So today we were running and I saw a man with an off-leash golden up ahead of us. Mika spotted the golden first and increased her speed a notch to zoom towards the dog. I called "Gimme a check!" (our reactivity cue) and, with no hesitation whatsoever, she turned on a dime to race back to me. She got a few handfuls of treats for that GREAT response!
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On a different note, I've been reading up on an amino acid called L-theanine that is commonly used for dogs with stress or anxiety. I first heard about in on the shy-k9s Yahoo group that I recently joined. L-theanine can relax an individual (a person, dog, or whatever), while at the same time increasing focus and NOT making the individual sluggish! This is unlike most of the stress supplements that I've heard of, which do calm the dog, but also make them drowsy, which I don't want. I'm going to read up some more on this amino acid and then maybe try some for Wall-e, in addition to the DAP, for our trial on Friday.
Marge takes L-Theanine daily and has so for the past year and a half. Absolutely no negative side affects and I think it helps to take the edge off. I highly recommend it. Let me know if you have any questions!
ReplyDeleteGood luck at the trial on all counts. Sounds like you have a great plan in mind.
ReplyDeleteGood girl, Mika! She deserved tons of treats! I always have recall problems with Eva since she was young until now but lately I've found out that if I say 'touch' and show her my palm, she comes to me happily. I hope this trick last.
ReplyDeleteI've heard of L-theanine but have never tried it. It sounds interesting.
Never heard of that.
ReplyDeleteBut sounds like Mika had a great recall. Good job!
Congratulations on the great recall! I look forward to following your blog. Your two remind me of my Sophie.
ReplyDeletewow, you had to be sooo happy to get such a good response from your "gimme a check" cue, that is so huge. Good job!
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