We barely got out the door this morning when he spotted two dogs waaaay up the street. He reacted to them while I waited for him to give me anything I could reward. While I'm sure he must have provided something a good trainer would have rewarded, they were lost on my. Once they went out of sight we got all of 10 feet before he saw a man walking down the sidewalk and another man a few buildings down. He reacted towards both of them. Let me say here that Frodo has a completely different reaction towards dogs than he does toward humans. When it comes to dogs I fear that the end result could be a dog fight, with humans I don't worry about him every actually hurting a human. Too many times have I seen him run up to someone while "reacting" (read: barking) for pets. I don't even know whether I should call it reactivity, but technically he is reacting to something in his environment.
One reason this bummed me out so much (the reaction to humans) was because he had been doing great with this the past few days. Completely ignoring all the people we passed. He even had someone lean toward him and say how cute he was when we were walking the other night, in the dark. Usually this would have caused him to bark or grumble, but he just kept on moving, he was perfect.
Anyway, this morning he didn't show the bounce back with other dogs that I talked about the other day. The rest of the walk he was much more aware of his environment, his ears were swiveling and twitching, he was offering little LLW like he has been for the past few days, and he was taking treats much harder than normal (though "normal" is by no means soft, so my fingers aren't very happy right now). Overall, not a very productive or relaxing walk.
I'm not sure if he is just having a crazy day. He did lay in bed while I showered this morning, then promptly ran into my little sister's room, jumped on her in bed, and barked in her face *sigh*
Another possibility I am willing to consider is that he is either getting more fit so he is more energetic. He did try and take off running a few times during our walk, and when we got back he did laps around the coffee table like a banshee. This could also be due to his arousal from the walk though. Also, last night he didn't get a full second walk, even though our walks are not very far, perhaps he needed that whole second walk?
Yet another possibility for the reactiveness could be that he might not be feeling that well. His stool was a different consistency than normal, perhaps he got into something or my mom decided to "supplement" his kibble with something.
Today he also tried to catch a Blue Jay that flew out in front of us. Lately he has been doing an awesome job of not trying to chase wildlife like birds and squirrels (though cats have always been fair game).
Tomorrow morning I think I am going to try and beat the heat, get up early and take him to the park or fairgrounds, see if he seems more interested in running around now than the last time we went.
Don't forget that stress is cumulative... you guys are doing a lot together, and while he's been doing a good job of holding himself together, it gets harder as stress builds up. I've had a lot of success by giving Maisy time off when she's started to get too aroused. For her, that hard treat taking is usually an indication that she'd be better skipping a walk and just chasing a tennis ball in the living room instead.
I hope you made it up early this morning- that seems to be the best time for Maisy and I to avoid triggers. I think it's awesome you're working so hard with Frodo- don't give up- it will get better!
Thanks, AGAIN! I'm so glad you read my blog, you're suggestions and knowledge are invaluable for someone like me! We are going to skip the walk tonight and do some clicker work or tug or something instead.
We do walk early, unfortunately this is also when a lot of other people seem to walk. I figure they too want to beat the heat as well as getting their animals walked before work. Unfortunately most dogs here are reactive, unlike what I saw in Minneapolis, so it is almost a given that if you see a dog here, it is going to be more about managing the situation than trying to get any training done. Frodo is nowhere near being able to stay below threshold when the other dog is acting reactive as well. Just one reason I can't wait to get back to MN!
I'm glad you like my know-it-all comments, lol. I've been worried that you'd think I was too pushy or something. :)
Crystal knows what she's talking about! You're going to have setbacks in the process, but you'll notice as time goes by that he'll recover from these setbacks sooner and the time between each setback will lengthen :) Keep up the good work!
Nope, not pushy at all. I am ready and willing to accept any help from people who know what they are talking about!
Thanks MT, that's what I am hoping for!