AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! He is ADORABLE. I want to scoop him up and love all over him. That FACE. ZOMG, I could melt. :D :D :D
As far as training, I am a huge fan of the clicker. It works WONDERS with Sadie ~ who is a white German Shepherd, veryvery clever and too crafty for her own good. Clicker training, if you haven't come across it, just means using a clicker to mark when an animal has done something right. The second after you click, you give a treat. So it's total positive reinforcement, but the sound allows immediate capture of desirable behaviors and encourages problem solving skills as they try to figure out what gives them a click. I use it with my mustangs, too, and it's pretty much the only thing that allowed me to break through Gypsy's blocks. You can click any behavior and build on it, so we've taught Sadie to pick up her own toys, fetch things on a verbal command (she knows "get your toy," "get your brush," "find the kids," etc. So fun!), and run obstacle courses. It turns training sessions into games and it's so easy my kids can do it, too. <3
no subject
As far as training, I am a huge fan of the clicker. It works WONDERS with Sadie ~ who is a white German Shepherd, veryvery clever and too crafty for her own good. Clicker training, if you haven't come across it, just means using a clicker to mark when an animal has done something right. The second after you click, you give a treat. So it's total positive reinforcement, but the sound allows immediate capture of desirable behaviors and encourages problem solving skills as they try to figure out what gives them a click. I use it with my mustangs, too, and it's pretty much the only thing that allowed me to break through Gypsy's blocks. You can click any behavior and build on it, so we've taught Sadie to pick up her own toys, fetch things on a verbal command (she knows "get your toy," "get your brush," "find the kids," etc. So fun!), and run obstacle courses. It turns training sessions into games and it's so easy my kids can do it, too. <3
CONGRATS on the new family member!!!