Diesel Update pt2!
Today we took another walk around the entire neighborhood taking the same route as yesterday to see how Diesel would react knowing he was walking up to the house with the barking dogs behind the fence. Previously if we walked towards a house that caused a reaction even if it was days after the reaction Diesel would start to whine and become very anxious. Today Diesel was able to walk towards the house completely calm and following all commands. He was able to settle across the street from the dog right away and after a minute even became calm enough to start rolling around in the grass! He did so well at that distance that we moved on, finished our walk, and then later on in the day went back and got a little bit closer to the dog/house. We still stayed across the street for now but the second street was much closer. Not only were we closer with no reactions but now the other dog was running up and down the fence barking and Diesel still did not react!
On our way back from the second walk we were run up on by an unsupervised off leash dog that was barking and growling at us. Luckily the other dog did not leave his yard but he was less than 10ft away from us. Unfortunately this was a scenario that we were not able to control which can be one of the most stressful things when rehabilitating and training a reactive dog. Diesel did react BUT we were able to take 3 steps back to the grass next to the sidewalk and Diesel immediately followed his settle command and was no longer reacting. This was a HUGE deal for Diesel. Not only did another reactive dog come within less than 10ft from us but it was such an unexpected and surprising interaction. Previously this would have sent Diesel over the edge into the "red zone" with his reactions. He would previously redirect frustration towards the leash and the other dog as well as it would have taken him up to 10 minutes, if ever, to be able to settle again with the other dog still so close. So not only was he able to stop his re
Diesel Progress Update pt1!
Diesel progress update pt1!
Reminder of where Diesel started: He has had some not so great experiences with training in the past and had a fearful and avoidance reaction whenever given ANY command. He was always nervous and never thought of training as a bonding and fun experience to engage with. Diesel also has had severe dog reactivity and some human reactivity. His owner has not been able to safely take him on a walk in a long time. She also for sure was never able to enjoy any walk they took together due to having to constantly be watching out for other dogs and people. Diesel was never able to enjoy any walks either due to his high levels of anxiety looking out for other dogs, people, and just being uncomfortable in the environment around him.
Yesterday not only was Diesel able to work on his self soothing skills with TWO barking dogs right across the street from us but he was able to safely and calmly walk past the house across the street with the dogs multiple times with no reactions and a much lower level of anxiety. We also had our first walk around the full neighborhood. We have been breaking the neighborhood into smaller pieces and practicing walks around the smaller chunks but today we were able to put it all together and take a full lap. He did have some moments of hyper fixation and whining both with some people and when he would hear another dog barking. Previously if he would even hear another dog bark while on a walk he would start to react even if he didn't know where the dog was. Yesterday we were able to walk past multiple buildings with barking dogs and Diesels first instinct was to look to trainer for direction and was able to keep walking past with no reactions as well as practice his settle command next to the building without reaction.
Here is a video demonstration of how to register yourself and your pet through the link provided in our previous post. Again this will be a learning process for all so please let us know if you have any questions at any time!
National high five day! Give your self and your dog a high five today! #dogsofinstagram #dogstagram #dogs #dogoftheday #doglover #dogsofmadisonwi #dogtrainers #dogtrain #dogtrainer #puppylife #puppylove #doglovers #dogslife #doglife #doglove #dog #dogtraininglife #dogtraining #highfive #HighFiveFriday #doghighfive🐶 #doghighfivesarethebest #doghighfivesarethebesthighfives #doghighfive✋
Today is National Walking Day! Gino is here to remind you to get out and enjoy a nice walk with your dogs!
#dogsofinstagram #dogstagram #dogs #dogoftheday #doglover #dogsofmadisonwi #boardandtrain #boardandtrains #boardandtraining #boardandtraindogs #boardandtrainprogram #boardandtraindogtraining #boardandtrainforpuppies #dogtrainersofinstagram #dogtrainers #dogtrain #dogtrainer #puppylife #doglovers #dogslife #doglife #doglove #dog #dogtraininglife #dogtraining #nationaltakeawalkday #dog #walk #dogwalking #dogwalk
Just another showing of Nadja’s amazing growth in confidence! She used to be absolutely petrified of the construction and big trucks. Now we can enjoy a leisurely loose leash walk right past everything and she is more interested in the birds flying around! She wasn’t super happy about getting caught in a little bit of rain but she sure made me happy with her growth in confidence!
Gino worked on some recalls today in the field while he ran around and played! There are a lot of distractions around with construction, other people walking the sidewalks, lots of birds, and endless smells.
Practicing outside, around distractions, and while he is focused on something else is a very important part of having a solid recall that will work in his family’s every day life! If we only practiced while he was focused on us already or during a time he knew was specifically focused on training it is not fair to then expect a fast & happy recall while he’s running around distracted.
