Our ongoing lesson with Lacey is to teach her
Husband and I are her leaders to help build her confidence and help her with
her fear issues.
The big difference between Dog World and Human
World is to be happy, a dog needs a good leader. Not someone who leads by yelling
or hitting but the type of leader who stays calm in a crisis, like an ER nurse.
If a dog doesn't think you are doing the job, it is going to try to take over. Human
World considers this bad behavior but Dog World considers this the way stuff
gets done.
Lacey is trying to be the boss of this pack. It is stressing
her out because she knows she isn’t a strong leader. Unfortunately Lacey isn’t
cluing in that I am her leader either.
The Dog World Leader always goes first. Lacey
knows her humans walk through doors and up stairs first. She now knows sit,
stay, down, and is pretty good on shake with both voice and hand signals. Husband
and I use these tricks as a way for Lacey to earn positive things (for example
she has to sit so I can put her leash on her for a walk) or to give her
something positive to focus on (and the treat reward) when she thinks something
is scary.
We are having a heck of a time teaching Lacey to
walk by her human’s side and not pull on the leash! This is something we
started working on as soon as Lacey came to live with us and before we started
working with our behaviorist.
We are on Technique #3 to teach Lacey how to
walk on a loose leash. *sigh*
I now understand why some people claim their
dogs are dumb and can’t learn. I don’t think that is true with Lacey. Lacey
walks well with our behaviorist. Lacey doesn’t yank Husband around (unless she
sees a bird) with our new teaching technique but not with me. At all. Lacey, what
is wrong with you?!
