Everyday life, especially walks, is not easy with a dog like Elton, as he has severe epilepsy and suffered a major stroke in May this year, which caused him to lose part of his mind. He reacts to cats, other animals, dogs. For a very long time, we walked outside only with a muzzle, because the option - to give the dog something in his teeth to carry - did not work for us. If Elton noticed something that attracted him, then he ran, tried in every way to get close to that object, let's call it that.
In June, we launched a new approach to solving this problem. Elton knows what the "chip" signal is, which means there will be a reward. Walking out, at first with a muzzle, when I saw one of the objects, I gave him a signal and took a couple of steps back, as soon as he just turned to me, I gave him a treat. We incorporated all of this so deeply that he developed the so-called salivary reflex - he saw the object - looked at the owner, because there will be a treat. Now I don't retreat anymore, when the dog sees the object he looks at me and waits for his reward.
After working hard with this for a month, we managed to get rid of the muzzle. We work hard to reinforce this behavior. Of course, because of Elton's illness, it's all more difficult, but I'm not worried because I know we'll be fine.
Elton is also a dog that should not be rewarded for a great walk, with treats and affectionate play, and off leash as this excitement can cause him to have an epileptic fit. But he really likes to search. After we've managed to create an uneventful walk, I take Elton to the meadow and leave food in the grass for him to roam around looking for. The main thing is to specially choose a place where the grass is longer so that it is not so easy for him. My dog really likes it, so it's a way for him to know he's done something really good. If the weather is bad outside, then we replace this same search with a search mat, which I have made with longer fringes, so that he has the opportunity to sniff and search.
We still have a long way to go, as much of what was previously taught has been lost to disease. But we have a plan, I am guided by it and we are moving forward one small step at a time.
The important thing is to find the right method for each dog. There are other dogs who may need Clicker instead of the owner's voice, there are other dogs who need proper play. Every dog is different and needs to be taken into account. The key is to not give up and work with your dog. The results don't come right away, but when they do, trust me, the feeling is great.
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