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Just proud

1K views 15 replies 10 participants last post by  ksotto333 
#1 ·
Wish my dog could read this. So, he hit a weird patch around 9-10 months and I stopped his public access training for service work. Since then he passed his CGC, earned his first rally title and we have joined a tracking group and dock diving club so he has been busy around a lot of people and dogs in situations where if he had a "dog" moment and did something stupid (read: barked at someone he shouldn't), people could probably brush it off and it wouldn't be the big deal it might be if he were in public in a vest. Well, it hasn't happened. He has been totally fine with all people in recent history. He has had a few blusters at other dogs but all who got in his face and were rude, social, polite dogs he can sniff noses fine. Other dogs who misbehave at farther than a 6' leash distance no problem. He only seems to take offense when they are actually in his face and I really can't blame him. When the rottweiler charged him he remained silent and allowed me to put him behind me to prepare to defend him and he did not blow his lid and make it worse.

Fast forward, we have had some crappy weather and not much we could really do so I thought a good time to get him back out in some stores and see where his head is at. I took him to a store that allows dogs so again if he made a mistake, less important. All that rally training really paid off, I treated it like a trip in the ring which he enjoys and is good at. He was like a different dog than the last time I tried this with him. This time off to grow up and get good at stuff really seems to have paid off.

I took him on another outing the other day that included another store. He was awesome. Super professional. One lady got a little too close and he did try to sniff her out of curiosity but did good with his leave it. This is normal, he missed a couple months of "don't sniff that" training.

Today we did one more outing, I walked him all over town and it was just a smorgasboard. Construction sites, men on roofs with nail guns that were quite loud, a little 25ish pound dog blew up at him and he turned and looked at me which is what I taught him to do when that happens. Tons of people on the sidewalk, weird umbrellas, all sorts of stuff. He was just perfect. I took him in a store which is not for dogs but allows them because this is a pretty dog friendly area. He was just so great. I was coming around a corner and heard a lady with a babbling toddler so I stopped so we would not collide. She came around and there is this 90lb dog looking at her and she was startled and kind of jumped. My dog looked at me, very much as if to ask "did I do something wrong?" I assured him he did right, he stoos still next to me like I asked.

We practiced stairs because there are 3 floors in this store, he paced step for step coming down slowly with me even though we have hardly practiced this. He did not react to the huge stuffed moose and stuffed fake animals have gotten his goose before lol.

I heard people murmer "what a good dog" when he went by. He has even figured out finally that he can't go off the sidewalk into the street (understand we live on mountain with barely traveled dirt roads and he has minimal practice on sidewalks on busy streets) in the past it was a hassle to always be monitoring him that he didn't step off the curb because he didn't know any better.

A big black dog exploded halfway out the window of a parked car bru ha ha-ing at us. So loud and sudden that I jumped! My dog did not hackle or bark back. A GSD in a car lit up at us on the way by. My dog ignored him.

In a nutshell, this week has been really like, if I could have ordered a dog to act like I want him to act, he basically did it. He is really growing up.

And also, if anyone is struggling with puppy nonsense on a basically good pup, just hang in there...the work pays off!!! He hasn't always been perfect but I feel like he is really growing up good!
 
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#7 ·
Yep, this is the great white :)
@Dogma yeah I am sure we are not totally out of the woods. He is 16 months. So I am sure he may have some more tricks up his sleeve.

But overall I am just really happy with him, especially today.

Now I am leaving town for 4 days and praying my husband won't break him while I am gone :surprise: I am imagining them sitting on the couch devouring bags of cheese curls together :surprise:
 
#4 ·
I thought I had my dogs doing pretty good until I took all 3 of them into big R by myself a week or so ago. Individually they do excellent. All 3 of them was a nightmare. I would get Apollo calmed down Athena would start, then their leashes would get tangled. Definitely tested just patience. Then both of them would start. Then they would fight to be in heel position on my left which would tangle leashes again.
 
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#5 ·
That's really great!Often times everything falls into place later.I wonder if they're just messin' with us:)
Next week he'll do something crazy to keep ya on your toes.
Good job both of you!
 
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#11 ·
That's really great!Often times everything falls into place later.I wonder if they're just messin' with us

Next week he'll do something crazy to keep ya on your toes.
Good job both of you!
I really think they are messing with us. Just like awhile back when a dog at petco was barking at us and Max so innocently looks at me knowing he was going to get a treat. He had this expression that screamed looked how sweet and well behaved I am - he was so FOS-lol!
 
#10 ·
This is so exciting! Well done to him and you growing together and tackling these obstacles! Can I ask what his behaviour was like? I've noticed Rollo is getting a tiny bit skittish around people when we walk in high traffic areas (he never had been before) and am thinking it is partly because he's now just 9 months old - am of course still continuing with his obedience and focus, but it has become a little bit difficult out of nowhere!
 
#12 ·
Dog's can be so silly when it comes to stairs; glad he had no difficulties with them. I've seen some big ol' doggies that just look at steps then look back like, "nope, that's some voodoo walking magic that I don't went any part of."
I have no scientific data for this theory, but I think if a dog gets a bit of time learning to climb up & down a few steps while going through puppyhood, they'll be way more likely to handle a staircase later on.

My sister used to have a third floor apartment & the steps to her door were the ones that didn't have the back to them, where you can see through the staircase as you go up them (hope I'm describing this well; there probably is a proper term for this design...). They kind of look ladder-like? Anyway...I was visiting with my boy and didn't even think about how these steps are different. I started walking up and then see him being very skeptical about the steps. He had to paw tap & sniff at each step before going up each one. I allowed him to do this for the first set, but then I carried him up the next two sets. It was like 15 degrees out and we weren't going to be spending 30 minutes to go from the car to inside. lol When leaving he walked down them like a normal set of steps, since that's how they look going down. The next couple of times I had visited with him, he had no second thoughts about going up them. He and I have even jogged up them the third time.

So yea, if you get a chance, try finding some of those ladder-like steps to let him get some exposure to them & see there isn't any voodoo walking magic going on. :D
 
#13 ·
Oh he has no fear of stairs. He thinks they are fun and likes to bound up and down them. Which would have him leaving me behind in a crowded store and bounding out into the next park without me lol. So I was teaching him in public you take stairs at the same pace as me. The predecessor to balance assist on the stairs. He won't start harness work till 18 months if he is still doing good with all this.
 
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