Gracie again did well with her walk. She continues to respond to the Slow Down cue and is beginning to sit when we stop.
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“The dominance panacea is so out of proportion that entire schools of training are based on the premise that if you can just exert adequate dominance over the dog, everything else will fall into place. Not only does it mean that incredible amounts of abuse are going to be perpetrated against any given dog, probably exacerbating problems like unreliable recalls and biting, but the real issues, like well-executed conditioning and the provision of an adequate environment, are going to go unaddressed, resulting in a still-untrained dog, perpetuating the pointless dominance program." - Jean Donaldson, The Culture Clash Oh no! Another windy day, leaves blowing, and trying to teach another puppy how to walk on a loose leash. But this time we had much more success with Baxter. He usually walks with a harness so we started out with that and he did well. We then removed it and he continued to do well with both Heel and Loose Leash Walking. A goal for Tango's owners is to have him walk with other dogs in the Walk-n-Wag Dog Walking Club so today we tested how Tango would do in close proximity to another dog. With Tango and Ash each on long lines we let them meet. At first everything was the normal sniffing, but then Tango stiffened as his anxiety overtook is inquisitiveness and he snapped at Ash. His owner was visibly upset but I reminded him that Tango has come a long way in his rehabilitation. He may not be ready to walk with other dogs, but he is much closer than he was 6 months or a year ago. Chula is a 3 year old Lab/Australian Cattle Dog mix with a serious fear-based aggression issue. She is scared when meeting new people and crowds, especially children, send her over the edge. We started her out with some hand targeting to teach her that hands reaching towards her predict good things, like treats. It will also give her an acceptable behavior to perform in stressful situations. Next session we will begin a desensitization and counterconditioning program. “In dog culture, when someone calls you, you should absolutely not come if that results in the ending of something you like or initiation of something you don’t like.” ― Jean Donaldson, The Culture Clash Tucker is a smart dog and knows his cues pretty well, but he lacks impulse control, as many young dogs do. To help with that we introduced him to Dr. Overall's Relaxation Protocol. I showed his owner's how it works by going through the first day's exercises with Tucker. After we were finished he was noticeably calmer. It really does work. |
AuthorJeff Dentler, CPDT-KA, IAABC-ADT, FFCP, CTDI Archives
January 2025
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