Always Watching

I guess when a lot of stuff scares you, training is always important. I am really good now, for the most part. I go to my room or crate when I am upset, and I don't bark that much, and I never attack Chubbs. But I am still scared of new places and things.

So even though I am 8 years old, my mom still trains me. Last weekend, she took me to a new park to practice "watch." My mom has always taught me watch and would reward me for prolonged eye contact. But she just went to a seminar recently that suggested something new about the timing -- that you should reward as soon as the dog turns his head from whatever he is starting at. It makes sense because what you really want is just for the dog to look away from the scary thing. So my mom decided to practice this new method with me.

At first, the park was really quiet, so my only nerves were why I was in a strange place. But then, the unthinkable happened. An ice cream truck pulled up. Kids started appearing from everywhere, running and yelling for the truck. It was like they were materializing from thin air. I started to bark to try to calm them down, but it didn't work. So my mom got a really good chance to practice "watch." And I did really well after the first few seconds.

After that happened, it took me a couple of minutes to calm down and relax. Once I did, and I was doing my commands really well, we left because my mom knows to keep sessions short and always end on a good note. We were only at the park for 10 minutes. But we ended with me doing really well, so everyone was happy.

Then, Monday, I had to go to another park to see the girl who is going to watch us while Mommy is gone. I was really good then, too. I even laid down next to her. She gave me a couple of treats, but she hasn't tried to pet me yet because I don't like that, and Mommy knows to make her take it slow.

I know this sounds like a lot of work, but I am so much calmer and happier now. This stuff really works!

Love, Muggsy