Posted by: Julie Tremblay <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Hi....
It's been a hectic evening last night... I got home from work at 5h and had
one hour and a half to get ready for our first agility lesson. I quickly
gave Lola supper, then began cooking some treats since I realized I
didn't have any left. I cooked some hotdogs and mixed a batch of cheese
and garlic cookies. Lola was going crazy with all these smells in the
kitchen...
I had to leave the cookies unbaked on the pans on the counter to cook
them later cuz I didn't have enough time left before the lesson. And
then, classic situation... the phone rang. I was very busy talking when
I heard munch munch.... Lola had decided the cookies were very
good, even raw. By the time I stopped her, almost half was already
gulped away... *sigh* ... my mistake, I know - I didn't punish her. ;-)
The lesson was fun. The other dogs were younger (Lola is one and a half
already...) and smaller, of course. The teacher (a young girl) knew
from the beginning Lola wouldn't get in the tunnel. She did jumps, even
the tire ok. But I had to convince her to lay down on the table, she
seemed to think it was too little for her and was very uncomfortable.
She would sit, but not lay down.
And the tunnel... all the dogs were excited to go through it and run to
their owner at the end. Lola never wanted to put a paw in. The teacher
held her at the entrance, I was showing her a treat at the other end, I
even entered half way in, and threw the treat near her, but she didn't
want to reach and take it. She was wearing her Gentle Leader (Halti),
and the teacher was trying to force her to get her head in the tunnel
and look at me, but she was pulling like the blue-devil she is to get to
me - except not by using the tunnel. I had to ask the teacher to stop
pulling her, cuz Lola was freaking out - big round eyes and tail ducked
under her. I don't want to force her.
Now I am worried that she won't ever want to go near a tunnel again.
What do you think I should do??? I want her to like it, not to do it
because I ask her to.
I had treats to help her, but I'm not sure it was a good idea. She was
more focused on the damn hotdogs then on the jumps and all. She usually
wants to play with every dog she sees, but last night she didn't even care
- she was just hoping to get more treats. She didn't seem to enjoy the
lesson as much as the other doggies. I guess it is a dane thing: "food,
food, food, gimme food"...
If you have ideas for the tunnel, please help! The teacher is going to
call me tomorrow to settle a time this week so I can go and practice
with Lola, but I want to know how to do it.
Julie Tremblay and Lola (Hey mom, forget the jumps and that stupid
tunnel, just give me one of those treats you made for me)
Montreal, Quebec
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