We had to wait for a break in the weather to practice our recalls outside from a distance. I continually practice recalls throughout the dog's life. It's something you don't want to get rusty because it might get your dog out of a bad situation. We don't always have to do our recalls outside though. We still practice inside and make fun games out of it. I can hide in another room and call Sophia. If I hear her nearby, I'll keep talking to her and encouraging her to find me. When she does find me, it's a big party of treats and praise and pets.
Sophia continues to improve on sitting for things she would like. Even with something as enticing as her breakfast, I no longer have to ask her for a sit, instead she offers the behavior.
And the reward for her behavior in this case is her breakfast. She does like to go check out what Healey and Sinbad have in their bowls but she quickly returns to hers and eats her meal right up. Normally I would not let another dog approach a dog who was eating, especially a little dog. But, in this case, Healey and Sinbad have been conditioned to be comfortable with people, children, dogs or even the cat getting near their bowls.
And, of course, after breakfast we have to brush our teeth. Up to this point, I had not used an actual toothbrush with her. I used a finger brush with dog toothpaste (never human toothpaste) and allowed Sophia to approach and lick the toothpaste. As she got more comfortable with that, I started to put the finger brush in her mouth. Now I am slowly introducing her to the toothbrush in the same manner and she's doing quite well.
She even let me brush her teeth some. People might think it's strange to brush a dogs teeth but I do it for a number of reasons. First, it is more healthy for the dog. Second, it cuts down a lot on the cost of dentals for dogs which require full anaesthesia (especially for little dogs who tend to have worse dental health than larger dogs). Lastly, it is a good way to get a dog comfortable with handling her mouth which makes it easier for you and her veterinarian in the long run.
She is doing well with her jumping. I am now changing the criteria for what I expect from her. If she jumps up I give her a chance to correct herself. I will say "Ah" and turn my back. If she corrects herself and sits, I pet her and give her praise (I pet her with my thumbs in her collar so she can't jump up once I've started petting her). If she does not correct herself, I say "too bad" in a very even tone and put her in a short timeout (in a crate or behind a barrier and for no longer than a minute). If she jumps towards my face (if I am bent over) she doesn't get a chance to correct herself and goes straight into a time out. The criteria is different for this because I want her to know that it is never ok to nip at people. If she does not need to correct herself at all and starts out with a sit, I give her a treat (if I have one on me) and pets and praise. For our normal interactions she almost always starts out with a sit. When she hasn't seen me for a short while, she usually gets one jump in and then corrects herself. Every day she gets better and better!
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