Roko: Day 2

Day 2, and Roko is making good progress in the following areas:
— learning to control his excitement around both Glimmer and Violet;
— walking nicer on the leash indoors;
— looking for direction;
— giving space when we’re preparing food or eating;
— learning how to use his nose first when strangers come in the house instead of barking at them.

Day 2 saw lots of play time, enrichment games, leash work, and practicing sit, stay, and wait commands. Roko responded to the commands fairly well, but had a bit of trouble holding the positions due to impatience. He also got to meet a new person, and experience the treadmill for the first time.

Though I’ve been conditioning him to the treadmill when it’s off, I didn’t know how Roko would feel about it being turned on. He really surprised me: When it started moving, he moved along with it, trying to figure out the right rhythm and balance himself at the same time. He didn’t stay on it for very long, but he tried, and that was what mattered. And, he came back a few times on his own to do it; he even tried to get on it while it was moving.

My daughter came over. She was upset and in tears. She and Roko hadn’t met yet. Instead of barking and lunging at her, Roko reached out to sniff at her. When he was finished, he shocked all of us by pushing his body against her and putting his head on her lap and in her hands. It took a minute for us to realize he was actually trying to comfort her. This, from a dog who is wary of and very nervous around strangers… To say I was stunned would be a huge understatement.

Roko is an amazing dog. There’s no question about it. He’s got a lot to learn, but in only two days, he’s already made fantastic progress. I have no doubt that he’s going to continue to make progress all across the board. Stay tuned for his further adventures…. 🙂