Hey friends! On
January 8, the little terror started her first day of school! She has now gone to two classes and has had loads of
fun…..
The first day of puppy class started with an orientation for
me, introducing me to Tier’s instructor, her teaching techniques and everything
that will be covered in her class. I
then went home, picked up Tier and headed back for the actual class.
When we arrived there were dogs outside in runs that scared
the every living daylight out of Tier.
She was shaking with her hair raised on her back in her infamous Mohawk
hairstyle. When the trainer let us in
Tier immediately started barking at all the other puppies, including a tiny
little Puggle. Tierney has clearly not
grasped the concept, as of yet, that she is a German Shepherd and will someday
tower over the little Puggle!
We started class with sit, lie down and stand commands. Tier already knew sit or “zits” as it is
pronounced in German (Tier is being taught in German in order to compete in
Schutzhund trials when she is older).
However, she had only just started learning lay down or “platz” earlier
that day and stand or “shtaay” was far from her repertoire of new commands but,
she quickly caught on. It’s amazing how
much you can get her to do with a few yummy Natural Balance morsels….she’s VERY
food driven! Thank goodness for her food
drive, too, because there were 6 other puppies full of energy and spunk that
she could have easily been distracted by!
Next we worked on the “go to your mat” command. I hadn’t started this with Tier and had
forgotten that this was probably something she should be taught for when guests
come over to our house, especially German Shepherd fearing guests! Although, if someone doesn’t like Tier,
chances are I won’t like them and they won’t be visiting anyways, but better
safe than sorry….right!? Tier did pretty
well with this exercise thanks, again, to the yummy morsels but she was
starting to get a bit more distracted by the other puppies.
After working on “go to your mat” it was time for, you
guessed it……PUPPY PLAY TIME!!!! I let
Tier off her leash and she immediately took off to check out all the other
pups, especially the Puggle! Tier spent
the entire puppy play time chasing, jumping, rolling, and wrestling with all
the other puppies! Puppy play time is
definitely her favorite time in class!
Next up was “quiet puppy” time….and this is where things
went to Hell and a hand basket! Tier is
not overly fond of quiet time, she’d much rather spend her time in manic,
out-of-control time! When I picked her
up to practice “quiet puppy” time she immediately started squirming around and
throwing what I affectionately call a “Tier Terror Tantrum”! The trainer came over and discussed with us
that as soon as she quits her tantrum for about 5 seconds then she gets to be
set loose again. Then we start the
process over…..”OH JOY,” I thought, “this should be FUN!” We continued on with the tantrums for a few
more minutes until, thankfully, “quiet puppy” time was done!
We then moved on to loose leash walking…. “Haha,” I thought,
“this is going to go real well considering she hasn’t really walked on the
leash more than a few times!” But,
actually, she did very well and she kept her harassment of the other puppies we
walked by to a minimum! She did pull on
the leash some but considering it was her first time actually being trained on
the leash, I was very happy with her performance! After loose leash walking it was time to say,
“Goodbye,” and head home. Overall,
Tier’s first puppy class was a success!!
This past week was Tier’s second puppy class which began
VERY differently than the first week!
Instead of her Mohawk hairstyle accompanied with barking and shaking,
Tier walked into puppy class like she owned the place! She strutted up to the little Puggle as if
she were saying, “HEY! I know you, we’re friends!”
We started class with more “zits,” “platz,” and “shtaay”
commands. Tier has gotten so good at the
commands that I’ve had to switch up the order of the commands, or else, she’ll
run thru the commands without me saying any of them and look at me like,
“Ummmm, aren’t you going to give me a treat now!?” We also started including a “watch me”
command into her “zits,” “platz,” and “shtaay,” commands in order to break them
up. Here is Tier working on her "platz" command while out for a hike this weekend....
Next, the class moved onto “watch me” and “hier” commands
(“hier” is “come” in German). Tier
performed these commands quite well, however, occasionally she got distracted
by the Puggle and an Australian Labradoodle…which, by the way, is SOOOOO cute
and smaller than the American Labradoodle!!!!
After “hier” and “watch me” we practiced “go to your mat.” Tierney doesn’t quite get this command but
we’re working on it!
And, then it was time for, you guessed it…..PUPPY PLAY TIME!!!!
Tier LOVES puppy play time! She ran around sniffing all the other dogs and
jumping on the ones she thought would play with her. At one point the Puggle got so excited it
started running laps around the room as fast as it could with Tier and a mixed
puppy, Monroe, hot on its tail!
After puppy play time the instructor told us we would be
going out into the vet clinic and working on walking with a loose leash. I thought, “You have got to be bat shit crazy
if you think Tier will walk on a loose leash through the clinic with all the
other dog and cat smells everywhere!”
The instructor told us to walk with our puppies on a loose leash and as
soon as they started to pull, to switch directions and say “No pulling.” After only a few redirections, Tier was walking
on a loose leash anywhere I wanted to go in the clinic! I guess sometimes I have to eat my words….or
thoughts in this case!
After about 15 minutes of loose leash walking we all headed
back to the room for more puppy play time!
This puppy play time started with Tier trying to get Monroe to play with
her. Monroe, who I later found out had
gone to the dog park earlier that day, was sitting next to his mom and would
not play with Tier. But, little did
Monroe know, Tier was not about to take “NO” for an answer and she incessantly
started slapping Monroe in the face with her paw! And, the terrorist’s paws are not little by
any stretch of the imagination! Finally,
after one slap too many, Monroe tackled Tier and the wrestling match
began! Monroe and Tier were jumping,
slapping, running and tumbling all over the room! Tier was having such a great time it made it
VERY difficult to get her for “quiet puppy” time.
Now, Tier is pretty darn smart and very good at learning and
following commands BUT, she does have one nemesis and that nemesis is…..“quiet
puppy” time! Tierney thinks that puppy
class should be full of treats, commands and fun times with her friends; she
does NOT think it should include a time where she has to lay down on her back
while being calm and quiet! Similar to
last week, the instructor told me to put her in the “quiet puppy” position and
as soon as she stops her tantrum throwing and is quiet for a few seconds, she
gets to get up…..clearly she has not made much head way since last week in this
department! She is making some minor
improvement on her tantrum throwing times but the improvement is coming at a very
glacial pace!
After “quiet puppy” time, it was time to head out for
home. Tierney had another very
successful class and it amazes me how much she has learned, especially
considering she is only 14 weeks old as of today! Tonight she goes to puppy class number 3 and
I’m hoping for another successful fun evening with my no longer small bundle of
fur! Update to follow shortly….
Biggest Gainer update last week saw 26 lbs on the scale and
this past Saturday saw 28 lbs! She is
growing up WAY too quickly!!!! But, it
has and will continue to be such a joy to watch the little terrorist grow!
I, unfortunately, must end this blog with some very sad news
– this past Saturday, January 19th, my aunt Pat lost her long battle
with liver cancer. Pat is one of eleven
siblings and my dad’s second oldest sister. Pat is loved by many and will be sorely missed by all of
the family and her numerous friends! It gives me comfort to know
Pat is no longer suffering and I’m sure, alongside God, my big beautiful Brear
was there to help welcome Pat into Heaven with loving arms and, in classic
Brear style, screaming her fool head off (her way of saying, “Hello!”) accompanied
with a big sloppy kiss on the face! I wish all my family peace in this extremely difficult time!
I have a poem that I think is very fitting for Pat –
Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.
To all our friends out there we say, “Make sure to let your
loved ones know how much they mean! TTFN,
ta ta for now!” And, to that big
beautiful girl in the sky, “Thank you, thank you, thank you for the gift of
Tier; I miss you and love you every single second!”
Ciao,
TieR and ShAnNoN
