My goal,at the moment is to get Dexter comfortable in public places with distractions in the hope that we may bring him back to the UK next Summer to get him out of the heat for a little while.I never saw this being a possibility to be honest and with Dubai public spaces being so dog unfriendly it hasn't been something I worked on....regretting that now as if we can fly him back,I'd like to be able to take him as many places with us as possible. So get on with it Angela and do what you can..... So off we went this morning to the local shops ( well 25 min walk away) I'd given him a really good off lead run before and some brain drain activities .I took his blanket,food bowl,half his breakfast ,a little Kong and some water. We drove up ( the walk isn't very nice with no pavements)He got out the car like a nutter. :-[ ...like he'd never been on a lead before so I gave him time to settle down and get a grip and then we walked out of the car park pretty presentably.I chose a bench 2 down from the bus stop and 4 down from cafe Nero.... Here's a little video but I did it on my phone so I had to cut it down to email it,you get the idea though. https://www.flickr.com/photos/97066992@N03/15442772786/ He was good,a few people walked past and ignored us ( people don't fuss dogs generally here) traffic doesn't phase him at all.2 Police cars slowed down as they went past but didn't stop.....we were sitting by the lights so people in cars looked a bit intrigued as they stopped,we probably looked homeless! ;D It was about 7 am when I was there so I'll make it to cafe Nero and sitting outside using this time slot...by the time he's happy with that I can start going a bit later when it's busier as the temp will be cooler,I've still only really got until 8 am to be outdoors with him. Coffee with a friend by Christmas do you think ? Hope so ,He he he !
Re: Ist Attempt Well done Dex. WHITE towel Angela? How long did it take him to settle down? That looks promising to me. You might get your coffee before Christmas.
Re: Ist Attempt I would call that a settle, why don't you Angela? Dexter did really well for his first trip. Coffee coming up!! xx Loving that collar too, where did you get that? x
Re: Ist Attempt That's great. Brilliant first go I would say. We've done the same thing with Obi. First we just managed sitting on a bench without barking for 10 seconds, then worked up to a takeaway coffee then eventually breakfast at a cafe. Step by step we got there. I'm totally confident you will too. I think the towel to lie on is a great idea - kind of X marks the stop.
Re: Ist Attempt Well done Dexter!! Very brave of you. Have spent a lot of time in Abu Dhabi and don't think i ever saw dogs on leads on the streets.
Re: Ist Attempt Well done that looks brilliant. Dexter did really well. Coffee by Christmas no problem. ;D
Re: Ist Attempt I really admire you, Dexter doesn't know what a fantastic owner he has. Hope you manage to fit a trip to Devon when you are in the UK they are so dog friendly there, amazing ;D
Re: Ist Attempt I thought it was really impressive. He is still a young dog and they are wriggle bums. For me it was great to see another lightweight Lab. Thee are lots of chunky (as in muscular) boys and girls around, and you do start to wonder of you are getting it right. Inspired by your success I'm off to the market with Molly to buy some slippers. I've walked her through it before but never tried to stop and buy something. If it all ends in tears I'll know who to blame
Re: Ist Attempt That looks great! He's not totally switched off but he looks very relaxed! Coffee by Christmas for sure x
Re: Ist Attempt [quote author=drjs@5 link=topic=8165.msg115268#msg115268 date=1412663321] Well done Dex. WHITE towel Angela? How long did it take him to settle down? That looks promising to me. You might get your coffee before Christmas. [/quote] I know,I knowit's an Ikea blanket,there was a choice of red or white,when I was buying it I thought I remembered reading they see white better : it's just he will lie on it anywhere....well he's half on half off really but his kong was rolling around : I had to tell him to lie down after about 10 mins and gave him the kong .....but he pretty much stayed until he finished it and we left,the flies were making him restless though. [quote author=charlie link=topic=8165.msg115269#msg115269 date=1412665271] I would call that a settle, why don't you Angela? Dexter did really well for his first trip. Coffee coming up!! xx Loving that collar too, where did you get that? x [/quote] I don't call it a 'settle' now Helen after the discussion we had on Jens thread last week with Julie....like Barbara mentions further down here a proper 'settle' is when they just switch off and aren't doing anything,he will do it in the house and garden as long as he's ignored .....so I'm hoping it will come when he gets a bit more familiar with going up there .Hes a bit 'sphinx like 'as he's dealing with his Kong and he knew I had food....The collar is from the pet shop here,a Red Dingo one...it's nice and thick...he doesn't pull walking normally ....( finally,phew) and his lunges arent as energetic as they were so he's out of his harness now ....I felt like the thicker one ,whilst not good or nice if he pulls won't 'garrote' him like a thinner one might ..... When were you In Abu Dhabi Kate?you are right,you don't see dogs anywhere really,they just aren't allowed in most places regardless of them being on a lead and Assistance Dogs just don't exist here :'( Thanks everybody else and I hope the trip to the Market was a success Tina?Dexter is a bit on the too slight at the mo to be honest but only by a kilo or so,but it really shows on him,he's having 'lunch' this week,I don't like just upsizing his meals,I'd rather give him a little extra meal to build him up. I wish I had starting doing this sooner but better late than never !I bet Obi was younger when you started taking him Rachael? Stacia,I'd love to visit everywhere and everyone next Summer....let's see where I end up! ;D
Re: Ist Attempt Well done Dex! Coffee with a friend very soon, why not? He'll done just fine, I bet. Adore his collar!
Re: Ist Attempt Looks great to me, Angela. This was something I meant to do this summer, too....well, still have a few days left before winter so never say never, right??
Re: Ist Attempt Angela, yes Obi was younger - about 10 months when we started this kind of thing. I don't know if he'd had any experience of outings to shops previously but I doubt it. He was pretty bad (continuous barking and couldn't lie down for two seconds). He's still very vigilant but we can quietly sit at a cafe for an hour now. We do pick our cafés so we can sit on the perimeter of an outdoor area in case we need to do a quick exit (rarely necessary). You can definitely nail this. And when you take him to the UK you'll have so much opportunity to practise - he'll improve even faster
Re: Ist Attempt good job dex and you!! As a fellow cafe visitor with dogs I know this isnt easy....brods has always been a natural at settling anywhere public but cuillin has taken ages to get to the stage where she Settles in Bars and cafes...she can stiill be a wee bit hyper vigilante but like you I do a long walk and some training first so get there with a Pooped Cuillin......Christmas coffee for you two for defo !
Re: Ist Attempt One bench to go..... . image by dexterpops02, on Flickr Sitting by the bus stop now .....been about 4 mornings ,NOONE has spoken to me,can you believe that!to be honest it's a good thing and my body language isn't encouraging it but I can't believe not one person has spoken to me!everyone looks very suspicious 8) Think I'll try a takeaway by the end of the week ;D ......really hope the deer proofing goes as well?...somehow I doubt it! ;D
