Obedience School. Class #3.

Today marked the half-way point of Bryer's schooling.  Has he changed much?  HA!

We got to school today about 20 minutes early, so we did our usual stroll around PetSmart to try and wear him out a bit before class begins.  We ran into a few dogs and people before class, one dog growled at Bryer, the other wrestled with him.  We go in the ring to look to check it out while nobody is in there.  There were two toys laying in the floor that they were using for a class that is right before ours.  Bryer walks in, picks up both toys in his mouth and walks right out.  Just like he owned the place and those were his toys and nobody else's.

The tricks we were learning in class today were:  "Take it", "Leave It", "Drop It".  Well - we are a ROCKSTAR at "Take It", and yes, it's literally what it sounds like.  You offer your dog something and he takes it - we finally succeed at something from obedience school!  Next we try "Leave It".  In order to do this I had a special treat that the instructor gave me and I had to hide it in my hand, let him smell it and try to get it, then say "Leave It" while I try and distract him with a different treat - once he looked away from my hand he got the treat.  He actually didn't do too bad with this one, except for the fact that my hand was completely covered in spit!  Then we try "Drop It".  In order to do this we get a rawhide.  Well, Bryer is so distracted from being in class he won't even pick up the rawhide - therefore we cannot "Drop It".  The instructor then brings out a big bin of toys.  Bryer is in doggie heaven.  Bryer ends up with 5 different toys, and the other two Prima-donna's won't even take one toy.  We try to practice "Drop It", and he does it every now and then, but he does not want to give up his new fabulous toys.  He completely soaks four of them in spit and then covers them with black hair - I'm sure PetSmart really appreciated it!

Bryer's other two classmates were mentioning how they've tried to teach their dogs to catch, but they just can't quite do it.  Well that sure triggered Craig.  Then he and his son had to show off a bit!  Bryer's favorite toy that he was playing with was a yellow rubber squeaky ball so Craig and Bryer had to play catch just so everyone could see how athletic our wild man was!  Craig was a proud father..

I'm not really sure that obedience school was everything we thought it was going to be.  I think an hour is way too long for Bryer's attention span.  He does well the first few times we try and do a trick, but then he gets bored with doing stuff for treats and just flat out ignores me and Craig.  I think he thinks the instructor is some type of treat God because he will do anything for her - but when Craig and I try and get him to do stuff he doesn't even acknowledge that we exist.

This class was kind-of lacking in humor, Bryer was too focused on his new toys so he couldn't perform for the crowd tonight!  Stay tuned for next week - he's supposed to be hooked on to a 10 foot leash and Craig and I are supposed to call him and he is supposed to come to us - that should go just swell!