Dirty dogs

Well, let’s just say that this Tranquilo Bay teacher is spending most of her time gettin’ dirty…either with two rowdy boys or with two rowdy pups! In addition to working with the boys, I have taken on training Tranquilo Bay’s 7-month-old Labrador pups, Tex and Fula. Almost every afternoon, I a don my “let’s get dirty” uniform and off I go with two lively pups and a chacara full of training treats.

To burn off some energy first we head to the trail so the pups can run, jump, swim in the creek, spar, and roll in the mud. All actions repeatedly enjoyed in random order. I do have to give the pups credit for never running off. If they have rambled too far ahead and can no longer see me, they pause until I catch up or turn back to see where I am. For this, they receive one of many treats. After our hike, we romp around the TB grounds to burn off even more energy. This is where the pups are practicing the “Leave It!” command for when they are tempted to munch on their favorite fruit, pifa, a type of palm fruit. If they eat too much of these goodies, the digestive results are not pretty!

When my 3-year-old Lab is in the mood to tolerate the pups, she tags along for some treats as well. Luna has been very helpful in teaching the pups “Down”. When Tex and Fula saw me giving Luna treats for lying down, Tex picked up on this quickly and went down for a treat too. Fula reluctantly obeys the command for “Down” and with all her hyper energy she cannot hold it down for too long.

The pups will be heading to David to be spayed and neutered sometime in the near future, so I have been training them to walk on the leash. Tex, the more calm of the two, heels very well and Fula is following along much better than expected. So, at this point the pups are practicing to follow the commands: Come, Sit, Down, Off, Leave It, Stay, Heel, This Way, Wait, and Kennel Up.

Tex and Fula are super smart, playful and sweet. Both should have their good doggie manners in place soon so that our guests can enjoy them too! They are special additions to our Tranquilo Bay Yellow Labrador team.