…got you down? Don’t fret - it’s the perfect opportunity to work on your sit stay! Take advantage of bad weather and keep active by practicing the behaviors you need most.

Today we worked on sits and downs with a variety of distractions. My objective as a trainer is to test my dogs’ commitment to any behavior with a series of “proofs”. For instance, I put Daisy and Scout on a sit and had Eric ring the doorbell. This is a tough one for the Pup Life dogs because they LOVE company! Daisy was able to maintain her sit so I reinforced her with a yummy treat. Scout needed a little help so I re-cued the sit and tried again. When Scout responded correctly he got lots of treats. At the end of our session I released both dogs to greet Eric at the door. Fun!

Here we are outside in between rain showers. Daisy’s really mad because Scout just bit her on the butt (and of course, he’s laughing it up!) I like to train the dogs in a variety of settings so that they are able to respond to cues wherever we may find ourselves.

Rainy days are also good for scent work. Begin by hiding a treat and having your dog find it. Once your dog gets the hang of it show her an object like a special toy or article of clothing. Hide it somewhere easy at first and reward your dog with lots of treats when she finds it. It’s a great way to keep your dog’s mind and body active despite outside conditions.