BillyMalc Posted April 24, 2009 Report Share Posted April 24, 2009 This update is well overdue: I am SO proud of my wee little boy, he's come on in leaps and bounds!!! :biggrin: We've started "look at that" a few weeks ago, on most afternoons we go to the park, just me n him (I usually walk Mal and Kiera first, then Sparks on his own) and the gorgeous weather lately has meant that dogs. kids, toys and bikes have all been out in force, so there was loads for Sparks to "look at". We've been sat by the basket ball court, and I've even been talking to people - and Sparks casually laid down! We've been watching kids at play, including a footballing todler and a crawling baby (of course with Sparky on lead and VERY closely supervised!). Last September he didn't growl but lunged at a "stray" baby while he was on his lead - not a peep out of him this time! We've also been making huge progress on the dog front, but this evening was definitely a highlight: we met a bouncy, very friendly, young male collieXbull mastiff (I was :wub:!) and a really tall black lab at the same time. I had both Kiera and Sparks on lead. Sparky did a few perfect "look at that"'s after which he decided that he'd rather focus on me and my pockets Kiera meanwhile was dying to play with the boys, so I let her off. They tore about like nobody's business, right in front of Sparks, who almost completely ignored them at first, but in the end sat and watched, with a relaxed wagging of his tail I asked the other people if they would be okay with me trying Sparks off lead (his recall is out of this world, and I'm totally confident that I would be able to get him to recall to my whistle, should he become overexcited!). They were fine, so I let him off ..... and he played along SO nicely!!!! :biggrin: So on we went and we met a few other dogs (I do call Sparks and put him on his lead whenever I see dogs who we don't know), and apart from a few nervous peeps he was fab with every single dog who came up to him, had a sniff, and then looked up to me with a big beaming smile I just can't tell you how proud I was of him! Control Unleashed definitely is the way forward, and I wish I could find a trainer round here who teaches it. Going back to the training club has crossed my mind, but the trainer does teach according to the "your treats are more exciting than anything else in the whole wide world" method, and I've found that when I actually point dogs out to Sparks when they are approaching, he is so much less wound up then when I asked him to "watch me" - because he was worried about the other dog coming closer without being able to look at them! We practise weaves and "go to place" in the yard, and boy is he copping on to "go to place = sausage"! I've actually started to put the mat on different places in the yard and telling him to "go to place" from 5-6 ft distance - and he's getting it!!! Sparks has changed so much since I first got him in November, and I'm so excited, and happy for him - does it show!?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houndzrus Posted April 24, 2009 Report Share Posted April 24, 2009 WTG Sparky! :biggrin: Fabulous, Well done Billy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billydog Posted April 24, 2009 Report Share Posted April 24, 2009 Well done Sparky and your mum for finding what works for you! Good stuff! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
safneo Posted April 25, 2009 Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 Sounds like the CU stuff is really good Billy. I haven't had time to do any more reading yet. Need to find some time to read up on it so I can start practising with Neo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherlock Bones Posted April 25, 2009 Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 well done both of you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesB Posted April 25, 2009 Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 That's brilliant, well done Sparky and you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyMalc Posted April 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 (edited) Sounds like the CU stuff is really good Billy. I haven't had time to do any more reading yet. Need to find some time to read up on it so I can start practising with Neo. CU really is fantastic Andrea! I've not had time yet to read the whole book, but I focused on the 2 main exercises that Morag suggested a while ago, "look at that" and "go to place" and they work SO WELL for Sparks! This evening we went to the same nature reserve. Because of the nice weather I did keep Sparks on lead for most of the time, as there are lots of windy, narrow paths and I like to see what's coming our way before he sees it. This time, on the way back, we met a JRT who was pulling like a train towards us and yapping furiously. All my guys were on lead at the time (the cue for Sparks to go off on one, as Kiera usually sets him off!), and I talked to Sparks as if the dog coming our way was my long lost bestest friend in the whole wide world! Sparks looked, then looked at me and didn't give a peep! :biggrin: We're not there yet, not by a long shot, but being this great two days in a row, and with the others there as well, means that we definitely are on our way Edited April 25, 2009 by BillyMalc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtychicken Posted April 26, 2009 Report Share Posted April 26, 2009 What a brilliant update Well done, Sparks and well done you for having faith, Billy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurel n Hardy Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 brilliant news, wtg Sparky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReikiAnge Posted April 27, 2009 Report Share Posted April 27, 2009 That's such a lovely update to read Billy, well done to BOTH of you I may have to look into this book when I have some money - where did you buy it from? I know Max's behaviour has been ingrained for so long but he's made progress in recent months (with Wendy's boys for example) and even a little improvement would be great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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