My Reactive Dog training taught me that the object is to keep Sage safe and below threshold, to teach him to cope by having him cope with low-intensity situations first and slowly build up on these successes. Successful coping must be possible in every exposure- this is why I failed before- insisting he cope in impossible (for him) situations, over and over again. Last night we walked to the safe end of Stratton Road, and visited Sage’s friend Timber briefly. Past Timber’s house is the golf course, where I saw three people and a loose black dog romping across the green. It was a screened view for Sage- trees and a stone wall, but he saw the dog and stood up on his hind legs to see better. He growled, but softly, and he did stare, but the dog did not see Sage and the people didn’t see us either. I turned us around calmly, happily, and we got about another 20 feet further away. He looked at me for his clicks and morsels, and we turned and watched the dog and people go by from that distance. I told him his calming words- “Good Eye, Sage. Thanks.” and “Gentle” and he just murmured about them. When they passed, I said Okay, lets go, and we went home. That dog (loose, black, unfamiliar, and running- all strikes to Sage) was 200 feet away, running across our direction and partially screened (makes it better), but that’s the level of exposure to unfamiliar dogs he can react calmly and businesslike to at this time.
Today we met Kevin and the lab brothers at the reservoir- I brought Sage because when I was leaving, he wanted to come. I figured I’d leash him up if he became anxious and we could cut it short. He seemed happy to see the boys and hang with them, but decided the water was too cold to swim maybe. We heard gunshots after walking to the first point and back, to which my dogs perked up but did not startle (good!), so we turned back to the point and took another, longer path in the non-shooting direction. our total walk time was only about 40 minutes, but it is better to have shorter, successful walks with Seiji. Can’t remember the last time I took Sage with Pete and Cooper- early march?- but I am finding that with only joining the pack every few weeks for a short time, he continues to maintain some dog friends (besides Reilly and Timber) without having to party hearty every day. It’s a level of social that he can enjoy and remain successful in.
I took Reilly back to the Field last week, and reuniting with our friends there Sage was noticeably absent. I explained that Sage was at home. “Not back yet?” said Sage’s girlfriend’s owner. “Nope,” I said, “He’s not coming back here.” “EVER?” No. It’s too overwhelming- I went into my song and dance about the default for intra-canid relations (NERD!!) and noted that you really don’t see mature Rottweilers and Akitas in the Field playing nicely with others and making new friends. Right, now that you mention it -it’s mostly sporting types, a few herders…a terrier here and there.
I am sorry that Sage will not see some of his old friends, but the negatives outweigh positives that I can find in other less stressful ways. He’s a really terrific dog, and I love him to little itty bits, but he is no jovial golden retreiver and keeping him from loose strange dogs goes with the package. It’s a worthwhile package to enjoy a friend like him, but I may have to quit reading the BARK, because the parade of modern dog culture is leaving us behind in a quieter place. Of course, Sage is the kind of guy who you can laugh with when it’s gone by, cause he’s swiped and run off with the party streamers…
