update on pascua
I just wanted to write and let folks know that Pascua is doing a lot better. we have started her on the positive training course where there are about 30 other dogs and lots of people. I was afraid that she was going to freak out in front of all those dogs and be expelled on the first day for bad behaviour. But she managed really well. The clicker training seems to be helping to calm her down. She still barked at some of the other dogs and gets a bit hectic, but once we approach closer and especially if the leash is dropped she starts interacting like a normal dog. I Still have to work a lot with her, trying to get her to walk on a loose leash. I would like to try to set something up with some of the folks on the course and perhaps we could experiment with her approaching dogs that she's more reactive towards and doing as you suggested; regulating the distance and geting her attention as we move closer. It is difficult to set something like that up here where we live ( all the dogs are running free in the street, not a leash in sight and people in the village tend to leave the dogs to free abandon).
For the moment I have opted to avoid the dog in the village that she goes wild at. I'm hoping that we can tackle that issue once we have calmed her down more with stable dogs, and once i feel more confident in how to work with her.
One thing is for sure and that is that THE POSITIVE APPROACH IS MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE, even if it takes a lot of patience and time. I have really noticed that if I use my voice being very gentle and encouraging her when she gets it right, she remains much calmer. Otherwise it's like waiting for her to explode rather than heading off disaster before it arrives. teaching her what behaviour I want rather than reinforcing the bad behaviour by giving it attention and reacting to it
Thank you Aidan for all your encouragement.
Caroline
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re: update on pascua
Hi Caroline, that's great news! Thanks for reporting back.
Yes, controlled set-ups are key. If you can get help with those you will see faster improvement. Don't be afraid to click and treat really frequently for anything that isn't reactive behaviour.
Regards,
Aidan
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