Oye. This past week has been kind of a one step forward two steps back type of situation. I have stuck to the 45 mins of training daily. Now, I know that it’s only been a short time (as in 5 days…it’s been 5 days) but the magical instant fix certainly is not happening.
Ricochet is learning a bunch of adorable tricks quickly. We are also working on the basics which he does well with. But here is the thing. Ric does these wonderful skills in a quiet room with a shut door, free from distraction. Even still, he is lackadaisical. He is not highly motivated by treats. He requires strong lures (where you put the treat right in front of the nose and slowly guide the doggo). He won’t work for play. He loves play but the second he sees that ball he goes nuts and structure is lost
Once Ricochet leaves his quiet room, listening decreases. Once we go outside or if there is distraction, listening is non-existent. He still pulls on the leash. He still chases after any little critter outside. He will not so much as “sit” or “look at me” if he is outside.
It can be so hard to appreciate that our animals are separate from us. We feel such connection with our animals. We feel so understood by our animals. They know what we are feeling and understand our needs better than we can ourselves. S0… WHY WON’T HE FREAKING “SIT???”
It’s because Ricochet has his own mind. His own way of experiencing the world. He expresses himself differently. He doesn’t take the world as seriously as I do. He doesn’t feel the urgency that I do. We have to learn to work together. We will eventually understand each other better. In time, we will appreciate the others’ work ethic and become a partnership. Ric and I just need to stick to it. One day at a time, training session by training session.
The Heralding Hound 