Finn's park adventures with me have not happened for a few weeks now - even after the kids went back to school, the park we were going to in the next town was still busy the last few times I tried to go. I see no point in pushing things if there are more people there than I'm happy with and I definitely will not attempt it if I am unable to park somewhere I can get back to the car and Finn inside quickly if I want to beat a hasty retreat. Today was the first time I tried going there in a while that was quiet enough to try it.
We parked up and I got him out. It was a bit like flying a collie shaped kite for the first couple of minutes as he was all about getting to and exploring the SMELLS, so I gave him some leeway and just went with him in the beginning. As soon as he broke off from sniffing and checked in with me, I rewarded him and changed direction to see how engaged he was with me. I was very happy to discover I had a lovely engaged dog trotting next to me on a loose lead and focused on me.
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| Having a bit of a nose at some people the other side of the park |
What really thrilled me was how he behaved when we saw another dog. It's been a while and he was a little excited so I was not surprised that he spotted the dog from a way off and focused on them immediately. Ears right forward, tail moving up, he took a step in that direction and showed every sign that he was about to fixate and potentially growl. I threw out a quick 'this way' and that was all it took - he came straight back to focusing on me and off we went. We spent a couple of minutes working on quick direction changes - he looked back at the other dog once but that was all. After that, he had some sprinkles and we spent a little time wandering around, letting him go where he wanted on condition that the lead remained loose.
We'd been there for about 10 minutes total when I saw another car pull in and could see the driver inside watching us and smiling and talking to someone/something in the seat behind her. Having a gut feeling I knew what was coming, I steered us straight back towards my car and, sure enough, once I'd got Finn safely inside and turned back to look, there was a little dog on a flexi-lead heading towards me at high speed 'to play'. Never ignore a gut feeling about when to retreat is advice that has not let me down yet!
We had managed 10 minutes of quality time at the park - we saw people, both adults and little children (they required a bit of a stare to make sure they were staying well away but that was all), bikes, cars, people walking dogs along the opposite side of the road that runs alongside the park - some distance away but it still counts! - and the dog he spotted actually in the park. Even if the woman had not turned up and I had not felt uneasy, I would have called it quits soon after anyway, because I have always found that short sessions work much better for training and working on reactivity.
With short sessions it is much easier to set things up so that success is more likely. Short and fun sessions stop either you or your dog becoming stale and bored or frustrated. At home I have a treat pouch with clicker in the pocket sitting on the dresser that's in my sitting room. It's the middle of the house, and is the perfect place to grab the treat bag to train inside or go out to the garden, and means I'll often do a 2 minute session multiple times a day perhaps. Mix up some things he knows how to do easily with things he finds more difficult or new things, falling back on the easier things if he struggles or gets frustrated. The result is a dog who jumps up if he hears the treat bag moving, or the sound the wrist strap on my clicker makes, and positions himself in front of me with his tail wagging, ears pricked and his eyes fixed on my face, wondering what fun things we're going to do in the next few minutes. Who wouldn't want to spend time on multiple training sessions when just letting him know we're going to train gets that kind of reaction?
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There is a new line available in the Blue Merle Minion Teespring store. We know that our reactive dogs are not bad dogs but are scared and anxious. They need us to be their voices. 'Reactive Dogs Are Not Bad Dogs!'
I've mentioned before that I have a Ko-fi page where anyone that feels they'd like to show some appreciation if anything I've written has helped them can buy me a coffee. Added to that now is a Ko-fi Shop where ebook versions of my books are now available.
I rarely say that I am proud of myself. As anyone that has read my book 'Conquering Confidence' or taken the workshop 'Overcoming Impostor Syndrome' that I created for Canine Principles knows, I suffer from impostor syndrome. This time however I can actually admit to myself that I have accomplished something, as I have successfully completed the level 5 (equivalent to HND level study) Canine Behaviour Professional Diploma from Canine Principles.
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