It's been a pretty good week overall.
I've finally restarted the separation training and it's going ok. We started back down to 5 minutes on daycare days (when he's more sleepy), and 1 minute on non-daycare days.
Some days he really couldn't care less. Other days, he waits at the gate (I have a baby gate blocking the door) but is not showing any signs of anxiety before the time is up.
I feel good that we've started again. I just need to stick to it!
We had an awesome walk in a forest trail with a friend and her dog. It was shaded (although was very humid) and there was a little creek for the dogs to have a splash and cool down.
As it was quiet and there was a clear line of sight, George got some valuable off-leash time.
When we did see people/dogs ahead, we could side-step into the forest until they had passed. I'm sure we looked a bit weird but it worked!
We've also been working on some noise desensitisation. I was watching TV one night when George lost his mind at the Ring doorbell sound on the TV. I realised we need to do more work on this!
I started playing the sound at a very low volume on my phone and rewarding him. I slowly increased the volume and paired it with a command to go to his place. He's so smart, he got the concept quickly. I suspect though it will need more work for real life situations!
I've also been doing some work on door knock desensitisation (George reacts to knocking sounds on TV as well). I randomly knock on things throughout the day, reward, and pair with the place command. It's a work in progress!
We've made good progress with brushing and handling this week. He let me brush his tummy with no drama which was a first. His chin rest is also coming along nicely.
As it was a public holiday this week and we had more time at home, George had a half day in daycare on the Saturday so I could meet a friend for a coffee. It felt amazing to be out and about like a normal person! I need to try and do that every now and again for my own sanity if possible.
We had one challenging day. One of our neighbours left at exactly the same time as us in the morning (which has never happened before...we leave very early). George reacted massively and, unusually for nowadays, then barked all the way to daycare in the car.
By the time we got to daycare, he was so stressed he even barked at a picture of a dog on the gate. Something he's never done before.
We also bumped into people at pick-up triggering a big reaction. He seemed more reactive and unsettled in the day following.
I just had to write it off as a difficult day and try to move forward. We had an extra rest day with lots of calming enrichment and scent work.
We had a nice walk at a SniffSpot the following day which also helped us reset.
He had a couple of days of taking his medication with no issues but then reverted to being hesitant. Tuna, cheese, cottage cheese, pupnut butter, yoghurt, banana, wet dog food..it all disappears but the tiny tablet remains on the floor. We get there in the end!
The pill pockets I bought were a bit of fail...he doesn't like them even without a pill.
We started the mindset tracker which I'm learning about on the Mindset Mastery course through SpiritDog training. I have a calendar on the fridge and mark the days with stickers as 'Great session', 'Not the best but we tried', or 'Tough day'. I think it is helping me not get consumed by the tough days, noting it for what it is and moving on.
I keep getting Facebook memories of a year ago which is bittersweet. George was starting to display tiny signs of reactivity but we were always out exploring and were able to go to busier places. He handled dogs and people pretty well. It makes me feel a bit sad that we can't do that now but we have still come a long way from the hardest times. I have learned so much since then.
Overall, some good progress this week despite the obligatory challenging day.