And So it Goes...

As Rufus lay's at my feet snoring that adorable little snore of his, I'm pondering a nap myself... and it's only 12 noon!

Baby steps - but we are actually making even more noticeable progress (however, I can't WAIT until the professional trainer can meet me later this week in person - instead of over the phone advice).  Any furry little object still obsesses Rufus, no matter how delicious the treats I have in my hand are... roll-eyes.  But today I focused on 'Drop It' while we are playing fetch.  After suffering too many accidental bruises from Rufus and his exited actions with his toys (with Rufus being a solid 80 lbs, it's easy for it to happen) - I figured I needed a safer method of playing.  As in Scouts - Fun with a Purpose!

It took him three (and I mean exactly three) throws and retrieves before he understood Drop It.  As I banged my head on the side of the deck for not thinking of this before...ugh, he happily brings the toy back and drops it at my feet!  This dog is apparently smarted than me.

Now the sit and/or lay down WITHOUT barking for the next throw will take a bit more time, he definitely is starting to understand.  I just think he likes barking for his toys.  He will sit or sit then lay down depending on my command, but I have to wait out the excitable barking.  He really hates it when I fold my arms (with toy completely out of reach and or hidden) and ignore him.  As soon as he stops, I give him the command (sit or lay down).  If he barks we go back to the ignore part.  No toy was thrown until he was quiet --- can I just say that our play time was REALLY long today?

I do have another quality to add to Rufus' long list of amazing qualities.... he is also a KLUTZ.  LOL, I am the only person who could fall in love with a dog (that I'm hoping will make the grade to be a service dog-- to help me with balance) that is also a klutz like me!  The first time he tripped over the marble transition strip that covers the flooring between my bedroom and bathroom (and is only maybe 1/2" high) - I went into hysterical giggles.  My laughter was apparently very contagious for Rufus and he immediately joined me.  I did refer to my klutziness right?  At the time I was leaning against the bed, not actually sitting on it and when Rufus came over and excitedly put his paws on my legs - we both went down.  That got me laughing even harder, which didn't help my situation.  I'm laughing so hard, I've got tears running down my face and Rufus was happily licking them all off.  I think I even snorted a few times.  It took about 5 minutes for both of us to calm down, but a fun time was had by all.

... even my husband, who was standing in the bathroom at the time and did nothing but watch the show! Sheesh!

Oh, and just so you know I'm not making a judgement on that one action, Rufus tripped into his kennel that night (and a few other times) and the wood floors are a slippery challenge to him on many occasions.... (we've added a bunch of throw rugs around to help).

I have to give a big THANK YOU to The All Shepherd Rescue group for all their help, answering ALL my questions for this past week as I go through a Foster to Adopt program with Rufus to make sure he really is the perfect fit.  I have gone from 'oh no Rufus will not work' to 'Oh My Gosh this is the PERFECT dog', probably 3 times a day (I might be exaggerating that just a bit).  The organizers of All Shepherd Rescue are so totally committed to making sure their dogs find the perfect match and get the best care -- and they have been a huge help to me.  And Aja Harris from MuttMagic Dog Training has been so helpful in getting me through the little things (properly) so I can make sure I'm only helping Rufus and not getting a quick fix to an issue.  Even despite her massively booked schedule, she still manages to answer my calls and questions.

I'm getting a few estimates for fencing in our side yard,  it would benefit Rufus greatly to have a solid barrier (not just the invisible fence) until I can trust that he has truly gotten over the desire to chase small furry critters.  None of my previous dogs had that prey drive, and the invisible fence was extremely effective and secure.  My internal intuition says Rufus is so not ready for that type of containment.  So all activities with Rufus are done on leash - either a short leash and choke collar - or for play time a 30' lead and a flat collar.  The fenced area will be a better training/play area for whatever comes our way.  (just hope it can be done at a reasonable rate!)

As you can see we are learning and playing and having a grand ol' time!