Set backs Suck

The past couple of days have been very rough. Ravi has been struggling and I don't know if it is because I am struggling and it's feeding down the leash or if there is some other issue at work. Addressing my mental state is the first step, and recognizing that not all dog training is mechanics and the communication you are trying to do. Ravi is already showing that he is sensitive to my moods which could be a good thing or a bad thing but only time will tell with that.

Part of why I don't often support people owner training dogs for their own psychiatric needs is that it can be really difficult to fight your own mental struggle well enough to give the dog the tools to help you. That is a big key to the next steps with Ravi, he doesn't understand how to help but he seems to want to. That's mixed up with a lot of him just not understanding.

He doesn't understand how to be in a house and be a quiet house dog. He doesn't understand how to settle and how to relax outside of a crate. He doesn't understand how to act and react in a wide range of situations. That is my job as a trainer. And right now I'm struggling to give him the building blocks to figure this out while trying to live with him while he doesn't understand what to do. Ravi is a big very strong dog and my current biggest issue is he really wants me to pet him. He wants constant attention and he also feels like he needs constant reassurance, and to try to get that he is very pushy and physically he is hurting me. I will state now that I do not believe this will ultimately be an issue but I am monitoring the situation closely because it is hard as an owner-trainer to be realistic about a dog you are hanging your hopes on. In some ways having lost Remy, and still very much feeling her loss is helping me with that. I don't "want" Ravi enough at the moment to give myself illusions.

In other fronts Ravi is a very sweet, very smart, and very willing dog who absolutely Wants to please me. Ravi Wants to be with me and do right, these are useful things. He also genuinely seems to be enjoying getting to meet people. Some of my issues with him are just because of rising pain levels both because of the stress and because of the weather. 

I am still working on some of the same things so it isn't very interesting to report. We are still concentrating on loose lead walking, sit, and down and he seems to have more understanding and as he gains confidence these will improve. Until then I can just keep working with him and assessing where we are.

More of the Same, Slow is Steady

The past couple of days have mostly been much of the same. I've started to add verbal cues to his down and when he started offering a sit a day or two ago I started adding a verbal cue to that. Neither of them are ready to move out into the world yet but it's a very solid start. We are continuing exposure training although tapering back letting him say hello to everyone who asks or he shows interest in and started putting saying hello on cue. For me saying hello is partly a cue but more importantly asking the dog if they Want to. I feel like giving my working dogs a choice empowers them to have more of a say on if they want to be touched by a stranger.

I don't believe that every person should pet my dog, nor do I believe that my dogs should have to want to be manhandled by every person who wants to put their hands on them. Much like I don't always (let's be honest I Never) want to be hugged by strangers our dogs also don't always want to. Social behavior in dogs like in people is a spectrum and some dogs Love people, other's are indifferent to 'gosh I'd prefer strongly if you'd respect my personal bubble'. Ravi has no personal bubble with the people he loves which is mostly me and my family but as he's growing more confident with people sometimes he'd rather just hang out with me rather than go say hello. Eventually, as a working dog, he will need to understand that he can't say hello unless released to do so, it's important for working dogs so they don't become distracted. But for now, while working in pet-friendly venues I want him to feel comfortable being touched by strangers.

Right now he needs more work with men than women, I honestly find that to be true of a lot of dogs so I don't jump to conclusions about any reasons. Men, in general, tend to have more forward body posture, they seem to give harder stares and overall tend to be more looming. A lot of dogs have trouble with this so I'm not concerned at this point and he is having less and less moments where he's clearly uncomfortable. I'm not pushing him hard, more encouraging him to stretch his boundaries and realize that people are cool.

Less environmental things are an issue, and they were not much of an issue, to begin with. He needs some work with carts following behind him, and carts in general and Ravi overall just needs more positive exposure. The positive part being the most important. I'm taking care to expose him to new things nearly every day, but I'm controlling it to make sure he is coming away with a positive impression.

We also started harness work in the past few days. This is the big bonus with starting a young adult dog who is already physically mature. I can start harness work parallel to his loose lead walking training. For counterbalance work I largely work with a dog's own oppositional reflex at first to teach them to brace against upwards or sideway's pressure. I'm starting him slowly but encouraging him to pay attention to my gait and slow or speed up as needed as well as to stop if I'm extremely unsteady. Right now it's pretend unsteady so that I can encourage and talk him through what I want. So far he is learning in leaps and bounds and soaking up new information like a sponge.

My short-term goals are to prep him to pass a Canine Good Citizen test, He is going to need additional work in almost all areas at this time but I have started the foundation to build on. I'd like to see him ready to pass a CGC in the next week or two weeks but I won't be pushing him.