Humble!

Hello Kaye,

This email is coming to you from one very humble scrub poodle owner.

I have often made serious mistakes with my horses and mostly, once I've
figured things out and mopped up the mess by going back and doing what needs
to be done, we get back on track again. It can take time, and leave scars.

Fido is a surprise a minute at the moment, perhaps that's the nature of
adolescence?

This morning, Sunday, I decided to make the training as much fun as
possible. We've worked the last few days in the school so today I decided to
do obstacle courses. We went through the hay shed jumping on hay and feed
bins very happily. Then to the steel dump and into the round yard for a very
joyous romp up ramps over bridges onto high things and down again. He was
pretty focused and we had a lot of fun.

Rather than stick to my original plan just to do fun things, things that are
fun for him, I thought a few minutes on the lead would be a good thing
before we finished. The fated walk at the Lake in Daylesford and then his
'suspected' fear reaction in the school two days later still has me baffled.
I thought a few minutes of leading in a familiar environment might be good
preparation for future walks.

We've been doing a lot of hand targeting and recall and that has been going
well until the lead appeared. He was off back to the house. I can trick him.
I can for instance get him sitting on top of a stool and get the lead out. I
suspect tricking this scrub poodle will not work for long.

At the moment I have no intention of using the lead. I'm working on having
it about and visible when we do things he values.

I am in shock! That is for sure! I'm sure it shows to him! There have been a
few failures since his hasty retreat to the house. I've hand targeted with
the lead on the ground near by. That is fine until he sees it. The last was
devastating. I called him with lead in my hand for a bowl of milk. His nose
was nearly in it and he went and sat 6 feet away, I waited and did nothing
and finally he went outside.

My wunderkind is having me for lunch. In 'A Modern Dogs Life' Dr. Paul
McGreevy mentions a notation he sometimes uses on record cards  D.M.I.T.O.
Dog More Intelligent Than Owner.

It has been such a smooth ride to date with the little chap. That walk at
the Lake was not much fun for either of us. He wanted to go off exploring
and I wanted to follow the council rules and keep him on lead. After I
walked over him he did behave very well but obviously he wasn't having fun.
I was. Though I'm sure I shouldn't have been, and wouldn't have been, had I
known how far it has put our training back.

Perhaps the contrast has been the thing. So far with only positive
reinforcement we have had a very smooth and rewarding honeymoon period. Now
I have much more dog on the end of that lead. Perhaps more than I bargained
for. 'If you want to see what over-indulgence of a dog results in, track
down one from a single pup litter. In my experience these are notoriously
headstrong, assertive animals.' When I read that a few nights ago I thought
I'd love to show Dr. McGreevy my eager little only pup.  Hmmmmm!

To extinguish his negative reaction to the lead I intend to avoid tricking
him. I'll approach it like a game. I'll put the lead everywhere he likes to
be, like on the car seat, on his mat, near his dinner. I'll avoid using it
until he is not reacting at all to it. I'll go back to recall exercises,
first with the lead at a distance away on the ground and try to build up to
having it in my hand. I'll use it to rub his tummy, chest and collar. I'll
clip it on and take it straight off and give him something special like a
tug game. I'll tie a plastic bag on the end of the lead and see it he'll
play tug with it. (I've already done quite a bit of that but I'm sure it
won't work at the moment.)

Do you have any other ideas.

In pickles like this Leonard Cohen gives me heart:-

'Ring the Bell that still can ring.
Forget your perfect offering,
There is a crack in everything,
That's how the light gets in!'

Lets hope my next email tells of a glimmer of light.

That was a very useful phone call on Friday night. Thanks for that.

I'll keep you posted. And I'll try not to continue to underestimate his
changing determination levels. In about a week or so we've gone from paddock
adventure buddies to confined to barracks. Yikes!

Cheers,
Richard

PS I've had a bit to do with kids from alternative 'soft supportive'
schooling.They seem more articulate, cultured, interested in life and
charming than lots of kids their age until something goes wrong. Then they
seem to fold easily. They don't seem to develop the resilience to do battle
with the inevitable difficulties of life. I'm thinking of sending Fidelio
off to a State School!