a moment of silence
Poquito is with his new family now.
I miss the little buggah already!
over the past two days, I taught him "sit"! he'd clearly never been taught to sit before, but he picked up on it and was able to do it numerous times today, even without me touching him. when I did need to use the physical cue, the lightest touch worked. it is clear that if they continue to work with him, they could have him jumping through hoops if they wish!
he also learned "in" (though possibly he already knew that one, since really the only training he seemed to have was to go in his crate) and "up" as in, I am picking you up - I'd say it and he'd arch his body up to help me lift him. Poqui LOVES to be held. we also worked on "out" (as in, go out the door / come out of your crate) which worked great for "go out the door" and not so much for "come out of your crate" although I do think he gets it. he just has a hard time with confidence.
I think he was told "no" a lot, and thrown in his crate, but never trained in a positive way. fortunately he is so eager to please that he will be a complete joy to train! I really do wish I could keep him and take on the project myself. it has been SO gratifying for me to see him coming out of his shell and responding more and more to my kindness and direction. training animals is so rewarding!
so, the time had come. we carefully put a new little harness on him and ritually removed the old, filthy, ill-fitting cat collar. Joy! Poqui has a new family! I even think they are going to keep calling him Poquito as their (mostly outdoor) cat has a Spanish name too! this makes me ridiculously happy... I so love the little guy. (I do have to admit it is a great name and really suits him.)
so they promised to take him to the vet for a checkup, give him the *good* dog food, and work with him on training. he is SUCH a sweetheart that I know he will do well, and make them so happy. he just wants to please, and to be loved!
he really is a special little fellow. Nadja and I both agreed that if we were able to have a dog, he is *just* the kind of dog we would want. I'm really grateful that her friends are at a place in their lives where they can have a dog (they have a yard even)!
vaya con Dios, Poquito. you are loved!
I miss the little buggah already!
over the past two days, I taught him "sit"! he'd clearly never been taught to sit before, but he picked up on it and was able to do it numerous times today, even without me touching him. when I did need to use the physical cue, the lightest touch worked. it is clear that if they continue to work with him, they could have him jumping through hoops if they wish!
he also learned "in" (though possibly he already knew that one, since really the only training he seemed to have was to go in his crate) and "up" as in, I am picking you up - I'd say it and he'd arch his body up to help me lift him. Poqui LOVES to be held. we also worked on "out" (as in, go out the door / come out of your crate) which worked great for "go out the door" and not so much for "come out of your crate" although I do think he gets it. he just has a hard time with confidence.
I think he was told "no" a lot, and thrown in his crate, but never trained in a positive way. fortunately he is so eager to please that he will be a complete joy to train! I really do wish I could keep him and take on the project myself. it has been SO gratifying for me to see him coming out of his shell and responding more and more to my kindness and direction. training animals is so rewarding!
so, the time had come. we carefully put a new little harness on him and ritually removed the old, filthy, ill-fitting cat collar. Joy! Poqui has a new family! I even think they are going to keep calling him Poquito as their (mostly outdoor) cat has a Spanish name too! this makes me ridiculously happy... I so love the little guy. (I do have to admit it is a great name and really suits him.)
so they promised to take him to the vet for a checkup, give him the *good* dog food, and work with him on training. he is SUCH a sweetheart that I know he will do well, and make them so happy. he just wants to please, and to be loved!
he really is a special little fellow. Nadja and I both agreed that if we were able to have a dog, he is *just* the kind of dog we would want. I'm really grateful that her friends are at a place in their lives where they can have a dog (they have a yard even)!
vaya con Dios, Poquito. you are loved!