Okay, so I am really not a big fan of pushing down on a dog to get it to sit. I'm pretty sure most dogs, and really basenjis, find that disrespectful. I've always found that holding a treat slightly behind the head can get a dog to sit after a couple of tries. Then, lots and lots of praising.
I'm so pleased to hear that Cody is happy again!
Cody is an Obedience School Dropout! Well, not really. The group classes weren't working out well. He was too stressed to concentrate on anything but the other dogs in class and he wouldn't even take treats (cheese!!!). He was doing fine at home, but in class he wouldn't do anything but rigidly sit and watch the others. Their yappiness continued to freak him out. So we switched to private classes and are going to work one on one for a few weeks to get him comfortable in places other than home and continue training, and then for our last few weeks, our trainer will be bringing in her dogs to help him with socialization and learning with other dogs. Since our run-ins with the aggressive neighborhood dogs, he has been scared and growly with new dogs, so we are hoping that this will help him. This is a particular concern of mine since my future roommate has a dog too (a catahoula leopard dog), and we hope to make their introduction and transition into our new home as smooth as possible.
During our last group class, the trainer brought her St. Bernard (she was working with another dog with some of the same issues as Cody in the class before ours). Cody was intrigued by the furry giant. While he wouldn't meet him, he was very curious and didn't seem scared or growly like he is with others, so I'm hoping that is a good sign.
That is great news and sounds like you found yourself a great trainer… keep up the good work!
Yes, Tanza, we did get lucky to find this trainer.
Class tonight went great! Without the others there to distract him, he actually focused on what was going on and did really well.
I just wanted to do an update since I hadn't been on in a while.
Cody has been doing really well in class, and though we still have a lot further to go, I'm so proud of him and what he has accomplished so far. While he's only learned some of the basic commands, such as "sit", "lay down", "watch me", and "touch", we've also been working on his anxiety (using massage and working on a "relax" command), issues with his crate (using crate games), loose leash walking (collar for loose leash vs harness for free sniffing), and a few other things. We also started doing some nose work, which he absolutely loves! When her normal methods of training didn't work, our trainer looked up and tried other, more relaxed methods, so she has been really great. He has even seemed to calm down a little more, and implementing some of our training in what seems like unrelated problem areas has helped.
On another note, we are moving to Raleigh, NC, in a few weeks. Our first apartment fell through because my potential roommates backed out, so I was a little freaked out with it being so close to time to move. It ended up being a stroke of good luck. I found a house just outside of the city with a nice size back yard with an 8 ft wood privacy fence (no more chain link "ladders" for Cody!). My roommate, as long as everything works out, is a vet tech, and she has two dogs, a dachshund and a chihuahua/dachshund mix, as well as a dog-savvy cat. I will be going to meet her and see the house next weekend, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Crystal, that was not a stroke of good luck. That was the cosmos rewarding you for being such a great influence with Cody. It sounds like the trainer has been doing wonders, and that you are following up well with the lessons Cody is learning.
Are you still going to have access to the same trainer after you move? And how handy to have a vet tech in the home!
Glad things are going well with training and hope you have the same sucess with your move Crystal
Are you still going to have access to the same trainer after you move? And how handy to have a vet tech in the home!
Unfortunately, no 
, but Cody still has a long way to go with some things. After we move, we will continue to work on those and I will start looking for another trainer. I've already started an online search, so it's just a matter of getting in touch with trainers in that area and hopefully observing a few classes.
Cody is doing very well. I hope that you both will be happy in your new home and that you find another equally good trainer.
