Spur: Training the Beast, Part 22

Trips to Petco and Tractor Supply, June 19 & 20


On a Wednesday evening, we took Spur to the Petco. When we arrived in the parking lot, Doug walked him around the non-busy portion of the parking lot to get his attention. Spur did well relatively quickly, so we headed inside. Doug has really been doing a great job, trying to grab and keep Spur’s attention when we know there are going to be distractions. We headed to the back of the store to pick up some food for the kitties. Then we ventured over to the other side to look for doggie snacks. There were employees with carts and doors to the stockroom banging. Spur did great! We stopped to look for a toy, but nothing really grabbed Spur’s attention. So we headed for the rest of the toys at the front of the store. He did well when he spotted other people. Doug kept his attention and Spur didn’t bark or even oof. We saw the Petco trainer there. We had spoken to her before when we were shopping for a Thundershirt for him. Back then, I felt she was competent, so when I saw her this time, I gave her some treats to share with Spur. She kept her side to him and didn’t look at him and was able to feed him. His curiosity earned him more treats. We talked with her for about 10 minutes. She was finally able to look at him in the eye without any issue. We were close to the entrance of the store and there were maybe two times that he got loud, but I corrected him with the collar, and Doug corrected him with the leash. He quieted quickly. The trainer reminded us to praise the good behavior when he calmed down and looked at Doug again. When we were done talking with the trainer, we headed for the checkout. The cashier was also able to feed Spur treats without any incident. Pretty good trip.

On Thursday, we took him to the Tractor Supply. It’s amazing how busy this little place can get. We walked him in the parking lot and he was pretty relaxed. So we headed into the store. He didn’t bark or even “oof” at anyone. We picked out a stuffed trout dog toy because we felt he’d earned it. As I stood in line to pay, Doug took Spur outside. Still, Spur behaved very well.

He was pretty proud of his trout when he got home. LOL! He’s already gnawed off the fins and is currently working on the tail. Hah! Denali likes to squeak it. And they both love to play tuggie with it, too!

Spur: Training the Beast, Part 21

Class, June 15 – cancelled (by me)


Terrible storms came through our area on Thursday before class. We didn’t have any damage, but a friend of ours in Albemarle did. She had an 85 year old oak tree fall in her front yard, luckily missing her house and any neighbors. I volunteered Doug and Ian to go help her clean it up. So, I cancelled Spur’s class for Saturday, June 15. I am sad to say that we did not take him anywhere new to practice over the weekend, either.

Spur: Training the Beast, Part 20

Quick Walk, Monday, June 10


I got home at a reasonable time, so Doug and I went out to eat. When we got home, he debated mowing the lawn, but it was still too wet from storms we had earlier in the day. He opted to saw some limbs off our dying pine tree.

I strapped Spur’s collar on him, packed a snack baggie with bite sized treats and headed off on a quick walk. On our trip away from the house, we encountered nobody, nor any distractions. A neighbor had some beautiful Clematis growing on their mailbox so I asked Spur if he wanted to stop and sniff. Uh, wrong thing to ask an intact male dog. He dove into the Clematis, turned and raised his leg. Just then, the resident dog came barreling up the driveway wearing a similar collar to Spur’s; I assumed, since the dog stopped in his driveway, it was part of an invisible fence system. I’ve heard how sometimes dogs with invisible fences will bear the punishment of the fence to go after something they’re intent on getting. Spur answered back “BAH-RAH-RAH-RAH-RAH!!!” I wanted to remove him from the incident, worrying that the resident dog could still come through his “fence.” I looked to see if the road was clear. A dump truck was coming in one direction; a large pick-up was coming from the other. I could not back Spur up into the street and he was blocking my way for me to continue (dragging) him in the direction we were headed. “BAH-RAH-RAH-RAH-RAH-RAH-RAH! I! WILL! EAT! YOU! FOR! DINNER!!! BAH-RAH-RAH-RAH-RAAAAA!” The remote had been set on 20 and was not affecting him. I was too busy keeping hold of his leash, trying NOT to get hit by traffic and trying to move him to a safer location that I could not increase the level on his remote. When the trucks passed (I was a little miffed at the pick-up as it had been in the lane that I was walking in. I’m sure he saw I was having an issue with my dog, yet he barely slowed down, nor gave me any additional space) I was able to get Spur to walk on beyond the Clematis house. I then was able to turn up his remote and I gave him a few extra corrections as well as a few choice words. I had planned on continuing further down the street but then decided to pass the Clematis house several times, looking for the resident dog to provide additional distraction, but that dog seemingly disappeared. Two houses away (back in the direction of our own house) a man with a chainsaw was trimming limbs from his trees. The chainsaw was noisy, so I walked Spur several times back and forth in front of this house, too. Then, in the yard between Clematis and Chainsaw, a little girl came across her front yard. She saw Spur, but she was more interested in talking to the man with the chainsaw so she was not a problem for Spur, either.

Spur and I continued our walk back toward our own house. Beyond, on the road, I spotted another neighbor who owns a friendly Bernese Mountain Dog. Walker was unleashed with his owner. When Walker spotted us, I noticed his walk became more of a trot. I pulled Spur into a driveway and we practiced puppy pushups. The neighbor waved to me from the distance. I waved back. Then the neighbor took Walker across his front yard. Spur and I continued our walk. As we passed Walker’s home, he was already put up and the neighbor and his wife were getting into their car. Spur didn’t have any issues with this.

As we got even closer to our home, our other neighbors, the Smiths* were out for an evening walk. MK and John had never personally met Spur, but MK has seen his photos on Facebook. “Awwwww! There’s Spur!” MK said to John. I waved and had Spur sit in a driveway as they approached. I cautioned them that Spur is not people friendly, but let them know I had treats that they could throw at him. Spur sat quietly with a few tiny “oofs.” John and MK stood at mid-street and threw the treats at Spur. He did well and John was able to hand the treat bag back to me at the end of our visit. Spur did great with the Smiths! I told him so as we walked the rest of the way back to our house. He heels so nicely and I love it when he looks up at me while we’re walking. Dang he’s cute!

(*names have been changed for privacy)

Spur: Training the Beast, Part 19

Class Day 11, June 8


Our private class time coincided with a Group Class in Huntersville. We made arrangements the week prior to meet with our trainer in Huntersville and work our private class alongside the Group Class.

When we arrived, Spur seemed wound up. He didn’t misbehave too badly in the car. A few barks, but I corrected him and he quieted down. As I got him out of the car, I immediately headed into a heel, walking quickly with him in the deserted portion of the parking lot, trying to gain his attention with the remote. He did not seem to be responding.

Our trainer, Sam, walked over to greet us. Spur was on rather decent behavior to greet her, though he still wasn’t focused and ready to work. Doug took his leash as I held his remote and we headed toward the class. Sam’s instructions to us went mostly ignored or not heard by Doug and Spur went nutso when he came in contact with several dogs. This group class had at least two dogs that were not dog-friendly; I turned his remote up to try to correct him, but he didn’t seem fazed. We walked past the Group Class, Spur having a nasty reaction to approximately 4 or 5 dogs in the class. Past the Group Class, we had him “place” on a sitting bench. Sam tightened his collar (though it was pretty snug when I placed it on him.) We then heeled him around the quiet portion of the building to get his composure together and get him relaxed. Sam informed us that Turk had expected us to “graduate” this day. Doug and I were doubtful, especially after seeing his attitude with several of the dogs in class. Actually, it seemed like he had more issues with dogs on this day than he had with people. She also asked us again to reiterate his history. Then she asked us if we considered using a prong collar on him. We were pretty adamant about not using one on him. We reminded her that the e-collar was still a difficult thing for us to approve of and that’s as far as we wanted to take his correction(s.)

As we came back around the building toward the Group Class, a German shepherd set Spur off again. The Shepherd didn’t seem aggressive, but he did seem like he was going to stand his ground and protect himself if Spur were to try to harm him. Another dog was highly dog aggressive and wore a muzzle. Spur also tried to start something with that dog. I could see, by the twitching of Spur’s scruff, that the collar was working and working well, but Spur seemed to ignore the corrections as Doug dragged him past the class.

So disappointing. So frustrating. So discouraging. As of last week, I was hopeful that we were on the right track. This week seems like a disaster compared to last. We walked around the quiet part of the building again and came back to the class. We tried walking past the group again and this time, Spur stayed a bit quieter and more focused on Doug. Once Doug was able to get Spur to walk back and forth in front of the class, we came to a gathering area where Sam wanted to test Spur’s obedience skills he would need to “graduate.” Honestly, Spur’s attitude had Doug and I pretty sure that graduation on this day was out of the question.

A “place” board was set out and Spur did his place and stay. Doug could go to the end of the 10 foot leash and walk all the way around Spur and Spur stayed put. Sam really wanted to “graduate” Spur today because that’s what Turk had expected. We were not ready.

We let Doug practice handling Spur with the remote. I held back to watch. The Group Class took a break; they gathered around a patio table for a photo op. After that, they played “Spur-in-the-Middle.” Spur did well. So then the Group Class lined up, two lines facing each other. Spur was supposed to walk down the center. But his little attitude toward some of the dogs showed it’s ugly, nasty head again. Oh, Spur!

Our homework for this week: 3x… Go out and find trouble. Take him to places that are uncomfortable, work through his issues, correcting him as necessary, repeating until he calms down. Sam continued to press the “graduation” thing. We have already scheduled private lessons through the end of June. She and Courtney stated they want us to begin attending group classes, even if we have to sit out to the side, or work with him alongside the group until he can be included back in the group. Try a Group Class and if it ends up horribly, we can drop back to a Private lesson. I don’t know. And, while I thought he did much better with people this class; he was much worse with dogs.

When, Spur? When will you snap out of it???

Spur: Training the Beast, Part 18

Another Visit with Aunt Jann


Jann had called Doug on Friday, to offer encouragement. She was happy with our visit with Spur last weekend and wanted to offer another opportunity to visit again. So we took her up on it. Again, we pulled up behind Jann’s garage. Doug took Spur and his remote while I went to knock on Jann’s door to give her some treats to throw at him.

Jann had a mobile vet come Friday night to care for her cat Toby and the vet ended up staying for 3 hours, talking to Jann about all sorts of issues; from caring for Toby to how to approach a fearful dog. A tip the vet told Jann was for us to offer the dog something with Jann’s scent and then treat him. That way he associates Jann’s scent with yummies. So, Jann handed me a pair of her socks and told me to have Spur sniff them and then treat him. I did.

When we brought Spur around the garage into Jann’s back yard, Spur was a little bit curious, but still stand-offish. Jann called his name and threw a treat. Spur liked that and looked for more. Not once did Spur bark or even “oof.” Jann stood for a while until Spur began to relax. Doug ran into the house to use the bathroom and Jann sat down. Spur was anxious about his daddy disappearing, but I re-directed him with some “puppy pushups.” “Spur sit, Spur down, Sit, down, sit, down,” treat! “Free dog.” He walked over to Jann, sniffed her and put his paws up in her lap, looking to see if she had treats. He didn’t stay up long; he got down pretty quickly. Typically, I don’t let the dogs up like that. But I felt we were all in agreement that we were in a period of training for Spur, and if that’s what he needed to do to become more comfortable, I was okay with it. Besides, he seemed rather relaxed, and so did Jann. It was quick, and it turned out good. Jann got Spur a big bowl of water. He drank most of it then went over to the grass to lie down in the shade. He was so relaxed, it looked like he was actually going to nap. We stayed about an hour. Chatting, letting Spur know all the things he was doing right, “Good Boy, Spur!”

Wow. Just Wow.

Spur: Training the Beast, Part 17

Class Day 10, June 1


Private Class at the animal hospital. We were the only ones. There was no Group Class going on. We talked to Courtney about our homework and our progress. So, we decided to take a field trip to the closest pet shop. It wasn’t a major chain that had its own trainers, so Courtney felt like she could enter with her official training t-shirt on and not get chased out.

We practiced heeling down aisles with all the food distractions. We practiced sit-stays and comes. We had the cashier throw food at Spur. We discovered that since he already knew the command “touch” we were going to change it up. Wedging a piece of food between our fingers, we’d hold our hand, straight, and down in front of his face. “Touch” now meant he would need to place his nose to our flat hand receiving the food as reward. We tried this with a couple of the store employees. We tried this with a couple of store patrons. As it was still before 10:00 am, the store was slow, so we took him out and down the shopping center looking for other dog-likers.

“Do you like dogs?” I’d call out.

A couple of people held up their hand and said, “I don’t want to buy a dog!”

“Oh NO! I’m not trying to sell him. I’m trying to *train* him.” I’d explain to them that he’s afraid of people. I explained how to hold the treat and call “Spur, Touch.” I forgot to explain to ignore his bark and he ~did~ bark at one woman. But she explained to us that she had shepherds and she didn’t back down to Spur. Actually, as soon as he began barking, she reached her hand out to me to get more treats. She was going to do this until he calmed down. Which he did. She will never know how grateful I am for her assistance! From then on, I remembered to tell people to ignore Spur if he barks. Everyone we asked was so willing to help us! We probably had about 5 people help us out and this was in front of a grocery store!

We headed back to the pet store and had a couple more people ask Spur to “Touch.” He didn’t bark at anyone. Courtney suggested we start taking him everywhere. Including restaurants (with patios) that allow dogs. I’m reluctant to do that until we have more success with Spur. She offered some advice on how to get him to lie still at our feet; step on the leash very close to the clasp where you attach it to his collar. If he gets up, he cannot move anywhere. Most likely, he’ll just lie back down. Yeah… I’m still not ready for that. Maybe one day soon, though. What a great class!

Spur: Training the Beast, Part 16

Trip to Petco, May 31


Not having met our 5 person stranger quota, when I got home from work, Doug asked what was for dinner. I told him we needed to run up to Petco so Spur could meet two more strangers. When we got in the car, I realized that what Doug had thought to be doggie treats was actually a package of kitty treats. So, the plan was, when we got to the Petco, Doug would practice some heeling in the parking lot while I ran in to get some cat food and a package of doggie treats. When I came out with the goods, I headed straight for the car. Doug was practicing a heel and walked Spur right by me, keeping his attention so Spur wouldn’t come toward me as I passed. It really was beautiful!

I put the cat food in the trunk and opened the dog treats. We walked back up toward the front entrance of the store. Doug and Spur stopped in a grassy median in the parking lot, closest to the entrance. As I spotted people, I’d call out, “Do you like dogs?” If they said, “Yes,” I continued, “My dog doesn’t like people and we’re trying to train him. Do you have a moment to help us out?” Everyone I asked was willing to help. I’d tell them not to look at my dog, and to ignore him if he barked. “Just stand straight and throw this treat at him.” I think Spur “OOF’d at one or two, but didn’t do his normal crazy, frenzied barking. When the groomer came out for her smoke break I asked her, too. I figured she’d had a lot of experience with shy, crazy dogs. She ignored my plea to stand and throw; she bent over and held the treat in a flat hand. Spur took it from her and backed up quickly. As she stood and talked with us more, Spur approached her again to sniff for more treats. I gave her more and she offered them to Spur. He was getting much more comfortable about sniffing people out to see if they had food. It was a slow night at the Petco, but I was able to get 5 people to throw (or hand) food at Spur! What PROGRESS!!! We were feeling confident, and since the store wasn’t busy, we decided to try to venture in with Spur. We found the (replacement) beehive with squeaky bees was on sale. We decided he’d done such a great job, he’d earned it. When we got to the checkout, the girl at the register remembered Spur from his last trip in and how he’d gone off on one of the store managers. She was able to feed Spur some treats and remarked on his progress. When we left the store, there were a few more people I could have asked to throw food at Spur, but we wanted to end on a good note…

We also stopped at the gas station to fill Doug’s tank, get a soda and a couple of soft pretzels. Spur hasn’t had a lot of good luck at gas stations, so while Doug filled the tank, I held Spur’s remote and tried to re-direct and distract him with treats. Another vehicle had a small yappy dog and Spur heard it. He didn’t immediately bark, but I was ready. He began to focus his sight on a man filling his car in front of us. As he began to really focus, I nicked him once. He barked once so I nicked him again and he barked one more time. That was it, so I didn’t tap anymore. And really, I don’t know if he barked because he was going to bark anyway, or if he barked because I tapped his remote. When Doug finished filling the tank, we pulled up to the convenience store for that soda and pretzels. I went in for those and Doug said Spur didn’t bark at anyone while I was in the store. What a GREAT night! What progress!!! I’m still skeptical, but I hope we’ve turned a corner!