It is hard to believe, but Canéla has been a part of our household for half a year now. I would have to say that adaptation to the new paradigm has gone pretty well on both sides of the equation. Little Miss is becoming a bit more secure, we all have a better idea of what to expect from each other in various situations, and I am rousting myself from my office chair to walk her around the neighbourhood each day at lunch.
There are still issues to be sorted through, ranging from the idiosyncratic (her tendency to distribute kibble from her dish to other areas of the house for no apparent reason) to the annoying (how happy she is to dig up certain areas of the lawn, particularly the recently re-seeded bits). Most concerning though is Canéla's behaviour towards other dogs and some people when on the leash.
When we are at the dog park and she is free to roam and engage with other animals and their owners at will, she is remarkably discreet and well-behaved. But if I am walking her on the leash and she sees another animal, she loses her mind. Pulling at the leash, barking madly, occasionally turning and snarling at the leash - she sounds positively unhinged. You would never believe this is the same girl who plays gently with our 2-year-old grandson Robin.
But the entire time she is barking and lunging, her tail is wagging. because she is just frustrated that she can't go over and say "hi".
With her antics reaching the point where Audrey could no longer walk the dog on a leash due to elbow issues, we started looking for help, and ended up enrolling in weekly classes ("Waggology 101") through Naturally Fluent Animal Training.
Our instructor, Nina, practices a style of force-free animal training that uses a clicker and rewards to shape behaviour; no choke chains or any other type of negative reinforcement. I won't lie, it took quite a bit of getting used to.
The bigger problem was that Canéla's excitement at seeing other dogs in the class meant we spent fully half our time redirecting her or distracting her. Classes were meant to be short, but handouts outlining exercises to be practised and behaviours to be learned in between the weekly in-person sessions.
But the pace and our frustration made it difficult for all of us, and going to class was on its way to becoming a chore. Thankfully, Nina pulled us aside fairly early on and explained that Canéla was actually doing pretty well, considering she was essentially a reactive dog.
A dog described as reactive is typically understood to be unpredictable, insecure and potentially dangerous, but in the case of our adopted Mexican terrier, it was more positive. Nina explained that instead of seeing other dogs as a threat and wanting to fight, she just wanted to meet and potentially play with them all.
Nina provided us with some additional information and exercises for reactive dogs, and told us to replace "fear" in the text with "excitement" (and in one notable scenario, to replace the word "snake" with "yummiest cupcake" to describe why Canéla was behaving the way she was.
Ignoring the more advanced behaviour shaping and targeting goals in favour of counter-conditioning her to choose better behaviour on the leash made all the difference in finishing the course. There is still a long ways to go, but I am confident that we now have the tools to get there.
Better still, at her "graduation" class this Friday past, Canéla managed to accomplish all of the tasks set up for her on a sort of spy-themed obstacle course, which delighted me no end. Tasks included settling on an elevated doggy cot, sitting, staying, going through a short tunnel, and slaloming a series of obstacles.
Most impressive though (even more impressive than allowing herself to be called away from a caged hot dog), was coming when called from another room when she was with Nina, who Canéla knows has better treats than we do!
It may not look like much, but considering she is a canine teenager who will sometimes pretend she doesn't even know her own name, we were thrilled.
Canéla even managed to sit still long enough for a picture or two to be taken in front of her certificate, whereas she normally feels compelled to come investigate the camera.
So in the end, Waggology 101 turned out to be not at all what we expected, but a great deal of what all three of us needed, and we are grateful for the experience.
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