Sit, Sit and Sit Again



A good example of a studious sit.

Louie is a dog. Blind or not. He sometimes has bad manners. Sometimes he's too pushy, too whiny. Sometimes he doesn't listen well. When I ask him to do something he decides not to listen for whatever reason. That is frustrating at times because we've worked together so much. We've trained together since he was a tiny unruly puppy. When I ask him to get out of the kitchen and he doesn't move immediately, I am annoyed. I expect more from him.

Let's think of something we do everyday. Something people ask us to do and we do without even thinking, like say, talking. Someone says hello to us and we respond "Hello.", "Hi", "How are you?". What if we were removed from that entirely, for years. Like, stranded on a desert island for twenty years. If a random person suddenly appeared before you and said hello, I think you might just stand and stare, or maybe even panic and attack! Now, this is a very far off comparison, but what I am getting at is: if you don't use it, you lose it. Like our math teacher's always said.

If I don't practice with Louie EVERYDAY Louie will not understand me as well as he did the day before. If several days go by without working together, he will understand me even less. Instead of getting frustrated with your dogs lack of response to your command, practice with them, and make it fun while you're at it.

2 for 1 Special! Say sit once and have two dogs sit.

I must admit, I've fallen off the wagon. Louie and I aren't training together everyday. He has taken a backseat to something else that has come up in our lives. I still love him, we still snuggle on the bed together and I've never forgotten to feed him, he will not let me forget of course. But still I find myself thinking, how can I help Louie and I have a better relationship and live happier and healthier lives together?

I came across a post on the The Dog Guy's Facebook page. That page is run by Michael Nichols, the instructor that taught the Canine Good Citizen class Louie and I took at Tails-a-Wagging in Bellingham. The post suggest practicing 50 sits a day, everyday. While this might not be the most fun and exciting thing you've ever engaged in, it is incredibly helpful in keeping the dog and owner ready for whatever. Think of this as your primer. Your breakfast.

It also might sound like a lot of work. Fifty sits!? FIVE-ZERO?! Like 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6....FIFTY! So quit your whining and get to work, self! You'll spend more time thinking about how it will take too long then it would take you to do it. Especially if you split it up into 3 rounds of 16 or 17 sits instead. Just watch the video of Michael and Rudy showing off there speed sitting skills, and the video is sped up too so it takes even less time to watch it.

So I will take the 50 sit a day challenge. Louie and I (and hopefully Snorp and Budde) will try 50 sits a day for seven days. I will report back to you on observations. How can this simple and boring thing improve our daily lives? We shall see.

Watch Micheal's video below and check out his awesome rott, Rudy.
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