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Rhynes,
Thanks so much for that advice. I realize now that what I thought was positive reinforcement wasn’t actually that. I will try to have a more firm grip on the leash next time as well.
I did take her on a 30 minute walk when I removed her last time and it might have calmed her down, but I will make sure to exercise her much more before taking her into a stressful situation.
Her daily routine is rather relaxed during most of the day until I get home. She does well and sleeps through most of the day. We have a vigorous exercise session (fetch, biking, etc. )in the afternoon until she is completely drained and goes for a nap. We do training as a part of her daily routine everyday, and trick training a few times a week.
Unfortunately, she doesn’t get enough mental stimulation through interaction with other dogs. She loves dogs but I have found that she didn’t have the best reaction to the dog park. She ignored the dogs and roamed on her own, which was surprising considering she will try to play with dogs we meet on walks. I do think it may be that she’s only gone 4 times, because we don’t live near any (we also only go to dog parks that are safely fenced, which not all of them are).
Because she is a rescue, she did come with an uncertainty of people. She used to cower in fear of men but has come a long way and will greet more strangers on walks.
We live near a busy road and she used to be nervous around the large trucks or buses that would pass by, but now we are able to walk along that street without a problem. We desensitized her to the loud noises, which is what we are trying to accomplish with her ‘sudden loud noises from people’ fear.
And just another thing to add, because she does have high energy and is exercised a lot for over an hour, she has built up a high endurance. If she hasn’t been exercised before going out (I’ve made that mistake before by walking her before vigorous exercise) she will react to the environment negatively. For example, whining at dogs from inside the car. She is much calmer after exercising, but is that the only way to prevent such reactions? Could you recommend alternatives or reinforcements of calm behaviour?
Also, do you have experience with dog socialization groups? I have seen online that there are places that you can go to sign your dog up for socialization sessions. Do you have any knowledge on this (like particular businesses) and would you reccomend it?
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