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!
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!