Last Sunday, Lilly had her best training day in months. She was spot on PERFECT. She worked hard at her advanced obedience class (not agility). She interacted nicely with a couple of strange dogs (through the fence at the dog park, but still!). She did not snark at one single dog.
The problem?
I wish I knew why.
Maybe it’s because there were only 3 other dogs at class. One she knows well and trusts (Lucca, 3YO, GSD). He’s been gone for a while, but when he’s around, he rules the pack. Maybe having him there made her feel safe.
One of the other dogs totally scares her (Jed, 1YO, GSD). He’s going through a pushy stage. He barks a lot. He moves fast. But, even when he made mistakes, Lilly did not react. She justed looked at him, then looked at me.
The third dog is one we had not met before (Dixie, 9-month-old lab, with a shakey recall). But even when she got the sniffies and the zoomies, rather than go to her mom, Lilly did not care. I blocked and was ready to intervene, if the pup headed our way, but there was no need.
Beyond managing her anxiety well, Lilly worked hard on staying, even when I throw food or toys. She gave killer recalls, even once when I kept my back to her when I called. (I wish her recall at home was as good. Isn’t that backwards?) She also heeled nicely, ignoring 3-4 wild dogs running off leash nearby.
It’s *so* rare that we have a perfect day. I ran her to the car as soon as class was over so that we could avoid anything that might break the streak.
I’ve also stopped letting Lilly be in the training area, when the other dogs get breaks to play. She doesn’t like pack-style play. It often makes her snark, so why do it? Maybe she’s finally realized that I’m really not going to make her play if she doesn’t want to?
But, sometimes, when we first arrive, if there is no one in the training side of the park, I let her poke around alone. The other dogs play in the big park instead.
Last weekend, two good-sized Husky type dogs came to the fence, and Lilly greeted them like a pro. She kept her head and ears down. She wagged her tail low and fast, butt wiggling as she approached.
(Often … big, fluffy, artic-type dogs trigger reactive dogs. I don’t know why.) But, not this time!
I let it stretch to just a few seconds, praising like crazy, then called her back for treats. She immediately went back to the dogs and did it again. I called her back, fed her again, and celebrated.
I know it doesn’t sound like much, but for Lilly that’s a HUGE victory.
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