Training Progress May 19, 2007 - Wynn has been very interesting to train. He heels beautifully, on either side - thanks to his breeders upbringing and he now sits on signal about 90% of the time and will lay down on signal about 70% of the time. He will stay for about 15-20 seconds and let me walk in front or to his other side about 70% of the time. He doesn't appear to have a clue what "stay" means yet, it is currently only "sitting" or "downing" real hard waiting for the click. It will come in time, probably when I add the stand.

After several weeks of Wynn not seeming to understand what I was asking, he must have slept on everything because he is now doing circles, weaves and spins about 90%. I had one other dog that would "sleep on it and get back to you" that was my German Shepherd, Kelly. She would also appear to not know what you were asking and then come back at a latter training session and perform the behavior. While there is no way to prove this I believe that at least some dogs "think" about training sessions and somehow, ponder solutions to problems. Which if true puts a little bit of a kink into the belief that dogs only operate in the "here and now". Maybe my observations are faulty, as I also made a second change around the same time. I started using hot-dogs (instead of dog treats) and popped those in my mouth so my hands were clear of distracting food. Wynn is VERY food motivated and is having a difficult time moving away from the presence of food.

NEWS FLASH -Wynn's brother JonJon is moving to Oklahoma. A friend of mine liked Wynn so much that they have gotten Wynn's last brother. His name will be "Bingly". It will fun to see Wynn's face when he sees his brother again. And "yes" we are already thinking about a freestyle "pairs" routine.

Wynn has arrived. This is the most amazing dog. From the time he saw me in TN he has acted as if he has known me all his life. He has moved into our home and from the first day it was as if he had always been there. Wynn adopted us 100%.

He is a smart dog - a real thinker - and a big puppy. He does everything with gusto and is a thorn in Nike's side. He is going to be a wonderful voyage for me.

A little history. If you look at my site you will see that I have personally owned and trained dogs from the Working, Sporting, Herding and Toy/Terrier groups, now I want to enjoy a representative from the Hound Group. Much research went into my choice of a Whippet and much search went into finding the right dog. I believe I have that dog in Wynn. Now all I have to do is continue the great training foundation put into Wynn by his breeder. My start with my Whippet was to change his name to reflect what I hope will be his primary personality. Gladwynn (normally spelled Gladwin - I just like my spelling better) means "Lighthearted Friend" and a joyful, lighthearted dog is what I am hoping for. Wynn will be his "call name" and of course Wynn sounds like "Win" which is a great name for a performance dog and it also sounds much like "wind" which is a great name for a racing dog.

My Overall Goals for Wynn

To obtain multiple titles in multiple sports continuing to show - clicker training works! Although I would love to be able to compete in and do everything, I do admit to running low on hours in the day as well as energy, so Wynn may not get to do as much as I would dream for, but most definitely we will work in Freestyle as our primary sport, Rally & Obedience as we have the opportunity. Flyball & Agility if I have the time - of course, somewhere, sometime we will do some racing. Dogs should get to do what they were bred to do! And I'm told that Wynn likes to catch his soft Frisbee so...

2007 Goals

To first and foremost build a trust relationship with Wynn. We'll spend some time getting to know each other and doing "stuff" that is fun and reinforcing for both. It will be my goal that by the fall show season, Wynn will be able to compete in the beginning levels of Rally - If I can get to an APDT Rally trial with Wynn it will be more likely to happen than if I am limited to AKC Rally. Why you ask? While APDT Rally exercises are technically more difficult - food may be used in the ring as a reinforcement and Wynn will still be very young by the end of 2007 and may not be ready to do an entire course without an actual reinforcement in the ring as AKC requires. With that said, depending on Wynn's ability at the time we might possibly earn a beginner leg or even a Beginner title with WCFO by the end of the year through their video competitions. But again, Wynn may not be able to get through a whole routine without a reinforcer so we may wait. So how's that for wiffle waffley goals! Maybe I should title this 2007 ponderings.

Wynn's breeder also has a page for Wynn on her web set. You will find him listed as "Watson" as that was his name in the litter. This web site contains early pictures of all the puppies in Watson's litter. Watson's brother "Matthew" is staying with his breeder and will also become a Freestyle Whippet although he will be competing in CFF Canine Freestyle Federation and Wynn will be working in WCFO World Canine Freestyle Organization. Slightly different versions of the same theme - neither better or worse only different in goals and perspectives.