Putting in the Work

 

Rye and I are continuing to work through our difficulties and enjoy our successes. We lucked out on a very nice park off Lakeline Thursday morning. It had a stretch of grass on the outer edge that spanned the backyards of the neighborhood that was empty. We did see dogs walking in the park and along the outside of the park, but this narrow stretch was unused.

I've been continuing to work with Rye with her meals, rewarding her with her kibble in the morning and evening as she performs her tasks. Every night I'd ask her to give me her paws and successful passes (without her yanking her arm back) gets rewarded. We eventually escalated to bringing out the smaller nail clippers and having it in my hand, then touching her with it, and the past couple nights I have even been able to clip a nail without her even attempting to snap. She definitely doesn't enjoy it, but she has been so much more accommodating and trusting. I don't push her too much. For whatever reason she's more likely to give me her right front paw than her left, but we're working on both with gradual success. She has also been avoiding putting on her muzzle when we are out. Part of her meal work is now offering her face into the muzzle again.

She has been doing well in the house. We are continuing to work on our short leash work in the yard and when we can before the long line work. It's still difficult, but I'm seeing the small improvements as all these acts of discipline and structure are paying off. We will still have bad days and I must stay vigilante for everyone safety, but these small wins have me hopeful.