I’ve been remiss on posting these. We finished obedience class, then went on vacation. Immediately after vacation Silas started taking a lot of medicines, and one of them turned him into a zombie. He barely wanted to play, much less to work. The last day of zombie meds was Tuesday, though, and he’s back to normal now.
Our temperatures are supposed to drop as much as ten degrees over the next week, to something more like a seasonal average.That means outside time!
Instead of really formal training goals, like working on our down-stay or somesuch, I’m wanting to do two things.
1) Give Silas more opportunities to choose to walk on the sidewalk. “Oh, look, the garage door is up, and you just happen to have your leash on. Whatever shall we do?” When we came back from vacation he insisted that we walk that way, so I’m hoping he’s still willing.
2) Try to do some training outdoors. One day last week he took a treat at the park. As far as I can remember this is the first time he’s ever done it. I’m not going to go so far as to ask for things, which is more pressure than I want him to feel right now. Instead I’m thinking of something like offering him a treat when he walks next to me. (Young, independent, anxious dog who refuses treats outdoors and doesn’t go on regular walks = very spotty leash manners.)
My Imperfect Dog 
I threw a party the first time Sadie took a treat on a walk. Major progress! I think that doing the same walk route helped her become more at ease on walks in the beginning because she knew where we were going & what to expect.
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I think we’re having some luck with going to the same, really boring corner of the park every time.
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Oh my, Delilah would eat my hand on a walk, in fact there have been very few situations in which she hasn’t taken a treat. 🙂 Sampson on the other hand would refuse to eat if there was something more exciting. What kind of treats are you using on your walks? I know he has food allergies but maybe a treat that is only offered when you are outside? A high value, gee it must be a special occasion treat?
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We’re really, really limited, you’re right. Dried turkey hearts seem to be as good as we can get. He loves them, though.
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Blueberry was reluctant to take treats when I first got her too. Give Silas a little more time and he’ll be a-ok!
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Well, we’ve had him his whole life, (we rescued him at 5 weeks old) and he hasn’t done it yet. But he seems to be getting a lot more secure as he gets older, so there’s hope!
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Good luck! It sounds like you have set some very reasonable goals.
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I try very hard.
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