We've Made So Much Progress

[Pretty Miss Emma]

Some of you will know/remember about all the reactivity issues I've had with my little munchkin Kenzie. I know she certainly isn't on the "worst" end of the spectrum but she has certainly been a challenge, and we still certainly have plenty of work to do. But, today and yesterday she has just been an absolute angel and a dream!!!

When we used to walk she would react to pretty much everything - cars, bikes, people, other dogs (still have that problem) and well and truely trucks and buses (her most hated things!! well after on-leash dogs walking towards her). For quite some time we've been doing really well with cars and bikes. She's also been really good and has stopped reacting towards people (I'm usually walking her in the dark so when we have had people walking towards us in the dark in hoodies previously she has had a bit of a flip out! Have to say in some ways II liked the warning it gave people because it was sometimes a bit scary for me!!), but often just shows she's a bt nervous and avoids them.

Anyway, to why I feel like we've made so much progress!! Yesterday at work we had a really full on day, she was with me and had to meet about 65 people she'd never met before, hang out and be calm while they did things and I was busy doing things, perform tricks for them, and put up with people walking in and out of spaces they don't normally. She was a superstar!!!! She was chilled out for the whole day. She even suckered in one person in to giving her a massage/scratch and rolled over for them so they could continue across her belly - she doesn't even usually do this for me!!!!! Then there was our walk tonight, she did not react to a single thing for the whole walk. For many people I guess they'd say whatever that's normal but for my little girl there is usually something that she doesn't deal with well! But tonight she showed me that playing LAT has well and truely paid off. I think 3 buses passed us and she just did the whole "hey mum, see that bus" thing and that was it, no over the top reaction at all!!! And when I had 2 people in hoodies walking towards me in an area with no street light she just looked up to me as if to say "see them, yeah I see them, but I don't care"!!! And as for dogs, well we didn't encounter any on lead but there was one that was loose in the street (it's owners were working in a garage with the door open to the street) and it decided to start to cross the (busy) road to see us and when I said there was no need to worry she Kenz just had a "ok" moment (and luckily the owners called the loose dog back before it crossed the road).

So I know that this is really only a big deal for me, but I know there are a few of you who will get why I'm so excited about the last few days! I know she's still a work in progress, but it's so nice when they show you that work is paying off. And it's so nice to come home from a walk/day at work and wanting to tell her how proud I am of her and how well she's been doing!!

All the hard work is worth it!!!

[megan_]

That is great news! It IS a big deal. Well done for persisting

[Pretty Miss Emma]

Thankyou megan_!!!!!! :D

[BC Crazy]

So there is light at the end of my pretty, little, VERY reactive girls tunnel LOL !!

Well done to you PME & Kenzie. You have put the hard yards in with Kenz & if it were me I would be throwing a party & wollowing in her progress :)

Edited September 5, 2012 by BC Crazy

[Pretty Miss Emma]

BC Crazy, I know we will still be working on this. Well I know we will forever!!! But yes there is light at the end of the tunnel! And it does get easier!!! No doubt tomorrow she'll probably have "a moment", but to be honest I won't care anywhere near as much as I used to because I know that she is capable of being an angel and sometimes you have to take 1 step back to then take 2 forward. Mind you I feel like we've taken about 10 forward in the last couple of days!!!

Can you tell that I keep grinning!!!?

[Tassie]

That's super, PME - well done to you and Miss Kenzie.

[huski]

There's nothing like that feeling of progress! Makes you so happy doesn't it!

[BC4ME]

BC Crazy, I know we will still be working on this. Well I know we will forever!!! But yes there is light at the end of the tunnel! And it does get easier!!! No doubt tomorrow she'll probably have "a moment", but to be honest I won't care anywhere near as much as I used to because I know that she is capable of being an angel and sometimes you have to take 1 step back to then take 2 forward. Mind you I feel like we've taken about 10 forward in the last couple of days!!!

Can you tell that I keep grinning!!!?

Whoo hoo congrats on the progress so far

[hankdog]

Well done, street party for you inspiration for me!!

[persephone]

Well Done !!

Edited September 7, 2012 by persephone

[Pretty Miss Emma]

Thankyou all!!!

I will add an additional brag... Tonight when I walked Kenz she was full of beans (had been on her own all day then had a 15 min play with Hamish before I walked her), it was only a really short walk cos the weather is horrific here. Anyway, normally she would have been on super alert. Not tonight, bus is coming down the street (usual cue for me to hold leash tighter and start distracting) - she looks at the bus, sniffs the tree near us then looks straight to me as if to say "hey, check out that bus" and then kept walking!!!!!!!!!!!!! I literally had a thought of this being a miracle and almost had proud tears falling.

So message to everyone out there who has a reactive dog. Put in the hard yards. Remember they are always a work in progress. But if you are persistant and work with them then they can do it!!!!! My little girl is proof!!!

[Pretty Miss Emma]

So, positives so far this week...

No reaction to: bikes, the bus (at all and I'm not even distracting her!!!), people walking towards us (especially in the dark!), cars, trucks, the postman who rode past us on the footpath, dogs on the other side of the street, dogs outside our building at work, dogs running through tunnels at training, dogs barking at training, dogs staring at her at training, and I think there's more but can't remember right now!!

Minor reaction: the dog sitting beside us at the traffic lights staring at her!

The negatives: Hmm, pretty much none that I can think of!!!! Well she's still barking at the workers who are working in the evening on the freeway behind us, but that's a real struggle to manage. Oh and there is the dog that walks past our house in the morning barking at the dog in the house next door to me - again struggle to manage as she hears it. But on the whole I don't really see them as negatives.

Sorry, this is a bit like my own personal reactivity brag thread!! But feel free to share your reactive successes, I think everyone who reads in here gets that it's often tiny things with these dogs that give you hope and let you see that your training is working!!!

[sheena]

Great work PME