Board and Train Lupin: End of Week 1

We have begun the second week of Lupin’s stay with me. At the end of Week 1, here’s how he’s doing:

Improvements

— eating meals more slowly
— reacting less to husband
— learning his choices matter
— seeking and waiting for direction from handler instead of making arbitrary decisions
— much calmer on the walk
— giving respect with food and food sources
— great improvement with respecting Glimmer’s and Violet’s boundaries
— learning to control intensity when playing or inviting play
— thinking more often before reacting
— follows directions much more quickly

Still Needs Work

— reactive to strangers and sometimes to husband
— aggressive around water and food
— can’t control impulses past 25-30 seconds
— still has to be muzzled when around husband, Glimmer, and Violet
— has trouble holding “place”, “mat”, “stay”, and “down” positions for longer than 20-30 seconds

As seen above, the improvements in just one week outweigh the areas in which he needs a lot of work. For example, in these photos, Lupin is learning the “place” command, and doing a fantastic job of holding his position in spite of distractions.

I am very, very pleased with Lupin’s overall progress. He’s worked extremely hard to learn – and practice – the rules, boundaries, and limitations I’ve set out for him so that he can coexist peacefully with us and our animals. I have no doubt that he will continue to progress as we kick off Week 2.

Have a great day, everyone, and remember: Stay calm and lead on.