Love some alliteration! 🙂
Anyway…
We finished Cooper’s Reactive Rover course, and it was a great reminder that no training is a one-size-fits-all. Several of the dogs in his class made tremendous progress. Heck, when Lucas took the class, he made tremendous progress. Cooper? Well, let’s just say, at least he didn’t digress.
I think in a lot of ways, Cooper is too smart. He was terrified for a few minutes that first day, but he totally caught on to the fact that we were training, something he knows well. And he did fine. He went off only a few times the entire course, and his only “bad” night was week three when he had spent the afternoon at the vet’s office for his allergies (not a smart scheduling move on my part at all!) and I had a meeting that night, so John took him alone.
It’s certainly projecting a lot of assumptions onto him, but I’m fairly confident that “training” isn’t unpredictable to Cooper anymore, so he felt more capable of working through the exercises versus the “real world” where scary, unpredictable things happen all the time. Like… a guy getting out of his car.
Obviously, any training is worthwhile, so the class wasn’t a total bust, but I don’t think it’s worth our time to take Reactive 2. Instead, I’m going to work with the trainer to get him back into agility – whether she thinks the on-leash group session is a good idea (fingers crossed! I’m hoping for that!) or if we should just do some one-on-ones now that the trainer he HATED isn’t at that facility anymore. I believe that would be a more productive use of our training time, and I think it would help him with his overall confidence.
So, that’s that for reactive dog training.
One last update: the car. For his entire life, he’s been fine in the car. Now, he won’t jump in on his own, and when he gets in, he sits in the back trembling and rasping.
Here’s Cooper in the car about a month ago:
Here’s Cooper in the car a few days ago:
Such a difference. It’s out of focus because he was shaking so badly! My phone couldn’t come into focus!
But I’m not going to worry about the cause. Who knows what goes through his little head. Instead, we’re going to start making the car a fabulous place. Rewarding him for jumping in in the garage, then not going anywhere. Giving him some yummy treats to go around the block. That sort of thing.
Always something!
Hope your (short! yay!) week is going well! Any training progress or conundrums going on with your pup?
Your comment regarding riding in your vehicle touched a note with me. Our dobie Jade is the same way and she has the head tremors. We purchased two females from the same liter … Jade’s sister just loves road trips but Jade as she aged and the head tremors started has become more anxious with vehicle rides. Really have to baby her and give her attention to make vehicle rides more acceptable to her ow. Not sure if related to the head tremors but something to consider.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Jeanne. You bring up a good point… maybe it has something to do with balance? Something to think about, for sure!
We pugs like to ride in the car, but not in our little car seat mom bought for us. We howl and cry to get out, cos we really want to lay across mom’s lap, but hers tell us NO! Mom thinks Dad lets us do it when she is not around.
stella rose
Well, I know it’s probably less fun than riding in your mom’s lap, but it’s definitely safer!! How wonderful of your mom to take that extra step for you!
No telling what he might be thinking! We hope he settles back in.
Your Pals,
Murphy & Stanley
Mayorz For All Paws
“Use Your Noodle & Vote For A Doodle!”
This: “No telling what he might be thinking!” You nailed it!! Although, I sure wish I knew…
Poor Cooper. Your pictures said it all.
Hope he enjoys your efforts to make the car fun again. May I suggest smearing a little liverwurst on the door?
Great suggestion!! I wonder if there’s some kind of pork or other protein source that’s similar (Coop’s allergic to beef…) but I love the idea of smearing something smelly and yummy! I think this weekend I’ll do that, let him get in, lick it off, then jump right back out! Thanks for the always brilliant ideas, Pamela!
Oh Cooper! I hope you get to do the group agility. But the one-on-one training would be fun too!. My parents’ spring used to love the car as well and then one day randomly started shaking and acting scared in the car just like Cooper. I don’t know if this behavior has continued or if she got over it. Strange, and as you said, who knows what goes through their minds sometimes.
How great if we could read their minds, even just for a minute, to figure this stuff out?!? Our dogs are so hyper-sensitive to things our senses can’t even perceive, so who knows… maybe some sound/smell/sight freaked him out and now it’s generalized. But, at this point, we’re just going to try to make it less scary since he HAS to go in the car so often!