Signaler

Sue Ellen, the dog trainer, came over this weekend to work on recall. Surprisingly, she said the best way to train the dogs is inside the house for the first few weeks. Every time you call the dog and they come, you give them a treat.

After the dogs have mastered inside recall, you begin to work on a long lead outside and eventually off leash. I am skeptical that Coop will ever master off leash, but I am hopeful for Otis.

While Sue Ellen was here, I asked about the fact that Otis always barks when a jogger or walker passes by. She said that Otis is a "signaler", he thinks his job is to alert everyone. This statement is completely accurate. Otis always signals at the approach of a car in the driveway or an animal in the yard.

Of course, one barking dog quickly leads to two.