Moving Up Day!

Proud of my graduate. Even prouder of this camera-ready smile!
(Photo courtesy of Pet Centrics)

Odie is officially a grade school graduate!

Last Saturday, February 2, we had our last session of Basic Obedience class at Pet Centrics, which also meant that Odie, together with his classmates, Bon, Buzz, Brix, and Bernard, all successfully graduated from grade school.

I may have had more graduation jitters than Odie did. We got to class 10 minutes before 9am. Our teacher, Doc Marose, arrived a while after we did and had her equipment set up. Bon and Buzz arrived as well (with their respective humans, of course), so we all went in and saw a bunch of cones and stools and a table. It's our final exam day! We began the session doing reviews of the past lessons (sit, down, stand, impulse control, etc.) and worked more on recall as it was the last to be taught. It was such a surprise that Odie was very obedient that day! There were times when he would play around and mingle with his classmates, then he'd suddenly come back to me and sit in front of me, expecting to be given a treat. Upon seeing that I have empty hands, he would go back to minding his own business. Oops!

Our final exam was a course that tied all the lessons together. There was sit/down/stand, there were times when a volunteer would approach and interact with me, there was an impulse control station, and last was recall. Doc Marose chose Odie to go first, and told the rest of the class to watch. Pressure! I felt like we had no choice but to do well, but I also trusted that my baby boy would deliver. Odie did an exceptional job in all the stations, but had a bit of difficulty with impulse control because he's still working on holding his horses when treats are dropped in front of him. He's very good in controlling though when there's a bowl of food laid out before him (when I do this at home during meal time, he would stare at his food, with drool dripping one by one). I was happiest during the recall part because Odie is quite the runner, and there's just so much joy in seeing your puppy excitedly running towards you. We were both beaming during that part!

Odie is flying! Look at him GOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
(Photo courtesy of Pet Centrics)

Our turn was supposed to be a sample activity, which Odie would have to do all over again, but Doc Marose said she was already satisfied with the results, and proceeded to having the other humans and dogs take the finals. After everyone took their turn, Doc said that some of the puppies weren't in the zone, so we just had consultation and were given individual notes based on the homework videos we submitted. Doc's main note for me is that I should make sure Odie does not nip when he takes treats from me, because she noticed that he has a tendency to pounce when told to take the treat. She also noticed that Odie does a lot of drama and theatrics when I cover the treat/s with my hand. I think he inherited that from me, the drama queen.

We had the awarding ceremonies after consultation. Like in puppy class, the top 3 scorers got toy prizes for doing homework, while the rest of the class got a pack of treats. Odie came in third place with 129 points! Not bad, considering we were very diligent with homework during the first half of the class, but got left behind after I went on vacation. We got our second classic Kong! Gotta look at more stuffing recipes! Bon came in second place with over 200 points and won a Kong Goodie Bone, while Buzz came in first and won a Kong Wubba, his prize after earning more than 600 points! The ranking from puppy class did not change at all! I guess that says something about the three children who want free toys for their dogs.

We also did the obligatory giving out of certificates of completion, and of course, a class photo...

From L-R: Pauline and Odie, May and Bon, Doc Marose,
Lovely and Buzz, Armen and Brix, Jimmy and Bernard
(Photo courtesy of Pet Centrics)

I really had a great time training Odie during the Basic Obedience course. I compared his puppy class videos with his Basic Obedience videos, and apart from looking a bit more mature, he also improved a lot by being more behaved, he can now hold positions for quite a while, and sits even without being asked to do so. Odie is showing signs of discipline, which is hard to come by for beagles. I'm really happy that Doc Marose taught me and Odie how to have a harmonious relationship with each other. I sincerely hope that more dogs would get to experience this.

Doc gave the signal for the graduates to go play, but she called me over to borrow Odie for a game of tug. She used a Kong Squiggles squeaker/tug toy (which I now want to buy!) and I just happily watched them play. Odie joined his classmates later on as they chased a squeaky ball and played with one another. I had to keep a close eye on Odie the entire time though. Even if he's the smallest in class, he never skipped on engaging in rough play with his classmates, unaware that they're much bigger and could easily topple over him.

Two puppies arrived for puppy orientation. Ooh! A new set of little babies!!! The first one who came was Tala, a border collie, followed by Royce, a labrador retriever. Seeing them all wide-eyed made me miss the baby Odie that I first brought to Puppy Class orientation in September of last year. Oh, how time flies.

We stayed until the end of Puppy Class orientation just so we could hang out and to get Odie to play with puppies that are closer to his size. Unfortunately, only the two of them showed up at orientation, so Doc Marose might have to dissolve the class. One of the main objectives of Puppy Class is to get the puppies to socialize with other dogs and people, thus developing their confidence. However, if only two dogs are there, it kind of defeats the whole socialization thing. I hope that Puppy Class happens! I'm more than willing to have Odie participate if they need more puppies. I'm also willing to do the exercises that we used to do like the cradling, passing the puppies around, vet exams, etc. That is, if Doc would need volunteers.

Help us find classmates for Royce and Tala! Make the puppy class happen! If you have puppies, or if you know anyone who has 10-18 week old puppies, do join the Pet Centrics Puppy Class! It's going to be so much fun!

Image from Pet Centrics