Hi everyone....I'm in the throws of my visitor season at the moment so my forum time is somewhat curtailed.....I've done my best to catch up on all your news now though even if I've not commented I have visited and read your posts ..... Big news with us this week is this.........http://www.dubaipetfestival.com I've lost sleep over this a bit....it should be straightforward,put Dexter's lead on and take him .....but it's not! We aren't without issues when it comes to meeting other dogs on lead...but we are massively improved ,so much so that we are the stooge dog in our reactivity class....I mentioned to the trainer that I was going to take him and she put me right off saying it could be too much for him.....I was gutted!came home,had a little cry,then a bit of a wail and moan......Talking to a few friends about it and they have all said take him....they've seen him at his worst and they've seen him now and they all say how improved we both are...so I've resolved to give it a go.... It's 5 mins from our house ,we have so little dog opportunities here, it would be dreadful to miss the chance to try him there.If it all goes tail end up I can come straight home and nothing is lost. Ive been desentisising him to our old friend the gentle leader head collar.He's always tolerated it but never loved it and he did have a few attempts pawing at it....I've got him so he trots around in it no problem now ,I haven't seen him bother it at all in the last 2 days so that will give me some more control.ill take a treat bag full of warm roast chicken too......I will also be imagining the worst,I'm picturing really terrible behaviour ;D so anything better than dreadful can be a success story ;D .... I'll let you know anyway...you must think I'm making such a mountain out of nothing but with there being so few dog activities here there will be a LOT of dogs there who haven't been socialized to be ok at an event ....that's half my problem with Dexter .....he's forever getting lunged and barked by poorly socialized dogs at even when he's just walking along nicely minding his own business :
Re: Hello everyone.... I can understand your worries Angela, but good on you for biting the bullet (or rather, packing the roast chicken!). I hope you can emit calm vibes for Dexter to pick up on and he can happily mix with all the other dogs and people. You have worked hard with Dexter so I'm sure it will pay off. If it gets too much you can have time out, some roast chicken, and then go back in again maybe? Really hope it goes well, and remember you will be among other dog owners, so hopefully most of them will be sensible!
Re: Hello everyone.... Good luck Angela, I am sure Dexter will be fine, just stay on the fringes of the crowd so you can back away if it gets a bit too much for him!
Re: Hello everyone.... I agree with Karen and Clare go for it, like you said you don't get many opportunities, but always have an escape route, for want of a better expression, in mind. If you think it's getting too much for Dex and it's possible just move to a quieter area so he can calm down and even if you go have a look and leave its all experience. Fingers crossed but I'm sure it will go well. You mastered the coffee quick enough after all. ;D
Re: Hello everyone.... It sounds like a great opportunity Angela. If you didn't go, you would regret not trying. Put your faith in Dexter. And don't be too hard on him if he is not perfect. As long as he isn't the worst, you are quids in. Good luck! We want to hear all about tit. x
Re: Hello everyone.... Go for it! What is the worst that can happen, after all? And the best would be that you and Dex have a great time. Go, enjoy, don't get wound up, and treat it like an adventure (not an exam...). Pongo says hi to Dexter Rosie
Re: Hello everyone.... [quote author=Rosie link=topic=8636.msg121949#msg121949 date=1415290701] and treat it like an adventure (not an exam...). [/quote] Ah Rosie you are right,that is just so me! Pongo is surely the most sociable dog on the Forum ;D hi back to you, gorgeous x Thanks for all your pep talks,much appreciated ....we are so excited...it's the cat show in the morning so I am going with my SIL and my nephew who has special needs,he hates dogs but loves cats so we are going to check it out and I can go round the stands and hopefully do loooooooaaaaaads of doggie shopping!the dogs are allowed entry from 2 pm so I'll go back then with Dexter.Im quite excited to practice out new skills to be honest and Karen and Jen I'll do,exactly what you say....I'll get there at 2 pm and make sure I don't overwhelm him.....oh I really hope we are ok ;D
Re: Hello everyone.... [quote author=Dexter link=topic=8636.msg121968#msg121968 date=1415293396] Pongo is surely the most sociable dog on the Forum ;D hi back to you, gorgeous x [/quote] Pongo is blushing....
Re: Hello everyone.... I'm so glad you've decided to give it a go Angela I'm sure you won't be disappointed. The first time I took Harley to a big festival with lots of other dogs, fairground rides, music on stages, stalks selling things, dog shows etc, she shocked me. The first 15 mins were the hardest, but then she calmed down, walked nicely, said hi to some dogs and ignored others. We stayed for 1.5 hours and she was soooo good. I'm sure it will be the same with a Dexter sending good vibes your way x
Re: Hello everyone.... Can't wait to hear how it goes, I'm sure he will be fine. And maybe you will meet some more nice dogs to have walks with! Or find out about some new clandestine walk opportunities? Take pics if you can, I would love to see it too!!
Re: Hello everyone.... I agree - it's a great opportunity to get out and about with Dexter Agree with advice to maintain your escape routes. Have lots of fun!! Happy doggie shopping too!!!!!
Re: Hello everyone.... Well ........we made it!we nearly didn't,he was a monster on our walk this morning!but he earned a reprieve and off we set....I took a treat bag full of hotdog sausage...he's never had that in his life but I thought I'd accept the upset tummy risk for the chance to keep his attention with some new food .....I don't know about that,it's certainly made him windy now though I didn't realise that there had been an incident a few years back where a dog attacked and killed another dog....so all dogs now have to be examined and assessed by a vet and their documents be made available for examination.Dexter waited lovely in the line and was brilliant being checked over . image by dexterpops02, on Flickr The dogs are then given a ribbon as an indicator of whether or not you can approach them green,orange ,red....I don't really think it was working to be honest.I asked for an orange even though he was going to give him a green as I didn't want lots of people patting and stroking him but kids were still rushing over. It was really hot and very little shade as it was on the rugby field...the bit of shade we found was by the kids petting zone ...... image by dexterpops02, on Flickr But he was fine there so I took his head collar off ...we stayed for an hour but there wasn't a lot going on,just a few stands.I spoke to the Agility sponsors they have plans to create an agility park and community so I got their details...Dexter cocked his leg on their stand :-[ So my reactive dog didn't bother about any of the dogs that sniffed him up the bum,bumped into him or barked at him....there were times when he was too highly strung to take a treat so I just walked him away for a few minutes and then came back in when he had calmed down. He did pull and was super interested in sniffing but he didn't lunge or give out any bad looks.....so we are chalking it down as a success and we are going to take him back again tomorrow at 6 pm when it will be cooler to use it for another practice ..... Thankyou everybody for all your support and encouragement....I'm really glad I took him ...... The biggest problem has been him mythering for his dinner since we got in,he thinks he's been walked so it's time for tea! X
Re: Hello everyone.... I would call that a RAGING success. Sending him a massive well done hug and one for you too xxxx
Re: Hello everyone.... Angela, that is absolutely fantastic and how great you both look . I think sometimes flooding our dogs with other dogs can work and it certainly did with Dexter, we've done it with Charlie and a great result. Congratulations and hope you all enjoyed yourselves and good luck for tomorrow!! Very envious of you in your flip flops and T shirt, wellies and waterproofs here ;D xx
Re: Hello everyone.... Fabulous! Well done Dexter So glad it wasn't the stressful event that you worried it might be. ;DSounds like Dexter gave the agility park idea the seal of approval And what's a bit of wind between friends
Re: Hello everyone.... Good news! Well done to you both. I think the ribbons sound like a good idea in principal, but sadly it relies on other people controlling their animals and kids accordingly - a bit of common sense is sadly something you can never rely on! Good luck with your return trip
