I am struggling with my three year old rescue working cocker spaniel, Molly. She goes over threshold with so many triggers. I do not know how to deal with her going completely 'deaf' when we go into a field or similar and there are very good smells. (And she and I are getting desperate for some decent walks). I have relatively recently discovered the labrador training site and am busy training with the advice and help on it. I now have her focus in supermarket car parks, and she can now loose lead walk pretty well and smell the smells and not be bothered by people, trolleys and cars, albeit with quite a few treats still (for loose lead and look at me), providing there are no dogs, and I am still being careful about people walking directly towards her; we can also do a rural (NT) car park with a hedge she'll sniff at calmly alongside it providing there are no dogs anywhere close. The more people there are about the more relaxed she seems to be. (She reacts to single men in the middle of nowhere). We can do loose lead walking along a quiet country lane without the need for that many treats anymore. But when I went through the gate into the adjoining field I lost all focus / attention from her and she just pulled on the end of the (2m or so ) lead, despite the fact I had really high value treats and she hadn't yet had breakfast. I've been searching the forum and like very much but doubt Snowbunny's idea of scattering treats would work with her in this situation. Is it a case of just sitting (or standing) it out? I get the impression she is getting self-rewarded by the smelling she is doing as she strains at her harness. : / Not sure what to do. Going back along the lane she completely lost it with two people coming our way. Now I know treat scattering might have helped there - I tried for a bit of sit which I got briefly while she continued to bark. On a positive note, I got the garden chair out of the car and sat down to read by the car in the hope she would lie down and relax by the side of the lane (I've been treating this at home) and she did after a bit! I'm finding it so hard to find places to train where I am not going to get trigger stacking (a walk!!!!, dogs, men, fast cars, smells, birds flying off etc).
