I am running out of ideas for Stella.....

[katdog5911]

Well, don't know that she had a bullseye. She has had a few negative experiences with loose dogs. But OTOH she has had many many positive ones too. She doesn't seem any more or less aggressive to me. I didn't see the behavior so I really don't know what happened. She has been acting a bit full of herself lately though.
I am going to try the doggie day care again next week. Probably will have my eyes glued to the web cam.
Starting nose work with her next week too. This should be a good thing for her since it really doesn't involve any contact with other dogs. And she loves trying to find things.
Also am starting a class for dogs with reactivity issues in 2 weeks. Not sure what to expect but we will give it a try.
For now, I will just keep walking her and try to keep her under threshold.....

[katdog5911]

Went to the first "reactivity" class. Really liked it. Stella didn't react to any dog. Say what????!!!!! Did some interesting exercises besides the usual heel,sit,down blah blah blah. Stella sat in the middle of a circle (with me). The rest of the group heeled around us, first a large circle, then smaller and smaller, then large again. Then me and Stella had to weave in and out of all the other dogs. I was expecting a lot of nonsense but she did great. And there were a couple of dogs in her face too. Best of all the trainer said I did some good dog handling. I was so proud of my girl.
Funny how a year makes a difference in perception. I went to this trainer for some private lessons about a year ago but didn't like that he used a choke collar. That did not work for me and Stella at all. But I really like his style and he is just soooo calm. And I have seen much harsher corrections by other trainers since then. Watching him today I saw that his corrections, when given, are not harsh at all. And he doesn't insist on a choke. He is fine with whatever collar works for you. I like that he is flexible.
Hope we continue on this positive trend. It feels good when you are making progress towards becoming a team with your dog!