Future Dog Trainer

Ariana has a little stuffed dog she inherited from the Bignells. It has wooden wheels and a rope attached to its collar. She has not understood the rope deal or been that interested in the dog... until this week.

She fished the dog out of the toy box, studied it for a minute, then put the dog on the floor, adjusting it carefully until it was balanced on its wheels, then she took the rope and began to tug the dog across the floor.

Each time it tipped over, she would stop, put it right side up again, and then continue to pull it across the floor.

Then she stopped, walked over to the dog, held up her hand the way a police officer would who was directing traffic to stop, putting her hand right near the dog's face and then, enunciating clearly and carefully so the dog would understand, said, "No."

Then she put her hand up again, and said, "No," one more time.

So, then I told her that the dog had obeyed her (it wasn't jumping on her, was it?), so she needed to praise him, so she immediately squatted next to the dog and patted its back.

Then she stood up, held out her hand and said, "No."

Then I told her to praise him, so she squatted down again patted him.

We did this for about ten minutes, and her dog never broke his "stay." I was so very impressed. Seventeen months old and her dog already obeys better than the dogs that I trained do. I am so passing the baton on to her.