First Date

I'll admit I was a bit anxious driving down to the shelter today. There is a lot riding on the success of our little venture here and I think that was weighing on me. Overall I have a tendency to over think things so I shook it off and went to get Luke. Luke doesn't really know me from Adam so this was a bit like a first date. I was told that he could be picky about what kind of treats he likes so I brought cheese sticks and some steak. Believe it or not he chose the cheese over the steak. He ate the steak, but it was clear he preferred the cheese. Good to know.
The shelter was very busy today with dogs and cats in every nook and cranny so finding a "quiet" spot to spend some time was going to be a challenge. I decided to start with a simple walk. Did I say simple? Besides the fact that Luke doesn't walk on the leash, it's more like a pull, he also could care less who was at the other end of the leash. This is totally normal and understandable, but at the same time unacceptable if we are going to make this work.
I began clicking and treating (here on in referred as c/t) for any look back at me, a check in, an acknowledgment of the person at the other end. I was also c/t for a loose leash as we proceeded on our walk. Luke also has a tendency to greet people by jumping up on them. We'll add that to our list of to dos.
All in all we spent about 45 minutes together. When I went to take him back to his run it was clear he didn't want to go. This is very common with shelter dogs. Their runs are a very stressful place to be and it shows in their behavior upon their return.
I told him I would be back tomorrow. It will get better. I promise.