Greyfriar's Sonia

Our Sonia has passed, with flying colors, the real-life test she flunked the day before. Yes, she had pulled Fiorella to the ground again, for the first time in at least a year.

As they walked up the south drive, Fio and Sonia had spotted a doe and fawn, frozen like statues, on the far west lawn.  Fio growled "Leave it!" and gave Sonia treats as the deer walked off into the cedar jungle. But, coming down the north drive, Fio was so busy mentally congratulating herself on her handling of the situation that she didn't realize that the doe/fawn unit were ut the far west yard again until Sonia pulled at the leash.  Instead of yelling "Leave it!" and stuffing doggie with treats, Fiorella pulled back on the leash, a tactic which ended up with her on the ground and Sonia galloping off after the deer.

The next day, Fiorella took Sonia out on her walk with fear and trembling--and a vow to be more alert.  Good thing too, because Sonia was tempted by not only the same deer and fawn, but also by two joggers coming straight at her.  "Leave it!" and treats carried the day.

Oh, and in case you're wondering about today's title, after she chased the deer, Sonia ran back to Fiorella, still on the ground, licked her, and sat down beside her to wait until she pushed herself to her feet.

Decision Time

A herd of grazing deer was the first thing Sonya Dog saw when Fio and Husband took her outside for a walk the other day.  Husband instructed Doggie to "leave it"  and "sit" and Fiorella began stuffing treats down her throat.

Sonya knew what her choices were.  Instinct told her to break leash and take after the deer.  But the treats, both a distraction and an enticement, told her to sit still.

Sonya's almost an adult now.  She sat still.

Positive Reinforcement

Sonia Dog is a joy to walk with now.  She matches Fio's pace and pauses when Fio pauses.  She automatically sits when she hears a car in the distance.  She sits on command when a car passes within four feet of her on the road.  She reluctantly obeys "leave it" when the neighboring dogs bark at her and when she wants to stop and examine an interesting scent.  And Fiorella encourages all of these good behaviors with treats.

If only Fio had followed the same  policy with her children, but, depending on what parenting expert she had read most recently, she dithered back and forth between positive and negative reinforcement.  And always in her brain was her own parental admonition that achievement and good behavior should be the norm and not require a reward, but inappropriate behavior should be recognized as such.  It was the wisdom of the times.

Desensitization

Sonia has advanced another step in her dog training.  Yesterday morning a golf cart with a dog attached passed us on the road while we were about four yards down the driveway.  Sonia immediately lunged forward, teeth bared, hackles on high alert.  At the same time Fiorella screamed "No!  Leave it!" at the top of her lungs. And Sonia let Fiorella control her, to pull her back.

Kudos, Sonia.

Sonia cum Laude

Sonia took two big steps forward on our morning walk around the driveway today.  And both of them were sitting.

Fiorella has been working with Doggie for a couple of months in regard to people, other dogs, and cars.  Sonia has always been welcoming of people who visit, and she got along well with Son's pug, whom she grew up with, but cars were another matter.  In fact, she broke leash and ran after them, whether because they were metal monstrosities invading her territory or she wanted to ride in them, we didn't know.  What we did know was that it was dangerous and we didn't want her to end up as just another dead dog on a country road.  

Fiorella's training tactic was bribery--treats.  Whenever she heard a car approaching, even while Sonia was a fair distance from the the road, she instructed Doggie to sit, immediately rewarded her, and kept stuffing treat down her till the sound  passed.  The closer Sonia got to the road, the harder it was to distract her, but Fio kept going and today was the big break-through--she got Sonia to stay seated while a car sped past her on the road! And to top it off, later, when Sonia heard the sound of a vehicle passing on the road while Fio had her halfway down the driveway, she looked up at Mommy expectantly and sat down on her own.

Then she burped.

Decked Again

Fiorella's left arm is currently decorated with three Hello Kitty band-aids.  The "Hello Kitty" is because it makes her laugh. The band-aids are because Sonia Dog whomped her down again, this time on the gravel driveway.

Fiorella has been training Sonia to sit and stay as cars pass on the road, but deer, dogs, and pedestrians are another matter.  The PetsMart dog trainer is working with Sonia about dogs and people, but Fiorella doubts if Doggie will ever become blase' about deer.