First Day of School

April 17, 2010

Being that Kitty is a year old and has demonstrated that she has a mind of her own, I thought it would be a good idea to enroll her in a beginner training class.  Today was her first day, and I am ashamed to say that we were late.  Yes, Kitty was late to her first day of school.  But it was not her fault.  I take the blame completely.  She tried waking me up early enough to get there on time, but I was such a sleepy-head.  I will say, however, that I sacrificed looking my best so that SHE could look polished and presentable. 

When we arrived, the instructor invited us to take a seat and continued with his lecture.  Surprisingly, Kitty made friends instantly with the Yorkie that was sitting a chair away. 

One of the reasons I chose to enroll Kitty in a class is because I am trying to socialize her.  She is a very timid little doggie and tends to shy away from other dogs.  So, I was very happy to see her trying to make friends because she does not always behave this way.

When I tried to introduce my cousin’s baby Labrador to her a couple of weeks ago, Kitty ran and hid under the end table.  That’s when I knew it was time for her to get out in the world.  Fortunately, Kitty is not aggressive and will allow people to pet her if they do not move toward her too quickly.  She has never bitten anyone, and she really does love attention.  But I would like her to be more playful with her peers and more confident in the real world.  Also, education has always been very important to me and my life.  So, it only makes sense that my dog should have an education as well.  Since I have no kids to send to college, I must send my dog to training classes.

I had no idea that I would learn so much just from the first class.  As it turns out, the huffy veterinary technician who told me that I was feeding Kitty too much may not have been too far from being right. 

It IS true that dogs should only eat so much a day, AND their food should be measured.  Because of Kitty’s size, I have been breaking her meals up into several small meals rather just one or two larger ones.  A while back I read that Yorkshire Terriers are susceptible to hypoglycemia because of their size.  So, that’s when I decided to start feeding Kitty small meals throughout the day.  From what I understand, it really isn’t overfeeding because it amounts to the same as a whole.

One thing I have neglected to do, though, is put her on a feeding schedule.  Dogs need routine.  I know that.  I have just failed to do it.  But no more.  Starting today, Kitty is getting measured portions of food at specific times each day.  And that’s that.

We were issued clickers to use as a training tool for the duration of the class.  You know, I’ve always wondered how the heck to use those things, and I am happy that it was explained to me today.  I always thought that the dogs were supposed to be attracted to the clicking sound in some way.  I had this crazy notion that dogs would somehow be mesmerized by the sound, like it would magically lock your dog into a trance and all of a sudden, he/she would want to follow you and obey your every command.  Nope.  No such luck.  You’re actually supposed to offer a treat after EVERY click, and it eventually CONDITIONS your dog to do what he/she is supposed to do.  Go figure.  So much for that dream of being like the Pied Piper.

Who would have thought his training thing would be so much work?

I also learned that dogs use nonverbal communication more so than verbal communication.  It makes sense though.  Whenever dogs want something, they use nonverbal cues:  they pull, they scratch, they jump, etc.  They only bark as a last resort.  Therefore, when training dogs, humans should use nonverbal cues first. 

And that’s the gist of what I learned today.  It’s strange though…  I thought that Kitty was supposed to be the one learning...