Clicker Training…

Sunday, October 9th, 2005 at 7:17 pm

Pepper is now getting bigger. Last Thursday I weight him and he was about 6 kg. I will try to keep record of his weight and the length of his back every week. Since he is getting bigger dramatically the crate we bought when we first got him is now too small for him. He seems to like his new crate.

I started using clicker training with Pepper on Friday. Clicker training is one of the training method which uses positive reinforcement. It works quite well. Pepper already knew some cues before I introduced him the clicker training but it also gets his attention to the click.

I use the clicker training with him for loose-leash walking this morning. When he tried to pull the leash I suddenly stopped and pretended to be a tree. He finally stopped and looked back at me then I clicked and gave him a treat. I tried to do it every time he pulled and it seems to get his attention to stop and look back at me. I knew it will take a while before he can have a proper loose-leash walk beside me like when you see in the dog show but he has potential to be like that.

After lunch I went to Dobbies garden center by myself. I would like to get couple of climbing roses and some pansies for the front paths. I also went to Strawberry Corner, another garden center, on the way home to buy farmyard manure and soil improver & mulch. I wanted to mulch the rose bed because it was too dry this summer. I bought 60 litres bag of farmyard manure and 75 litres of mulch. I could manage to put them on the trolley by myself but I could not lift them to the car. Luckily there was a very kind man parked his car right next to mine helped me lift them.

About 4 pm, we have visitors. They were mum, dad and their friends from France, Eliane and Jacques. Eliane is mum’s pen pal since mum was a teenager. They met every summer in France when mum and dad were on their holidays. Pepper was too excited to see them. He was a bit out of control. He liked to jump to Jacques and Eliane.