Dog training is like a lot of things in life. You try and try, but don’t see any results. Then, all of a sudden, one day, after months of trying different things, the dog gets in the truck! Just like that, all four paws make it off of the ramp and all the way into the cab of the truck. In my head I was screaming…”He finally did it!!”…of course, on the outside, I was calm as could be.
Now that he has been getting into the truck for over a week it seems like we would be driving all over town, right? Nope, not quite so fast, nothing is that easy with a fraidy dog. He gets in the truck, but he isn’t ready to stay in the truck. There’s a big difference. Sure, I could slap the door shut and drive away, but there’s a good chance he would panic, pee, and not go anywhere near the truck for months. So, we practice getting in and out of the truck using fresh cooked chicken or his particular choice of all natural smokey little hotdogs. It seems that chicken is his true weakness!
It’s been almost two weeks and he will go up the ramp into the truck on command most of the time, sometimes with no treat at all. It’s a repeatable command and his body language is good. The past few days he has eaten a few of his meals in the truck, but he won’t stay long enough to eat regular kibble. When I tried with regular kibble he got out of the truck and wouldn’t return. However, if there’s a bit of chopped chicken, fresh ground beef, or his favorite little smokies he will eat the entire meal…not all at once yet. After he works his way through a meal with leisure we’ll work on closing the doors. Closing the doors is a bit tricky because of the ramp and the overlapping door style, but it should be simpler if he isn’t trying to jump out.
Other updates:
Wilson has made quite a few friends, but he is still scary the first time he meets someone.
He hasn’t eaten any beds in at least a month, but we still leave crates close during the day so he can’t access beds.
Now that he has been getting into the truck for over a week it seems like we would be driving all over town, right? Nope, not quite so fast, nothing is that easy with a fraidy dog. He gets in the truck, but he isn’t ready to stay in the truck. There’s a big difference. Sure, I could slap the door shut and drive away, but there’s a good chance he would panic, pee, and not go anywhere near the truck for months. So, we practice getting in and out of the truck using fresh cooked chicken or his particular choice of all natural smokey little hotdogs. It seems that chicken is his true weakness!
It’s been almost two weeks and he will go up the ramp into the truck on command most of the time, sometimes with no treat at all. It’s a repeatable command and his body language is good. The past few days he has eaten a few of his meals in the truck, but he won’t stay long enough to eat regular kibble. When I tried with regular kibble he got out of the truck and wouldn’t return. However, if there’s a bit of chopped chicken, fresh ground beef, or his favorite little smokies he will eat the entire meal…not all at once yet. After he works his way through a meal with leisure we’ll work on closing the doors. Closing the doors is a bit tricky because of the ramp and the overlapping door style, but it should be simpler if he isn’t trying to jump out.
Other updates:
Wilson has made quite a few friends, but he is still scary the first time he meets someone.
He hasn’t eaten any beds in at least a month, but we still leave crates close during the day so he can’t access beds.