Week 4
Jenny Proctor LukEli Dog Training
Here we are at week 4 with Hank the Shar Pei/Catahoula mix. He's 6 months old and continues to gain confidence as he is exposed to new stimuli, new environments, and occasionally pushed to his little doggie limits. It was a week full of firsts and even the last of one behavior I was glad to see end!
Hank says hay!
I had an exciting moment with Hank about a week ago. It was very random and happened twice in the space of five minutes. He rolled over on his back so I could rub his belly! I think the first time may have just been an accident. I was near him when he rolled over and he decided the belly rub felt good after all. The second time he rolled over was no accident though. He intentionally walked over to me, flopped down and very politely presented his belly for a nice rub and scratch! It hasn't happened since and I'm not sure when it will happen again, but hey, it's a start! The next lucky person allowed to do so should feel very special indeed. A gesture of trust such as Hank showed me takes a LOT for him to display.
It's a shame Hank is so hesitant in some regards, because in other ways, he has great confidence. He is great with other dogs and has a blast playing with them all. He could care less about the vacuum cleaner or the sound of gun shots. Loud noises don't seem to bother him much for the most part. He is also very agile and is quite confident in his ability to jump and climb. Just today I was able to encourage him (it didn't take much) to climb on top of the hay bales in the barn with Gracie and me. He loved it! That same love of jumping and climbing leads him to jump on the couch, bed, and even the kitchen table. I know, I know, a dog trainer that allows dogs on the furniture? What the heck is that all about? It had to do with building Hank's confidence when he first came to stay with us. He was so shut down that any little venture out of his fearful shell was encouraged and that included allowing him to explore as he felt comfortable. Jumping up on the kitchen table was a sign to me that he felt completely at home. I have discouraged the jumping on the table as it is not something people are going to allow (including me) and it lead to counter surfing, which he is now learning is not acceptable either. Hank can easily learn that he is not allowed on any furniture in his new home if that is what his new family wants. For now, I don't mind him sleeping on the couch with his buddies now and then. I think Hank would do well to be involved in some dog sport in his new home, too. Agility comes to mind right away. He'd be great at it!
Hank is going to need to be able to be transported on a routine basis without it being a major, traumatic event. This is a huge milestone for him, as is leash walking, on his road to being adopted. I felt he had progressed far enough in the last week or so that it was a good time to begin counterconditioning The Big, Bad, Scary Car Ride. It took some patience, Gracie, and a bunch of dog food to eventually lure Hank into jumping into the car himself, but he did it! Gracie helped in two ways: Hank could see that she wasn't in distress in any way and when he saw her eating the dog food I had spread out over the seat he couldn't help himself and finally jumped in to grab a bite or two for himself (dog's can't seem to resist the urge to join other dogs in eating because they don't want to miss out on food. This can also help with finicky eaters). This process took about 30 minutes altogether, starting with luring him close to the open car door, moving on to placing one foot on the seat, then two, until eventually he jumped in. The second attempt the next day took approximately one minute. Yep, an investment of time and patience the first time a dog does something pays off hugely in the long run. Had I tried to force the issue and lift him into the car he would've resisted mightily and probably formed a negative association with the car. Now he has moved on to going for car rides and today he even got out of the car at a different location and explored a bit before loading up and heading back home. I have to start out introducing him to a new, but similar rural location. I don't know how he'll do when we go for a ride and explore a more urban setting as we must eventually do. That will be the stuff of a future post.
I almost forgot! Hank made another kind of breakthrough this week. Crates and barking and extinction bursts, oh my! I was able to sleep a lot better this week. I think I'll save this topic and write about extinction of behaviors more next time.
Until next time!
Hank is going to need to be able to be transported on a routine basis without it being a major, traumatic event. This is a huge milestone for him, as is leash walking, on his road to being adopted. I felt he had progressed far enough in the last week or so that it was a good time to begin counterconditioning The Big, Bad, Scary Car Ride. It took some patience, Gracie, and a bunch of dog food to eventually lure Hank into jumping into the car himself, but he did it! Gracie helped in two ways: Hank could see that she wasn't in distress in any way and when he saw her eating the dog food I had spread out over the seat he couldn't help himself and finally jumped in to grab a bite or two for himself (dog's can't seem to resist the urge to join other dogs in eating because they don't want to miss out on food. This can also help with finicky eaters). This process took about 30 minutes altogether, starting with luring him close to the open car door, moving on to placing one foot on the seat, then two, until eventually he jumped in. The second attempt the next day took approximately one minute. Yep, an investment of time and patience the first time a dog does something pays off hugely in the long run. Had I tried to force the issue and lift him into the car he would've resisted mightily and probably formed a negative association with the car. Now he has moved on to going for car rides and today he even got out of the car at a different location and explored a bit before loading up and heading back home. I have to start out introducing him to a new, but similar rural location. I don't know how he'll do when we go for a ride and explore a more urban setting as we must eventually do. That will be the stuff of a future post.
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