Well, Molly goes home tomorrow. I am very pleased with her progress. She is still a huge wigglebutt but her attention span is a bit better and her focus is sharper. She isn't a robot dog and she never will be. She knows her commands and does try very hard to make good decisions. Sometimes she makes mistakes but she is easily corrected and corrections do not confuse or hurt her.
We took a walk downtown tonight and she did really well. She started out completely overwhelmed and not knowing what to do but after a couple corrections she understood that the rules hadn't changed and she heeled nicely. It was difficult for her not to reach for strangers when they passed but she did okay with little reminders here and there. She even made friends with a nice college student who missed her dog. Molly showed off by not jumping but sitting politely (bottom wiggling, of course) while getting petted. On our way back to the car we passed a group of about 10 people with 4 or 5 dogs with them and Molly looked but did not break her Heel. I was very impressed considering a spaniel passed well within sniffing distance and it was wearing a jingle bell sweater.
I really looked to this little field trip as a final test. She can walk downtown on a busy Thursday night and not make a fool of herself and I did not have to hold her back from pulling the entire time. She also has stayed on her Placemat for over 2 hours without a mistake. If I gave grades Molly would definitely get an A. I will miss her but she will be beyond thrilled to be with her family again. She has had fun this week but she is a house dog through and through and won't miss her kennel one bit.
We took a walk downtown tonight and she did really well. She started out completely overwhelmed and not knowing what to do but after a couple corrections she understood that the rules hadn't changed and she heeled nicely. It was difficult for her not to reach for strangers when they passed but she did okay with little reminders here and there. She even made friends with a nice college student who missed her dog. Molly showed off by not jumping but sitting politely (bottom wiggling, of course) while getting petted. On our way back to the car we passed a group of about 10 people with 4 or 5 dogs with them and Molly looked but did not break her Heel. I was very impressed considering a spaniel passed well within sniffing distance and it was wearing a jingle bell sweater.
I really looked to this little field trip as a final test. She can walk downtown on a busy Thursday night and not make a fool of herself and I did not have to hold her back from pulling the entire time. She also has stayed on her Placemat for over 2 hours without a mistake. If I gave grades Molly would definitely get an A. I will miss her but she will be beyond thrilled to be with her family again. She has had fun this week but she is a house dog through and through and won't miss her kennel one bit.
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