Pomp and...well... a bandanna

Our little puppy just graduated from puppy kindergarten today with yellow bandanna honors.

Today was the last day of puppy kindergarten and each dog was supposed to present one trick of the owners choice. Being a droopy eared Lhasa, Elway's ears frequently flip back, leaving him a little bedraggled looking. As such, we've taken to teaching him the command, "Ears," upon which he will shake his head and correct any misaligned ears. Amid a sea of "shake", "sit", "kiss", and "high five", Elway's trick was unique. As a result the instructor rewarded him with the yellow doggy bandanna saying, "That is the most unique trick I've seen!" Elway was such a champ!

Of course being a champ at class has become Elway's moto. I had the pleasure of taking him to one of his makeup classes (He missed the class so as to not miss the Monday night Broncos game) at which he was all but the smallest dog. This wasn't his typical class but rather the large dog class held at the local ranch. In a room of Rotweilers, Great Danes, Golden Retrievers, and Giant Snauzers Elway didn't really stick out. To make things worse he was attending a more advanced week than the one he missed.

The exercise of the day was the "recall" on a long line. In this exercise the owner stands 30 feet from the dog and, while the instructor distracts the dog with treats, the owner attempts to call the dog. Elway and I watch as dog after dog, when called, either reluctantly walked slowly away from the instructor, or, more frequently, was dragged away by the owner like a large four legged fish. Elway sat like a little gentleman watching the entire show before confidently trotting up in front of the class.

The instructor soon had Elway distracted with a tastey treat and signalled that I should call him. Upon hearing his name, and before even being ordered to come, Elway dropped the treat from his mouth and, hair blowing back from his little face, came tearing across the room faster than I could pull in the line. The instructor was so impressed with Elway! What a great little dog.

Doing the Walking Dog

Elway likes to walk. Actually he loves to walk. He likes it so much that it has been a major chore to get him to view walking as something other than a sprint. Sure, he'll go the general direction you want to go, he just wants to go that way about twice as fast as you want to go. However, his puppy manners class, from which he will graduate soon, has managed to instill in him some basic respect for the leash.

Elway's problem with the leash began early in class when they had him learn the phrase "Let's go!" with beginning a controlled walk. During this exercise all dogs walked around the room in a large circle as if on a pleasant stroll down a boardwalk or park trail. Not Elway. With a competitive nature like his hall of fame namesake, Elway assumed that the circular walk was not a park stroll but rather the Daytona 500. His mission: pass the other dogs. While all the other dogs were content to walk around the guiding cones, Elway insisted on cutting the corners and working the inside line to set up the perfect pass. Away from the other dogs he's a great walker (see the photo), but with other dogs he's sure that the green flag is out and paydirt is just another lap away.