Just Grace

Have you ever read the book Just Grace Walks the Dog? This is a great book about a little girl (named Grace) who does everything to get a puppy. Now I won't spoil the ending, but at the beginning, Grace makes her very own dog! We are going to learn how to make a dog for today's lesson!

This great craft came from Digital by Design. Here is what you need to get before you start:

• one sock
• bag of cotton balls
• rubber bands
• permanent marker
  

1. Flatten a sock so that the heel part of the sock is facing up.

2. Roll a wad of cotton into a ball about one inch in diameter and stick it inside the sock so that it is in the toe area on the bottom left-hand side. Use your pointer finger to press the ball up against the side of the sock so that you can see your finger shape from the outside of the sock. Grab the ball of cotton from the outside of the sock and wrap a rubber band around the ball to form a foot. Do the same thing to the other side of the toe of the sock to form the other foot of the sock puppy.

3. Roll up two more wads of cotton and place them just below the heel of the sock. Form them into arms just like you did the feet.

4. Place a rubber band just above the arms to form the neck.

5. Put in more stuffing to form the head and secure the top with a rubber band. Once you have the body the way you would like it, you can replace the rubber bands with heavy thread.

6. Cut two ears from the top of the sock and glue them to the dog's head. Draw on eyes, a nose, and paw prints.

Now that you have your puppy, you need to teach it lots of lessons so it is well-behaved! First off, you need to teach it social isolation. This means a time-out. If your puppy chews up your dad's socks, be sure to put it in time-out so it can learn to behave! It is best if you move your puppy to an uninteresting room where he can sit alone.

When your puppy is first learning how to behave, you need to use prompts to teach him what he needs to know. A prompt is a reminder about a certain behavior. For example, if you want to teach your puppy how to sit, you might say, "Please sit nicely, puppy." This is a great prompt, and in no time your puppy will be a pro.

If your puppy is being bad, you need to give it a negative punishment. This means to take away something that the puppy wants. If your puppy makes a mess in your room, maybe you should take away his treats for that night.

If your puppy has some bad habits, but you are able to change them, these habits are now extinct. This means that the habits are no longer there because a new habit has replaced them. Perhaps your puppy used to go to the bathroom on the carpet, but now he has learned to go to the bathroom on the grass.

Don't forget to see all of the great things that your puppy can do! Praise your puppy when he learns a new trick! Praise show that you approve of his behavior. Make sure your puppy knows how great you think he is!

Have fun with your new dog!