That rough little muppet, finnish lapdog, which I have here a few days a week. 😀 There has been so much else this past week that I haven't had time to do any updates about Floki. And he deserves it – not to mention his math. Credit must absolutely be given where credit is deserved.
I have told you that Floki is a walking monster. Ella was also really fucking mean at times, but I knew her well and knew how to correct her. It has been a little smarter with Floki, because he doesn't act or respond to corrections like Ella. The problem with the walks is thankfully something that Floki's mother has been and is well aware of, and with the most open mind I could wish for, she has absorbed every tip and piece of advice I've come up with to change this.
Last week we met to think about what the actual training in leash walks would look like; Floki's mother pointed out that it is good if we do the same things, Which she is absolutely right about. We determined that we should focus on a few things – Contact exercises, compliance, lek, and diversion in dog encounters. Floki and his mother started training already last weekend, and you know what?
It is noticeable.
I noted differences in the walk already during Monday, and had to somehow perform it well. I felt a little mean when I asked over Messenger if they did any training this weekend, without saying why I asked. Sometimes you have to be a little teasing. 😉 They had practiced a lot, and I praised them both because after just one weekend there was a difference.
Is it perfect? No, it is clear it is not. There is a long way to go until it is at least possible for me to go for a really long walk with two dogs on short/long leashes, which neither pulls, strokes, rushing, flutters or something else stupid that makes the walk difficult. Until we get there, we will have both progress and setbacks, and that must be ok.
Something else we made progress with, is the claw clipping. I clipped Floki's claws the first time because… a few weeks ago, or was it two? I don't remember – but regardless it was the third time today. In the past, it has taken quite a long time and been very difficult – mainly for Floki. He wrestles, marking with my teeth on my hands, splashing and having fun, and haven't been able to relax to let it be a cozy exercise and moment.
But it is so important not to give up, even when he thinks it sucks.
We wrestled today with. Marked with his teeth he did too. As before, I have refused to give in, but instead physically helped him to relax and calm down so that we were finally able to clip the claws on all four paws. Floki thinks the back paws are a bit scarier than the front paws, so there I just cut off the outermost top, even though the claws are quite long. When we were still on our front paws, we actually succeeded so well that he almost lay with his stomach in the air for a while and almost thought it was ok. But only almost. 😀
There are two things I really like this. Partly, I like that it, certainly with training, is so easy to fix this problem. And a problem is that when you have to deal with a dog that does not walk well on a leash. It is terribly stressful when the walk consists of more of a struggle than a pleasant moment with the dog. But I also like that Floki's mother is on board and so incredibly willing to do something about it. The only reason it hasn't been done before, I suspect it is partly due to ignorance, partly on trivial things such as life sometimes getting in the way, and sometimes it is the dog that ends up at the bottom of the priority list.
Been there, done that.
It is not so flattering to oneself, but sometimes it happens. That's when it's lucky that it's actually not very mentally or physically hard to start working on it. The only muscles that get a real workout is one's own patience, the frustration and everything that goes with it. But you have to put up with that, if in the long run you want to have pleasant walks with your dog.
Otherwise, I can say about this very thing that Monday will be an adventure. I will have the whole three dogs here at home then; Lilo, Flocks – and Egon. Egon will celebrate Christmas with me and Lilo. Egon's family is having a hard time getting it all together, and Lilo's mother works on Christmas Eve. Not against me, because I don't celebrate Christmas at all – but it is very nice to have company on one of the few days of the year when everyone is busy with their families. ♥
In something upcoming post, I thought I'd write a little about the dog people I follow on social media. For me, it feels important to listen to several different ones, and even ones where I don't agree at all with the philosophy they espouse. So prepare yourself for upcoming tips on what I perceive to be good dog people. 🙂