As for Ozzie’s habit with mounting other dogs, he is getting a lot better with it. He has been having lots of chances of meeting different dogs I bring home to work with him, and lots of interaction with my pack. My female German Shepherd is even in heat, which is very difficult for him to ignore, it’s been a great opportunity to work with his mounting habit. He’s definitely getting a lot better. Sasha (my female German Shepherd) is definitely helping too, by growling and snapping at him when he does try to mount her. He definitely needs to know that other dogs can stand up for themselves, and he doesn’t have to rely on always being corrected by me or one of his owners.

Below I’ve attached three videos of the past few days of working with him. The first video is of me working with him off leash for the second day, and he’s doing great with that. The second video is of me giving him a break and playing fetch with him, and the third video is of me working on his herding instincts with some sheep. I took Sasha, and Ozzie out to Young Living Lavender Farm to work with on their sheep herding skills. Since they’re both herding breeds, it’s important to give them a chance to work how they were bred to work, otherwise they can get bored and frustrated. Ozzie did great! I know his owner has taken him to a place near where she lives in California to let him herd sheep there a few times, too. So, he has done this before, and definitely has the instincts for it. He had a blast too! Sheep herding is a good way to tire a dog out, give them a chance to do what they’re bred for, and to give them a job.

I’ve posted two videos below of his training progress so far.  The first one is of his first time on the treadmill, and the second one is of his first time on the electric dog training collar.   He reacted pretty commonly to the treadmill, most dogs react the same way as he did.  It’s just so unnatural to them to have the ground be moving underneath their feet, but nothing else is moving.  For that reason, it’s a great way to build self esteem in a dog, plus it’s great for exercise.

He did a lot better on the e-collar than I thought he would, because his owners said he’s a big runner.  I have a feeling he’s the type of dog that knows when he’s on leash, and knows when he’s off leash.  I will have to take it slow with him to really make sure he’s reliable on the e-collar before I start taking the leash off.  I have had worse dogs than him, though, so I know he can do it!

The second video below is of today’s training with him.  Today was his first day off leash with another dog as a distractions around.  I think he did great!  Before we started filming he did try to play with Daddy for about 30 seconds, but then he focused on the training and did great.  I’m so proud of this boy!

Today I took Moose with me to Petsmart, so that I could do a bit of human socialization with him.  He did great!  He was curious about everyone and every dog there, was very polite, and listened very well when I gave him commands.  I liked seeing this confident side of him, that I don’t normally see when we’re at home.  I am hoping he will get better around me and my husband the more we use treats with him.

The video of him below is one my husband took yesterday of me working with him.  As you will see, he follows well, and obeys very well, but he isn’t into the training.  I am going to start working with treat rewards with him to build some interest in working with me, and also to help boost his self esteem.

Moose practicing the "place" command

Today was his first time working on the electric dog training collar (which is the second video below).  He did a pretty good job, considering it was his first time on the collar.  He did a lot better than Zoe did with her first time on the collar.  He definitely reacted very normal for any dog’s first time on the e-collar.  He kept his distance from me, and was at the end of the leash the majority of the time.  There were a few times that he would come and walk by my side, which is exactly what I want, but then he would wander off again.  He’ll definitely get better the more I work with him, until he gets to the point that he can work off leash by my side.  Be sure to keep checking back to see his progress!