nathalie is ignoring him while in front of the computer!! He then destroys only my things. Only a couple of unimortant items so far. He prefers to play with others but will entertain himself if he's had enough excercise.The photo here I've posted is from the only camera I have (my cell phone) and though it's crappy, it shows Oliver in one of his favorite activities: rolling and scooting on the floor making strange moaning, growling noises. He is getting better on leash but his first impulse is to pull and pull some more. I try to tire him out and let him run around in the fenced in tennis court and then proceed with an hour jaunt down the River Walk. He is often very distracted by squirrels and birds but I have noticed that if I turn him around and walk him quickly in an oval pattern and then offer him a treat as we continue on our original course, he seems to be less
distracted in all but the most extreme cases. These times usually involve large flocks of geese and ducks. I think with time he will learn to mellow out under these circumstances too. I have been reading on dog psychology and I think it has really helped in my dealings with him. Dogs brains are less of a mystery to me now.
