Excuse the glowing eyes - am not good with photo editing !!
Well I am off for a week at the moment and am hoping to make progress with Jess. I am a great follower of both Jan Fennell and Cesar Milan's style of training and I feel that a lot of their training makes perfect sense. I have used this method a lot with my dogs and feel the results warrant the continued use.
I use a lot of praise and reward for good behaviour and do my best to react to any problems - especially the lack of housetraining - with calm and not saying anything, taking Jess into the garden and praising her when she 'performs' as she should and I am pleased that I was actually here at one point when she went to wee in the hall so could catch her in time with a 'NO' and take her outside immediately and praise her and reward with a biscuit for going in the correct place. It is like having a puppy again lol
Unfortunately I cant walk them at the moment in the local parks because of the kennel cough, Billie is still very badly affected by it, well I say badly - I have not had a dog with kennel cough before but I just hate seeing her coughing and with green mucus coming from her nose now and then. Jess doesnt seem to have it very bad at all and only the occasional cough. It worried me enough to take Billie into my vet who put her on anti biotics and then later took a nasal swab which has thankfully come back with no nasty surprises and he has advised that I just need to let it play itself out.
Any training at the moment is taking place at home in the house and garden, I have taken them out occasionally to a local off road area to stretch their legs but keep well away from any dogs. Jess knows 'come' and although she pulls slightly - especially if she sees a dog in the distance - she is easy to distract with a change of direction or 'tsch' noise to get her to focus on me. I use a flexi lead on her so she can sniff about.
I have been very wary of adding up any costs involved in taking Jess on but have decided to keep a tally just out of interest. Will maybe put this on here seperately, or maybe I wont want to frighten myself lol
There seems to be slight improvement in Jess's weight but I am very wary or rushing it, the condition of the coat I think will take a while as well, I had to give in and bath her on her second day here though - I have hardly any sense of smell and she smelt ripe to me so must have been bad. she was so good, I lifted her into the bath and luckily it has the metal grabrails inset in the bath (previous owner of the house was an elderly lady) and I clipped her lead to this but needn't have bothered she never moved around at all. In one way it is lucky she is underweight at the moment, any heavier and I wouldnt be able to lift her in and out.
Today I have not been a good girl, have not been out much and left her, will remedy that tomorrow and be out a bit longer. Dont want her to think I am here all the time this week or will be harder when I go back to work. I have used any and all training I can think of as Jess suffers a lot with separation anxiety, this seems to be the main time she messes and jumps up at the windows. Have been leaving by different doors, for different times. Sometimes I go out in the car and come back quickly, wearing wellies sometimes which usually signals to my dogs that it is their walk. Have gone out with my work bag and only been out a short while. I also stick to the idea of not greeting them when I come home, I walk in and do something - anything - like put the kettle on, sit down and wait til they settle and then call them to me for a big fuss and cuddle. This seems to have worked well with my existing dog and seems to be working for Jess. There is no jumping about when I come in, she is nicely calm and is getting to know the routine. I make sure I prepare their food but I eat first. She has learnt that when I sit down to eat it is her time to rest on her bed. Any sitting too near or looking like begging a quick 'OFF' and she will go and lay down until her meal time. I cant believe really (apart from the toilet training) how well she is settling in and she just has such a sweet temperment.
Well that is enough for now - more to follow
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