Day 4- offleash, and a walk around the block

E is progressing very quickly. We now let him off leash in the house and back yard, going to and from the dog yard. His pattern is he trots around and keeps his distance, and if I stand still he'll approach up to about 3 feet from me. If I want him to come closer, I have to squat or sit, be still, and lure him with a treat. At that point I usually gently scratch his chest for a moment, and then very gently take his collar and put the leash on him. It's not OK with him to just reach out for him to put the leash on, he needs a softer approach.

He is not as comfortable with Dennis as he is with me. Den is doing all the right things, and E goes into his crate after Den takes him out to eliminate. Den rewards that, and it prevents a situation where Den is trying to catch E.

This morning at 6am I took E around the block for a walk, just the two of us. I wanted to see what minor distractions came up, and feed him really good treats to help him through them. With his previous foster mom, K, he'd be scared and wrap himself behind her legs when a car drove by. So I was ready. When a car drove by, I made sure he was busy nibbling a big piece of "Natural Balance" from my fingers. He was very aware of the car, but didn't bolt. I clicked and treated often as we went around the block. He likes to walk right next to me, he is not a puller. As his confidence grows he might go out ahead more, but for now he's right next to me. Distractions included: dogs barking, lawn sprinklers going on, cars going by, and a plastic bottle in the street which startled him when he smelled it and it moved and rolled. We spent a moment with that item, putting the treat right next to it, getting him to approach it again. Back at the house, a woman was walking down the street, we were in the driveway. He became pretty agitated, and wanted to retreat to the back yard. I shortened his leash and pulled out good treats and got him through it. It's clear he needs to meet a LOT more people. After she passed by, I sat on the driveway, and he asked to be held. I pulled him into my lap and he was very happy.

His eye contact with me is improving and I continue to click and treat that. He offers me eye contact often now.

It's also clear that he feels secure in our house and with the other dogs. The routine is different today-- we're leaving the dogs outside, and I watched from inside for a few minutes. (His crate is out there, too, with its door propped open for him in case he wants to retreat.) He wanted back in the house, coming to the door and looking in several times. He didn't like being out there without me. After a few minutes he seemed to relax a bit. I saw him trotting around the yard in the back, and when he saw me in the window he became very happy, barked, and danced around. Tail up, happy. I'll go back to the house at 1pm and put them in the house for the rest of the day.

At this point, I would assess E's condition as being on par with the first Sheltie I ever had, who came to me at 12 months old from a breeder. He had not been socialized and was afraid of everything, and like E, he progressed quickly as we gave him the security of some structure and gentle treatment. Shelties (and most "sheep herding breeds") are very sensitive dogs, and if they have a "soft" personality they require very gentle handling. This does not mean they've been abused, it just means that they're very sensitive. My first Sheltie went from being totally skitzy to becoming secure and confident, to becoming a certified therapy dog and excelling in obedience. So I want to emphasize the potential I see in E. He's not the kind of dog who is going to move into a new home and look around and say, "OK, I'm home, where's my ball". He needs to know that he's wanted, he wants to know the routine, and he's tentative. That will decrease as he settles in here, but I do expect his new home to have to go through this process with him again. He'll probably progress faster in his new home, since he's had more experience (more POSITIVE experience!).

In terms of obedience, this morning I introduced "come", luring him with a treat while I back up a few steps. Now that he's feeling at home here, it's time to step up the obedience training.

By the way, E is wearing a buckle collar and a choke chain. I don't like choke chains, and this dog is so sensitive that if he even steps on his lightweight nylon leash, he sort of shuts down and thinks you're the one restricting him. So since we have him dragging a leash around still (a very thin light nylon leash), I don't want him to accidentally get a choke correction if he steps on it. But if you've got a dog that might bolt (and we always plan for that) he can back his head out of a buckle collar on a leash (Shelties have narrow heads). So what I do is clip the leash to his buckle collar, AND to the choke chain link as an emergency backup plan. If for some reason he bolts backward while on leash, and slips out of his buckle collar, as he moves backwards it should engage the choke chain and stop him. Otherwise, the choke chain is prevented from engaging. (This is easier to understand when you see it in person.)