Re: BAT tips Jen it is lovely to read a post like this when we've followed all the work and effort you have out in,oh you must have been beaming from ear to ear on your way home ,well done x
Re: BAT tips Thank you very much everybody it means a lot. I'm getting so repetitive. It's great isn't it ? ;D ;D ;D
Re: BAT tips Helen thank you thats lovely of you. I wish I could be more help with Charlie and that flipping ball but if I can get my two to take treats off somebody they have barked at like beasts for the last three years you can get there too. I know you can.
Re: BAT tips A wobble day. it was bound to happen. We met stranger #1 again who we've had two lots of treats from. Unfortunately it was in a different place and she was on a bike so looked different I suppose so we barked !! Of course I then had a wobble about it not working, was there any point etc. I pulled myself together. I guess it was too many variations at once. The criteria had increased in two different ways which was too much too soon. On a positive just after we'd met her we met Toby the very reactive dog. They looked at Toby then looked at me. I got fishy treat out Toby was no longer of any interest. Also yesterday evening we met stranger#3 again. Scott actually headed straight for him, scout not far behind. He asked me for a treat to give them. This time they both sat nicely and waited. Scott didn't push in. Having written all this down I suppose we've had more positive than that bit of a wobble and I suppose there was a reason for it. :
Re: BAT tips At least the wobble wasn't as bad as it could of been! I'm sure it was a blip and the location of stranger #1 as well as being on a bike confused them. I'm sure tomorrow will be better x
Re: BAT tips Thank you Naya. I know I need to keep it in perspective. We've only been taking treats from strangers (that sounds wrong) for a week. I can expect miracles but I know they won't happen. It's been one of those days all round. They weren't in the mood for training either. I blame the full moon. . I've always thought scout was a little ware wolf . ;D
Re: BAT tips WOW !! I've missed all this somehow and believe me reading it all in one go makes for an amazing read. ;D You've all been brilliant - you, the dogs, your glamorous assistants (Mr and Mrs Mainroad ;D ) One of the things that really stands out reading it all in one go is how calm you are (even if you don't feel it inside) and how you stick with the strategy through the little hiccups, taking time to understand why it didn't quite work and modifying and trying again. Happy reading indeed, congratulations ;D
Re: BAT tips Thank you very much Barbara. That makes me feel a lot better after today's wobble. It must've been like reading war and peace I've waffled on that much in this thread. ;D I know they are improving its just sometimes it doesn't feel like it and I know there is still a very long way to go. I try to stay calm although I have to admit its not always easy. Frustrating yes. ;D
Re: BAT tips Don't worry about the wobble. As you said, too much was different. And it's outweighed by the successes you had. Seriously, you have done an amazing job. I'm sure this thread has helped a lot of other people and dogs. There will be people just reading and learning even if they are not commenting. You deserve to feel really proud of your sensational progress. You really do.
Re: BAT tips I think we over focus on what we can't do, and dismiss what we can. We trotted by a on lead dog today and I thought "humpf, it's the off lead dogs that's the problem though" I had to shake myself to remember I'd have given anything 2 months ago to heel nicely passed another dog on the same bit of pavement. You sound exactly like that "we can't do strangers in new situations" - forgetting a while ago, you couldn't do strangers.
Re: BAT tips I agree with Julie, its too easy to forget how much has been achieved when a Wobble comes along. You are making such huge progress Jen, we can get knocked back by too many variables changing too. I'm currently having to do a new round of BAT ing with Cuillin. She is absolutely terrified of a pack of eight whippets owned by one of the park rangers. some of them chased her ( in a good natured way) when she was little. the whippets have been being BAT'd for some time, then we met the ranger on her own a few weeks ago and cuilli was terrified of her by association!! shes always been fine with people, just strange dogs that could give her the jips, so this is a new one, but its definately just the association. Anyway this woman is lovely and really helpful so we are now BATing her every weekend when she is working without the dogs...she sits in the rangers office which has huge windows open onto the park, avoiding looking at cuilli while i get cuilli to go closer and closer to the poor woman, who is carelessly humming and drinking her tea ...we have reached the heady heights of ten feet away minus woofs . The looks we get from other dog walkers..
Re: BAT tips As always thank you all for your support. ;D You are all right I do forget how far we've come when we have a wobble and I worry incase we are back to square one. Your ranger lady sounds really nice Debsie to let you BAT her. Did you ask 'can I BAT you' ? ;D I don't blame cuillin being scared of 8 whippets that's a lot of dogs for anybody to cope with. ??? and when she's about the whippet gang might be hiding around the corner. It's funny the association thing. Yesterday when they barked at stranger#1 I was thinking why cant they see/ smell it's the same person. I suppose because of their high reactivity fear takes over before recognition can happen and the place they associate this stranger with is different. Life would be so much easier if we could talk dog or they human.
Re: BAT tips I'm sorry but I had to post this. It's not quite as big a milestone as a treat from a stranger but it's a close second. We have just BATted a pram. ;D. Ok that definitely sounds wrong. ;D . We BATted a pram on our lane with no problems. ;D I should explain when a monster comes down our lane it is immediately bigger, more scary and without a shadow of a doubt going to eat us than if we met it somewhere else. :-\ We have met a pram a couple of times on our walk. They didn't over react just wary interest not twitchy. We have met a pram a couple of times on our lane OMG it then becomes a very scary monster that needs to be frightened away. What makes them reacting to a pram worse is they are usually trying to get whatever is in it to sleep and I don't want them to scare whatever is in it. :-\ As we were walking down our drive a pram went passed in the direction we were going to go. We got on the road and the dogs saw the pram, attention grabbed so I waited. Not too long they looked at me. Fishy treat and we started walking. It s amazing how well looking at me works. They will be all tense ready for action if necessary, they look at me, treat, when they look back body relaxed no longer reacting. Next thing pram turns around !!!!! Starts coming back !!!!! We had nowhere to go. Too far passed the farm drive not near enough the field gate. I could've turned around but I decided we had to face this monster one day might aswell be now. They looked at pram, looked at me, treat. Repeat until we'd passed. No reaction, no fuss. ;D Amazing we beat the pram monster. ;D ;D ;D
Re: BAT tips Pram monster, consider yourself vanquished!! Definitely a leap! Your boys are really getting into the game, aren't they. Clever boys
Re: BAT tips OMG I'm in shock. . I'm sorry but I have to make a note of this just so for future reference I can look back and think yes they did do that !!! ;D I mentioned in my last post that monsters down our lane are much scarier. Well monsters down our lane in an evening are even worse. We have just got back from our last little walk down the lane of the day. When we turned around to come back a couple were walking towards us. It wasn't completely dark but not much light left. Scott and scout looked at the couple then looked at me. WOW. Not that long ago they would have erupted as soon as they'd spotted them. Goes without saying they got quite a few fishy treats and lots of praise. I guess we are on a roll !!! It's absolutely amazing . ;D ;D ;D
