I'm pleased to say that Eva's reactivity to cars has decreased tremendously. She doesn't lunge at them anymore while on walks! A huge improvement. Now she just walks on heel next to me, and only looks at the car. No more jumping, lunging, crazy sheltie.I never thought I'd get a dog that lunges at cars. I honestly believed it was only in stories. Laura and Mika don't care about the cars - they don't even give them a second thought. Our little miss sheltie has taught us a lot of stuff we didn't know dogs were capable of doing!
We actually took a video of a school bus passing us but it was pretty bad quality and very shaky, but I can say that she did really well too :)
Now, we just have to keep getting her used to fast moving objects and hope that soon she'll find cars less interesting.
We actually found that getting her NOT to sit was easier because then we won't have to wait for the car to go past. If we keep walking, the tendency to lunge is less.
Guess we won't be needing a no-pull harness :)
She's also slowly getting desensitized (at least barking wise) to the oven and the broom.
Glad to say our little pup is doing very well!!!
19 comments:
That's great! I agree that keeping her moving is a good idea. You could even try tossing treats ahead of you when you see a car approaching.
We worked on dealing with the vacuum this morning. An ongoing battle, but I think I'm winning!
I walk a sheltie only when her parents are on vacation and I have to say that I she taught me a lot about what shelties are capable of doing as well. She keeps me informed when there is a dog INSIDE the house and she is also very good at telling me when children are nearby too! I find that I have to retrain her NOT to do those things and by the time her owners are home again, she's a perfect angel!
I know exactly what you are referring to with the lunging at cars and I am happy Eva stopped doing it! Yeah!
I love to hear when an owner tries to understand their dog and work with them instead of just correcting. Great that you and Eva can go on your walks more comfortably now. Probably she is so smart, she wants to keep busy!
Sounds like she is making great progress.
I am afraid of the broom and oven too, but for different reasons:)
Great job!!! So glad walking by the cars is working for Eva. We had to resort to sitting and watching them go by here but maybe eventually we'll be able to keep moving!
Congratulations on facing these tough training issues head on!
Well done, I think if you can be confident she will pick that up, so you both win.
Jan
Great job to you both!! Keep up the great work Eva :)
Good job! Katie still has some issues in our yard, but she's pretty much good if we're out and about. I think. I agree that they are SO SMART that they are always looking for new things to tell us about.
I sent you the tips that came with my weave poles. I put them in a comment to you a couple of days ago. Hope you can find them! :)
I laugh when I read about Eva because she has the same idiosyncrasies as Dakota. I think it has something to do with the sensitivity of the Sheltie breed as well as their herding instincts. That's why we aren't as aware of other dogs lunging at cars/buses...they don't because they don't view them as something that they have to herd.
I like the suggestion that someone made about throwing treats a few feet ahead. We may have to try that. Dakota lunged, barked and acted crazy with cars at around the same age as Eva but now that he is 3 and a half he has gotten better.
The vacuum is still a huge issue. We walk with treats in our hand when we vacuum and he isn't permitted to have one until he cannot bark at or try to bite the vacuum.
There are so many things he "takes issue" with that I am sure we will be busy for a long time. It is just more about the Sheltie breed that makes them so unique and lovable.
Yeah! Nice teamwork! Eva is a little smartie : )
Hi there! I've just given you a blog award :) Stop by Cedes of Change to pick it up and pass it on :)
Hi Beth here....what I did for Rem was to have a treat in my hand and when a vehicle went by I had him try to take it (nicely) and when the vehicle went by then he got it. He got it really quick that good things happen when those things go by....just a thought....
I had several Shelties growing up, and having them around cars was one of the worst things. Actually, one of them ended up being run over by a car when he broke out of the house and gave chase. For some reason, cars really seem to set them off. Just be sure that you always have her secure in something.
There's probably some reason or other for it. There always is. But it's wonderful that she's getting over it. What a good girl!
lotsa licks, Lola
Glad that she is doing better for you. Keep up the good work!
Wow, that was quick. If I try to keep walking , Miley just spins and trys to get the car. I she does much better stopping. Hmmm.. maybe I need to try something else. Diana
Hi! Looks like Eva is a pretty smart sheltie! You must be lucky to have such a beautiful, cute and clever dog!
Great news! Louis is still terrified of the vacuum, but hopefully he will outgrow that eventually.
LOVE the header photo of Eva at the beach :)
Sounds like Eva's training is going well so far! I blogged about harnesses anyway :)
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