Mr. Ray's Training Log

                                                                                     5.23.23 // 5 pm Today Mr. Ray had a very busy day. We first went on a walk but since he walks a lot with his brother Finn and they both heal on the left side, they practiced walking pretty together. It was a struggle passing other dogs but by the end of the walk, Ray was healing as he was without Finn. I am very excited as on our walk I realized I could practice Mr. Ray’s Good Dog Citizenship skills in front of my neighbor's house who leave their dogs outside sometimes on an electric fence. This is a great training spot for the summer. We then went to get Ray’s blood work done and Ray practiced his sit and stay while other dogs walked by in the vet's office. When he went with the technician, he did not even cry! This is huge! When we went home we practiced another walk and another restaurant situation. Overall he is pretty tired from all of his adventures and playing with his siblings!!  Dail

                                                                                  5.22.23 // 6:30 pm Ray had a busy day today. He first went on his usual walk, then we went to breakfast. Here Ray practiced sitting quietly in his place for an extended period of time. This was something completely new for him and he did okay. Next time we try to bring him out to a restaurant, I think he will do much better. After he practiced with his electric collar and off-leash recall. He did very well listening and following while avoiding the street and running around. We then went on a walk and he practiced his sit and stay while I helped a friend at various locations. Shortly after, Ray and I went to the library for my exit interview and I finally finished my concentration!! We ran over to the chapel after to have Ray evaluated for his good dog citizenship. He passed three skills even though he was very tired from him big adventures that day. Dee believes that in a month he could probably pass. 

                                                                                     5.21.23 // 8:00 pm This week Ray and I have made giant leaps in his training. He was finally ready to practice his skills in more distractive environments and we tried to take advantage of every opportunity to do so possible. We also started specific good dog citizenship training and working on the areas he needs the most improvement on. Ray also perfected his down and place which I am very proud of. We are still working on more showy tricks but his functional actions (tricks necessary for him to fit in my life) are going amazing. His leash walking has gotten pristine although he still needs to practice with other dogs nearby.  I am truly so proud of his progress. He has even gotten over his wariness of children! Besides nailing down and place, there is a few big achievements that I am proud of Ray for. One is how he handled himself when we were working in Terry’s classroom with Gunner. He was real

                                                                                                                                                                            5.20.23 // 6:30 pm Today Ray had his first puppy class. Dee thought that it would be better for him to be around dogs more his size so I was excited to see how he would do today. After getting ready, we got out of the car and he did well with sitting and waiting for me to grab some things. Then we went into a play area while the other owners arrived. He quickly notices the other dogs and does sit when I ask but he does not look at me. When I took off his leash though, he did sit and stay for a moment before starting to play. He did really well in the training session and his recall was on point! Dee even said he has great recall! The best compliment ever as we worked very hard on that. Besides doing a few other things Ray worked on his tricks and such in a distracting environment. I really need to go on walks with

  5.19.23 // 8:00 pm This morning Ray and I jumped out of bed and rushed to complete our morning routine. After practicing our usual walk, we headed to school to practice his skills in a very distractive environment: Terry’s phycology class. Gunner and her kids were going in and out and there was a lot of talking. There we worked on sitting and staying while being pet; sit; down; being left alone without whining; walking past other dogs and people while keeping attention on me; allowing others to groom him; and look. He did extremely well and worked really hard. Gunner was a great dog to practice with as he ignored Ray for most of the time. We then walked around campus while everyone was going to assembly and practiced his sit and stay right by the front doors of the meeting house. I would step far away or even enter the building out of sight and he would still stay. I was really proud of him for that. We then went home for a much-needed rest. Later, we worked on place and more down.

                                                                                          5.18.23 // 8:00 pm Ray had a big day today. After our normal morning routine, Ray was alone for two hours. Surprisingly he did not cry as I left or came back. After we went on another walk and practiced a lot of tricks. Ray improved dramatically on his down and now does it within a minute after stepping on his leash. His touch needs work and he does it sometimes. His place is going well but needs more practice and paw paw is getting there. After we went to campus to work with Dee. She gave me some new things to work on like having him sit quietly for interactions with others; walking past other dogs; letting others groom him; sit and stay at different distances, leaving and coming back without him whining for three minutes; and him sitting and staying while I talk to someone else. These are what we will be really focusing on as these are requirements for his Good Dog Citizenship. I am doubtful t

                                                                                               5.17.23 // 8:00 pm Ray and I went on a quicker morning walk because of the cold but did more leash training inside. After his breakfast, I brushed his teeth and washed his face. Then we practiced laying down again for about an hour as it has been taking him 15 minutes to lay down each time. After we worked on place, touch, and paw, all of which he is doing well with. Tomorrow I think I might try spin, and continue with these. We also have a private lesson with Dee tomorrow afternoon, so Ray must be on his best behavior! Daily hours // 5 – Total hours // 62

  5.16.23 // 8:00 pm After our walk this morning, Ray ate and I brushed him, despite his protests. We then rushed over to campus as I had to teach at Imagination Inn that morning. But right after we had our public demo for my concentration. Ray went to class and he sat/slept politely at my feet during the presentation. It went very well and most of the class was really engaged. Afterward. We took another walk and went home to practice place and down. Then it was time for practice and he was with Gabbie again. We spent the rest of the evening as we usually do and took another walk.  Daily hours // 5 – Total hours // 57

  5.15.23 // 8:00 pm Ray and I slept in a little today. We worked on leash training and then ate breakfast. After I worked on my public demo presentation for tomorrow and my concentration paper. Shortly after I took Ray outside to practice some skills and to play fetch. He had a blast. Then we went to campus and after a short walk, Ray practiced being in his backpack while I glazed my leftover pieces in ceramics. After I let him out of the backpack, he sat quietly at my feet. He once again hung out with Gabbie during practice and after a little bit of tug and dinner, he is wiped out on the couch.  Daily hours // 5 – Total hours // 52

  5.14.23 // 8:00 pm Throughout this week Ray has improved dramatically. Even others like Heidi Thoma have noticed that Ray has grown so much. This week my patience had never been tested so far in my life. Ray is as stubborn as I am and a lot of the time was spent sitting and waiting for him to lay down, or crawl into his career to then reward that behavior. I figured out that he will pay attention to bacon and it has proven to be one of the only treats he will accept. I have learned so much this week. From the many exercises, Dee has suggested and from the internet. I have found that positive reinforcement is the best training method. To reward what is good, and if Ray does something bad, he will lose his freedom. This has really worked for him. Ray has also learned a lot.  I am really happy that I chose this senior project and I am really enjoying my time with Mr. Ray. But I did not anticipate that we would be doing the same tricks, or steps of them, 30-50 times per day. I did not

5.13.23 // 8:00 pm Ray and I went for our walk this morning and again he practiced walking well on a leash and we even practiced some staying. Afterward, Ray ate his breakfast and I brushed his teeth, and hair, and got him all ready for his first day of puppy training school. We went over to Dee’s house and there was only one other dog in the class. We were kept separate as the other dog was very excited and Ray did very well. We practiced ignoring other dogs and got some tips to teach Ray down. After I had practice, we watched the lacrosse game for a while. Having Ray practice a sit and stay while others were petting him and with the distraction of the game. We then went home and practiced more “place.” Then we went on the painful process of doing Ray’s exercises to teach him d"own". We did this for more than an hour as he is very stubborn at laying down. After a little rest, we went on another walk and had dinner. He is now snuggled up soundly on the couch for bed.   Dail

5.12.23 // 9:30 pm This morning Ray and I went on our normal walk. I clipped him into his chest, and he practiced healing and walking well. We did more practice with the construction distraction and less bacon. After we ate, I did some desensitization training by grabbing and manhandling Ray as much as possible. I then sat down to read more of the training manual Dee gave me and I finished it. We went on another walk and practiced, place, paw, and down. I then ate a late lunch and we rushed over to Proctor early for my away game. I met with Terry about setting up my public demo and Heidi to let her know that date. We also worked on more distraction training while walking and while with Terry Mr. Ray met Gunner. Gunner was not too pleased with Ray and it was great training for him to understand that when another dog grows, check back in with mom. Ray again was with Gabbie and Jackson. After the game, we got home late and went right to be after dinner. Daily hours // 6 – Total hours //

  5.11.23 // 7:30 pm This morning Ray and I went on our normal walk. I clipped him into his chest link and he practiced healing and walking well. He did very well, especially with the construction down the road. After, he ate and I had to head over to Imagination Inn to teach some of the children Spanish. While I was gone, Ray was in his crate and he was very quiet when got back which is a HUGE improvement. After taking him out, I washed his face, brushed his teeth, and brushed his body. He is getting more and more used to getting brushed and whining less. I then sat down to read more of the training manual Dee gave me. He then practiced laying down and staying at my feet. I then ate a late lunch and we rushed over to Proctor for practice. Ray again was with Gabbie and Jackson and he even met a new puppy! After practice, he had his dinner and we practiced walking on a leash a little more. Later tonight I am planning on starting training him for place in his carrier.  Daily hours // 8

5.10.23 // 8 pm When Ray and I went on our usual morning run, we ran into a new friend. Mr. Ray and Skipper, a one-year-old beagle, were fast friends! After playing a bit Mr. Ray and I went inside for his breakfast. Then I finished up my concentration paper and we went outside to play fetch. Pretty soon it was time to head to campus for my game and I ran and dropped Mr. Ray off with Gabbie. When I picked him up I found that Mr. Ray had made fast friends with Jackson, Gabbie’s dog, and they didn’t want to leave each other. After he ate and fell right asleep after a big day of meeting new friends.  Daily hours // 9 – Total hours // 27

  5.9.23 // 7:40 pm Ray and I woke up early today because I had to get to school for an AP Exam. I dropped him off with Austin and picked him up at 12. We then went to lunch and he practiced sitting and staying while I ate my food. Then we headed straight to the theater to finish modifying his harnesses. Here he played with Joan’s dog Mosley. Eventually, Joan left and Ray practiced sitting still under my feet. After we checked in with Heidi Thoma to set up more concentration dates. We walked around for a while and Ray practiced staying near me. We did an exercise where Ray’s leash would drag and if he started to veer off or not pay attention to me, I step on the leash and say easy. While doing this a few times a day for a short period of time, I have already noticed Ray paying more attention to me. Pretty soon it was time for practice and Ray went to hang out with Gabbie for a while. After practice Ray and I went home and played fetch, he ate dinner, and now he is passed out on the c

5.8.23 // 8:35 pm Mr. Ray had an earlier appointment with Dee Ganley the dog trainer this morning. After a short run and protesting breakfast, we ran over to the chapel to meet her. There we worked on three training exercises for walking well on a leash: the 1-2-3, changing direction, and corrective tugging. While conversing with Dee, we determined that Ray needed a front loop in his harness to help him walk nicer. And after Dee left, that became my DIY project of the day. We headed over to the hardware store, down the street, to grab two small D-rings to sew on. We then went home, played tug, and snuggled. Around two, we went back to campus to meet Joan who is helping me sew the rings on. But we were only there for 30 minutes as he had a date with Gabbie while I went to an away game at Holderness. I picked him up at king house around three and after being fed, Ray played a viscous game of tug before curling up at my side. Can’t wait to do it all again tomorrow.  Daily hours // 7 --

  5.7.23 // 7:25 pm Today I was able to sleep in. Mr. Ray and I went on a run around 10 am for about 30 minutes. We worked on healing during the run and not pulling on the leash. He then had his breakfast and I put him in his crate while I went to the grocery store. He practiced being alone and quiet in his crate during the 45 minutes I was gone. Once I returned I organized my new living space while Ray got used to his pinch collar for walks. By then it was time for his dinner and he did well and ate his whole dinner without needing to be hand fed. We then practiced with fetch and are now snuggling up to watch a show.  Daily hours // 6 -- Total hours // 6