Thursday, August 9, 2012

Compromise

Obviously, I cannot improve Seven's It-Is-Not-My-Turn Anxiety by tricking her when we are training close to home.  In a trial setting, tricking Seven has worked very well, but daily training is far too routine for outsmarting her.  So we compromise.
If Seven will stay in her crate, I will leave the door open.  Leaving the crate door open diffuses Seven's anxiety almost completely.  No more screaming, yelping, spinning, or crate chewing.  We have been doing this for couple of months now and she has only come out of the crate twice.... and was corrected for it.  The rest of the time she is rewarded for staying where she is.
The van is positioned so she can see the training field and Riley and I are able to work at the far end.  Riley can now run full courses, slam the teeter, and barrel through tunnels without Seven getting overly excited.  It has been a good compromise.