go to the head of the class, buster!

Buster and KayCee started obedience class last week. When we adopted Buster, one of the requirements was that we had to complete a training class within 4 months of the adoption. We're running a little bit behind since it's already been about 4 months since we adopted her, but we wanted to wait until she was fully recovered from her surgeries before we started a class!

Last week, Mom, Dad, Richie, Buster, KayCee, and I went to Petco for the class, and Buster started getting all crazy and aggressive when she saw the other dogs. An owner of a Maltipoo pointed at us and told the instructor that she didn't want us anywhere near her dog, so we were banished outside of the class area. Poor Buster -- already an outcast on her first day of school.

The instructor went through introductions and talked generally about her philosophy about training dogs. All the while, the Maltipoo and its Beagle friend barked incessantly. The instructor kept having to stop talking to try to get them to be quiet. Buster watched them with utter disdain -- "Don't they know it's rude to bark while someone else is talking?"

After awhile, we went over the "sit" command. Buster is already a pro at this -- "The stupid Maltipoo doesn't even know how to sit!" Buster thinks the Maltipoo would be better off in remedial classes.

After class, the instructor apologized for making us sit outside of the class, and then she spent several minutes suggesting different things we can try to work on with Buster to help her get over her leash aggressiveness -- a halter lead instead of using her collar and some de-sensitization exercises. We bought a halter this week and Buster already seems to be making progress -- way to go, Buster!

Today we went to our second class and the instructor set up the classroom so that Buster and KayCee were on one side of the partition and everyone else was on the other side. Buster was so much better this week -- she only tensed up a few times and never really got into the red zone. At the end of class, we got her to lay down and roll over onto her back while she watched the other dogs playing a few feet away. Hopefully, she keeps getting a little bit better each week!

Here are some random pictures of Buster!

Daddy's being a bad influence!


Gimmegimmegimmegimme!!!!


No, KayCee, it's MINE!