Best Dog!

As I mentioned before, Ginger and I started the basic dog training class last week, and I can safely say that she is the best-behaved dog in the class. (No, technically it's not supposed to be a competition.)

There are only two other dogs: a four month old bulldog (super-excited and completely out of control, which is appropriate for the age) and a one year old terrier (smart and a little calmer, but totally uninterested in pleasing her owner). While the other two dogs were busy pulling their owners around and generally acting like dogs that needed to go to class, Ginger was sitting nicely.

So we looked really good for the first half hour or so, mostly because Ginger can sit on command. Actually she will sit even when I don't ask her to. She will sit when she wants food. Or when it's time to put her leash on. Or when it's time to come back inside. Or pretty much any time I look at her. In fact, sitting is pretty much the only thing she does.

"Down" is a whole different game. She didn't come to me with that knowledge. Here's how you teach a dog to lie down:
1) Have her sit. 
2) Lure her head down to the ground with a treat until she settles her body down.

Two steps, and she already knew the first one really, really well. So it was a little disheartening that I pretty much spent the rest of class watching my dog imitate a see-saw; either her butt could be on the ground, or her front end could be on the ground, but never both at the same time. She just kept rotating her body around her center of gravity.

In the meantime the bulldog puppy was slobbering over everyone who got close, and the terrier peed on the floor.

We also practiced "Come" which would have worked better if I could have ever gotten Ginger to move more than six inches away from me in the first place. (The terrier had no problem leaving her owner, but I don't think she ever even glanced back at her once. The bulldog gleefully ran from person to person. That whole corner of the room was covered in drool.)

Anyhow, a fun time was had by all (except maybe the terrier's owner).

And we still have two days for Ginger to learn how to lie down...