Update On Molly's Behaviour

I just wanted to give you a very quick update on two different aspects of Molly's behaviour that I've commented on in the past.

In 'A Surreptitious Use Of A Treat' I described how I overcame her reluctance to jump into the car. And, just as I expected, she now hops in on command without so much as a second thought.

In 'Slowly Slowly Catchee Monkey' I spoke in great detail about the lengths to which I went in order to get her happy to go out last thing at night. When I first got her she refused point blank to go out. I actually think she was afraid of the dark!

When I wrote that article I'd reached the stage where I could call her up at bedtime to put her out and she wouldn't make a fuss about it. What I *hadn't* said, however, was that she still wasn't particularly enthusiastic about it. But neither did she object - she just got on with the job.

But here we are a couple of months down the road and she's like a different dog! At bedtime now she frequently anticipates what's coming and is following me to the door before I even call her name. And on those occasions when that doesn't happen I only have to softly tell her what's going on and she positively races to the door and goes out with genuine enthusiasm.

If you saw her now and could compare her with how she used to be I'd have a job to convince you it's the same dog, so dramatic is the transformation.

It just goes to reinforce what I'm always saying - take things one step at a time and be consistent. Some dogs learn a lot more slowly than others but if you just keep plugging away you'll get there in the end.

I've now had Molly for four and a half months. When she first arrived she'd never stepped foot inside a house and the only thing she'd obviously been taught to do was walk on a lead. She didn't even recognise her name.

Now she's an absolute joy to be around - she listens attentively and pays really close attention to what I'm saying and doing. I've taught her a whole raft of things, some of which she picked up faster than others, but all of which once learned became well and truly imprinted on her brain.

Greyhounds are a very long way down the list when it comes to canine intelligence. But she and I are living proof that if you just follow the basics you can achieve success with even a comparatively dim witted dog. If it can be done with an adult rescue greyhound, then believe you me it can be done with *any* dog.

So don't let anything hold you back - let 2006 be the year you achieve all your dog training goals!

Recommended reading - "Dog Training Blueprint To Success".

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