Settling In

Well, we have hit the one-week mark with Dante!  He is settling in really well for the most part.  He is such a sweetie, but is very independent and does not like to be told what to do or where to go.  Dante is not food motivated at all, so that has been challenging trying to get him excited and wanting to learn.  He loves his toys and lives for praise, so that is pretty much what I have been doing with him.  He is doing a lot of wonderful things:

He is responding very well to his name, and looks at me (almost) every time I call him.

He does a stellar "Sit" and will sit everywhere I ask him to.  He will even sit for my mom and sister.

I have been working with him on "Wait" at doors, for his meals, and in his kennel, and I think he has almost gotten that.  

He loves to go in the upstairs hallway and practice his "Here" and "Drop":

I have been so surprised with Dante.  He is not afraid of anything.  On the first day we had him he went up about six steps, and today he went up AND down the entire staircase FOUR times! 

Another thing I have been working with him on is accepting the gentle leader.  A gentle leader is kind of similar to a horse's halter.  It goes over the nose and behind the ears, so that you can have more control over the dog. It touches the same "pressure points" - behind his ears and on his nose - that the mother dog would touch when correcting or directing her pups.  It also prevents them from choking and pulling too hard on a flat collar.  This is all good, but...

Dante hates the gentle leader.  I have been putting it on him when he eats his meals.  But for a dog that is not very interested in his food already, that has not helped at all (he wouldn't even finish a quarter of his food).  

So, today he has worn it all day and is making great progress with it.  He still does not like to walk in it or "Hurry" with it on, but he did eat all of his food, at all three meals, with it on today.  With lots of praise and playing with toys (and knowing it is not coming off), he is learning.

Dante giving me his saddest puppy eyes and looking extremely pitiful.  (I know it looks really tight here, but he is just pushing his nose into the carpet as hard as he can.)

Dante out on a walk (actually, more like "refusing" to walk) with his gentle leader on

 I absolutely love teaching him and watching him learn!  When you give him a command and look into his eyes, you can see his mind working and processing it.  He is so much fun to work with!