Gem turns 2!!

Gem at 9 weeks

Gem turns 2 years old today... I can't believe that she is already 2. As the old cliche' says... Where has the time gone? In the last 2 years, I've learned a great deal about Gem. She has made me a better, more patient trainer. I found out that in the beginning, I pushed her too hard and too fast to learn what I wanted her to learn. This caused Gem to stop trying when she wasn't right the first time, disconnect from me, and relieve her own stress by grabbing a toy and running away. It got so bad that I thought she might do better with someone else. I wanted her to be happy.

Gem at 2 years

So, I had to figure out how to teach Gem without
overwhelming her. I had to go back to square one
and begin anew. She is soft... very soft. She is still immature, but is slowly growing up. She likes to think about things and doesn't readily offer behaviors. I had to teach her that it was okay to guess and even if she wasn't always correct, it was okay to keep trying. She's gotten much better since I came to the realization that she needed me to teach her differently. It isn't because she is a female. It is because of who she is and how she learns. We have made leaps and bounds of progress since I changed my tactics with her. She still doesn't like to be wrong, but she now understands that it's okay to be wrong and try again. She still doesn't offer multiple behaviors, but she IS trying and she is much more relaxed with guessing incorrectly.

She loves to "perch". Now that I am teaching her a 2 on 2 off behavior for the dogwalk and teeter, she is learning that she needs to use her back feet. Her first try was amusing. She put her front feet on the board, smiled and wagged her tail. Ta da! Oops... not quite what I wanted. Instead of her shutting down, I lured her into position and clicked. I could see her wheels turning. I tossed a piece of cheese away from the board and she stepped over it, placing her back feet on it. I clicked and treated her for getting it right. She was happy, relaxed and having a blast. I don't drill her. She does a few repetitions and we move on to something new or something she already knows. This is what works for us.

I am looking forward to someday competing with her in agility. I had to give myself a reality check when I started seeing dogs younger then her competing this year. Well, I don't have equipment in my yard, I work another job, so our time will come. It may not be for another year or more and that's okay. I know we will still go through learning curves, but I hope when we do start competing, she will be mature and hopefully won't go through the baby dog stuff I see with other dogs. I know I will make mistakes. However, I know that we are building a wonderful relationship and that she is having fun while she is learning. That is the most important thing to me.

Happy Birthday to our little Gem! We love you so much and we are so happy to be your family. Thank you Vickie for choosing her for us. She is so loved!!