Today marks the beginning of Week 3 of Lupin’s stay with me. Here’s where he’s at after two weeks:
Improvements
— continuing to eat more slowly
— reacting much less to husband
— continuing to practice thinking before reacting
— continuing to look to his handler for direction
— has earned freedom from the muzzle when at home [he is still muzzled around other people]
— continuing to offer respect regarding food and food sources
— continuing to improve with respecting boundaries
— continuing to work at controlling intensity when playing or inviting play
— thinking more often before reacting
— follows directions much more quickly
— becoming more playful and less nervous
Work In Progress
— reactivity to strangers
— aggression around water and food
— impulse control [esp. with food dropped on the floor]
— place, mat, stay, recall, and down commands
— walking nicely on leash
Lupin is continuing to improve in all areas. Some areas are more challenging for him than others [e.g. reactivity], but on the whole, I’m very pleased with how far he’s come in just two weeks. Most of what’s going on with him is due to a lack of trust, not quite enough socialization early on, and his age. He is, after all, only 15 months old.
As we move into Week 3, Lupin is going to be challenged a bit more. We’ve started things off this morning by giving him his breakfast with the office door open. He could see Glimmer watching him from a few feet away, but he saw my husband standing between her and him, and he did an awesome job of staying focused on me and waiting for guidance. He was nervous and watchful, but he showed both me and my husband trust by waiting for direction from me instead of attacking. I was so, so proud of him for that!
Other challenges for this coming week are:
— more exposure to new situations and people
— feeding with Glimmer in sight [suppers only – my husband must be present to act as a barrier]
— more distraction work to facilitate better focus
Have a great day, everyone, and remember: Stay calm and lead on.