Spur: Training the Beast, Part 4

Homework between Classes


Doug took him to the Tractor Supply on a busy Sunday. Spur went nuts in the car and Doug turned up the dial. Doug said at some point, Spur came up to the front seat and slammed his head against Doug’s chest as if to say, “Daddy, it hurts. Make it stop.” He said after that, Spur was a perfect role model for an Australian Shepherd. They got out of the car and heeled without issue toward other people.

Monday’s trip to Tractor Supply was not as bustling. Not as much distraction in the parking lot, so we decided to head inside. Upon entering, about 4 men and one woman were gathered at the front checkout. They got sight of Spur and all wanted to greet him. Spur was wary and started barking. I had control of the remote and initiated the “nick;” when he didn’t immediately settle, I switched to continuous. We perused the dog products aisle. I found something to purchase so we headed toward the front of the store. A young boy spotted Spur and Spur started barking at him. We veered off in another direction. Doug directed Spur out the front door while I made my purchase. At the checkout, one of the customers asked me “What happened to him?” Sigh. We wish we knew.

Tuesday, we tried a trip to the Petco. A fantastic job at heeling in the parking lot, we decided to try along the sidewalk. He spotted a couple of Indian people and began loudly barking at them. Correcting him with the remote was a little more difficult. But he didn’t seem to have issue with any of the other people, kids, carts, etc.