Training

So every Sunday we take Beckett to our favorite training class, offered by a great dog now. (By the way, Robin and Jane are amazing.) So a few weeks ago when Robin and Jane asked where do we see our training going? What were our goals? Andrew (my husband) and I answered, "We would like Beckett to jump into the car." Lifting 75 plus lbs is.. well it is heavy. Jumping into the car - Simple right? The thing is, Beckett doesn't really "jump." The concept seems sort of foreign to him. So we've been spending a lot of time, teaching him exercises to get an idea of where his back legs are and how to use them. Where is this going?

Its going to Friday night, where when fast asleep, after a night of watching horror movies, I awake to a figure looming over me! My heart is pounding, adrenaline rushing and in my horror realize.. its Beckett. One minute I'm fast asleep dreaming of fake blood and power tools the next minute I'm awoken at 2am by a 78lb dog staring me in the face. I'm still in my dreamy sleep, but at least my heart attack is narrowly avoided.

I tell Beckett to get "down", he goes right down, but is still on the bed. I tell him to get up, he gets up, I try to push him off, he doesn't seem to understand. He isn't moving off the bed. I say No, No "down." (In my behalf, I'm still half asleep.) Beckett then figures out that what I mean is I don't want you right there and obviously what I have meant is here why don't you move between me and my husband and lie down there. Great, now he is squished between my husband and I. I tell Beckett to get "up", he stands up. Beckett is struck by another epiphany, that I don't want him there either, and there seems to be something softer just a few feet away so he moves to the pillows, which are vacant since my husband and I are trying to get the dog off.

It is so funny, and Andrew and I are laughing so hard its ridiculous, the dog is totally oblivious to the idea that we want him off the bed. Having never been on the bed before. Eventually a little nudging plus some maneuvering and Beckett jumps onto the floor, after which we heap tons of praise onto him. After all we want him to know that getting off the bed is something that gets rewarded. It was hilarious. My husband and I went back to sleep after escorting Beckett back to the dog bed. My husband turned to me proudly stating, "You know I've been working with him on jumping up." To which I reply"Good work?"