DUSTY II continues to bring her sweet and enthusiastic personality to everything she does! In December, we have been working on polite greetings and default behaviors; Dusty has a fantastic default ‘sit’! Dusty’s primary challenge identified this month is her difficulty working through stressful situations, so moving forward we will be focusing on lots of confidence building exercises to help her learn how to move on from something that worries her. Jessica has also been running Dusty through an “obstacle courses” designed by Apprentice Instructor Ashley that has the dogs practicing default ‘leave its’, obedience, skills, walking on different surfaces, proprioception, and strengthening exercises. Dusty has great focus during these exercises and is lots of fun to work with! Dusty enjoyed some nice rest and relaxation with sitters over the holiday break and is keen to get working again in the new year!
- Skills being learned: Practicing default ‘leave it’ and polite greetings, working on impulse control on leash when approached by known or novel people.
- Recent field trips: Lougheed Mall, Red Robin, Robert Burnaby Park, various training field trips.
- Possible behavior challenges: Difficulty returning to a productive emotional state after something startles her or stresses her out, jumping to greet when she is activated.
- Potential career path: AFD or PTSD
Thank you again for all your support of Advanced Dog Dusty!
Submitted by: Training Programs Manager Margaret Hicks