#i compare myself a lot to other non-disabled dog trainers and it makes me feel like my dogs are untrained messes a lot of the time

[healingheartdogs]

The nice thing about having two really intelligent dogs is that they watch us interact with each other and learn things that way all the time. Rest/stay is not something I've really worked on with Eevee other than at doorways and baby gates because my dogs aren't allowed to rush entries and exits for safety reasons, but we use it with Hermes in lots of different contexts multiple times a day every day and his rest is very solid and generalized. Just a few minutes ago I told Hermes to rest so I could clean something up without him getting in the way or stepping in it but without specifying that I was talking only to him and Eevee also froze in place with him, stopped moving completely, and then eventually laid down (position switching is allowed during rest for my dogs just not directional movement, plus she's baby and I didn't actually mean to tell her to rest anyway so IDC regardless) still in her spot watching me clean and didn't break until I gave her a treat and released her along with him. I was cheering mentally for her the entire time but trying to contain my reaction until I gave them their release cue so she didn't get excited and break the rest before I was done cleaning because I've never used that command in that kind of situation with her before. She's so smart and good though, I love herrrrr

#i compare myself a lot to other non-disabled dog trainers and it makes me feel like my dogs are untrained messes a lot of the time #but then my dogs do something smart every now and then that reminds me that we do actually train small stuff daily like this #and I'm like oh yeah these are still the best trained dogs I've ever known IRL esp compared to the pet people I know #Hermes especially has a LOT of stuff I've taught him forever ago when i was in better health that he still remembers now #despite a lack of refresher training for a lot of it #and everytime he does something to remind me im like... oh shit i forgot youre actually smart as fuck and pretty well trained bro #like we havent worked on Hermes' emergency down/down at a distance in a long ass time #but a couple weeks ago Selene told Hermes to down from a distance and understandably at first he moved closer to her to down #so she started to indicate that was not what she wanted and before he was halfway to her or she even finished telling him #he turned himself around #went back to the EXACT spot he had been standing in #turned around again to face her in that spot #and then laid down and waited for her to come to him with the treat #literally haven't worked on that in years and wasnt expecting him to remember it #to the point where i was about to correct selene for even asking for it when we havent done it in so long without refresher training first #and then he DID IT #i love my dogs a lot and they're smart af thats it thats the TLDR