[PeggyTheParti]

Our nextdoor neighbours are having some extensive landscaping done over the next few days. So I went out with Peggy this morning, armed with treats and prepared to stick them in her mouth while she got used to their presence.

What did she do? She wandered up to the fence, loose and friendly, and then waited patiently for someone to come say hi. Okay....

I decided to try the front yard, where more guys are working and where our neighbour has spooked her before. This elicited a single soft woof (the chatty kind, not the spooked kind), a bit of a hello wiggle, and...that’s it. No tension on the leash. No excitement. She looked up at me, I gave her a treat, and we went back inside.

These are strangers with all sorts of weird tools. They are practically in our yard. (We have only a low picket fence between our backyards and nothing in the front.) Why was she not concerned? I really want to understand.

 

[Liz]

Sounds like all of your hard work is paying off!

 

[fjm]

Polite introductions work - definitely a sign of growing up!

 

[PeggyTheParti]

I can’t believe how much it varies. Just yesterday she was barking at our other neighbour! But you’re both right—it does feel like progress. Now we’re sitting in the sun, watching them work. They don’t speak English so I can’t explain what I’m doing. They must think I’m the world’s nosiest neighbour.

 

[Ava.]

Your training worked, be proud!

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Your training worked, be proud!

Thanks for the reminder. It’s easy to forget to be proud when I’m so puzzled. I wish I could see the world through her eyes.

 

[dogsavvy]

I would also venture to say she sees none of them as a threat. It takes maturity & self confidence to have a young dog at ease with people so you have done well. That they're carrying all these tools & making noises means you should bask in the glory of your good work

I have John Wayne here in Mr. Layne since the attempted break in. He's ready for a shoot out of the k9 variety any time, pilgrim. He sees someone that doesn't belong & is almost disappointed when they turn out to be a friend... or delivery person. Those delivery people just plain disappoint him. They don't steal stuff... they drop stuff off & that's just not his kind of fun. Can't saddle up & mow them down when they BRING STUFF. Geeze a loo. Recently I came around the corner just in time to hear the fedex person call out to him, "See... bringing the box... NOT taking anything". Honestly that dog was quiet & he patrolled the fence line & watched & seemed to be eyeball inspecting him before he got in the truck, he did a pirouette to show him. I stayed hidden & Mr. Layne sat down on the decking & did his sighing thing. I think there are days he'd pay one of them to try to steal something so he'd have a chance to do his thing. I've gotten to where I tell him, "Sorry buddy, this one's a good guy too." He he'll lean against me & huff out a sigh like, "yeah... bummer". Thankfully we have acreage here or neighbors would think I'm a nut but I'm having a Poodle discussion.

 

[ThePoodlesMoody]

I've noticed something with my dogs - sometimes a LOT of stimulation is handled better than one particular isolated thing. For instance, Apple Butter is fine with many people walking around in a store. She mostly ignores them. But if we go on a day when the store is empty and then there is just one person, well, suddenly that ONE person seems AWFULLY suspicious.

It's almost like if there is a big crowd or a lot of new things going on at once, her brain says "oh sure, that just must be how it is." But when there is only one minor difference she might say "Hmmmm... that one thing suurrrre seems out of place. Maybe it's not supposed to be like that. I should woof."

This also works with cars. I can train outside with a steady stream of cars driving by with no distraction. But if the road is quiet and one lone car drives by? Instant distraction.

Plus, of course, as everyone else here has said, you work hard with Peggy and she's maturing and all of your work is paying off.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

That’s an interesting perspective. Peggy will always alert to a lone pedestrian or small group on our mostly quiet street. There’s just not enough activity out there to facilitate proper desensitization.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

I would also venture to say she sees none of them as a threat. It takes maturity & self confidence to have a young dog at ease with people so you have done well. That they're carrying all these tools & making noises means you should bask in the glory of your good work

I have John Wayne here in Mr. Layne since the attempted break in. He's ready for a shoot out of the k9 variety any time, pilgrim. He sees someone that doesn't belong & is almost disappointed when they turn out to be a friend... or delivery person. Those delivery people just plain disappoint him. They don't steal stuff... they drop stuff off & that's just not his kind of fun. Can't saddle up & mow them down when they BRING STUFF. Geeze a loo. Recently I came around the corner just in time to hear the fedex person call out to him, "See... bringing the box... NOT taking anything". Honestly that dog was quiet & he patrolled the fence line & watched & seemed to be eyeball inspecting him before he got in the truck, he did a pirouette to show him. I stayed hidden & Mr. Layne sat down on the decking & did his sighing thing. I think there are days he'd pay one of them to try to steal something so he'd have a chance to do his thing. I've gotten to where I tell him, "Sorry buddy, this one's a good guy too." He he'll lean against me & huff out a sigh like, "yeah... bummer". Thankfully we have acreage here or neighbors would think I'm a nut but I'm having a Poodle discussion.

This gave me a good laugh. Poor John Wayne, errr, I mean Mr. Layne.

 

[BlueTheBlueStandardPoodle]

@ThePoodlesMoody we have noticed same thing with our now 6 month old standard. He is fine at an outside field hockey event (with people and dogs) or around dozens of people and other dogs at a large park. But if it is a random unexpected person in the neighborhood while on walk, there can be alert barking and reactivity.

We are training by giving treats whenever a person is seen on walk. I have read a bunch in forum about look at me/that. But it is really difficult to train to and capture moment.