Weekly Training Update (July 31)

We haven’t had much time for formal training lately, but Lilly and I caught up with Tom at a motorcycle swap meet Sunday morning as a little outing. Lilly did really well.

She walked nicely and without any startling through the crowd. She took treats without much sharkiness. She hand targeted people who wanted to meet her and pet her. She did a few tricks. She sat or laid quietly at our side when Tom was talking to people or looking at merchandise.

Lilly is never effusive with her affections toward strangers, but she seemed fine when people petted her nicely on the back or shoulder (rather than the head).

Her body and face looked relaxed, and she seemed really happy to be out … after being home a lot lately because of other demands on my time.

And, at least three people, said things like, “That’s a great dog!” One woman said, “It’s obvious you’ve worked with her a lot.”

(proud mom smiling)

Medication Update
Lilly has been on the higher dose of alprazolam (aka xanax) for a while now, and she seems great on it. I’ll know more when I have more time to challenge her in controlled ways with sound.