Yesterday at training the trainer saw something and said something about Perry: he said 'he's checking in with you all the time'. It had not occurred to me, or rather I had been aware of it but not what it meant, that as we went through the various loose-lead, sitting/lying ('dropping') exercises, Perry was frequently trying to catch or actually catching my eye. The trainer said this was something I needed to capitalise on (not easy) and reward (ditto) and I see what he means. I have always had this sense that Perry thought he knew better than me, but of course that's just projection - he needs my guidance and he is I think aware that I am the gateway to his getting what he wants. I know that he definitely wants to learn.
Dog ownership is not cruisy, especially in the first couple of years, but I feel that there are only two columns ('satisfactory' and 'needs work') and no third column ('give up it's hopeless'). The excessive barking is lessening on the whole, certainly he is now aware that he can't bark for what he wants, although we do have a bit too much barking-at-noises-in-the-front-yard but we're working on that. Not sure if we'll ever be able to handle 'barking on tv', though this is a peculiar one, as he looks at the tv when he hears it i.e. he knows it's on the tv not outside. He also, the minute the tv is muted, stops worrying about that. So... why can't he apply logic to this situation. I'll have to take that one to the tribunal.
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