Jake update

Here's a little update on foster dog Jake.

Jake is a one of a kind GSP who we absolutely adore. He is so calm and sweet, and hasn't required near as much training as our previous GSP. His training is going great, he is walking very well on a leash with the help of a Freedom No Pull Harness.









He is very friendly with people and big dogs. He does act very differently around little dogs though, barking, whining, getting overly excited and alert when one comes near. We have not decided if this because he thinks they are prey or is overwhelmed by his prey drive, or if he just really wants to play with a little dog. Time shall tell.
Jake is now sitting without any reluctance at all, and the down command is my next goal for him. Like I have mentioned in many of my posts, dog training takes tons of time and patience, nothing happens overnight.
Sleeping in a crate seems to suit Jake just fine, which is best for us since he is very restless in the early mornings. He is no longer startled by loud noises, and a firm no will stop him from barking if he does startle.
The one, and so far only, bad habit that Jake has is poop eating. YUCK! My lab has finally grown out of his habit of poop eating, but now I must address this new problem.
Jake seems to do this out of either enjoyment, or a lack of some nutrient, and since we feed our dogs high quality food, I'm guessing it is the former. To help break him of this habit, I clean the yard every morning and supervise Jake when he goes outside. If I catch him in the act, I give him a firm no and if he doesn't listen at first I redirect his attention by body blocking him from his snack, saying no once again, and making him go inside.
Hopefully this habit will clear up eventually. Even though it is disgusting, you have to remember that they are dogs, and sometimes dogs do things we will never understand, and it is important not to get mad at them for being dogs.
Dogs will be dogs.