Posted by Roxanne Hawn | Posted in Dog Musings | Posted on 29-05-2007
This weekend, Lilly added a new caveat to her pantheon of peccadilloes. The rule – she won’t run agility at the training field unless no one else is there – morphed into she won’t run agility unless no one is there when we arrive AND the entire time we’re there. I thought if we just waited until everyone left she would be fine. I was wrong.
She watched the final two dogs leave. I even walked her around the field on leash to prove we were alone, but it did not matter. There were dogs there when we arrived, and she refused to work.
As you can see from this photo, her body and face seem relaxed. Her ears are up. Her head is up. When I looked closely, however, I could see that she was shaking a little sometimes. Like shivering, through her smiles.
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<p>The sum total of our practice included a few dog walk runs, one, low adjustable teeter run, and maybe three jumps. That’s it. Granted, she did those few things while the final two dogs were in the ring, so I guess that’s something. But, I had to keep her on leash and cajole the heck out of her to get her to move. </p>
<p>I jackpotted her like crazy for everything. But, she still wanted to leave.</p>
<p>Maybe I should be thankful that she no longer crawls under or behind this shed to hide. Say it with me, Perspective. </p>
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It could have been worse. She could have reacted badly to the dogs. Instead, she just retreated. She even stayed calm with another dog came over to hang out and share her shade. He was laying right there with her, playing with his rubber chicken, and she was totally fine.
Maybe this had something to do with it.
 hung out near the jumps the entire time we were there. Lilly approached him, sniffed him, but then jumped back when he jumped away.</p>
<p>I just finished reading Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin, where she compares animals’ experiences to that of autistic people like herself. Grandin often climbs into the exact spot so that she can see what the animal is seeing. Maybe I need to hunker down in Lilly’s safe spot and look for what might be scaring her. It may be one thing. It may be a lot of things. Sometimes, I can figure it out. Most of the time, I have not a clue.</p>
<p>To shake off my frustration, Lilly and I went for a long walk near Clear Creek, then we had lunch on the patio of a restaurant. Dishes clattered. People came and went mere inches from her. Cars pulled up and left. And, she was fine. More than fine actually. She smiled. People petted her. She shared my sandwich. And, she was totally happy.</p>
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Agility Fears Revisited
While we’re revisiting our behavior modification and training plan for Lilly, it seems like a good time to revisit some of what got us here in terms of our long absence from formal agility training — group, private, or otherwise. I made many mistakes because I didn’t fully understand how fearful Lilly was and how many things contributed to her negative reaction to an agility course (and the monsters she thinks live there). In response to Friday’s Training Update, Sam from over at MargeBlog asked: BTW, I know Lilly is too scared still to even do private agilitylessons. Why is …
Agility Fears Revisited
While we’re revisiting our behavior modification and training plan for Lilly, it seems like a good time to revisit some of what got us here in terms of our long absence from formal agility training — group, private, or otherwise. I made many mistakes because I didn’t fully understand how fearful Lilly was and how many things contributed to her negative reaction to an agility course (and the monsters she thinks live there). …