Teaching Zachary to Weave through my legs

I have always looked in awe at dogs that would walk through their trainers legs as they walked. I am not sure what made me want to attempt this complicated trick. Teaching our Westie Zachary to weave will be a challenge. I have just started this process and I myself am wondering what I must have been thinking. Zach is willing to go thru my legs, but not sure how to set him up for the second leg. If anyone who has taught this trick, feel free to give me suggestions via the comment section.

High Five success

Zachary has transferred what I have taught him to others. It is so cool to see this little boy wagging his tail wanting to show what he has learned. A High Five Westie, amazing. He can't wait to show off what he has learned to his Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Victor.

Teaching High Five

Since Zach is sitting without a problem, adding an almost puppy move on cue seemed natural. For the High Five trick I first give the sit hand signal. When Zach sits I say high five and place an open palm at his chest level with fingers pointed upward. He then will only get a Click if he touches my palm with one paw. I will ignore a double paw touch. I have shaped this behavior using Clicker training.
I am still doing combo training for:
Sit for a count of 4
Down
Roll over

Roll over trick success

Zach is now rolling over for others besides myself. He seems to enjoy showing of this trick.
We have increased Zachary's sit time to count of 3 before he gets his click. When he is able to sit for a count of 5 we will introduce stay.
He is a good sitter and roll over Westie.

Leaf chasing

Zachary gets great pleasure out of chasing down leaves that are blowing. After catching, he will crunch and chew for about 30 seconds, then he is off to chase another leaf. Westies love the thrill of the hunt.

Frog and lizards excite Westies

It seems like overnight Zachary has discovered frogs and lizards. Before today, he really did not pay much attention to these critters. Today Zach felt it was his job to chase each frog and lizard he saw. The terrier in him is coming out a little more each day.
I remember once time our former Westie tried to eat a frog. His mouth foamed up and he got sick. That was the last frog he ate, he had learned his lesson.

Happy Turkey Day

We have a lot to be thankful for this Thankgiving.

• Our little Westie Zachary who gives us much pleasure
• Our loving family
• Friends both near and far
• Freedom in this wonderful counrty we live in - USA
• and last but not least God, for without him, our lives would not have meaning

Zach has to Sit for a count of 1 now

At first we did not care how long Zach sat as long as he sat on cue. We are now requiring Zach to sit for the count of 1 before he is clicked. This number will be increased when possible, goal is count of 5.

Roll over trick progress

Zach has the roll over body movement figured out. We now are working on the cue. I am using the cue Roll and have added pointing the fore finger out and making a circular motion. My end goal is for him to roll on a cue or my circular finger motion. After Zach is able to respond to either cue, I will introduce another person into the training mix.

Tip for Stopping hole digging

Most Westies and terriers love to dig, Zach is no exception. Zachary would did huge holes, if we let him. We tried shaking a can with pennies, using a squirt bottle, all with no long term effect. His digging behavior was so strong that the only way to stop him was to pick him up. Boy was Zach upset when picked up, he would wiggle an fight against being held. He had a one track mind, get back to digging. I started asking other dog owners what they used, plus searched for answers on the internet. I do not remember where I found this tip for solving the digging problem issue, but it works. Before we were having to give Zach a bath every day or every other day because he was covered in dirt.




Now he go to the areas, sneezes and walks away. Yeah!
Tip for Stopping hole digging:
Sprinkle Black Pepper around area your dog is prone to dig. Our problem areas were the fence line and under the motorhome.

Roll Over trick

One of my favorite dog tricks that our former Westie preformed was to roll over. Since Zach likes going on his back on his own, I thought him might enjoy the Roll over trick. I started last night with Zach and he caught on quickly. This morning and this afternoon we continued roll over, the cue is roll. He is now going all the way over on his own, I started adding the cue today.
We will continue training Sit, Down and Come with Zachary for foundation behaviors.

Coming when called

It is fun to see Zachary learning to come when called. Yes we are using Clicker training for this behavior.
One our biggest concerns are Zach coming to us when called when he wants to anything besides come inside. For 2 training sessions, we worked inside and on the porch. Today we moved to the backyard, where there are numerous distractions. At first we were about 20 feet apart, then we started moving farther apart and even around corners. He tried to anticipate who was going to call him next, but we stayed one paw ahead and kept him guessing. Sometimes I would call him 2 times in a row, sometimes just one. Everyone in the house took part in the coming when called training.
Zach really enjoys training; you can see it in his eyes and tail. Yes he gets special treats, but most important to him I think is our undivided attention.

Zachary 1st Haircut

Zachary went to the dog groomer today and got his 1st haircut. The groomer that we had for our former Westie no longer works in our area. Friends of ours recommend their groomer and we are very glad they did. The Dog Spa is a combo grooming, doggie day care as well as training. Since they knew it was his first haircut they took extra time and care with him. Zach also played with the other puppies and dogs that were waiting their turn. He came home very tired and no longer scruffy. Zachary will definitely go back for future haircuts at the Dog Spa.

Sit and Down Commands Success

Zachary has learned the Sit and Down commands using Clicker Training. Both of these commands were reliable for me, inside and outside the house with some distractions. I brought in another person to see if Zachary’s training would transfer to another person. I was so excited to see Zach actually think before making the move to sit or lay down. I was smiling from ear to ear, as he was flawless, both inside and outside the house. For the first 2 weeks we tried the traditional way to train, with ok results. Week 3, I started using the Clicker and it took one or two sessions for Zach to figure out the Click – Treat method. It is amazing the difference, he is actually thinking after the command/cue is given. I am hooked and will not go back to the traditional way to train again.
My next challenge will be to get Zachary to let go of things in his mouth. Coming when called is also high on the wish list of behaviors for Zachary.

Zach is 7 pounds 5 ounces

Zachary went to the Vet today to get his 3rd series of puppy shots. He will have his last set in 3 weeks, this will include his Rabies shot. He loves going to the Vet, Zach get lots of attention from Doc Paul, the Vet tech's and staff. His official weight was 7 pounds 5 ounces.
When we came home we thought he would be tired, he had other ideas. Playtime was on the top on his list little wish, so playtime it was. He is now sleeping on the floor by the computer.
Being a puppy is such hard work.

Zach met his Uncle yesterday

Zachary loves meeting people. Last night he met a very special person, his Uncle Victor. He played and got his pic taken with his Uncle. After his Uncle Victor left, he sacked out.

Zach is home from RVing

We are back home from our RV getaway. Zachary slept the entire way home, he is so tired. Un-packing the motorhome was fun, as Zach wanted to be in the middle and help. While we were gone he gained 4 pounds, unreal. He has grown up so much, we are seeing slight changes daily. We are so blessed to have our baby boy, life is good.

Zachary playing with other puppies

Friends of our had a large exercise pen outside of their RV so we took Zach over for some off leash playtime. We put Zachary in with Figi and Roxie and they had a blast. Figi the older white dog was soon over being played with. Zachary (3 months) and Roxie (8 months) rolled and tumbled until they both were panting. We brought them both inside to cool down, then put them back in together. At one point Zachary had Roxie's tail and held on for the ride. Poor Roxie just looked up to say help, but everyone around was rolling laughing. She had met her match, she was so used to bossing other dogs around, until she met Zach. Both slept well last night after all their playtime. Zachary will see Roxie next month when we RV again.

Still RVing

Zachary and his loyal followers are still RVing, but we have moved about an hour West of our last campground. We are at an RVW RV rally where everyone has been hearing about our new baby boy, but has not seen him face to face. Zach has found some best buddies, ones that he will grow up with. Monthly, we RV with RVW, so most dogs know each other well. He had the best time today yesterday afternoon playing with an 8 month old Maltese, Roxie. They played and played. He also played with his older sibling Figi. When we finally made it back to the RV, he drank lots of water and was hunger and gobbled up his dinner.

Other Clicker Training sites

Both of these sites will give you more info and help with Clicker training. There are so many dogs that are not bad dogs, the owners just do not take the time to train the little guys. Clicker training offers a different approach to the traditional training methods.
Clicker Training Lessons and American Dog Trainers Network -- CLICKER TRAINING

Clicker Training

I have started using clicker training for Zachary. For those that have never heard of Clicker training, it is unlike traditional behavior. I ordered Karen Pryor’s, Clicker Puppy DVD as an intro for myself. It is a 48min. video featuring children teaching young puppies to Sit, Down, Come, Fetch, Roll over, High five and other behaviors. If children can learn this technique, I can learn this technique. Karen Pryor’s website on Clicker Training has this DVD plus many tips and lessons to get anyone started on Clicker training your puppy or adult dog.

Crate free success

We have now left Zachary several times for about 2 hours each time without any destructive behavior. We had to smile tonight because he got himself behind a barrier we had set up to prevent him from going into the bedroom. Zach had gone over the barrier, but could not figure out how to get back. He was sitting there waiting for us when we came home from going out to eat tonight.
Zachary is gaining strength and body length each day. It will not be long before he can jump on the couch and over the crate barriers.
His itching is less with the new medicine. We are able to give it to him 3 to 4 times a day.

Crate free test

We tried a test this morning to see what Zachary would do if we left him in the RV for an hour while we were visiting friends across the street. We did not put him in his crate but we did close the bedroom door. When we came back he woke up, Zach had been sleeping under the dinette.
This afternoon we are trying the same thing, while we are up at the clubhouse playing pool. When he is not confined he can have water and his toys. We will do more and more alone time, to increase his freedom.
His bladder control is getting better, so we are able to leave him longer without having to run back to let him out to potty.

Houdini Zachary

This morning I woke up hearing four feet at the bottom of the bed. Next thing I know there is a little white head on the edge of the bed. Zachary had figured out how to open his travel crate, the little Houdini. He could have torn up the RV, but he just came to visit my side of the bed. I did not make a big deal at all, just pet him and got up to take him outside. The only thing we could think of was that one of the posts did not get in the hole completely. This afternoon he slept in his crate without a great escape.

Zachary’s constant itching

Since we have been camping Zachary has been itching. He is on a flea and tick meds, so we ruled out that cause. We try to walk around them, but there are ants all over and it is almost impossible to not walk near them. We thought he might have been bit by some ants, so we have given him a bath and rinsed him with an anti-itch rinse, no luck. With Westie hair being double coated, it is tough to see problems on their skin.

As last resort, we took Zachary to the vet for suggestions. We were afraid he was going to scratch himself raw, if we did not treat problem. After checking him all over and not finding fleas, ticks or ants, the Vet recommended a prescription to help his itching. So baby boy is taking Chlorpheniramine, it seems to help.

For the record, Zach is now 6 pounds, 8 ounces.

Zachary's RV

Who is babysitting who

A friend of ours had wanted to hold Zachary so bad, but he would not sit still on her lap for anything. She would get so aggravated when I put him on my lap and he would lay calm. So I helped her get a calm boy on her lap. I was over at their RV helping to transfer some files on their computer. I had Zach on my lap and he started to fall asleep. Well I waited until he totally was asleep and put him on her lap. She was so excited that he was calm and she could now just stroke his hair. After working on the computer, I went to check on Zach and found both she and Zach sound asleep. My question was, who was babysitting who. I had to take a picture to remember the day that Zachary laid so quiet on Norma.

The Dog Rules

I thought I would pass on a cute website The Dog Rules. All of us can relate to these rules. Enjoy!

Zach is sleeping 7 hours

We are not sure whether it is he getting older or we picking up his water at 10:00pm, or a combination. We are grateful, to sleep in a little more each day. He is catching naps when he can during the day and at night when we are less active.
Zachary was wired for sound this morning after potting. I imagine being cooped up inside yesterday since it rained all afternoon and all night has something to do with him being wired. We will welcome the sun this afternoon.

Rainy afternoon today

We had a rainy afternoon today. It was a challenge getting Zach to go outside to potty in the rain. He is not crazy about getting wet, rain or bath. May tomorrow be sunny. Unable to upload pictures with blogger today, so will post more later.