JJ – I need a good rest tonight. Tomorrow is my first day of Puppy Kindergarten! Daddy keeps telling me that when Jeter went to Puppy Kindergarten (and beyond), he was a champion. He was a teacher’s pet. He learned most commands on the first try.
Alanis – I was so smart that I didn’t need Puppy Kindergarten!
JJ – Not true – you were too old for Puppy Kindergarten, so they took you straight to Beginner’s Obedience class!
Alanis – It should be noted that with JJ beginning school tomorrow, my 4-year old self is going into retirement. I went to class for years – it was a good outlet for me. The last several weeks of class focused on me getting ready for JJ by the trainer bringing in her young dog for me to play with. It worked! So many things I was afraid of in class (I used to hate walking up to walls, for example!) suddenly went away when Winchester entered the picture. I am much braver and more confident than ever. There is zero doubt that my time with Winchester shaped some of my behaviors in “accepting” JJ.
JJ – Alanis plays with me at night now, and I love that. I am already beyond the point in my life where I play for one hour, and sleep for two. Once I am out of the crate, I can play for HOURS without slowing down.
Alanis – You also do things like jump on the table, and have figured out those crazy stairs already!
JJ – Yep! I hopped my way up the stairs the other days, much to the amusement (chagrin?) of my parents.
Alanis – I can’t offer you much Kindergarten advice, since I never attended that class at this facility. I think they teach you the basics – sit, down, wait, stay, leave it. They will socialize you with other puppies, and by the time it is all over, you will know exactly what your name is. You may even be able to start taking short walks by the time the six weeks are up! It would be great to have a walking companion again….
JJ – I am very nervous about my first day…what if I pee in the room? What if I poop? What if I don’t understand a command? What if the other dogs are better than me? What if I can’t live up to the obviously perfect Jeter? So much pressure for an 11-week old!
Alanis – The other dogs are almost guaranteed to be better than you….
JJ – Hey!
Alanis – I just speak the truth!
JJ – Thanks for raising my anxiety. I hope that my good looks can earn me a few points even when I can’t sit still, or have an accident.
Alanis – Relax. They are all the same age as you, and it will be good for you to meet with other puppies. You will meet plenty of dogs in life, whether it be on walks or when you visit someone’s house, that aren’t me. This will be the first time you understand there is life outside of crates, this house, and only playing with me. You will learn stuff that could actually save your life someday. You won’t be a Jeter, and no matter what the big pain in the ass says to you, that is OK. He doesn’t want you to be another Jeter. He wants you to be the first JJ!
JJ – Now I feel better
Me: Tomorrow at 10AM, JJ will start his first class. I love taking my dogs to class, and think they are very important to shape positive behaviors in your dog. It is inevitable that your dog will encounter a loose dog at some point. There is no doubt that some day, a kid is going to run out of his yard asking to pet your furry friend. Even if you keep your dog in the house 23 hours a day, there will come that time when he slips through the front door, resulting in you needing a firm command to get him back.
It is never too young to start a puppy in training! The younger they are, the better – they are in the stage of their lives where you can quickly shape their behaviors for a lifetime. I “brag” a lot about Jeter, but he was probably in the 1 percentile when it comes to dog training. His father was an obedience superstar, and Jeter was born with a special ability to learn commands in a matter of seconds. This is not normal – do not get frustrated if your dog can’t figure something out! This isn’t a race to see if your child can beat Little Johnny in figuring out what 3 + 3 is. Dogs will catch on at different rates. Alanis was 6 months when I took her to a class, and trust me – she was all over the place, wanted very little to do with the obedience, and was the barking dog in class. The trainer will tell you that Alanis didn’t like noises coming from nearby businesses, and if the room even looked SLIGHTLY different from one class to the next, she was not a happy camper until she could figure it out. Dogs will be dogs at the end of the day.
This blog is all about the Goldens we own and have owned, and will continue to be just that. There will be a lot of posts about JJ’s Journey through training class, so be ready for that. I didn’t have a blog back in Jeter’s training hey day. JJ will make up for that!