Archive for the ‘Training’ Category

Walker

Preston loves to get his paws on Nolan’s toys, even the walker.
This is how Nolan does it…

Now it is Preston’s turn…

“;

A Useful “Trick”

Mommy and Daddy have pretty much given up on training Preston to be a good walker. He knows the commands “next to mommy” and “slow” very well but enjoys his walk so much better when he can stop and sniff around. When Mommy takes Preston and Baby Nolan out for a walk, a retractable leash makes it easier for Mommy to keep her hands on the stroller and still allow enough freedom for Preston to do some sniffing that he loves. The biggest problem with letting Preston have the extra long leash is that he often wraps himself around a tree or pole, Mommy has to undo it by going around the tree or pole. It is not always easy to do that with a stroller.
It is time for Preston to learn to unwind himself with the command “go around!”. (A retractable leash should only be used on well-behaved dogs. Mommy thinks Preston has passed the test!)

Dinner is ready, Daddy!

Daddy used to have a bad habit that drove Mommy crazy. When dinner was ready, it always took Daddy forever to move from his computer to the dinner table. Preston must have felt the same frustration with Mommy because dinner couldn’t start without Daddy!
To solve the problem, Mommy and Preston teamed up to make sure dinner always start promptly!

“Blanket” trick

Preston hasn’t learned new tricks for awhile. Last week, Mommy saw a great tutorial posted by Preston’s new friend, Honey the Great Dane and decided to teach Preston the “blanket” trick. Thanks Honey for sharing your training secret!

Pawdicure

Mommy hopes this video will encourage anyone who has a hard time trimming their dog’s nails to keep trying eventhough it might seem like an impossible task.
Preston used to be terrified of nail trimming. Visits to the groomer were quite traumatizing for him. Mommy tried Peticure® but Preston ran away on the buzzing sound of the electric filer. Nail trimming was such a dreadful activity for both Mommy and Preston. For more than two years, Mommy had given up on trimming Preston’s nails. Luckily, his active lifestyle kept his nails naturally short. His dew claws were removed by the breeder so Mommy never has to worry about them.
This past winter was Preston’s first winter living in a place where there was a lot of snow. The de-icers on the ground made it hard to go for long walks. Running in the snow or grassy parks was just not enough to wear down his nails. Nail trimming became necessary again and Mommy wasn’t looking forward to doing it at all.
To Mommy’s surprise, nail clipping was so much easier this time around. Preston has become quite comfortable with his pawdicure, sometimes, he even falls alseep in the midst of it.

Preston’s pawdicure kit:
Preston's Pawdicure kit!
How does Preston learn to enjoy the nail clipping?
1. Growing up Preston is used to having his paws handled. Mommy likes holding his paws and wiggling his toes when cuddling.
2. Preston got two cheerios and a big praise if he let Mommy touch his toes with a nail clipper (without clipping). Repeat this many many times.
3. Then, move on to real clipping, Preston got two cheerios for each snap sound the clipper makes.

And many many cheerios later…



FYI: Nail clipping instructions

Say Hi to Daddy!

Daddy has been traveling a lot lately. Preston has learned to say hi to daddy through the webcam.



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Little Helper II

Mommy and Daddy live in a fourth floor walk-up. Carrying groceries up can be quite tiresome. Thank goodness they got a little helper!



also see Little Helper I

Where is my present?

Thanks everyone for the wonderful christmas cards and presents! Preston especially loves checking the mail box during this time of the year. He couldn’t wait until Christmas morning to open his presents. Daddy’s attempt to hide the present Preston received from his puggle buddy, Bruschi, was unsuccessful.

Preston had a great Christmas holiday. Mommy, Daddy and Preston played New Super Mario Bros Wii together as a family!
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Knot-a-long® Leash

A couple of weeks ago, Preston’s puggle buddy Bruschi talked about his new Wacky Walkr® Urban leash in his blog. It is a short elastic leash that is perfect for dogs who like to pull. Living in a city (with a real wacky walker like Preston), Mommy especially appreciates a short leash that allows her more control when walking on busy streets. Mommy would like to share another great short leash option – Knot-a-long® leash by Ruffwear.
The handle of this leash is very comfortable to hold on to. The material is extremely lightweight yet durable. The length of the leash is 2.5 feet (it is not elastic) and great for keeping Preston by mommy’s side (as seen in Preston’s NYC trip).
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Does Knot-a-long® leash magically transform Preston into a perfect walker? Not quite…but here is Preston’s best “on-leash” walk.

Eating Etiquette

Preston is accustomed to eating his treats in small bites. He refuses to eat them if they are too big in size. In this video, Mommy was trying to give him a big piece of his favorite fruit-watermelon…

Preston is not supposed to eat his treats without getting the “take it!”command first but sometimes, the treat is so yummy that he forgets. When he does that, he always realizes his mistake immediately.