Due to this cold weather, my elbows and hands have been aching from arthritis.
Harry's marker training is doing well til the point of a car passing. As soon as that vehicle, or my kid for that matter passes by, the training is out the window and you cannot break his focus. I have tried positioning myself to block the view while attempting to re-engage him, to backing up .
He is now even barking at our parked vehicle. I am using a slip lead until he grows into the dd collar, but he honestly does not care if he can't breathe, he just fights to regain focus on the object in question.
As an example, we truck in our own water, I was taking him on a walk about in the yard, and Jim pulled up with the jeep. Harry than decided marks were out, and started barking and lunging. So I backed up, out if sight of the jeep, and attempted a sit, to re-engage him. But he just kept looking back to the direction we were, whining, barking, and attempting to pull back that way.
At that point my hands were cramping up, so I brought him back into the house, and crated him. He barks and howls in the crate when he is put away now, so I had put a bark limiter on him, which has worked beautifully, should I be using this outside to curb his barking.
With it on in the house, he has calmed down enormously. His fits in the crate when he gets unruly have stopped completely.
The car prob had happened last weekend with our car, we were headed for a walk. Jim stopped by to tell me he was headed home, causing the tug to be ignored, and Harry spent the rest of the walk whining, and trying to head back home. Even half an hour later, which left my arms exhausted and sore for days.
I know he is a herding breed, and expected some issues.
The prong will not work on him, as he is re-active with it, and when a car passes, will lunge, and than turn in the leash.
Since we only have maybe one car every 10-15min, it is getting hard to teach focus. I am almost ready to toss on layers, take him to the highway and make him down when a car passes.
Taking him to town like this would be a mistake as people refuse to ignore him, and want him climbing all over them
When there is no distractions, he has awesome focus.
I am not doing much on walks, besides teaching him to sit, out the tug for a trade , and yuck. With our temp being -47c with the wind chill, we can only go at a quick pace for a little over 30 min, 45min or more when the winds are minimum .
He is going on 19 weeks. We are in bear season again, as hungry moms with cubs will be passing through to get to the bay, so smellier treats are not an option.
Until I get a curb on his behaviour, everyone else has stepped back from Harry. I am the sole feeder, walker and trainer.
The past few weeks he has learned down, good, nope, enough for when we are done training, bed for his antler chewing, and sit. He does not leave out doors first,and can sit at the door with it open, waiting for permission to walk through with me.
I have moved all marker training out in the backyard with only the sounds of passing cars/ snowmobiles, sounds
I am kinda thinking that my fast pace may be too slow for him, as I am wearing military bata boots, and they are 2.5lbs each. Maybe he needs a even quicker pace to keep focus?
I am not saying he is bad. He is a super pup. Any opinion is appreciated!
I guess instead of that long rant, I coulda have just asked, how to re-engage a high strung pup!
So frustrating sometimes...
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