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Thread: My buddy Jackson

  1. #21
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Glen Cove, NY
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    1,941

    Default Re: My buddy Jackson

    Good luck, Shana! Jackson sounds like he's really coming along...awww, poor guy missed you.
    Joan, mom to my Angel Lena, Angel Gable, Angel Phoenix, Angel Doree, Cooper, Sibble, and now Raina.

  2. #22
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    York, PA.
    Posts
    11,037

    Default Re: My buddy Jackson

    Really looking forward to seeing those Hawaii pics! How was the Hawaiian food and what was the food you liked best?

    Awww, Jackson sure did miss his Mommy (we missed ya too)! Sounds like he is still doing very well with the obedience class, he is such a good boy!

    I'm so excited that you are looking for another dog, please do keep us updated!!

  3. #23
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Washington
    Posts
    1,063

    Default Re: My buddy Jackson

    I think my favorite is the poke or sashimi... nothing like fresh fish. Especially when accompanied by mai tais and the sound of the ocean.

    Jackson IS a good boy. I love him to pieces.
    Mama to Jackson and Kira, and my darling Cushing's angel, Visuddha

  4. #24
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    16,150

    Default Re: My buddy Jackson

    Jackson is really coming into his own. What a guy. Doing so well wth his training and his reactions to other dogs. What an improvement! Yay.

    Mai Tais!!! Lol.
    Sharlene and the late great diva - Molly muffin (always missed and never forgotten)

  5. #25
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Washington
    Posts
    1,063

    Default Re: My buddy Jackson

    Sunday morning Jackson met the next door neighbor's dog, Kona, off leash while her mom was taking groceries out of the car. She is the same size as Jackson, a boxer mix I think, and walked rather nonchalantly over to us while Jackson was totally chill about it. They sniffed and circled, until she realized I had treats and came over to me. My neighbor apologized and came up to get her. They sniffed a little more, then I told Jackson "Let's go" and we left. It was the perfect short introduction.

    Later during the walk, he was rather persistent in trying to chase the squirrels through the rest of the neighborhood.

    Then in the afternoon we had our third "prep" class (intermediate obedience). Jackson was the only dog there so we had a 90 minute personal training session. LOL! I let him roam around the room between exercises for the first half of the class, giving him lots of opportunities to sniff where other dogs had been recently. And of course he was the model student.

    Our walk this morning though is the real reason I'm posting. We passed a man jogging on the other side of the street right away - Jackson just kept looking to me and getting treats. (He sometimes gets nervous around joggers, especially coming towards us.)

    When we turned the corner, he focused on a gray cat walking across the street at the end of the block. I thought for sure this would be a repeat of Sunday's squirrel walk, so I slowed and he turned his head towards me a couple times - click and treat. As we got closer, he was more and more focused when I realized there was a black and white cat sitting next to the tree in the yard. Two cats. Oh great. Jackson was preparing to chase (here we go) but neither one ran, and he was willing to glance at me for more treats as we walked past.

    I paused at the other side of the intersection, and he sat. Awesome - Treats!! He glanced back at the cats, then back to me - still sitting. Jackpot! I didn't move and he offered a down. I thought, hmmm... opportunity for a quick training session. So we practiced sit, down, and stand with those distracting cats in the background.

    He did it all so well that neither one of us realized that we had an audience approaching behind him. Slowly, curious, the black and white cat was crossing the intersection towards us! Jackson noticed shortly after I did, and turned around to WALK that way. The cat stopped and sat down, and Jackson reached the end of his leash. He was curious, but calm. Hmm. I said his name. He turned his head toward me - YES! Good boy. I gave him a treat, which meant there was a bit more slack to the leash. He walked a little closer to the cat, and was stopped by the leash. About this time, the gray cat started to walk across the street, away from us, but Jackson was much more focused on the black and white who was maybe 8-10 feet away, just watching us.

    I said Jackson's name again. With barely an ear twitch in response, I could tell we were a little too close. That's ok. He was still calm so I gave him a treat, which he took. I knew he wouldn't respond if I asked him to sit, so I lured him there. That worked!! GOOD BOY (which is really fun to say, exciting, calm and quietly all at the same time - LOL)! He got a little jackpot for that and then remembered --- Oooh mom has treats - and he turned his head toward me. YES!! Another little jackpot, during which I said "Let's go"...

    And he walked away from the cat.

    WOO HOO!!!
    Mama to Jackson and Kira, and my darling Cushing's angel, Visuddha

  6. #26
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Glen Cove, NY
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    1,941

    Default Re: My buddy Jackson

    Woo Hoo is right! Excellent!
    Joan, mom to my Angel Lena, Angel Gable, Angel Phoenix, Angel Doree, Cooper, Sibble, and now Raina.

  7. #27
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Washington
    Posts
    1,063

    Default Re: My buddy Jackson

    I'm so glad I posted about our walk a month ago. That's a great memory. Jackson has been doing FANTASTIC on our walks lately.

    Tomorrow will be 3 weeks since we brought Kira home. My husband and I walked the dogs together for about a week, until we passed other dogs on the street. I couldn't walk Kira until I got her a Gentle Leader and she stopped trying to pull my shoulder out of the socket , and we had no idea how she was going to behave near other dogs.

    There is a black dog that previously lunged and barked at Jackson (while he lunged and barked back) that was the first one we saw with both dogs together. I immediately scattered treats on the ground and said "Find It!" in a cheery voice. Jackson did exactly that, sniffing the ground and finding the treats. The sniffing is calming for him and any other dogs around, and the food helps with counter-conditioning to change his reaction to other dogs from scary/dangerous things to yay-food! good things. (In my not so eloquent explanation. ) Whatever... it worked. Both of my dogs got food, the black dog and his owner walked past us, curious but quiet.

    Once I got the Gentle Leader for Kira, I started taking them by myself. The blue heelers we saw a month ago were the first dogs we encountered. They turned the corner on our street when we were in the middle of the block. I crossed the street and hustled into a neighbor's driveway. As they got closer, Jackson started to focus and stare. I dropped treats and called out "Find It!" and he turned away from them for the food. One of the heelers was pulling towards us but Jackson ignored them for the treats on the ground. Kira ignored them for the squirrels in the trees.

    Since then, we've had people walk past us on the opposite side of the street, with one or two dogs, and he has not barked or lunged at all. He notices them and looks at me, then as they get close, I scatter a handful of treats on the ground and say "Find it!" Kira doesn't seem bothered by the dogs or the people which is helpful too.

    On a walk earlier this week, a man with two dogs came around the corner on our side of the street, just before we reached the intersection. Jackson was a little nervous so I asked the man to please not come any closer. He gave me an odd look but started across the street with his dogs. Jackson wasn't interested in playing Find It! so I stuck food in front of his nose as they were crossing the street. He took the food and I moved to block his view of them. He stuck his head between my knees so he could keep watching until they passed, finally turning away. No barking or lunging! I'll take it.

    Kira has her own issues for us to work through, including a bit of fear towards strangers (low growls at about 6 to 8 feet, barks if closer). She has also showed some resource guarding of high value chew toys, both toward me and Jackson. Nothing major, but definitely something to address. I described the situation to our trainer yesterday, and he was very encouraged that we could work on these, and provided specific exercises to help.

    Otherwise, we have really been doing well. The dogs get individual and shared attention from my husband and I both, running in a nearby field most mornings during our walk, with lots of rewards for good behavior ... or just because ...
    Mama to Jackson and Kira, and my darling Cushing's angel, Visuddha

  8. #28
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    16,150

    Default Re: My buddy Jackson

    This is great to hear. Jackson has really made a lot of progress and it's great that Kira doesn't show the same issues as jackson.. I'm sure that you will figure out how to address Kiras fears in no time at all too.
    Good JOB!!!
    Sharlene and the late great diva - Molly muffin (always missed and never forgotten)

  9. #29
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Washington
    Posts
    1,063

    Default Re: My buddy Jackson

    Happy Gotcha Day, Jackson!!


    My buddy for the past 7 years, shown here with Kira.


    Mama to Jackson and Kira, and my darling Cushing's angel, Visuddha

  10. #30
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    rural central ARK
    Posts
    14,549

    Default Re: My buddy Jackson

    awwww HAPPY GOTCHA DAY, JACKSON!!
    "May you know that absence is full of tender presence and that nothing is ever lost or forgotten." John O'Donahue, "Eternal Echoes"

    Death is not a changing of worlds as most imagine, as much as the walls of this world infinitely expanding.

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