Well after that abject failure I went to the front porch again. But this time I was giving Mae more information. And this time the stakes were higher. One neighbor had contractors going in and out of his house and another had Christmas lights going up. I had Mae heel, get treats, look around, and heel, play, look around, play, try a recall, tug, practice fronts and finishes, get some treats. She did see the distractions but they weren't enough to impact her ability to work. We had fun and there was very little barking.
If I notice activity in the street, I'll get some cookies and hope that the distractions are far enough away for some good CC with Mae. Today she was able to watch Kevin snowblow his driveway without barking. I was there giving her low value rewards for the GREAT behavior.
Tonight I went to nosework early. Mae and I sat while Pete and Lisa set up. Mae didn't give me much attention, and she was in high yellow watching them. Her tail wasn't tucked, but it wasn't out. She was in hyper-pant mode. So a little excited and a little nervous. But she never did any OT behavior and once they finished moving around she played with me a bit and got treats. I was thrilled! Mae CAN chill out in a bland environment if things are somewhat familiar. I am going to go to class early again next week for more bogeyman training.
No comments:
Post a Comment