A Tale of Two Kittens and One Puppy

Although Lola walked on leash perfectly nicely when we first got her, she quickly deterioated into a lunging, snarling dog when she saw or heard other dogs within a couple of months. I don’t know why.

I think part of the problem is that while she did live with other dogs as a puppy, she wasn’t taken on walks, so she never really learned how to behave on leash. And I don’t believe she was well socialized to other dogs when she was a puppy.

We always thought that she was okay with dogs off leash, but one day at doggy daycare she bit another dog. Unfortunately, I didn’t find out about it immediately. She has since been back with the same dog, and has been okay — with close supervision. She apparently doesn’t like that particular dog. We think some of it is female-female aggression, but I know for sure that’s not all there is to it.

By using the clicker on our walks, we’ve made great progress around the neighborhood. Lola knows every single house that has a dog. I can now walk her past most of them without much trouble. Sometimes she has to be managed (made to stop & watch me first); sometimes she doesn’t. Even when she does have to be managed, she is now relatively easy to control. In the beginning, she was uncontrollable.

So we’re on to phase two: the hike and bike trail. The hike and bike trail is where lots and lots of people go to walk their dogs. To begin with, when I saw a dog about 20 feet away, I’d have her sit & watch me. I’d try to time giving her her treat with when the dog actually passed by us, so that she can learn that dog walking by = treats.

So far, it’s going pretty well. On our second walk there, today, I was able to have her just walk with me past several dogs without having to stop at all. Soemtimes we still had to stop. And sometimes she still got reactive, as when the small dog came up to us at one point. She is not to the point where she’s okay with a dog entering her personal space.

It’s unfortunate that I have to go past the largest parking lot, where there’s the most space, because that’s also the area of the trail that’s off leash for dogs. She is definitely not ready for dogs running around off leash while she’s on a leash. We did that earlier this week, and although it wasn’t too bad, I know that it’s harder for her. So I have to try and set her up for success by staying in the areas that require dogs to be on leash for now, which means not knowing if we’ll be able to find a spot to park in.

I have dreams of someday being able to walk both Lola and Chester without having to constantly have an eagle eye out for other dogs, with them calmly walking at my side. I hope that someday that dream will be fulfilled. Until then, I know we have our work cut out for us.

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