Christmas morning started off quite rough at the Get Pet "chateau" as Rolfe and I began the day with an argument about whether or not he needed to get off the bed.  This meant that a training session was mandatory before anything else could happen, but that completely connected with Rolfe and he made huge progress today!
 
1. He ate both of his meals in full - that's a first in the week he's been with me.
2. He stopped trying to eat Dr. Seuss and actually cuddled up with him on my bed for a nap.
3. He successfully stayed on his bed (with Gatsby at his side) for 30 minutes without trying to break and eventually fell asleep curled up next to Gatsby.
4. He finally let loose a little and played chase with Gatsby, Tugboat and Chainsaw at the dog park.

He still has a lot of work to do, but I'm super proud of this affectionate little man.  Enjoy the pictures and video from our crazy fun Christmas day!

And REMEMBER THAT ROLFE IS AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION!  Visit http://www.great-lakes-weimaraner-rescue.com/application-requests.htm to get your application process started

For Christmas I created a Get Pet email address for each of my nephews: Blake (10), Dylan (8) and Caden (4).  To tell them about it, Gatsby and Dr. Seuss insisted on creating an instructional video.  Due to popular demand (from my mother), I'm sharing the video for all of you to enjoy.  I hope it makes you laugh or at least puts a smile on your face :-)

This blog is dedicated to all my clients who have endured a very loud barking dog in a crate and argued with me that it's impossible to overcome.  Rolfe is not super happy about being in his crate and works very hard to let me know that he's there whenever I return home.

As I've told my clients, consistent practice of stay will build confidence/independence and ultimately resolve other behavioral issues.  In time and with consistent training, Rolfe will also learn to curb his noisy calls for attention as he gains confidence, and I want my clients who think I don't understand because Gatsby is "perfect" to know that I am right there with you now.  Rolfe, like any dog introduced to a new environment, will certainly test my patience, but it's my job to provide him with clear and consistent messages.  He is super smart and he's got Gatsby to help teach him so he'll be great if I don't mess up :-)

Our training began with "Stay" because I truly believe that a dog's ability to master "stay" and "watch me" are the keys to a strong training foundation.  Rolfe successfully stayed in his crate for a total of 5 minutes today with only a few reminders, and we will work up to 30+ minutes over the next few weeks.

He did very well overall for his first day. I was actually able to move away, sit down at my desk and take my attention off of him for part of the time.  He did "sneak" out at one point, but he quickly returned to the crate when asked.  After the pre-determined 5-minute duration, I released them both by simply saying "ok, come". 

In the short clip below, notice how Gatsby's attention is nearly 100% fixed the entire time with only a brief glance at Rolfe to check in on how he's doing.  Also, please ignore my lovely outfit of medical scrub pants and a t-shirt...it was a long day :-)

Rolfe has officially survived more than 24 hours in our crazy household.  When I left this morning to go walk dogs, he barked in disagreement, but when I came home he was quietly napping.

Although he doesn't seem to be overly interested in playing with Gatsby yet, the two of them are definitely getting along well.  I just need to teach him that Dr. Seuss is not tasty :-(  Thank goodness Dr Seuss is such a chill understanding kitty; I'm sure that Rolfe will figure that out soon enough.

Since it snowed today (again), I decided to put Rolfe on the 30-foot lead and let him run "free" at the park with Gatsby.  Rolfe seemed apprehensive about it all, but he did just arrive so I wouldn't expect much more from him.

On our way home from the park we met a bulldog named Lenny who was vicious to poor Gatsby but seemed to love Rolfe.  Right now Gatsby is napping in my bed and Rolfe is curled up on the very edge of his bed.  I caught him yawning (the picture above)...too cute!

Don't forget to visit www.GreatLakesWeimRescue.com to learn more about how to adopt Rolfe or another Weimaraner who needs a forever home.

Hugo decided to join Gatsby, Meshach Rolfe and me for the afternoon, and there's nothing quite like seeing four large dogs completely passed out after an hour at the park.  Whoever said that large dogs are not suited for apartment living clearly never exercised his or her dogs...all the large breeds I know LOVE to nap.

Two separate pictures because Rolfe chose to snuggle up under my desk at my feet while I did some work while the "grown ups" took all the beds.

Our first foster, Rolfe, from Great Lakes Weimaraner Rescue just arrived at the Get Pet "chateau".  Rolfe is a 13-month-old mouse-grey male, and I can already tell he's got a super sweet disposition.  He seems to be a quick learner; Gatsby should have an easy job teaching him the ropes. I'm sure he's going to fit into the family perfectly while he's here, but the goal is to find him a forever home.

Meshach was staying with Gatsby, Dr. Seuss and me this weekend, so it's kind of Weimaraner central right now at the house, but everyone got along splendidly right out of the gate.  As I type this, Gatsby and Meshach are napping and Rolfe is sitting attentively next to me.

We are dedicated to helping Rolfe prepare for his forever family, and I encourage you to keep checking in to see how he's progressing - I will do my best to provide regular updates and photos as Rolfe learns all about being a dog in Chicago.

Also, if you or someone you know, have always wished Gatsby could be your dog, Rolfe is your chance to have the next best thing :-), Be sure to check out the GLWR website at www.greatlakesweimrescue.com to learn more about how they are helping Weimaraners and for information about adopting a Weimaraner. 

So, this post has nothing to do with dog training, but it does have pictures of many of my dog walking clients so I thought I'd share it in the blog.

i recently received a letter in the mail from my 8-year-old nephew, Dylan, who lives in Pennsylvania.  Enclosed in the envelope with the letter was a paper doll named Flat Stanley who came to visit me and learn more about Chicago.

I figured that while I had an extra "hand" from Flat Stanley, I should put him to work.  Here is a picture show of some of what we did and how he helped me take care of some of Get Pet's clients :-)

To read the letter I received with Flat Stanley, Click "Read More".