Today we passed a milestone in Rosie’s rehabilitation. She presented a dynamic and confident mantrailing work in a crowded square which is a very big result in our life.
Facing the Obstacles
I have spent several months building up Rosie’s motivation in mantrailing. I have trainers who have helped me to overcome many-many obstacles from attacking the trail layer to becoming stressed on the way back to the car. It was not long time ago, during the summer, when she got frustrated that she had to work in a crowded street. She could do it, but she was not happy, and I was afraid that it would affect her motivation on the long run. I decided to avoid such situations and focused on doing really-really happy trails. Working in a crowded street was a big no-go at that time. I knew I would have to face the problems one day when we would be ready.
From a No-go to a Let’s-go
We live close to Batthány tér. It is a node of public transportation: several buses, a metro, a suburban railway and trams stop here. It is also a popular sightseeing spot for tourists since it is on the bank of the River Danube, exactly in the opposite of the Parliament.
‘Normally’, Rosie panics there. I can’t walk her through this square, because she crawls on the ground and completely shuts down. She either flees or freezes. I tried everything for months, and eventually I gave it up. No treats. No praise. No squeaky balls. Nothing worked. I put our energies into more important things instead of getting used to a f*cking square… But today our team trained here. I don’t say that I didn’t hesitate a bit before the training, but I decided to take on the challenge.
Panic vs. Good Job
I asked a friend who Rosie loves to help us with laying the trail. When I opened the trunk, and Rosie started to wag her tail in the car, I knew we would be OK. The trail was very intense with four short phases. Reinforcement came quickly. We worked through the square starting in one corner, ending up in the opposite one. I knew the trail, of course. I kept the leash very short just as I learned. Rosie just did it! In fact, it was a very dynamic and concentrated work. I didn’t see any sign of hesitation, or distress. The contrast between the panic and the work presented today was huge and amazing! I felt so relieved, happy and proud afterwards, but more importantly, I felt hopeful again.
Learning to trust
Living with Rosie is not easy. Actually, I don’t have words for how difficult it is sometimes. I love her, it is not a question, but time to time I ask myself why I’m doing it? Moments like this one today give me the answer. Our trainer told me that if Rosie was able to overcome such obstacles during mantrailing, I really should start trusting her abilities. I used to hear people telling me ‘Your dog is aggressive. Your dog is too fearful. Your dog has weak nerves.’ Luckily, Rosie was not affected by these awful labeling, and she just proves them wrong. She proves me wrong…
Good job, my girl, keep it up!
When we first met, you were a 6-month old, frightened, little creature rescued a month before. I was told later that I had been the first person you didn’t bark at, and now I can value how much that means. It was strange, so many things were swirling through my mind. I had never had an own dog before, I was a know-nothing at that time, but I didn’t have the chance to hesitate, it was time to take action.
You were already one year old when I finally found a community of experienced and helpful behaviourists and positive trainers who changed the way we live. After a dozen hours of rehabilitation we could finally go to regular dog school. Your rehabilitation continued by mantrailing and we have just started protection work for therapy. Teaching you obedience is an everyday routine for us. I accept that you might never chase butterflies, but I’m sure our hearts’ desire will guide us to damn good places.
