Hi,
I've been working really hard training my 2 yr old kelpie dog. She is a reactive type dog who I socialized too much when she was a pup. I put her in situations she wasn't ready for. Anyway she is coming along well but she continues to confound me. She tires of any treat or toy very quickly even if it is kept away and "special".
She is uninterested in treats in places where she is very relaxed but when clicking and treating her for calmly watching dogs pass she can't get enough of them, even treats she doesnt really like. I thought the principle was the opposite, that the calmer and more secure a dog feels the more readily they will eat, engage and learn.
Also, we have been working on ignoring people downtown, because she would love to shove her tounge down anyone's throat and is way too excited about people. She is doing great and I was treating her for ignoring people but at a certain point she stopped taking treats when they passed and got in an ignoring mode but also started to ignore me! she'll fall asleep downtown now so I know she is relaxed. But its all very confusing. If she is great at ignoring them, shouldn't she be better at focusing on me? Instead she is slow to respond.
I thought maybe she needed another reinforcer other than treats but I find the same thing with toys: she will completely LOVE chasing the new raquet ball I got her. then the next day I throw it, in the same location, and she ignores it. This is only the second or third time she has ever played with it and she could care less about it. She loves anything NEW.
Can you make any sense of these patterns?

Thanks!
Mackenzie