Today marks Charlie’s 6 week adoptiversary, and a summing up seems in order. The last few days have been filled with small victories and also some disappointments. And an exploration of the animal on the other end of the leash. That would be me. So, in the plus department, Charlie’s gradually increasing comfort and cooperation on our park walks is pretty darn good. The berserko moments are few and far between, maybe averaging one per 30-40 minute walk, and they subside more quickly. This is partly due to my increased management skills, but Charlie gets some credit for improvement as well. He’s also improving slowly in his car behavior, although he won’t become untethered any time soon. I continue to counter-condition him, pairing liver treats with passing trucks.
As before, there are still some dark spots, when Charlie’s instincts take over and his impulse control is non-existent. I can become bummed out by this, but we continue. When Bryce the dog visited, I noted what a humpoholic Charlie is, and how that unrelenting behavior led to several doggie spats, one or two of which worried me a bit. It’s stressful for me when this happens, but I’ll continue to explore whether he can “play well with others”.
And then there’s me. My continued study of training videos has revealed one of my weaknesses: I need to engage in more play with Charlie in order to keep him engaged. My nature is to train with precision, then to let Charlie sniff and check out the environment on his own; off leash in the fenced yard, on leash at the park, for safety’s sake. Now I need to incorporate more sense of play and fun in both of these activities, in order to try and make myself more interesting than, say, a squirrel, and I’m working on it. Toys help. Charlie’s soft disc has become a fave. I throw it, he fetches it (he might catch it 20% of the time), and then he gleefully tries to shake it to death while I mock-chase him. So far, I’ve prevented him from tearing it to shreds. He has a heavy duty “tug rope” as well, and I’m working on exercises to establish “tug” and “leave it”, a must in this potentially ramped up game. One of the criticisms levied at American dog owners is that they expect their dogs to just play with their toys, while European dog owners use toys as a mode of playing with their dogs. It’s like the dichotomy of sitting a kid in front of the TV as opposed to using TV (or other activities) as a method of bonding and interacting.
Also, along these lines, I’ve just subscribed to Barkbox’s “super chewer” monthly box, which my friend Ann introduced me to. I’ll report on this once it arrives, with new chew toys each month, along with treats and such. The goal is for there to be more stimulating stuff around the house, both for together time and alone time.
Perhaps the most important thought, moving forward, is the recognition that we’re past the honeymoon now. We’re getting into the emotional recognition of what a long term process this will be. I search constantly for videos by teachers who use force-free training. One of them is Zak George, a youngish guy who seems a bit whacky, but says a lot of sensible things. He is a great cheerleader of sorts. This video is useful for my emotional stability as Charlie and I move into the long term.
And the beat goes on!
Guy With A Dog: Simple Ideas About Humane Dog Training 