Malty’s Third Pupdate
It’s hard to believe that Malty is now just a few months away from moving on to her next stage of training, so we got in touch with her Puppy Walker, Janet, to find out how she is getting on.
Malty is doing very well and meeting all of the targets expected of her at this point in her training. Janet said that their Puppy Training Supervisor is really happy with the progress Malty has made. The focus is now on keeping Malty busy and consolidating all of the learning she has done over the past ten or so months.
Malty is very responsive to all of the basic commands, but she also has some ‘selective hearing’ on occasion! Malty is very well behaved when wearing her puppy jacket, and always maintains a good level of obedience when out and about. She walks very well on the lead most of the time, only showing a little distraction towards interesting things around her, which is helped by touching Malty lightly on the side to bring her attention back. Malty knows to walk in the correct guiding position, which is to the left of her handler and slightly ahead, without too much tension on the lead.
When out free-running, Malty has generally very good recall, but can take a little longer to come back if there are dogs to play with. Janet is dealing with this by making herself more interesting than the environment by using high value tasty treats. Malty’s recall during times of distraction is improving all the time using this method.
Malty’s spending routine is established and she is always clean on walks. At home there are also no accidents and Janet’s use of the ‘busy’ prompt is responded to nicely. Malty will always indicate to Janet if she needs to spend, which makes everything very predictable and easy to manage.
Janet likes to take Malty to socialise with other dogs when possible, and Malty is always beautifully behaved in these situations. It is one of the reasons Malty loves her puppy classes so much, but she focuses well and settles in to her tasks. Malty is very good when using the main forms of transport; usually the car, but Janet has taken her on buses and trains as well. Janet said that Malty can become impatient sometimes, and may bark on occasion. Once she has had her say, Malty does settle back down though. She shows no anxiety towards the noises on transport, and is fine jumping over the gap at train platforms.
Everyday obstacles are taken in Malty’s stride, she can go up and down stairs of all types, and she is also unfazed when using lifts. Janet told us that when in somewhere such as a café, Malty is good initially but can get bored. After being settled for a short while, Malty may suddenly get up and bark, but Janet has found things are much better when she gives Malty a toy or chew to keep her occupied.
Malty appears very confident when moving around busy town centres and high streets, seemingly enjoying the hustle and bustle. Janet said the only distraction in such an environment is leaves blowing around, but overall, she is excellent. Janet has no issue refocusing Malty when needed, with gentle vocal input to regain her interest. Busy roads with lots of traffic aren’t a problem for Malty, with even loud sudden noises not evoking much reaction from her. She is a very stable, sound young dog.
At home, Malty has her own little crate which she loves to spend time in. She enjoys sleeping, and overall, she is very calm and relaxed in the home. Malty accompanies Janet on her fundraising activities, so Malty sees a good variety of different people, and uses her cuteness to good effect. Janet thinks Malty will have her first season soon, sometime after which she will be spayed, ready to begin her guide dog training.
We hope you have enjoyed reading Malty’s pupdates throughout the last several months, she is progressing as expected, and it’s clear she loves spending time with Janet. We will be in touch to celebrate Malty’s first birthday with you soon.