Leave It

Eli is working on a new trick this week and he is catching on quickly, too. I put a treat in front of him and ask him to "leave it." He is not allowed to get the treat until I tell him "okay." Even then, he waits for me to push it toward him and actually give it to him, which I think is pretty cute.
Eli has a new car seat. It does not make my fifteen-year-old daughter happy that Eli has been designated shot-gun. It is definitely safer for him to travel in a secured car seat and also allows him to stay checked-in with me, which is his job.

We are continuing to work on recall this week. Eli is doing a great job with it. "Now" is our emergency recall word, which means he is to come to me post-haste. He also knows to make an appearance when I call his name out. We use "come" when walking on leash. That means I want him to be walking with me or that he needs to stop pulling in the opposite direction.
Eli is learning the heel position nicely. The trainer suggested getting a thin dowel to stick a treat on the end of. This would extend my arm to keep him in a sit or down position while I walk around to his right side and have him in a heel. I have not been able to get a dowel yet, but Eli is still doing well with this. For the most part, he does quite nicely holding his sit and his down until I release him. Even then, just as with leaving the treat, Eli continues to hold until I physically touch him to 'nudge' him out of his position. This is a good thing, as it shows his willingness to work.
Mei-li has been getting pretty aggressive with Eli and that is really showing in Eli's behavior toward her. I am very displeased by it. He plays with Aunt Delmi well and has been playing with his big sister Scribbles just fine. Eli also loves to get together with his brother, Mr. Wrinkles. Sometimes he and Mei-li even play together. I was pretty disturbed by his reaction to the other puppies in class last Saturday, though. Since then, I am noticing an increase in aggression between Eli and Mei-li. Mei-li does like to come over and try to steal his treats when we are working together. Eli may be thinking that the other puppies in class are trying to get his treats, too. I do not really know. I certainly hope this negative reaction can be corrected. Eli has not shown any food aggression toward people. I have worked with him very consistently on making sure he would not be food aggressive because Mei-li is. When he eats, I pet him, stick my hand in his bowl, put my hand on his treats when he is eating them, and I have even taken them away from him. He has never had a problem.
Eli goes to the vet again Thursday. He will be receiving the first of his Lyme vaccinations. I was anxious to find out how much weight he gained, so I put him on my food scale over the weekend. He weighed an even four pounds. Eli must have gone through a growth spurt a couple of weeks ago when he gained 15 ounces. My daughter said she thinks his growth spurt answers why he was so crabby. Eli does tend to get crabby when he needs a nap or when he needs to poop...which still has not happened out of doors.