They took him to the vet the next day (this was three weeks ago) and they said he was only four weeks old. Can you believe someone would dump a four week old puppy???? He was wormy, hungry and slept a lot at first, but now after deworming, shots, a bath and good food he is a whirlwind of energy!
It's anyone's guess what breed he is, but we're pretty confident he is at least part Australian Shepherd. He doesn't seem fluffy enough to be a purebred. We also thought Catahoula because of his color and webbed feet, but we're not totally sure. It will be easier to guess as he gets older. With his color and ears I still definitely think he's mostly Australian Shepherd. I will get some current pictures of him soon (this one was a couple of weeks ago I think). Maybe I can break out the good camera this weekend. I might have to go out of town though so we'll just have to see.
So the reason I decided to blog is because today was his very first clicker training session (he's 7 weeks old now)! I want to blog about it like I did with Jackal because it's a great way to keep track of what we're working on and what worked or what didn't. So I broke out the clicker and his dog food with the intention of just charging the clicker (click, feed treat, click, feed treat, etc. until they know what it means). He was doing so great that I actually taught him to sit too!!! In the very first five minute session he's ever had.
If you're not familiar with clicker training the way it works is you use the click to mark the behavior that you want. It's such a wonderful method of training because it teaches dogs to problem solve and seek good behaviors. So all I did was sit there and watch him. When he sat down naturally without me having to touch him or lure him into it I clicked and gave him a treat. In less than a minute he was sitting so fast I could barely click or say the word sit fast enough. I was having to toss the treat on the floor just to get him to stand up (Jackal was the same way when he was a puppy).
So he knows how to sit. He obviously doesn't know the word yet, but that will come in time. I'm telling you this puppy is SO scary smart!!!! He's going to challenge my creativity I'm betting. I think we can outdo Jackal's record of forty tricks for sure! Anyway I'll try to get pictures and video sometime for you, but I'm not making promises on when. For right now I'm just super excited to be training a dog again. I've missed it so much!
P.S. If you want to see a video of Jackal doing all forty of his tricks you can look back at this old post here http://myfarmerlife.blogspot.com/2012/04/jackal-40-tricks-video.html. That will be our goal to beat someday.
P.P.S. There has been things going on at the farm, but I haven't had the time or energy to post about it. Most of the goat kids are sold. I'll try to do an update post sometime, but I don't know when it will be. I have lots of pictures I've taken with my new camera, but just no time to edit or upload them.. Oh well.
Wow,is he cute! I am excited to hear about your clicker adventures with him!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on getting Buddy! He's adorable and does look like part Aussie. I've had lots of Aussie's and they are the smartest dogs I've ever had. Good luck with the clicker training.
ReplyDeleteCute! Puppies go like hotcakes at our local shelters. No need for anyone to dump any animal. There are better options if someone needs to find a new home for a pet. My son and daughter-in-law are in the process of adopting a dog from Korea that was raised for meat. My daughter and son-in-law just adopted a puppy from their local shelter in Michigan and were on a waiting list. My husband and I just adopted a stray 3-year-old dog from our shelter and we too were on a waiting list. Dogs are literally getting adopted the first day they are available. It warms my heart.
ReplyDeleteWhat a little cutie! He sure looks very Aussie to me!
ReplyDeleteKZK