5 years later

Share your experience and tell us how using positive reinforcement training methods has changed yours and your dogs' lives.

Moderators: emmabeth, BoardHost

Post Reply
Shalista
Posts: 1363
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2015 10:04 pm

5 years later

Post by Shalista »

5 years of struggling with car anxiety and Bax's new favorite trick is to hop into the car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

we've been practicing for days and i could get him to COME to the car. i could get him to put his paws UP on the car. i could get him to sit IN the car if i picked him up, but i could NOT for the life of me get my AGILITY DOG to jump all 6 inches INTO the damn car.

well today he decided he could! and he did it five times in secession.

i did it by sprinkling treats on the floor of the car with a few juuuussstt close enough for him to eat and most well out of range. hed eat the oens that were close and then hed hop and stretch and strain for the others. then a couple of tiems id give him a lil boost to his bum and hed hop in and pig out and then hop down, rinse/repeat until he finally decided to just jump in and OH BOY did he feat. the treat fairy made it RAIN. and then he did it again. and again. and again. easy as pie as though tosay "oh THIS is what you wanted? this is easy."

of course im sure by tomarrow he'll have 100% forgotten everythign we did today but hopefully next time i wont have to sit out there for half an hr before he realizes he can jump in :roll:
Baxter (AKA Bax, Chuckles, Chuckster) Rat Terrier, born 01/16/13
JudyN
Posts: 7018
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:20 pm
Location: Dorset, UK
Contact:

Re: 5 years later

Post by JudyN »

Well done Bax - you're a quick learner... when you want to be :lol:
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
Shalista
Posts: 1363
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2015 10:04 pm

Re: 5 years later

Post by Shalista »

i swear by those chicken treats. he'd murder a small child for one (hopefully not but its bax soooo :roll: :P )

but seriously, if my bax can become a THERAPY dog and willingly HOP INTO A CAR after FIVE YEARS........ idk... thats gotta say soemthign about socialization windows, training.... idk......

He's just changed so much and grown so much. I've heard all these horror stories about adopting adult dogs, about how Bax was doomed to forever be fearful because i got him so late, missed his socialization, all those months of neglect.

i will NEVER say he's a well adjusted 'normal' dog and i dont think there will ever be a time i wont introduce him as "this is bax and hes a little shy so he might not want to say hi"... but hes come so FAR.

i mean, you've seen my posts since the beginning Judy, do you honestly think he would do THIS well? i feel like it flies in the face of everything i was told when i got him.
Baxter (AKA Bax, Chuckles, Chuckster) Rat Terrier, born 01/16/13
JudyN
Posts: 7018
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:20 pm
Location: Dorset, UK
Contact:

Re: 5 years later

Post by JudyN »

Shalista wrote: Sat May 19, 2018 3:32 pmi mean, you've seen my posts since the beginning Judy, do you honestly think he would do THIS well? i feel like it flies in the face of everything i was told when i got him.
I've always thought the main problem you were up against was your home environment, which was really challenging for him and never gave him a chance to relax, come out of his shell, and show what he was really capable of. So I'm not surprised that things are so much better now you have moved out. But don't underrate the massive amount of work you've put in, and the fact you've stuck with him through all the toileting issues, the shyness, the hyper whining and barking, and so on and so forth.

It's always been clear he was a fast learner - though in the past he tended not to learn the things you wanted to learn :wink: And of course, you've been so careful about 'managing' his shyness. Sometimes we can forget the sensitive/scared/reactive bits of our dogs because managing them has become second nature - and working within their comfort zone is the best way of expanding their comfort zone! :D
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
User avatar
Nettle
Posts: 10753
Joined: Sun Apr 13, 2008 1:40 pm

Re: 5 years later

Post by Nettle »

Yep, agree with every word. If you'd been able to leave home sooner, he would have made progress sooner. But you did and he has, and that's great however it happens.
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog

SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
Shalista
Posts: 1363
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2015 10:04 pm

Re: 5 years later

Post by Shalista »

*nodnod* really good points guys. sometimes i forget how hard it was for HIM when i lived with the rents because *I* liked it so much there. and if he was stressed and worried all that time of course he didnt have the brain muscles to spare worrying about getting comfortable about the car. he couldn't even get comfortable in his own HOME how could he in the car?

and dittoing not even noticing the managing for bax. liek i said before its just second nature for me to introduce him as "a little bit shy and might not want to say hi" so i can whisk him away quick if his body language is wrong.
Baxter (AKA Bax, Chuckles, Chuckster) Rat Terrier, born 01/16/13
Post Reply