Clover's Training Journal 2
Week 3
15 Nov
Well,Clover behaved a little better on this day.
While her heeling is still not well polished, I think she gets the idea.
The homework for this week is to make Clover sit and stay,as well as to make her go down on her tummy.
She is very good at the sit-stay because she has been doing this since she was 4 or 5 months old.So this is nothing new.
The same can't be said of the down.
While she also knows how to do this since she was young,the instructor wants us to push her front legs out to make her go down.
All the other dogs in the class are okay with it.But our dear Miss Clover HATES being handled.And so,she struggled and fought.GARHhhh....Therefore,I decided not to push her front legs and just make her go down by instructing her to do so.
She was very compliant from Monday to Thursday.Everytime I ask her to go down,she goes down.
BUT somehow,she decided she doesn't want to do that anymore on Friday.She refuses to go down and walks away everytime I ask her to do it!!! And on the times that she actually went down.She has to whine while doing so! Defiant!!
Oh ya,Clover started getting in heat today! Meaning,she has her menses and it could be as long as 3 weeks!
Week 4
22 Nov
As expected,Clover did brilliantly for her sit-stay in class.But for the down,she totally refuses to do it.
For this week's lesson,the instructor taught us how to make the dog stay down while we stand up.
We have to step on the slack of the training collar so that the dog won't be able to get up and when it gets tired,it'll stay down.Then we have to praise it for doing so.
He started by using a Jack Russell in the class and he did it quite easily.
Next,comes the highlight.
He decided to use Clover to repeat the example.
Our "Whiny and Refused to be handled" Clover made SO much noise while her slack was being stepped on that a crowd formed to see what was going on.
It's as if she was being dragged into the slaughter house or being tortured with a burning stick.
The other people in the class found her quite pitiful and the scene a little horrifying.
My sister and I looked and while our little Clover was being 'tortured' in the slaughter house,her 2 owners were laughing happily at that scene.Saddistic? Maybe but that is also because we know how Clover is like.
After 3 attempts,Clover goes down without making much noise.
So,it is now our turn to do it with our dogs.
I tried the same thing and Clover went down without much fuss.
I stepped on the leash but apparently,I didn't step near enough and Clover managed to stand up.This is the start of a disaster.
Clover refused to go down the next time and fought very hard against it.
Right,I just wasted the instructor's hard work previously.
After a while,the instructor decided to show it to me again and took Clover over.
This time,Clover fought more than before.
AND she bit the instructor.
His hand bled.
I was shocked because as much as she likes to bite,Clover has never made someone bleed from biting.
He handed Clover back to me and went to treat the wound.
He told us not to worry because Clover bit him out of fear and that he was at fault too as he got a little carried away.
It was obvious that she was a little shaken over the incident because she even refused to eat her favourite biscuit!
For this week's homework,we have to do the down and also the stand-for-inspection.
Nov 25
I didn't give Clover her breakfast today and her stomach growled extremely loudly.Lol...
No,I'm not torturing my dog.I have to do this in order to train her.
She still refuses to go down and also refuses to be handled.I had to starve her to make her do it.
And today,she followed the instruction nicely without whining.
She was a little worried when I tried to do the stand-for-inspection because I had to hold on to the collar.
Thankfully,she is more relaxed when I try to do it now.
Also,Clover is doing really well at the heeling now.She sits down automatically when I stop walking although I have to remind her sometimes.
I have 3 more days of training with her before Sunday.Hopefully,she gets better and doesn't bite the instructor again!
Clover is still in heat.Today is the 11th day that she is bleeding and I have to keep wiping the floor after her.I have decided that we're going to spay her.She is not going to have babies.
