Thursday

The water this morning on our causeway walk was exceptionally clear. The dark green patch above is sea grass. You can see down through the blades. 

The temperature was 81, but the humidity was 84%. There were few clouds and the breeze was light. The walk was a bit of a struggle, but we did it.

Toby ran (more like, slithered) to his crate when we asked before leaving for our walk. That’s so much easier than chasing and manhandling him.

Toby’s been very easy today. John and I separately have both been working on his commands. Toby’s been responding to commands without having to use treats every time. The next thing we need to do is practice in areas with more distractions. We’ve only done a little of that.

A big change for us is not allowing him to bark at anything going on outside the house. Heretofore, we thought that was a dog’s job, and we probably encouraged it. We’ve since learned that it’s the dog’s way of asserting dominance and defending his pack. While that sounds reasonable, it also means he doesn’t think he can depend on us to protect him. Now, whenever he barks, we assert ourselves and distract him until he calms down. It’s working. Now, he will engage in a muffled bark. Then we spring into action. Interpreting our action as making him feel safe has made a real difference. The whole training experience is about getting him not only to bond with us, but for him to always look to us first.

The three of us napped after lunch.

The sky was on fire at sunset tonight. John got this picture from the front yard.

Miles walked: 11.1

Miles biked: 5.13