On Saturday, Coco and I went to her first Rowdy Rover class. It is a dog training class specifically for dogs like Coco who are afraid and aggressive to other dogs. We had to get some gear for the class: a martingale collar and some weird harness. We are supposed to find a muzzle, too, but so far I haven't found one for a flat faced dog. I also got a treat bag, so I could shovel treats into her mouth faster. The course is based on a book called Fiesty Fido by Patricia McConnell and Karen London.
Each dog had their own little area behind a screen. The trainer stood in the middle of the room and gave instructions. Coco was pretty upset with the other dogs, and kept whining. For the first few minutes of the class, we all just fed the dogs, and used our clickers, when they were calm. Coco was the problem child of the class, she kept barking and slipping out of her harness. But then, we had a break through. The trainer told me to leave the area when Coco barked. She was tied to a post, and when she barked, I got up calmly and walked behind a doorway. She stopped immediately and was craning her neck to see where I was off to! Then we all took turns walking our dogs in pairs up and down the room. If one of them barked, we made them sit, and fed them till the trainer asked us to continue. Coco would still try to bark at the other dogs, but she got better at walking towards the end of the class, and the time in between her "rowdiness" was increasing.
What Coco was the best at was "relax" time. We all had to ask our dogs to lie down on a mat or a towel that we had brought from home. Coco was one of the first to settle down. :) So even if she was the most vocal at the class, at least she was the one that could calm down. The trainers were both really nice and really helpful. I ran out of treats (you need ALOT of treats!) and the trainer gave me hers. It was all ham/turkey and cheese and the trainer had left a few pieces of bacon in her feed bag so Coco was so excited. I think the abandonment exercise and the tasty treats helped Coco out a lot. Next weekend, I am going to get some turkey hotdogs for Coco and mix them in with her regular treats.
So, considering how crazed Coco was with dogs when we first got her, I think that she has shown a lot of progress. At least she can be in the same room with dogs now without going ballistic, even if she is still nervous. Eliza has been helping us out, too. Besides getting Coco started on Clicker training, she brought me a number of CDs that have music mixed in with dogs barking. I think it is the barking that really sets her off. Eventually she should get to the point that when she sees another dog she is supposed to look up at me. That will be a great day for both of us!
Congratulations Coco on your road to recovery!
Each dog had their own little area behind a screen. The trainer stood in the middle of the room and gave instructions. Coco was pretty upset with the other dogs, and kept whining. For the first few minutes of the class, we all just fed the dogs, and used our clickers, when they were calm. Coco was the problem child of the class, she kept barking and slipping out of her harness. But then, we had a break through. The trainer told me to leave the area when Coco barked. She was tied to a post, and when she barked, I got up calmly and walked behind a doorway. She stopped immediately and was craning her neck to see where I was off to! Then we all took turns walking our dogs in pairs up and down the room. If one of them barked, we made them sit, and fed them till the trainer asked us to continue. Coco would still try to bark at the other dogs, but she got better at walking towards the end of the class, and the time in between her "rowdiness" was increasing.
What Coco was the best at was "relax" time. We all had to ask our dogs to lie down on a mat or a towel that we had brought from home. Coco was one of the first to settle down. :) So even if she was the most vocal at the class, at least she was the one that could calm down. The trainers were both really nice and really helpful. I ran out of treats (you need ALOT of treats!) and the trainer gave me hers. It was all ham/turkey and cheese and the trainer had left a few pieces of bacon in her feed bag so Coco was so excited. I think the abandonment exercise and the tasty treats helped Coco out a lot. Next weekend, I am going to get some turkey hotdogs for Coco and mix them in with her regular treats.
So, considering how crazed Coco was with dogs when we first got her, I think that she has shown a lot of progress. At least she can be in the same room with dogs now without going ballistic, even if she is still nervous. Eliza has been helping us out, too. Besides getting Coco started on Clicker training, she brought me a number of CDs that have music mixed in with dogs barking. I think it is the barking that really sets her off. Eventually she should get to the point that when she sees another dog she is supposed to look up at me. That will be a great day for both of us!
Congratulations Coco on your road to recovery!
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