Pontus and the Basics

Pontus is now 18 weeks old and he is getting the basics:

1) Sit to wait for his food

2) Wait to be let through a door, no barging

3) Stay in the back of the truck when it’s open without jumping out

4) When invited out, he sits first before being allowed to go

5) Walk to heel

6) Leave it  –  Take it

7) Sit, lie down

8) DOWN with head on the ground on command, not yet on whistle:

Head down on command. This means he would not be able to see tempting hares etc

9) Sit to the whistle at 20 metres from full flow running

10) Learning to hold the dummy in Controlled Retrieve.

Oh, and he is learning a lot about life. He must be the most socialised puppy ever and is happy to mix with ANY body. He has also spent the grouse season in the back of a vehicle on the moor for HOURS, but he gets all his treats (mainly big, juicy deer bones), which takes his mind off the isolation.

The biggest task is the Controlled Retrieve, which can take weeks to master. Here is Pontus about 10 days ago where I am trying to get him to take the little dummy in his mouth. He is not happy with it and I just make him have the dummy in his mouth for a split second before the treat comes. It’s a bit of a struggle, but we don’t fall out.

Just gently pushing the dummy in to his mouth

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Keeping the dummy in his mouth to make him understand what I want

Once I ask him to drop it, he gets the treat immediately

A question of perservering

Here is Pontus today, he is still in the learning stages, but eventually he accepts to sit holding the dummy before I ask him to give it to me. Next stage, hopefully in about a week, he will be taking the dummy off my hand or the floor on the “fetch” command, but let’s see how long it takes.

It’s still a question of persisting with putting the dummy in his mouth

Keep asking him to hold it

And HOORAY!!!!!

Pontus holding the dummy at last, hooray

Well deserved treat