Double, Double, Toil & Trouble...

To paraphrase one of my favorite authors:  By the pricking of my thumbs, something stinky this way comes!

Smells like a witch's brew to me...but to Petey it's heavenly.

So, to explain...I was talking to supervisor Michelle about how Petey's been basically a great dog, but then from time to time something startles him into barking.  And with his size comes a BIG SCARY BARK...not good in public!  So we're doing a lot of stuff to help him realize that the world is really okay, I've got things under control, and basically there's no need for him to worry.  But as Michelle explained, I need some extreme high-value treats in my pocket to save for those moments...something to get his attention back onto me from whatever it is he's concerned about.  To me, that means one thing:  LIVER.  At just $1/lb locally, it's much cheaper than prepared dog treats.  The drawback is that you actually have to cook the stuff yourself...bleah. 

It's pretty easy...just rinse it off, boil it, cut it into bite size pieces, and dry it out in a slow oven.  Warning to readers:  if you do this, a)Your whole house will smell like liver; and b)Your dog will love you forever (of course he does already!)

The outcome?  It seems to be working!  We went on 3 walks today and Petey got many compliments in stores on how well-behaved he was.  I'm sure it also helps that he's getting used to working with me...but the liver sure doesn't hurt anything!

No, Petey, driving the car will not earn you extra liver...

"PeteyLEAVEIT"

...That's his new name.  Or at least, that's probably what people thought at Town Lake yesterday!

Petey and I take on the hike and bike trail...watch out folks...

I'd been warned that my biggest challenge with Petey would be on walks.  At an immature 7 months, he still reacts instinctively to moving objects and it's up to me to anticipate these temptations and be proactive so I don't wind up at the end of a broken leash.  My thought was that for our first walk, I needed to take him somewhere with lots of distractions so I could figure out just what I was dealing with.  At the same time, we needed to be away from traffic.  So the Zilker hike and bike trail, winding along by Town Lake, was perfect. Loaded down with joggers, baby strollers, dogs, birds, and squirrels, it was sensory overload for the Petester. 

The outcome?  Pretty much exactly as I'd been told.  Petey has a great "watch me" and responds well to "leave it," just as long as you use those cues before he gets engaged in whatever's distracting him.  If you'd been behind us, I'm sure you would've thought me a bit obsessive with the PeteyLEAVEITs, but it seemed to work.  We successfully negotiated a big party with balloons bobbing in the wind...joggers...even flocks of pigeons clattering away at our approach!  Our proudest moment was when we calmly passed a little boy and his dad feeding crumbs to a flock of rowdy ducks, geese, and swans.  Hooray!!

We DIDN'T chase these tempting birds...

Our most embarrassing moments?  Pretty much every time another dog came within fifty feet of us!  Petey would tense up and let loose with a volley of barking...sigh!  German Shepherds have a reputation for being vocal, and he's no exception.  It's something he has to stop as a guide dog, that's for sure!  The sad thing is, the barking gave everyone the impression that he was a wild beast of some sort, not the goofy guy he really is.  In fact, even when he was behaving perfectly, people gave him a wide berth! 

I can't help it that I look so intimidating...

After lots of obedience work and many LEAVE ITs, we finally succeeded in passing another dog without barking...a big victory for us, and a nice note to end on.   You better believe he got a lot of treats and praise for that!

I'm really trying my best, honest!