Spur: Training the Beast, Part 5

Class Day 4, April 17


When we parked at the facility, Courtney approached our car, setting Spur into a frenzy. I had the remote and had turned it up to 80 without success in getting him to settle down. (I really need to remember to bring along earplugs. Cooped up in the car with a wildly barking dog is quite painful to the ear drums.) I rolled down the window and gave Courtney the remote when she asked for it. She had it turned up to 100 and he still wasn’t settling, though I could see the muscles on his chest jumping at the stimulation. Sad, sad. When Doug got out of the car, Courtney told him to tighten Spur’s collar. Spur usually only needs an 18 in calm situations, 40, ~maybe~ 60 in stressful situations. If we needed to go to 80 or 100, the collar, simply, was not tight enough.

As we got out of the car, I told Courtney that I needed to run up to the mall to pick up some new glasses and that I’d be back before the end of the lesson. She suggested we all go over to the mall. We found a muzzle for Spur and put it on him. In the short trip to the mall (less than a mile) he thrashed in the back seat trying to get the muzzle off his snout. He managed to give himself a little raw spot in the matter of a few minutes. He was heeling erratically, trying to get that muzzle off, so Courtney took his leash. He did finally manage to pop it off his snout so we just took it off. We walked him toward the entrance to the Food Court. I left them to go in and get my glasses.

When I came back, I could see them out the windows, with a black woman standing close. Spur was just sitting by Doug’s side, all relaxed, panting with his tongue hanging to the side. Doug and Courtney would reach down and feed Spur little treats. He was just hanging out. Relaxed. Wait! Is this Spur???

I headed out the doors to catch up with them. The woman has two unruly schnauzers that need guidance. So she was getting Courtney’s information. When the woman left, we discussed Spur’s progress. He had barked at two people sitting on a bench just after I went into the mall. And as they walked him over toward another area, he startled another woman and that set him off. But in the time that I spent with them, he didn’t bark, lunge, or really zone in on anybody. So many people remarked on how good he was and how pretty he is. A few kids came up and asked if they could pet him but we said, “No. But thank you so much for asking.” Spur did great! It was such an amazing experience; I didn’t want the class to end! Toward the end of our time, a couple exited the mall and the woman said to her husband, “Oh look, a sheltie.” I called out, “Actually, he’s an Australian Shepherd.” The man turned and began to approach. We put our hands up; Courtney said, “He’s not people friendly.” I said, “We’re in training.” So they kept their distance, but stayed and talked with us. Courtney gave the man a treat that he could toss to Spur. I gave him a few pieces of kibble that he could hold out in a flat palm and Spur gladly and gently ate from his palm, stopping to sniff the man’s dog scent. After a few seconds, Courtney instructed Doug to pull back. She didn’t want Spur to lock focus for too long; it could turn into a jump or leap that could be misinterpreted. We thanked the couple bunches for helping with Spur’s training.

Good days, bad days. I’m getting ready to go out of town for about a week. I really hope Doug can keep up the progress while I’m gone!