[Lonewolfblue]

Betty's been doing pretty well lately. Her trainer has also given her a travel kennel as well. That way I can put her in it when we go places and she's safe. She would always have free roam of the car, which was not the best idea, and my other kennel was too big to fit in the back seat of the car. Now we have something. Got it free. So we've started crate training with the new crate. At first she didn't even want to go in, but I kept telling Betty, 'In the house'. As soon as she went in, I started being really happy and she'd come out to be petted and scratched on the belly. I would do it over and over. Then 2 days later, she started going in on her own, and as soon as I saw her go in, I would act very happy and she'd come out and run happily to me for petting and belly rubs. Within 4 days, she absolutely loves the new crate. Took no food, just being really, really happy and giving her pets and belly rubs. I see people trying hard to crate train their dogs, trying to force them in and feeding in them, and then end up not liking them at all. I highly recommend at least trying this method, getting the dog really excited when they go in. It really works. I also had a friend here locally do it because he had his dog where he absolutely hated the crate. Within a week, the dog was beginning to actually like it. So I know it works, and usually works fast from what I've experienced.

As for our walks, Betty's doing pretty well. She still lunges at other dogs if they get too close, but we've been working on it. The other day, we saw 2 sets of dogs walking the trail, and we were down by the river. I decided to get Betty in the middle. So we let the first ones walk by, then got up on the trail. She was more interested in the pups behind us than the one in front of us. We walked a couple miles this way until we were back at the parking area. While walking, Betty would stop, and I would let out the long line, and as soon as I neared the end of the line, I would say 'Betty, Come', and she would come running up to me and I would treat her and say, 'You see those nice puppies?', and we would walk a little farther and she'd stop again and I would repeat. Occasionally she would run ahead, looking at the dog ahead, then stop, and as soon as I got to her, would praise her and tell her she's being a good dog, giving treats. She did really well, and never lunged either direction. And it was really fun too. I wish I could have setups like this more often.

Then there was another day where we got in front of another dog, and Betty did the same. The only difference this time is they were walking faster than we were, and were slowly gaining. And I saw Betty's arrousal level increasing, but she kept coming. Then, before they got too close, I found a place where I could take her off the trail and let them pass by with no issues. Thought I'd rather end it on a positive note than lunging. She did really well. So things are slowly getting better. She just needs more work, and lots of praises.