A QUICK UPDATE

Waiting at the door to go for a walk.


If you want a dog to repeat a behavior ....whatever you do, don’t brag about it.   I was just about to write a blog the other night about how good Chief is about leaving dishes with food on the coffee table alone.  He will go within a few inches of something on the table and I haven’t said a word and he air-sniffs but does not grab or lick at anything on the table.  All without a word from me.  I was really impressed with this.  But, when I went to my cousins for dinner last night they put a couple of dishes of snacks on the table – some veggies and dip and a bowl of chips.  He of course sniffed the veggies from a safe distance and then investigated the chips and no sooner had I just told everyone how good he’s been about leaving things alone on the table he made a move on the chips (apparently he prefers junk food to healthy veggies).  He was stopped in time and very easily, but darn it if dogs don’t want to make a liar out of you.  I also had pointed out that whenever I hold a treat in my hand after a couple of seconds he looks down to the ground like it’s dropped and he will watch the ground for a bit.  He looks quite funny the way he does it and seriously, he does this every time I hold a treat, but once I held a treat and told everyone that this is what he does, he kept his eyes on the prize and not one look down.  I think dogs must know when we want them to do something just a little too badly. 

Apparently you can't get the camera out either.  I'm holding a treat in my hand and if nobody was around and if the camera wasn't aimed at him he would be looking at the ground for most of the clip. 

Not sure if you noticed that I mentioned we went to my cousins for dinner with a dog that was having a hard time relaxing with new people and new dogs in smaller spaces.  Well, there were six of us there and my cousin's dog Walker.  Chief did great!  I went in there and at first asked everyone to ignore him unless he went to them for attention which everyone did.  He was growly at first with Walker but after a quick introduction he was good with each person and with Walker.  He went from person to person by his choice and got lots of attention and he played tug o war with Walker.  We let the dogs out into the back yard and Chief and Walker played really well together.  I haven't seen Chief off leash in a larger yard like that and it was amazing to see how much ground he could cover so quickly.  He is fast and agile.  Once back in the house Chief spent some time on the floor with my cousin playing with a stuffie.  That's the thing about Chief...so far I feel that he has always let me know when he's unsure about something so I don't have to wait and wonder if how he might react....he gives you a bunch of clues first and can be redirected.  And, once he gets past the initial introduction if he relaxes, he stays that way.  Basically once his mind is made up that you're okay...then you are okay.  He is a work in progress but we are making some really great strides.  He seems to do really well when I challenge him in a situation that is new to him but predictable to me.