Intrepid Tails
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What they were looking at: a group of dogs one trail over
What this looks like: effortless recall with the 2 easiest dogs ever.
What actually is behind this: a whole lot of consistency. Consistency with...
-meeting these dogs physical, emotional, biological, and social needs
-pairing the sound of their handler whistling with food and/or fun
-handler (in this case me) being a source of safety, comfort, fun, and tasty food
Zero force or fancy equipment required.
Both of these dogs have a history of running up to every dog they see, sometimes in socially inappropriate ways. Not anymore!
Video description: two dogs stand on a trail in the woods staring intently off into the distance. The person behind the camera gives a soft short whistle. Both dogs heads snap towards the handler in unison and they lick their lips in anticipation as they walk towards the handler for treats, which they take nicely.
02/03/2022
This is Avery. And I am so. Freaking. Proud of him. Avery is starting to get on in years. He's got arthritis and glaucoma, and he's been really nervous getting up and down stairs and in and out of the car. He is painful, and on top of it the glaucoma is probably making it hard for him to see. He is worried about his footing, worried he can't make the jump. He's only got about 5 stairs to get into his house which is mercifully has everything he needs access to on one level, but even to an untrained eye it is painfully obvious, watching how he scrambles up and down those 5 stairs and the hesitancy with which he jumps in and out of the car to go for the walks in nature that he loves so much that he is Freaked. The F**k. Out.
Avery's parents are some of the most kind and caring people I've ever met, so of course when they saw he was struggling they bought him a ramp. Avery had used the ramp just fine when they were using it to get him in and out of a van they rented while on vacation a while back, but at home he seemed afraid to use the ramp at all, and was more afraid of the ramp than of the stairs! They couldn't convince him to use it.
Lucky for them, they're part of my new VIP program, so Avery got my help. Last week I started working with Avery on getting him comfortable with the ramp, and yesterday, on our 3rd or 4th session working on getting him comfortable with the ramp, he decided he was brave enough to use the ramp to get into the car! He didn’t scramble. He hardly hesitated. His movements weren't anxious, tense, and rushed, but confident and relaxed. AND! When I gave him the choice to exit the car with or without the ramp, he chose with. What a smart boy!
A 60ish lb dog mostly white with black spots and long, feathery fur, stands on a hammock style seat cover in the back seat of a black car, cleaning treats off the seat. We're going to ignore the mess on the floor, and the fur and drool, but we'll note that the door is open and a ramp can be seen in the bottom of the frame, leading off camera.
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