Due to weather and travel schedules, Lilly hasn’t been to class in several weeks. So, we’ve been training on our own. Lilly did snark at some dogs on a walk. It’s the first time in a long time, so I was a little bummed about that. But, the rest of her work went pretty well. Here’s an update, along with photos, of some of our breakthroughs.
First the yucky news … While walking near our home, I noticed a neighbor and her 2 dogs approaching. One is a very old, ailing big mutt of some sort. According to her, he likes to bark and growl to prove he’s still virile. The other one is a border collie, who likes to bark, but is perfectly nice.
Lilly did fine at a distance, but as we got closer to them and they to us, the other dogs started barking and pulling toward Lilly. They were on one side of the road. We were on the other.
I tried keeping Lilly’s attention on me, while we moved, but that did not work, and she shot to the end of her leash and barked back. So, I gave her “off trail” command, which means get off the road, sit and face me. She did that. So, I asked her to “beg.” So, she did and I fed her constantly as the dogs went on past us, with me blocking her view. Once they were past, I released her, and she walked the rest of the way home without looking back at the other dogs.
Walks in town and at home … I posted details on our walk in town on Tuesday. So, I’ll just add that we saw several other dogs, including a young Irish Setter who was very interested in Lilly. The good news for me is that we passed him right where Lilly sees squirrels a lot, so she did not care.
On a walk Monday morning, a couple of dogs ran to their fence lines to see Lilly. She started to react, but I simply crossed the road to add some distance, and Lilly happily walked past them with no trouble. It helped a ton that the 2 dogs did not really bark, just looked.
Trip to Home Depot … As you may know, dogs are allowed inside Home Depot stores. I had always thought it would be the Holy Grail of public visits, but I’ve got to say that after just 2 visits, Lilly seems relatively OK inside the store. She does not like the beeping of the forklifts. She startles if we see men carrying anything she perceives as a weapon. But, in general, she works just fine. It’s a nervous kind of work, but still, she’s moving and working and responding.
We ran into a new neighbor, so we stopped to talk. She’d never met Lilly, but agreed that Lilly seemed more relaxed while doing tricks, like jumping straight up to kiss me. At times like that, Lilly’s tail comes unglued from her belly. The neighbor actually said, “I thought she didn’t have a tail until just now.” So, that’s how tight to her tummy Lilly carries her tail when she’s nervous.
But, like I said, if she’s working and not shutting down, I can sort of live with a tucked tail. Here’s what we worked on while we were there:
- Poking strangers (targeting their hands before allowing petting)
- Heeling, including switching sides and doing side-car-type spins
- Sits and downs, with short stays
- General confidence work
Even though we went the weekend before Halloween, the store already had Christmas decorations out. So, we cruised the aisles. Lilly seemed to like it. She looks fairly relaxed here on one of the holiday side aisles. Her face is pretty relaxed, including an open mouth. Her hip is tipped, so she’s not ready to bolt or anything.
Notice how she tucks one arm under. That’s similar to her shutdown arm position. But, in this case, she keeps her head up and her shoulders square … rather than hunkering down.
The new “look” command … For those who are reading “Control Unleashed,” we’re also working on letting Lilly look at things as long as she doesn’t react. Here’s a link to how our shaping work started.
Over a few days, I got the impression that Lilly understands what she’s being rewarded for, so I added the cue “Look.” She looks away at something. I click and treat. Repeat. Well, I need something for her to look AT, so we cruised the fence line so that Lilly could look at the neighbors as they loaded hay into their new barn.
I also caught her harassing the mules, horses and cattle adjacent to us on 2 sides. So, I got my clicker and treats and went outside. We started about 20 feet from the other animals. She looked. I clicked and treated. All was well. So we moved closer. Same thing.
Eventually, we were within about 3 feet of these huge animals, who were totally staring back at us, and Lilly looked at them, then back at me for treats.
Once in a while, she’ll just tip her head back and dart her eyes off to the side, but for the most part, she is at least looking at whatever I indicate. Sometimes, she also takes a small step or two toward it, but I’m hoping to fade that soon.
We tried it again yesterday with the horses on the ranch behind us, but it did not go as well, so instead of moving closer, we moved back.
A visit to Petco … We also made a stop in Petco, during our search for a mat. Lilly is less comfortable there than at Home Depot. But, she did do tricks for a staff member there. And, she tolerated a very small, off-leash puppy who decided to kiss her to death.
A trip to the Mall … Lilly also did great work in the vestibule of the local mall. She greeted people. She did tricks for them. She accepted lots of kisses and petting. She heeled beautifully. It’s turning into one of her favorite places to train (as long as we can avoid the kids on wheelie shoes). I wish that we could go inside for real, but that’s a privilege just for service dogs in training. So, unless I get Lilly into some program, we’ll just work near the doors.
In fact, I’m essentially using the glassed-in vestibule as a “box” in “Controlled Unleashed” linko. It’s a relatively small space, where Lilly feels somewhat protected, where she works just under threshold. What’s nice, for Lilly, is the glass lets her see what’s coming, so there are no surprises.
Other work … We started Karen Overall’s Relaxation Protocol yesterday, so I’ll be writing more about that next week. We’re still working on mat training. We’re still working on LOOK. We’re going to start training the “whiplash” turn and orienting out of her crate, etc. soon. So, stay tuned.
Whew! It was a busy week. Holler if you see any patterns or have something helpful to add. Thanks again for your support.
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