You CAN teach an old dog new tricks

When I rescued Cosby 4 years ago from the rough streets of Denton, I was lucky that he was already trained. He was house broken and knew to go potty outside. He knew how to "sit." He was generally well behaved. But he did NOT know how to shake. I've joked around about teaching him for years but have never really tried.

His New Year's Resolutions were:

1.Don't Die- He had been very sick back in October and the vet
thought he only had weeks to live. Thankfully we were able to treat his
heart problems and get him on medication for Cushing's disease. For a dog his age, the vet considers him to now be in reasonably good health. We are so thankful for more time with him. So his goal this year is to
keep living :)

2.Move around a little- Cosby has never been an active dog.
He prefers to cuddle on the couch. When he was sick he barely got off his
bed. However, now he has gotten back to his "playful" self. He will
carry his bone up and down our stairs and hide it (you know, in case
someone tried to steal it). He prances around at meal time. He even lets
us chase his around the house. So this goal is going well

3.Learn to shake- HURRAY!!!! Today, after about a week of
work, he has finally learned to shake hands. It started last week with me
poking his leg until he put his paw in my hand and then me praising him and giving him a treat. Today I was able to just hold up a dog treat and say "Cosby, shake." And he did! I'm so proud of him. We practiced over and over to make sure it wasn't a fluke. Ryan is my witness.

What will he learn next? Probably stay and come. Maybe he'll even
be ready to perform at the State Fair next year?!?!? Maybe not......