We made a plan to walk and rather than having the dogs go nose to nose in the road with the usual circling and sniffing, we met on the road in front of our house and just started walking. I've learned that this is how you tell your dogs "I'm inviting them into our pack - no need for you to protect me". It worked beautifully!
Glacier still keeps an eye on Chris and is definitely a little wary of Quinn when she's off leash... But she's a galumphing galoot who can't stop herself from bowling anyone over (people or dogs) when she's steamrolling toward them... So to be fair, I'm a little wary of Quinn too. At 80 lbs, she could buckle my knees if I'm not watching and bracing myself! But she's sweet and doesn't mean harm - she'll grow out of it!
This weekend we spent time with my in-laws burning yard waste and cutting firewood. I wasn't sure how Glacier would handle the commotion. Yesterday she did pretty well but ended up spending most of the time hanging out in the car because it was raining and she was cold.
Today, however, I decided to let her off her leash to wander around a bit to see what she would do. She was amazing! She bravely went up to everyone even those in chainsaw helmets or running the chainsaw or blower. She trotted around playing with toys, tried to bury her toy in the woods multiple times, and came every time I called without hesitation. Phew!
She is also completely undisturbed by the sound of the chainsaw or blower. Several times I had to call her because she was sitting just a few feet behind the chainsaw operator often taking chips to the face nonchalantly.
We also recently took her to a local outdoor shopping plaza to keep her socialization going. She did great! Well... Except that she wanted to bully a bichon frise dog for a minute but she got over it quickly and just sat facing the other way while we talked to its owner.
At the plaza, she even went into the dog supply store and happily took "chicken crack" (freeze dried chicken bits that are apparently incredibly tasty!) from the shopkeeper and a pack of teenage girls that came in.
So... With her new-found confidence building we have to stay on top of getting her into new places with new experiences so we can continue to build on this. We did well when we first did her training last year and then we dropped off on the socialization when we got busy.
She and Brody have also learned a new trick! Both can sit with a treat on their paw and wait until the "Free!" command is given before they eat it. I'm pretty pleased with it and am now working on some new ways to challenge them.
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