Great Results.

I'm less than half way through writing about recent events with Zavi, his nervousness of a wheelie bin at Carrie's house and his behaviour at club being the main issues. Whilst I will go back to it, I am going to jump forward and write about today! 

I have decided to walk Zavi with Beti in situations where we could come across people with dogs, bikes, prams etc. I know I call Beti a nut job, but when it comes to going out and about, nothing bothers her, and I feel it would benefit him to feed off her confidence.  

Puppies look to older dogs in their "pack" to gauge whether a situation is dangerous or safe. Walking with a solid adult dog is one of the most effective ways to build a young dog's confidence. (As we did to help Meerah near horses) 

This morning we left a sunny Fron and got a bloody soaking walking in Tremadog. I walked along the narrow "lein - fach" towards the fields behind the chapel. Beti taking the lead and Zavi proudly following his mother figure. We had fun in the fields, but as we got back onto the narrow track, the heavens opened. Two men came flying past on bikes, neither dog reacted. Two people were sheltering under the flyover, no reaction, and then a young lady came towards us with a small dog. To help Zavi feel safe, I put Beti on the outside and put Zavi between her and me. With Beti there, I too was calm and relaxed, I held Zavi's collar and quietly said, "Leave it - Wait." Wow, faultless, bloody wonderful. Well done to the teacher and student. 

I rushed back into Mum's yard to shelter from the rain that was bouncing on the ground like April showers and we sheltered by the shed, only realising then that all three of us were standing by the wheelly bin! 

Beti was delighted to see Mum, and Zavi said a quick hello, she couldn't get over the size of him, and asked why Beti was so small? Small? Small? She's just perfect!

Theoretically, when Zavi encounters a spooky object (like the wheelie bin) or sees a strange dog, his immediate reaction should be to check the other dog's body language. Beti will be his ideal mentor; though she is interested in everything, she remains relaxed and completely unbothered, and that should send a clear signal to Zavi "This is not a threat; no action required!" LOL 

Having Beti there with him right now when he's at an age of seeing new or unusual things as "potentially suspicious until proven safe" provides a safety buffer, which naturally lowers his adrenaline levels and keeps him calm. Of course movement helps diffuse nervous energy, but on a narrow path like this I felt safer moving to the side and controlling the situation at my end. I was delighted with the outcome today, and as we moved off, I gave them both nice gentle praise. Zavi needs to learn to trust my leadership as well as the confidence he gets from Beti, but we don't need to go OTT, he did well, but this is only everyday life!

When I got home I told Steve about the morning, he said "Rain? What rain? We haven't had a drop!"My coat is on the line and I even had to change my hoodie!