I took Otis to his first leash aggression class yesterday. It went extremely well. He only acted up a couple times, but in a weird way it was helpful, because the instructor pointed out a couple more things to look for.
I found the location right away, and as we were walking around the area before class began, a man approached us and asked if we were there for the leash aggression class. He was substituting for the regular instructor, and he did a great job. I’m so impressed with the entire staff at this facility, and I’ll put up links when we’re done with class.
There were five dogs in the class. We started out in a large circle, then we stepped in slightly closer, still keeping about 8-10 feet between each dog. Later in the class, we returned to the circle, and for a long time Otis had another dog 5 feet away, and he was as mellow as he could be.
We did an exercise where we followed each other around in a big circle, which was helpful because we could see how our dogs reacted to other dogs in front of them and behind them. Then we paired off and walked toward each other with our dogs, allowing a wide berth in between, getting slightly closer with each successful pass. Then, after several successful attempts, we stopped parallel to each other and had our dogs sit for a few seconds before moving on. We were paired with a very sweet Shepherd mix who wasn’t aggressive so much as curious. Otis did well until the final attempt, and then he decided he wanted to eat the other dog, and when that wouldn’t do, he took it out on his leash. He didn’t get out of control, which was good– I was able to calm him enough before he completely lost it.
The instructor noticed that his ears changed (which I saw as well), but his body posture changed where he would hunch down and start skulking toward the other dog. That is where I need to step in and take more control by having him sit and gently but firmly reminding him who’s in charge.
Overall, I was extremely pleased with the session and how Otis behaved. I have a feeling that he might act up at the next class, just because he’s a little more comfortable, but we’ll see. Again, that’s why we’re there.
Tags: otis
June 22, 2009 at 12:02 pm |
this sounds like a really good class. i can usualy tel when riley’s going to act up–the ears, the posture, the tail, it’s all subtle but i’ve gotten used to it. my problem is that sentence you wrote: “that is where i need to step in and take more control by having him sit and gently but firmly reminding him who’s in charge.”
sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. sometimes he sits and then suddenly lunges anyway. keep posting about this class; i bet there’s stuff i can use.
and i’m glad zoe just needed antibiotics. when you said she was peeing in the house i immediately thought: diabetes!
June 23, 2009 at 1:40 pm |
I know… I keep thinking that it’s something I’m doing and if I step in quickly enough, it will all be okay, but that’s not necessarily true (and thanks for the reminder!).