When Sherlock first came, the onset of walkies, the merest hint would set him barking in a mad frenzy. Looking over past training, I started a sit from the kitchen, walking backwards to the door keeping me in between, and whenever he got into a mad dash or started barking, we'd go back to the kitchen and start again, all the time with clicker and treats, of course.
A year has passed, and the mundane bustle of Mummy has become just bearable: the rustle of coats, the proximity to the door, the scraping of shoes, the going back to the kitchen to fill the treat pouch, the popping upstairs for my mobile, back to the kitchen again for water or poopie bags, finding the shoehorn...Sherlock has learned to wait quietly, darting around a bit back to the sofa to start again and relieve tension in between, before calming down and remembering what he's supposed to do, sit quietly at the step and wait. He's becoming a loving, composed dog as each experience of success at self-control deepens his confidence.
Now these doorstep protocols seem finally ingrained in his psyche, the next hurdle is the garden gate: he'll still make a mad dash down the stairwell, hollering blue murder at the bottom, jumping and cavorting like a mad dervish alerting the whole neighborhood he's off on a walkies. Infamous dog!
But once we're out in the street, all is fine, he's as quiet as a mouse enjoying the sniffing, passing the pee wee baton, and scavenging (no, not poopies, arghhhh! Mummie's turn to screech like a banshee!). Nothing better than a relaxed walkies together, each day a different local path and direction to keep things varied and interesting.
We've got to the point where Mummy can drop the leash and the three sweeties will do a sit stay of sorts as I back off for a photo. That's such a wonderful feeling, no need to tie them up or fear they'll run off into the blue, the delicious scent of fish wafting around keeps the doggies happy while I fiddle with the camera-I just keep forgetting I've turned it off in between pictures, so I'm the only one to ever see some truly beautiful English setter poses! Rescues rule, hooray for the power of three.
