April 25, 2003
10:30 p.m.
We had a quieter than usual day because I was having some strange back pain (I'm getting it looked at tomorrow). So our walks were pretty short, though we went for lots of them.
I've been working on loose leash walking again with Dusty. She's doing really well, but I wanted to refine her walking so it moved closer to a 'heel.' Previously, I've been satisfied as long as she wasn't actually tugging on the leash (ie: position wasn't as important).
I've been using two methods to accomplish this. First, I've been rewarding her for paying attention to me. For several walks, every time she looked up at me she either got praise, a treat or both. This kept her by my side because I only rewarded her glances when she was by my side.
Second, I've been asking Dusty for 'sits' and 'downs' as we walk. We'll walk a few metres and I'll cue her to 'down,' but only reward the behaviour with a treat if she performs the 'down' at my left side, in position. It's sort of a 'Simon Says' thing - she never knows when I'm going to cue her, so she starts hanging out in the 'heel' position to be ready. Also, this is just a great way to reinforce quick responses to 'down' and 'sit.'
So far, so good. She's getting better. The loose leash walking is definitely almost there while the 'heel' happens some of the time (I reinforce it when it does). I haven't added the cue yet. When I ask for loose leash walking, I say "Walk with me!" Eventually, I'd like to be able to say "Heel" and have her drop back into the heel position.
Other 'street smart' stuff:
She doesn't often try to step out into the road anymore. This is one area where I haven't used positive training to the letter: if her paws touch the road, I say "NO" and call her to me, ask for a 'sit' and then praise. Theoretically, I'm supposed to ignore the behaviour until is fades away, but I can't bring myself to do that with something so potentially dangerous. She rarely does this anymore anyways.
She stops and sits at intersections about 75% of the time. She stands there, looking up at me for a cue about 20% of the time. The other 5%, she wanders around sniffing or tried to step out into the road without me. If I do put her in a sit, she waits until the 'cross' cue to step out, though.
She's calm in most street situations. The garbage truck no longer scares her. Most traffic noises are okay, though she gets a bit skittish when I walk her along Dupont during rush hour in the evening (I think it's the combination of headlights and the noise).
Finally, one last note: It's been 3 months since Dusty came home. Somebody (actually, many people) told me that after a few months, I would not be able to imagine life without this dog. They're right. I would be very lonely without her. She fills a void. Dogs are time-consuming and money-consuming and require a lot of attention, but I wouldn't trade her for anything.