Meet Canelo, a 15 month old an Australian Shepherd mix joining us for a Three Week Board and Train. Canelo is a very nervous boy, afraid of loud noises, including the trash truck, and motorcycles. He food and resource guards, causing fights with the other family dogs. He counter surfs and helps himself to the bones that just got taken away to prevent any fighting. He's a big young boy with lots of strength and pulls on the leash which makes him difficult to walk. He's afraid of children, which makes it tough when family gets together. While he's with us, we're going to work on manners and help build confidence. Canelo will learn how to handle the big scary noises and squealing children sounds instead of just reacting to them. Stay tuned to watch his journey.
Pupdate 1/07/2024
Canelo was a perfect gentleman traveling in the crate, never said a word on the way home. When it was time for him to come out of the crate, Canelo came right out with his tail wagging. I gave him a chance to sniff around the front yard a little, but once one of the neighbors dogs started barking we decided it was time to come in.
My dogs were put away so Canelo could walk in calmly. I took him into the kitchen and put up a barrier for introductions. His body was a little stiff during the meetings. Kiki seemed to have a lot to say which was overwhelming for Canelo. He growled at the two of them, nothing major, just telling the dogs he needed his space.
I started dinner for everyone. Canelo has not been interested in eating from his bowl or my hand. While working on pictures he wanted to sit in my lap, gave me a kiss, and wagged his tail at me. My Belgian, Diego, came by to say hello again. Canelo seemed okay but once again had a very stiff body. Diego decided to try again later.
Pupdate 1/08/2024
Canelo had a quiet night last night, lights were turned off about 9:30 in hopes to get everyone settled.
This morning Canelo was more interested in the other dog's food, but I was able to get him to eat a little by hand feeding him his kibble. When it was time to load up in the crate in the van, it took me ten minutes to finally get him in.
The destination today was Maple Park in Glendale. Some things Canelo shared with me . . . he doesn't like someone following him, he doesn't like someone watching him. He's afraid of wheelchairs, at least motorized ones. We talked about the 'crowd' of people, I discovered that as little as 8 is a crowd in Canelo's eyes. Sometimes he would freeze up seeing another dog, or pull the other direction and sometimes he didn't care.
With all that said, we practiced Heeling today, a LOT of Heeling. We practiced Sit at the end of the heel. I would tell him to sit as I was stopping, he followed with a sit about 1 out of every 8 times. All the others I was usually pushing his rear down. It wasn't difficult, it was almost like he knew he had to but so much was going on he couldn't take everything in and sit on his own at the same time. The leash I'm using is a 6 foot slip lead, and he's not pulling me at this point.
When someone just happened to start following us, he would turn around to face them. I tried corrected a couple of times, and then took him in a different direction. Today was more of getting a feeling of who he is and where his limits are.
In the video you see a lot of what we were doing, and much of it is repetitive. I tried to do some Extended Sits but Canelo didn't want me very far from him, OR he thought I expected him to follow me. I think it's probably a bit of both. Sometimes I would turn those into Come to Sits. Once he understands, he will come to you on your right hand side, come behind you, and sit on your left. That way he is ready for the next heeling exercise. Many times I lost Canelo behind me, as he is reviewing his environment.
In the video we had a little one who wanted to come visit Canelo. Canelo wasn't very excited about that but I was able to get him in an Extended Sit while I talked to the little boy's mother. Once Canelo showed that he hit his limit being that close to the child, we went back to work.
At the end of the training session we went back to the van. As tired as Canelo was, he was not excited about the crate and tried to go the other direction. He was too tired to fight as I picked his front half up, and decided to play limp puppy. Two minutes is much easier than ten minutes, and I appreciated not having to fight him again.
Saw some of the resource guarding in the late afternoon. Diego was chasing a ball and it went to where Canelo was laying - on the other side of the baby gate. Canelo was quick to respond. I'm still evaluating the extent of the resource guarding and will keep you posted.
Pupdate 1/09/2024
Canelo and I spent a lot of time walking around town today. We faced a lot of fears, and although they're not gone, it's a beginning and a chance for him to see these things are not so scary. We had people following us, we had people walking toward us. A bicycle or two came by, one caught us off guard but was so quiet it was gone before Canelo had a chance to react. The second one I saw and we prepared for it. I start giving the OFF command with a nudge from the ecollar.
It's important to understand that the ecollar feels like a TENS unit, and we use it as a way to tell the dogs we're trying to communicate. Sometimes, depending on the environment, the dog is so overwhelmed or focused on a situation that they just don't feel the low level nudge. At that point the ecollar is increased by small increments until we get to the point the dog feels the nudge and they're able to check in with us.
We went through an area of barking dogs and although he was worried, he did pretty well, continuing to check in with me. Although there were no trash trucks today, we did deal with construction trucks. They were on the other side of a grove of trees and Canelo reacted pretty well to my OFF command and a low level nudge. We had a couple of skateboarders come by and give us the chance to train. Canelo and I stopped for a water break and he alerted me to the noise before they were in range.
I started the OFF command but Canelo had already checked out on me. At this point I increased the ecollar to a level I thought Canelo would be able to feel. His first reaction was surprise while he was lunging, barking and growling, and wasn't sure what it was. He stopped and took a second to look around. He again went lunging and barking, felt the strong nudge and heard my OFF. He understood and did not throw any fit when the second skateboard came by. There will be more training on this.
During part of our walk we went through an area full of squirrels. We worked on heeling and sitting through this area, and OFF. When Canelo would start focusing on the squirrels, we did an about face which took him away from them. As I'm turning, I'm calling to Canelo to heel and using the ecollar to help him hear me and check in.
With all this work and exercise, Canelo is still not excited about the crate or the van, he's putting up less of a fight. I anticipate that soon he'll have enough of all the distractors and working that he will want to decompress in the crate!
Pupdate 1/10/2024
Today was a tough day for Canelo. It started out when the trash trucks started their day at 7am instead of 8am. We were on our walk with just the slip lead and here comes the truck. He tried his hardest to listen to my off commands but he finally had to tell the truck what he thought about it. I had him in a sit because we couldn't outrun it so we did have some control there.
Later in the morning we started checking out parks, I was looking for one that wasn't too busy but had some action to start working on Canelo's fear of people. I tried to start working on his Place in some areas but he would only place for 30 seconds and was up to check the environment. I found a group of people playing soccer during lunch and we started filming. We were just out of their way and there was enough movement that Canelo was bothered by it, but we could work through it. And the game ended. On to locate another place.
We ended up at the Government Center in Ventura. I set up the tripod to catch people walking away from us to avoid faces. I wanted to give you an idea of how many people were there. We are a little delayed getting on to the video because Canelo didn't want to come out - too many people. I had to point out to him they had passed us already and we would be following them. I was trying to keep him working on Heeling, something we've been doing and he could just get in stride with it. When someone was going to pass us, I placed him in a Sit so he didn't feel like he was still going towards them. Several people branched off to their vehicles before they showed up on video, but Canelo made it obvious that someone was approaching.
Canelo might be relaxing a little more around the house dogs, he seems to be talking more than growling now. A few times when he was trying to decide if he was going to eat he saw Kiki standing there. He would just look at her, but no lunging or growling at her. And earlier in the day he actually went to touch noses with Diego. Even Diego is trying to go up and see him as I'm maneuvering dogs around.
Pupdate 1/11/2024
Canelo is starting to show more fear / reaction at things, for example bicycles, trucks - not sure if it was the mail truck or the amazon truck, OR the fact that they were back to back. Any time he hears a dog barking he charges full force towards the sound. He's also trying to play tug with his leash while we're walking. A big no no with a dog this big and he's trying to play King of the Roost.
This morning he tried to grab a leash from me to play, and then started going after my pants. Could turn into a very dangerous situation - Canelo accidentally biting me, or tripping me and I could go falling. And more importantly, if it was someone older, we don't want to see those type of accidents.
So, today I pulled another tool out of my pack. This is another type of slip lead leash that can be used as a head halter. This type of leash was designed to help calm excited, fearful, nervous, and reactive dogs using pressure points. The idea of this leash is that we help the dog understand the behaviors that are preferred. I'm working on calming Canelo so he doesn't have to be afraid or reactive to the loud noises of vehicles, dogs barking, or the sight of people. There are four levels that the dogs can go through as they experience this leash; flight, fuss, avoid, and understanding. Canelo has been cycling between the last three.
While wearing this leash, Canelo and I walked by a middle school with students playing outside and had large vehicles pass us by. Canelo was doing more avoidance at this point, not looking at the kids but reviewing the environment around us. Overall this is an improvement over what I had been experiencing. During our walk returning home, Canelo was willing to do a place. That was definitely a win!
At the end of the day, the neighborhood pack of four Great Pyrenees and their owners walked by. It gave me a training opportunity with Canelo to help him watch them pass by quietly. More practice needed.
Pupdate 1/12/2024
Canelo's day centered around the Santa Monica Pier. The first thing we did was park in the covered parking area. As I opened the back of the minivan, Canelo had the look of "What now?" Once I got the leash on and packed up, we were off. He took the three flights of stairs down well, although we would come to a turning point and he would see the people. I kept telling him he had this, and we were going to do it together.
All in all, Canelo did GREAT! We walked the two blocks to the pier and stopped at each corner. Canelo kept looking around and every time he became anxious, I had him concentrate on me instead of the people. As we walked the gangplank down to the pier, Canelo kept looking behind us but no one was following close by. I was using the OFF command to help him slow down and help control that anxiety.
Once we got down to the pier, we started our heeling exercises and I would redirect him from any dogs. My focus today was the people, that would be overwhelming enough for Canelo. We took a full walk all the way to the end of the pier and then circled back to where my group was working. There were many stops along the way, there and back. Canelo would get nervous seeing kids playing, having people 'follow' him, and we needed to practice sitting for a breather and recollecting ourselves.
Canelo handled the majority of the vendors in stride, especially the musicians. Even my own dogs react to the booming of the base. The only merchant Canelo had issues with was someone who had the music up so high and was yelling over a microphone to be heard. In the video you see us walking by the roller coaster. I expected Canelo to react, but nothing. On the other hand, when a large wave hit the pier, Canelo wasn't sure what to do and tried to run for cover. I immediately put him to work so he would focus on that instead of the movement of the pier.
Also something to point out in the video, Canelo doesn't want me to move far from him, which makes extended sits a little difficult. I'm currently using that to my advantage for other training in his program. We did get a couple of Place practices in the back of the pier and I was able to get as far away as ten feet from him.
Canelo makes some abrupt stops and plants himself in the video, and off, unwilling to move forward. I don't know what he sees or what is scaring him, but I go in the direction he wants to go and then redirect him back to where we were. He seems to be fine with that. At the end of the video, I do a Break - he goes in the direction of one of the other training dogs. Maybe in hopes to rescue him? Or moral support? This is another one of the redirects so I can help remind him, we're in this together.
As we ended our visit at the pier and came to the parking structure, Canelo recognized it immediately and started bounding up the stairs. I had to remind him he was in a heel and had to walk with me, not someone else. Although he didn't jump into the minivan, he did place his front feet up on his own. We're getting closer to him going into the crate on his own.
Pupdate 1/13/2024
Canelo is getting better at eating his food. He hasn't finished a whole bowl yet, but today we definitely got closer. Also his crate training is doing better. He's never happy about going into the crate but I think he's realizing he's coming out often for training, walks, eating, and hanging out. In one of the photos Canelo has a toy he stole from Diego when was outside or in another room. He was so happy with it that I let him play with it for a few minutes.
We did our first pack walk today. Canelo had to be reminded of house rules - 'you aren't allowed to go out the door until released'. He was just so excited about going for a walk with the two house dogs. This is a work in progress because Canelo wants to go sniff and play. He was on his way to give Diego a nose punch before I reminded him he was supposed to be heeling. We walked about four or five houses before Canelo understood I was strict on rules, no exceptions.
Later in the day we took a walk around town, heading over to the tennis courts at the high school. We passed several people walking around and vehicles with loud mufflers. Canelo tried to stop or turn around and we just kept walking forward. At the tennis courts there was a father playing with two kids, I recognized one of them as a child that walks by my house regularly and is afraid of dogs. Instead of using the family as a distraction, I took Canelo to the opposite end. He dealt with the high school baseball team caring for the field and doing some laps.
Next to the tennis courts is a parking lot that we could hear talking and music coming from. Another distraction. While heeling on the courts, we had a couple come in and start playing tennis which gave us an opportunity to work on his anxiety. I heeled him around the courts we were working on for about fifteen minutes and then moved over to the court next to the couple. I gave a distance of about 30 to 40 feet because of the erratic movements Canelo felt they were making while playing. I had Canelo in several Extended Sit's although I couldn't get further than five feet away. I was able to get him down, but he wasn't comfortable enough to hold it.
Soon we had people walking with their children on the outside of the tennis courts. Although they were close to 75 feet away, Canelo totally focused on them. I moved our position to about 50 feet away and started heeling and working Extended Sit's. I was able to hook the leash to a pole so I could step away. Once Canelo realized he couldn't get to me, he was willing to hold the Extended Sit for almost a minute and I was able to get about 10 feet away from him. If I saw Canelo start to go over the top because of an extra energetic child, I stepped in to help support him.
Once the crowd of people thinned out, Canelo and I headed home. I spotted two children on bicycles riding on the sidewalk behind us. I stepped Canelo to the side so they could pass and help him deal with the surprise. Overall he was able to let that one go.
I took him by a house that has three large dogs in the front. Canelo was interested but did not show any anxiety. They walked along with us, them inside their fenced yard and Canelo on the other side of me. All was well until we got to the end of the property where the owners had an RV parked on the street with two bicycles hanging off the end. Canelo had his melt down and said he was done. I redirected him several times trying to come closer to the bikes - I was hoping because no one was on them I could show him they were harmless. Not today.
Pupdate 1/14/2024
Canelo and I started the day working on Place and a new command, Under. Under is a useful command that you can use to send him under the table when you're eating, or under a bench when you're trying to keep him out of foot traffic's way. It has been difficult to get a solid down and or place from Canelo anywhere fun, like on walks or playing outside. Even practicing Food Manners has been a challenge because as soon as I stand up or turn my back, Canelo is up.
During our practice I was able to get a few solid two minute places, but more practice to come. I'm starting the Under at the dining room table. Canelo doesn't seem to trust it but when I go to the other side and call him, he feels accomplished that he was able to do it.
Our outside activity was at the Collection in Oxnard. We spent a good hour walking up and down the streets. We arrived right before lunch and it seemed like all the restaurants had live, loud, horns playing. Canelo was not amused. He had issues crossing the street in front of vehicles that were stopped at crosswalks. We were only able to make it across when there were no cars waiting.
I tried to stop at every parked bicycle and motorcycle to show Canelo what they were, to give him a different experience than when they are in motion. He played the avoidance card every time. The video was taken in front of the movie theater. I was hoping for more traffic but as you can see, Canelo was anxious with the amount we had. Some wins, a number of strollers went by us as well as wheelchairs. Canelo had no reaction to them, he just watched them go by. Canelo also showed some interest in a few people going by. That was a good sign.
You can see vehicles in the background so the street wasn't too far from us. We had a few motorcycles come by, Canelo alerted but he calmed down as they made a left and went down the street away from us. During our walk and training, I received a lot of compliments on Canelo. I'm hoping that we'll be able to stop and talk a couple of minutes to new people in the future.
Pupdate 1/15/2024
I've changed the way I handle breakfast to work on resource guarding and going after the dogs. I'm walking Canelo by Kiki and he doesn't even look at her, he walks himself into the kitchen to wait for his food. Unfortunately, this morning he chose not to eat.
Canelo had a chance to go on another pack walk this morning, and it started out with practicing door manners. Canelo seems to feel that Sit only means while you're looking at him. By the end of the exercise even my 14 yr old Akita was sitting, it's hard for her so I don't usually follow through with her. Canelo did get the message though, because the other two made it outside with their names and a Break and when it was Canelo's turn he went to get up, sat back down and looked at me as if to ask, "Can I get up now?"
I've been trying to get Canelo to step on different surfaces for a place without a lot of luck. Today I was able to get him on bleachers, it was the bottom row of where people put their feet. We walked back and forth multiple times on two sets of bleachers at a baseball diamond and Canelo seemed really pleased with himself. After all the other training we did, we went back to the bleachers, did the same rows again, and then I asked him to step up to the first row where people sit. He did it with ease. From there I took him to where the players sit because that was a different surface and looked like it was a little taller. He also took that with ease. I'm so proud of Canelo! That was a BIG WIN for him! It's nice to see his confidence start growing.
We also did some loose leash Heeling, Sits, and Come to Sits. He still likes to rush in his heels, like he's walking a race. I'm doing a lot of about faces, right turns, and left turns to get him to slow down. The Come to Sits are improving, depending on the distractions of the environment, he's making it all the way around to my right side.
Pupdate 1/16/2024
Today's park was the Studio City Rec Center. There were the usual people, children, and dog distractions, but there were a lot of kids on bicycles; there were motorized vehicles that kids were riding around, and LOTS of dogs walking and off leash playing around the park.
Canelo did a lot of checking behind him and paid attention to the motorbike and go-cart type vehicle that was racing around. I used the ecollar to help him stay focused on me versus keeping his full attention on that. As we walked around the park, if he spotted a vehicle that was similar to my van, he would pull towards it for safety.
Before the video there were two little girls, one on a three-wheel metal 'big wheel' type bike and the one learning how to ride her two-wheel bike. Both girls stopped in Canelo's line of sight. He growled, got up, started shaking and tried to pull away from them. I looked to see what he was looking at and realized what caused his fear. I did not correct him but moved him in a circle that was a little further away from the girls, to help him feel more secure. Canelo focuses on the environment around him and immediately notices when something is out of place, or isn't right. In this instance, all the bicycles keep moving, but these two stop. Not slowing down and moving, but stopping. In his mind this isn't right and it scares him. I chose not to correct him but to help him, because this is an important behavior for a dog, and how they protect themselves and us as their owner / caretaker.
In his video, the little girl learning how to ride her bicycle circled back around and was practicing by us. Canelo is very nervous around this little girl because she keeps stopping instead of just riding by. He continues to alert to her presence, but as she keeps going by it's helping him calm down - it's becoming more normal. Off video there are a number of dogs and people passing by, and the motorized vehicles zooming around the area.
We practiced Under and Place with more success than we have in the past. It appears that as Canelo grows his confidence, he is willing to try more new things. The minivan / crate was a win as well. He put his paws on the bumper but didn't have the strength to jump from there. I led him away from the van and then the two of us took two fast steps together as he leaped in the van and into the crate. What a good boy!!
When I arrived at home I found my neighbor and her youngest daughter outside waiting for their van to be delivered from the mechanics. I had Canelo out to go potty before going into the house, but he reacted to the daughter and started lunging. Training opportunity - I immediately applied the ecollar and Canelo instantly settled down. My neighbor worked with Canelo and I, allowing her daughter to come within 15 feet. Canelo was a perfect gentleman, watching her with soft eyes and not winding himself up. The soft eyes can give you a reading as to how the dog is emotionally. When they are anxious or scared, their eyes are wide, and often you can see the 'whites of their eyes'. This is the time that the dogs are out of control and are just reacting. The more I can put Canelo in these types of situations and get through those reactions, the more good experiences like this I can give him to counter those reactions.
Pupdate 1/17/2024
Last night I was brushing Diego out, if I don’t, he gets matted fur. Canelo started whining, he wanted to be brushed too. Thought it was pretty cute while getting brushed and added the picture.
He watches Diego like a hawk and wants to do whatever Diego does. If Diego leaves the house, Canelo will start barking because he feels he should go too. If you’re finding that Canelo is trying to copy what one of your other dogs are doing at home, I would turn it around into training, so that you can get it on command.
Played at Lowe’s today. Lots of new LOUD sounds, people milling around, and carts galore.
We found places to practice Place and Under, and Canelo was even willing to ‘send’ to these Under places. The down was a little more challenging.
The cart picture is included because Canelo had to maneuver through these. I had my backpack on and it bumped the cart closest to the camera. It rocked and Canelo said no way was he going through there. I stopped pulling on the leash, gave him a second, and explained that I made it move, it wasn’t evil or possessed.
I asked him again, to come follow me, a little nudge on the leash and he said okay. This was a huge win for him!
We did a lot of Under practice, but most everything was three feet or higher. The lower places I located were too low for Canelo at this time - he’s not comfortable with it. He needs more practice.
As we were walking, there were a lot of comments about handsome Canelo was, and how well his training was doing. Certainly glad he decided to be a good dog. Canelo did show interest in saying hi to someone, so I encouraged it. He reached out with a nose, and then backed up fast. Still going in the right direction, I’ll take it.
Pupdate 1/18/2024
Last night during our last walk of the evening, we had someone riding by on a bicycle. I wasn't sure Canelo saw or heard it, but I started with an OFF command. Once Canelo realized what it was, he lunged at it. At this point it's very important to use the ecollar at the exact right time and high enough to get his attention so he will hear and understand you.
A good example to explain the 'high enough' is when you're driving on the on-ramp to the freeway, and then driving freeway speeds. You could hear the radio fine on the on-ramp, but once you're on the freeway you can no longer hear the radio to the noise of the freeway and your vehicle traveling. You have to turn the radio up so it can cut through all the environmental noise.
Canelo gets himself so wound up that he can't hear you when you tell him OFF or call him during these times. I couldn't see the bicycle but I was correcting Canelo based on his behavior. This morning during our walk a different bicycle came by. I immediately started with the OFF command and the ecollar and Canelo didn't even bother reacting to the bicycle.
Canelo and I had a playdate at the park, centering around children. He calms right down when the kids are playing quietly, but running around screaming and being kids, that's something different. I was focusing on Come to Sit, Extended Sits, and Extended Downs, all of which he had a tough time doing with the children playing in the background.
Other noises going on in the park included people playing tennis, with hollering from time to time; landscapers and owners with dogs walking behind the camera. All those noises were more of a blur to him, and I was using the ecollar to help with his heels, sits, and extended sits. I find when I use it for his Come to Sits, he sits where he's at instead of moving forward. Another timing piece that I'm working out.
Pupdate 1/19/2024
Canelo had another go at the pier in Santa Monica. As we walked down from the parking structure he was looking over the sides to see what was on the sidewalk. He ignored the bicycle vendor at the bottom of the stairs and we started our walk towards the pier. He walked well on the sidewalk until we ran into the churros vendors that were pulling two-wheel noisy carts. Canelo had seen this before but today it was an issue. We were following them and I pulled him towards the grass area to take a break from that noise and anxiety and to give him a chance to take a potty break.
Going down to the pier was much easier than last time, he was more tolerant of the people around him, and didn't keep checking behind him. Once we got through the initial crowd we started practicing Heeling and Placing. There are a series of cement benches in front of store vendors and we started there. I would have him place and hold, release, and then we moved on to the next empty bench. That worked well until he discovered machines that talked, and Canelo said no, he would not stay on the benches in front of the store.
From there we started our walk down the pier, looking for a better place to train that Canelo wouldn't shut down. We found a bench that he went Under and held it for a couple of minutes. Although he thought he was hidden, I needed to set him up better so his rear and head weren't sticking out. I chose to leave it because he actually went under the bench when I asked him to. I think he was happy to find a 'hiding place' while he regrouped.
We continued the walk to the back of the pier where Canelo did an Extended Place easily when asked. As I called him to Come to Sit and move on to another place for something else, we were intercepted by a gentleman who had been watching Canelo and started asking questions and talking about his previous dogs.
Canelo refused to walk in the direction of this gentleman so I redirected to get around the issue. The remainder of training at the pier included continued practice of Under and Extended Place.
While walking in other places, we came upon squirrel's playing. Canelo immediately perked up but I was already calling OFF to him and using the ecollar to help get through this distraction. Canelo was great, the only thing he did was pull out of his heel a bit. There was no lunging or barking. The pose with him sitting with front paws on the tree truck, there are squirrels playing in the trees to his left.
Pupdate 1/20/2024
Canelo is quite the talker so it's been difficult to understand what's talking and what's a warning. He started sounding off to Kiki, but I think it's more of a go away. He definitely doesn't like it when Kiki starts barking at him. Last night I was able to let Canelo and Diego play together, although I had Canelo in a soft muzzle. He doesn't trust the basket muzzle, even if I show him Diego wearing it. Canelo is longer bodied and 20+ lbs heavier than Diego so I'm being cautious.
On this gloomy Saturday, Canelo and I were looking for other places to practice and video. His latest fear turns out to be grocery style carts. We were by a Target and carts paired with wild children caused Canelo to started shying and turning away from them. I started working through it but will need more work.
The attached video is at the Lowe's in Newbury Park. The space seemed more crowded and once again Canelo could hear kid sounds echoing and kept spooking him. We found a couple of Under places inside the store, one in this video, but Canelo still had a tough time. He really didn't settle down until we started looking outside for Under spaces.
Pupdate 1/21/2024
Canelo and I went to Topanga Village in Woodland Hills today. He was still overwhelmed from yesterday and we had a tough start. We worked on Heeling, Come to Sit, and Place. As you can see in the pictures, Canelo was very anxious while doing his Places. The more we worked, he was able to settle down.
As we were walking around, we had an elderly lady stop to talk. She asked questions about Canelo, thinking we were doing service training. At first Canelo was anxious because we stopped, although she was standing in front of me. Once we were done talking and she walked away, he seemed surprised because she never looked at him, wasn't oodlying him, and left him alone. After that interaction he seemed to start calming down. Anxious canines like Canelo are unsettled when people stare or try to interact with them. I think it puts them on their guard and they're waiting for something to happen.
We stopped often to work on Placing, and Canelo's recall - Come to Sit - was right on the mark today. He's been coming to my right but then stopping behind me versus at my side. Today he finished every Come to Sit in the proper spot. I will continue proofing that this week.
When we got back to the house, my neighbor was outside playing with her daughters. Last time we saw them, only the youngest was out. I brought Canelo out from the car and he was perfect gentleman, calm ears versus ears laid back, soft body versus tense and ready to lunge, and no staring. Even the neighbor mentioned the change.
Pupdate 1/22/2024
Back to rainy days, today we were in the local Home Depot facing Canelo's fears of the grocery style carts. We practiced Under, Extended Place / Down, Extended Sit, and actually had a few greeting manner practices.
We started at the noisiest part of Home Depot, and that's in the lumber yard. There's the sound of forklifts in different aisles, men pulling lumber and adding it to their carts, and a radial saw in the distance. Canelo is trying to look everywhere at once and getting a verbal OFF and help from the ecollar. Once he focuses on me, he slows down into a heel. We went from aisle to aisle, walking passed the carts and people. As I located locations to work on Under and Places, we start practicing. Canelo seems to enjoy the Under command, as long as the spot isn't too low or small that it's difficult for him to fit. That's just something to work on.
We practiced the Come to Sit several times, and as the day wore on, they improved. There were not a lot of Place options, so I decided anything that had a shelf on it that was as high or higher than I am tall, was game as a Place. We practiced in several places because he needs to SEND into it. Canelo doesn't seem to mind place, but he doesn't like the idea of leaving me to go to it. I was able to get about two feet away, still working on this.
I was able to disappear out of sight during a couple of the place areas and called Canelo to me. I was surprised and happy to see that Come to Sit sped up, that's when they started improving. Hide and Seek might be a fun game to play with Canelo, and definitely a great bonding exercise.
After the video's we started up and down the aisles again and found the paint area was another noisy place with groups of people. I started Canelo's Extended Sit practice and we would almost get to two minutes and a cart would come by, or people would be coming from both directions to pass Canelo. I would take another walk around the area to help Canelo destress and try it again.
One of the employees was trying really hard to coax Canelo to come see him. He walked by ignoring Canelo, then would kneel with his back to Canelo. Canelo was calmer laying down and then allowed the gentleman to say hi, pet him, and rub his chest. I watch Canelo closely for any change in anxiety. When he seemed to have had enough, I gave him a BREAK command and we walked away.
As I walked around the department, one of the young ladies so wanted to visit. We tried a couple of times with the two of us standing together with Canelo in the middle, but that was too much. After another walk around the department, I stopped not far from her and gave him a BREAK while she was helping a customer. Canelo laid down at my feet, she came up about a foot from him and knelt down. Canelo stretched his neck to sniff her hand and allowed her to pet him. He also allowed another female employee to pet him. It's interesting to note that when the original gentleman came back to see Canelo, Canelo was not interested and avoided him.
Pupdate 1/23/2024
Today Canelo and I started hunting for bicycles. The bike path next to the beach is the perfect place. Canelo tried to opt out but I promised a visit to the beach.
We saw all types of bikes, from basic ten speeds to the newer motorized bicycles, and even some pulling strollers with children and / or dogs in them. The last one I actually caught Canelo looking at it, trying to figure out what it was. He didn’t do any lunging at the bicycles but definitely wanted to leave the area.
We took a short hike to the beach where Canelo wasn’t quite sure what to think. The water was interesting until it came back to chase him. Then we found an area that was full of rocks and wood from the storms, which he really wanted to go through. Had little areas that could’ve been tide-pools and I nix that idea. His feet could manage it really well, mine cannot.
Pupdate 1/24/2024
Today Canelo and I were working on door manners and we ran into some unexpected issues. Door manners is where the dog is able to sit in front of an open door without going out until released. Right off the bat he did really well, I made it easy for him.
Next step was to start proofing his extended down. In my kitchen I have a door that goes downstairs. Canelo loves that door because it's a way to go outside. EVERY time he hears it open, he's asking to go with me to go outside or downstairs.
I purposely used that door as a distraction, and what I anticipated happening was that he would try and pull to me to go downstairs. The opposite happened, he was afraid of it and tried running off in the other direction which either tangled him up in the dining room chairs or pulled the table into the living area. This is one of the examples that there is no way of knowing what will set Canelo off.
Even using the door at the opposite side of the room by opening it had the same type of reaction. I spent a large part of the afternoon working with Canelo on the Place command, without the open door to distract him. The second part of the video is Canelo working through Diego as a distraction. I have Diego walking around Canelo to go outside, and then Diego practicing his weave poles outside.
Pupdate 1/25/2024
Today’s training area was at Almansor Park in Alhambra. It’s a large park that doesn’t allow skateboards, roller skates, or bicycles. But it is full of people walking with a smattering of dogs.
Canelo and I walked along the path all the way around the park. He actually ignored the various birds which surprised me, but found the brave squirrels very interesting. And then we have the people. Canelo would consistently try and look behind us to see who was following us and how close they were. At times I would pull off the path only to circle around and place Canelo in a Sit next to the path while everyone walked past. We stopped in the middle of a group of squirrels to train on OFF so he wouldn’t go chasing them on you. People started walking by and it was too much for him. His reaction was to pull backwards, wanting to run and hide.
We were practicing his Under command by the picnic benches when a gentleman walked up and started to play the flute. It threw Canelo off so much that he was unable to continue - that pull back, ”I want to run and hide”. We went back to heeling on the path so I could get him refocused on working. Later I tried again while there were three men having a conversation. Canelo wasn’t happy, but we started working on the Under command again. We went from picnic table to picnic table, going under the bench part and then staying in a down. One of the men left - neither Canelo or I even noticed. But when he came back and started talking again, Canelo barked his big boy continuous bark. It surprised us all because it was so loud and alarming.
Time for another break. Placing on the bleachers seemed like a good idea. Later, during an extended down a small, fearful, doodle type dog came walking by. The owner allowed it to come into another dog’s space that was within ten feet of Canelo and sounded off with an aggressive bark. Canelo was up immediately to take the challenge. The owner moved the dog away, after an Off and reminder with the ecollar, Canelo was back in his extended down. I was watching for the dog to pass by again, which did at least three more times. Canelo was also watching for it, although now it was more of an alert because he had been correct for it. We were much better prepared and Canelo was no longer lunging.
I’m realizing that although some of these issues by themselves were not issues previously, they become scary because they are paired up with any scary experiences, people or anything suspicious. Then it continues to be an issue.
Onto the next subject… The boys got a bath today! And I must say that I’m extremely impressed how well Canelo did, even with the blower. I did ask him if we could do the higher power and his eyes instantly went to ‘whale’ - meaning, the whites of his eyes showed. No worries Canelo, we’ll keep it on the lower speed.
Pupdate 1/26/2024
Today we are at the Chinese Theater on Hollywood Blvd. The video consists of several outtakes of video's taken today, and you will see that Canelo is wearing a Thundershirt today. Canelo has been so nervous and unpredictable that I felt it was worth trying it.
As you're watching the video, please be sure to notice all the people, and the types of people. There are people in costumes, a Michael Jackson dancer, children, other dogs, bicycles, and then all the traffic behind the people. There were cars, a fire truck with sirens going, and motorcycles zooming down the road.
You can see Canelo panting due to his anxiety, but the thundershirt made a huge difference. For example, there were no full meltdowns with Canelo sitting himself down to pull back on the leash, no trying to run from people or children. I was also able to get Canelo on the elevator twice! The second time was with other dogs sharing the ride to the parking structure.
I've added text to the video so you have an idea as to what he's being asked to do. And some context as to what he's doing during the video . . . in the first part of the video, he's doing really well with his Heeling as we maneuver through all the people. The people approaching me wasn't even phasing him - that's an improvement.
In the first Extended Place, Canelo is busy watching my camera person, and then he's looking behind him as he realizes that people are coming out of a very shadowy area. It's a staircase & elevators from the parking structure. He's in bright sunlight and he can't see what's coming out. The second clip I tried taking him into the dark area to help him understand where these people are coming from. You can see him look directly at my camera person. When I placed him, He's turned so he could see what was coming at him, but it's just too dark and he's rattled, not willing to stay in that spot.
I would say Canelo's toughest request to handle today was the Extended Sit. I gave him a ten minute break where he was 'placed' in his favorite spot in the area, out of everyone's way. Another win - he bounced back pretty good considering all the distractions.
The only surprise was the 'golf cart vehicle' that was in the parking structure. I didn't see, I didn't hear it, Canelo alerted to it and made sure everyone knew it was there.
Pupdate 1/27/2024
Today Canelo and I went out hunting for bicycles and motorcycles so we could work on proofing. Overall, Canelo surprised me. It looks like a thundershirt should be in his permanent future.
We started out on our walk, passing people working in their yards and dogs barking at their doors. Canelo walked at my side the whole time. The only issue was pushing into me when he was nervous.
Next street over, two young boys playing out front, ran to their bikes when they saw Canelo. Oh boy, double whammy … we kept walking while I was talking to Canelo, the boys never came at us. Canelo didn’t lunge or bark as we initially walked passed them.
Next obstacle - a motorcycle with loud fishtail pipes. It’s idling on the side of the road while the rider is talking to a friend. Nothing to see, we just walk by. I was ready if Canelo was overwhelmed with two men and the bike, but he acted appropriately with no reason to correct.
I went towards the house with the three big dogs, put Canelo in a sit when another motorcycle drove by. No reaction from Canelo. From there we went to the high school to see what was going on. Had a baseball game, two people playing tennis, high school Saturday classes were released and students were walking behind Canelo. A group of four motorcycles rode by at that same time. No reaction at all, when the next student walked by, Canelo broke his extended down. I took him back and had him repeat his down and he stayed.
Once the number of students reduced, we headed back to the house and a large Harley motorcycle drove by, no incidents.
Couple of hours later during a potty break for Canelo, a runner came by the house. I spotted the lady and prepared myself by making sure I had a good grip on the leash and setting the ecollar should I need it. Canelo saw the runner and half heartedly went at her. I reacted with an Off and the ecollar. Canelo actually circled back to me with an expression of ‘I really didn’t want that person anyway’. Maybe just testing? Food for thought.
We will see you tomorrow!