I bet you can guess what this is going to be about. : Scott and Scout have been making very good progress over the last few weeks going to people they would usually react to to say hello. It's not much just a sniff and the person is under strict instruction not to make direct eye contact or touch. My next step was going to be stroke under the chin. This morning we took 27 steps backwards. Ok that's a bit of an exaggeration but it felt like it. First we met Mr Retriever and his spaniel. Poppy trotted passed and we stopped to talk. I forgot to tell him the rules but S&S are usually good with him. He said hello to them and Scott went straight to him. He stroked Scott only briefly really but I could tell Scott wasn't sure if he should bark or not. He didn't but I moved him away anyway. Then we met Mr and Mrs Mainroad on bikes. S&S have never liked him because he always insisted on stroking them and trying to make them like him. . They started to bark before they'd even stopped their bikes !! Scout stopped Scott continued barking every so often. He hasn't done that for ages usually if they react now they stop quickly when told. Finally we got to my friends farm. She and her OH we're in the yard and came to the gate. If her OH walks with us S&S love him and are all over him but when he looks down over the gate and tries to stoke they can react. Scott went to him jumped up at the gate to be stroked then while being stoked started to bark !!! I moved him away. He did this three times. I know I shouldn't have let him keep going back but each time I thought he might not bark. Then my friends mum came over. As she was half way across the yard they both started to bark. They've been doing really well with her recently but I suppose by then they were in reaction mode. Once I'd calmed down and stopped thinking WHY,WHY,WHY I thought about what happened. At no point did they show any other high alert behaviour. No 'big head' no hackles just noise. Except when Mr & Mrs Mainroad first approached the bark wasn't a 'go away, go away, go away' rapid fire bark it was just a bark with no obvious meaning. All the people they barked at except my friends mum because she knows dogs very well made direct eye contact. Not sure how that helps me but I guess we go back a step. :-\ Sorry to moan but some days it can be so frustrating and nobody here quite seems to get how it can sometimes feel like hard work. :-\ PS . On a positive we did pass the two Tibetan terriers that always have a go at us. S&S glanced towards them and walked passed perfect. ;D
Re: Frustrating Oh dear Jen, how frustrating indeed! But they have been doing so well, and they DID do ok with the terriers. Chalk it up to a bad day and keep your spirits up. You have done fantastic things with them, and worked really hard, this is just a blip. x
Re: Frustrating Sorry you are feeling so down. I have been following your story for many months. The story I have been reading is of dedication, slog, hard work and TRIUMPH. Yes, I can understand your feelings of depression and frustration. Dog training can seem like two steps forward and three steps back, but if you look at where you were say six months ago, at Easter, Last Christmas you will be impressed at the progress they have made. Only they didn't make it, you made it for them.
Re: Frustrating Hey Jen. This happens sometimes with Cuilli.She will go days and days of not reacting but then just seems to have a Bad Day and Im not always sure what causes it.Its more likely if she gets spooked at the start of a walk, or something scary has happened before a walk ( like a smoke alarm going off in the house or something).As you say once they are in reactive mode their threshold goes backwards. I think it was just a blip too....
Re: Frustrating Oh Jen I totally know where you are coming from. You just begin to feel like you're making progress and then something messes it all up! I suspect what might have happened is that the first episode set them on edge and theh couldn't come down from that so everything after that set them off. It happens with Penny too - we will see one dog that causes her to react and then she will react to every dog after that because of that first encounter. It's like... If each encounter had happened separately on seperate walks they could have coped with it, but all of it at once was just too much to be able to deal with. Tomorrow is a fresh start so just put today behind you. In a way sometimes I'm glad for days like that where things go wrong because it reminds me not to get too complacent and that, as far as we have come, we still have some work to do.
Re: Frustrating Thank you Jac and Debsie your right it was a blip I should forget it after all tomorrow is another day (oops movie quote thread ) and thank you Tina it's lovely of you to use the word triumph when describing our efforts. ;D I think your right Lauren perhaps it was the surprise stroke from Mr Retriever that set Scott off. I could tell by his face he was surprised and not sure what to do. After that maybe he thought he best get a bark in quick before anybody else thought they could touch without permission. : Obviously I know they are reactive, nervous dogs but sometimes it does seem they bark because they think they should like when somebody is already stroking them and they decide to bark like a delayed reaction. The bark doesn't sound like it has any panic in it or is trying to scare the person away. :-\ Honestly these dogs !! Good job they're gorgeous.
Re: Frustrating Jen, keep up the hard work and one day you will notice they haven't barked. You do a sterling job with S&S and should be proud of your achievements. xxx
Re: Frustrating Thank you Helen. ;D Maybe one day I'll crack this like you've cracked Charlie and his recall. Will keep plodding on. ;D
Re: Frustrating [quote author=Jen link=topic=7935.msg111850#msg111850 date=1411333264] Thank you Helen. ;D Maybe one day I'll crack this like you've cracked Charlie and his recall. Will keep plodding on. ;D [/quote] I wouldn't say we've cracked it yet Jen but definite progress has been made. I'm still plodding with you girl x
Re: Frustrating Jen I'm not replying properly as I'm so short on Forum time today :'( :'( :'( :'( But just wanted to say I do,I do,I do understand....my problems not the same but similar being other dogs and direct eye contact . I'm really sorry you've had a backwards day ...I know what you would tell me though....put it behind you and try again tomorrow xxx Ill keep,an eye on your thread and do a big catch up come Wednesday x
Re: Frustrating Thanks Angela. Your right I should practise what I preach. Not bad today. Met the starey dog from the end of the lane and we had no barking. Yippee. ;D
Re: Frustrating [quote author=Jen link=topic=7935.msg111977#msg111977 date=1411403189] Thanks Angela. Your right I should practise what I preach. Not bad today. Met the starey dog from the end of the lane and we had no barking. Yippee. ;D [/quote] ;D taking one's own advice.....always a challenge ;D Glad you had a better day!
