The Graduate

We have T-Rex in two classes now. He is in level one obedience and started level 1 of 4 for Good Citizenship Certification(GCC). We wanted to get him as much schooling as possible. And, like our trainer said, then you at least you know you have those hour-long sessions each week that are devoted to his training.

Rex started GCC April 24. After class, he was moved up to level two! Yesterday, we went to the level two class, squeaky ball in hand. There were two pit bulls in the class and Ruby and Rex. And, once again! Rex moved up to level three! But, we expect him to be there for a while.

In level 3, the dogs have to interact with each other. Rex has stopped his growling behavior but he still barks and lunges. We correct this quickly now by getting his attention with the squeaky ball. It's amazing how not tough a huge dog can look when he is playing with a little pink balls that squeaks.

Rex doesn't do the annoying crotch sniff that most dogs do. When we first noticed this, we thought: Great! But, in reality, I think this means he doesn't know how to meet other dogs.

I just started reading a book recommended by our trainer: Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know by Alexandra Horowitz. I'm hoping to gain more insight into Rex from this book and will comment on it once I've read more.

Initially, our goal was to get Rex the Good Citizen Certification within a year -- but we may make this goal much faster than expected! Will re-evaluate and change goal as he progresses.