A while back Ricky and Kassa had a ball chasing collision. Since then Kassa has had no interest in chasing a ball if Ricky is anywhere in the field. I actually think this is smart since Ricky is extremely determined when it comes to fetching balls. Ricky, on the other hand, had a bad experience with fireworks. He has shown a lot of reluctance to going out on leash in the evenings and in the mornings. By reluctance I mean he goes to his bed and lays down and will not move a muscle. This is unusual because the other 99% of the time if I am up and moving .. he is on my hip. I know he is freaked out by the fireworks, but I also wonder if he had a bad experience on a walk. He also could be playing me. Normally once we actually get out the door he is fine and comes right along. I decided to re-instate my morning ball park/dog park visits (over walks) but I alternate the dogs every other day. This gives Kassa some ball chasing time alone with me, which he loves. It also gives Ricky (I hope) a positive association with going out the door. Rather than going on a hot walk with potential loud booming noises, he gets to run in a field. He is also getting a lot better at loading into the vehicles. Ricky has a tendency to go into mule mode when it comes to getting in a car or truck OR (as previously mentioned) lately leaving the house at certain times. I think the mule mode is decreasing. I'm using treats in hand to get him through the door without having to push his bottom, but as he becomes less resistant I'm delaying giving them to him. I want him to associate positive things with going through the doorway, but I don't want him to think I have to give him a treat every time I ask him to go somewhere. Once we have conquered vehicle loading and some phobias, I'm going to work with Ricky on waiting to fetch the ball until after I give a command. Hopefully I can evolve this into the boys taking turns fetching. We will see.
5 comments:
Good luck with your training and desensitising! Dogs can be a challenge can't they:)
Well, that's too bad that Ricky is having some fears. It sounds like you are doing a great job helping him with it. I hope he continues to do better.
Hopefully they will get over their fears soon and be back to themselves again in no time. It's amazing just how long they can hold on to those fears though! Macy slipped and fell on a floor at Petsmart one time and never recovered from it. She remembered those floors and was terrified to walk on them from that day forward!
I sure know where you are coming from! Dealing with their fears is hard, especially if the cause is unknown.
Been there, done that. I'm sure Kassa really appreciates his alone daddy time. :-)
Post a Comment