Sunday, April 10, 2011

Weekend updates

I worked with my two friends both yesterday and today. Interesting stuff. Working with shelter dogs is challenging to say the least. Mostly because you have to try to work through all of the stress and anxiety the dogs are experiencing. The stressful environment affects their behavior and impacts on their ability to learn.
Romin is a very anxious dog. He is very sweet, open to meeting new people and willing to learn, but for him the shelter environment causes him much angst and it is difficult to get him to a state of mind where he can truly focus and learn. I have to say that he is great on his walks. There are points on the walk where we ask the dog for a sit in order to continue on the walk. Romin knows these spots and his ears will tilt back in my direction, I say "wait" and when I catch up to him he sits automatically. Such a good boy. He will blossom in a home environment with structure and love. He needs a family, truly what he is missing most.
Luke is a different dog all together. Suuuuper smart and ready to go at moments notice. He is much easier to train because he has less anxiety and is more in need of direction and stimulation. He would make an awesome working dog for someone, drug sniffing, bomb detecting etc. Super drive and intelligence, he just has to learn his limits and he would with the right family. With that said, he is a super mush when you start petting him. Give him a toushy rub and his eyes roll back in his head and he is the calmest dog ever!

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