yea a small success

[meggit]

well im amazed for the first time since he arrived here buddy went out for a wee in the dark, normally i have to pick him up and carry him down the garden cause he dosnt like the dark but i have been working really hard on his comming when called and tonight he followed me down the garden, i know its only a litte success but to me its fantastic because it means that all this hard work and posiive trainging( and learning to swear at him with a nice happy voice and a smile) is working, and im so proud of me and buddy and gratefull for the help and support from on here

[Mattie]

Well done to you and Buddy, it is the small steps that get us there.

and learning to swear at him with a nice happy voice and a smile)

Welcome to the world of dog training.

[emmabeth]

Well done to you both. and yep, I can say some seriously FOUL language with the sweetest of tone and nicest smile.....

[***Melissa***]

**yay Meggit**
**yay Buddy**

My two have issues with going on wet grass We're working on it though

[Noobs]

Woo, well done!

Add me to the list of folks who call my dog every foul name in the book with the most loving voice you've ever heard.

[Fundog]

Oh yes-- I've already threatened to turn Dottie into "doggy stew." And then when I finally get a hold of her, I can't resist petting her on the head (she's sooo soft!) before leashing her up and stalking off. (It's time to go back to the long line for a refresher on recall training.)

[meggit]

wow success is comming fast this week, he finally stopped following me round the house and will go play quite happly in the other room from me he will go outside and play out there on his own during the day only goes out for wee's in the dark (the little scardy cat ) and tonight much to my un happiness he didnt try to get on the couch to snuggle with me he went off to lie on one of the many cushions i have scattered about for him and the cats . Hes started bring toys back to me for me to through again and will now drop 60% of the things i ask him too some im afraid have too much value to hand back, normally bank statements, credit card bill, if i dont get to the post first , so i need to find a higher value item to swap for them but i do have an idea on that one i will see how it goes tommorow, but i think the biggest success is me this week i am discovering i can read my buddy i can tell if he wants to play or just mooch, i can see when he's about to go running after the cat and have managed to distract him, i can tell now if when he sees another dog if its "oh that one looks fun lets go see" or "that one is scarey i will shout then can we run away " im amazed that i can do it i really never thought it would happen to me but as every one advised im taking time to look and learn about my dog and what makes him tick and im loving every min of it
just thought i would let you all know its starting to come together Oh one thing is buddy just loving my grandson or is it somthing else when he lickes him he will pin grandson down to clean the whole of his face and ears its so funny to watch but if its not good how do i get him to stop it

[Horace's Mum]

Well done! It is a wonderful feeling when you realise you can understand your dog, you are one step away form having full conversations with meaning, without realising how much it is actually a two-way thing! I think it is quite a privilege to be able to speak "dog", but don't stop, keep watching and learning, and see what you can apply to other dogs too.

As for the licking, if you don't like it then work on distracting him each time he goes to lick, and try not to let your grandson sit or lie on the floor. If he is old enough then you can teach him to distract Buddy himself, or try getting him to completely cover his face with his hands, palm facing in, including covering the eyes. Personally, I hate having my face licked so Horus is only allowed to lick my nose once as a special treat (it seems to have turned into a super reward for him!) but he has one young friend who just loves it and he gets to lick up her nose and everything. I don't have a problem with it, but I watch carefully and if he is getting too involved then I distract him away, or ask her to cover her face with both hands which is his signal to stop. Be interesting to hear what others have to say about it being good or bad!

[***Melissa***]

Whoohoo Meggit, you are doing really well Striker and I can make conversation for hours, but I'm still getting to know Bibi & learn her ways. Yes, there are things that I can pre-emp, and I can see 'what she's thinking' *most* of the time, but then there are times when she does something that I really didn't expect. But yes, it's an amazing feeling to be able to "talk" to your doggies. I don't know that much about body languange in general though, and I can't read other dog's body lang at all, but for some reason I can understand Striker and Bibi.

As for licking in the face - I have no idea whether it's good or bad, but what happens in our household is:
OH absolutely HATES it, so he will allow one lick, then redirect them, or get up or something.
I don't like it either, but my doggies (esp Striker) looooove it, so I let them lick my face...I see it as compromising - I don't like it, they do, so I let them I guess some people will say it's not hygenic or whatever but, many things aren't. Plus they share our bed, Bibi will sometimes jump into the bath with me (yep, crazy doggy, that one ), so what the heck.

Plus, I'm not sure, but I THINk that they clean themselves by licking, so then it can't be unhygenic?

[Mattie]

Well done Meggit, all your hard work is now showing.

[Noobs]

Yay, well done! I love that you are understanding your dog now. So many people aren't willing to try to read their dogs or understand why they do what they do, and you're making huge strides.

As for the licking, if you're okay and your grandson is okay, just make sure things don't escalate and he doesn't get too excited. Maybe let him get a few licks in and then redirect him. My Murphy likes to lick faces, and L and I love it. Most of our friends love it too, when they're sitting on the floor he'll come up and give them a lick. BUT if they let him go on for too long he gets too excited and starts to hump! So just keep a close eye on him. This may not be an issue for Buddy, but better to be safe.

[jacksdad]

nicely done meggit and buddy

[griffynsmom]

Yay! Small Success - we have a 1lb new Pom Puppy - 12 weeks old and we are trying to get him accustomed to grooming, he is very shy and really scared of the brush, but we used a treat in our hand that he could lick on to focus his attention there and it worked wonderfully!!! We were able to brush and even blow dry him and he was happy. It was so wonderful!!! We are continuing to work on him becoming more self confident like our two Malteses.