Big Steps For Little Paws

Kodiak's made some great progress this week. He had his first all-by-himself class this past Sunday (well, not ALL by himself - I was there, but Reyna and Duncan weren't). The class was held in a small space in a store, and although he was stressy going into the store, he settled down nicely in the enclosed space. Its easy to tell when he's worried because he'll stop taking treats. He actually let the other people in the class pet him (on the chest, not the head), and he even worked for a few minutes with another person. The other dogs in the class were small breeds, so he looked like a big dog for the first time ever.

Monday was our regular session with Suzie, and Kodiak got a lot of first time experiences there, too. He learned that he can pay attention to me while scary things are happening (he couldn't actually look at me, but he was willing to touch my hand and take a treat). He also learned that he could walk past terrifying orange cones.

I took him out on an errand today. He had a little trouble going into the store, but after a couple of minutes he was willing to take cookies from an employee. The odd noises coming from the storeroom worried him, but he handled it pretty well. He seems to be learning that I'm his safe place and that he can come to me when something scares him. He still has a ways to go with getting comfortable in parking lots, but I did manage to get some hand touches and a bit of heeling from him before we left.

All in all, I'd say he's had a very good week.