Update After WAY Too Long

Charlie has come such a long way since I last posted (REALLY bad owner).

Positive Changes

• Goes to most strangers without hesitation (he's still having problems with large dark skinned people)
• Greats almost everyone (except me) nicely (see above comment)
• Plays well with kids and new lighter skinned adults (including my brother who plays ROUGH)
• Interacted nicely with an older white man with a cane
• Learned a top notch sit and down with duration (including turning my back, walking away 10 feet, praising Sheila, coming back, walking around him with a toy, then release to play tug)
• Learned a really nice general recall with limited distractions
• Learned to file his own front nails on a board
• Learned left from right paw on physical cue
• Learned a fairly consistent loose leash walk
• Perfected his rescue recall - its AMAZING - even with treed squirrels!
• Played and interacted in the house and back yard really well with a puppy dumped behind the house while I placed the puppy
• Worked for 1.5 hours on greeting/going to matt/behaving nicely/showing off tricks while getting oil changed with GREAT success (anticipated a 30 minute visit)
• Taught G'ma and G'pa to play tug at his command (I got this stopped - at least he took the initiative to play with adults!)
• Works in class within four feet of a known dog - further distance is required for new or other reactive dogs

In Progress

• Targeting with back paws with goal of filing own back nails
• Working towards a stay with duration with me out of sight
• Healing (just starting)
• Standing front (almost ready to add a verbal cue)
• Walking stop (just starting)
• Watching me more than things around him
• Working through Sue Ailsberry's training levels while not in school (allergies have kicked-up again)

Goals

• Creating a second emergency recall to a whistle (shouldn't take to long to transfer)
• Working towards minimal reactiveness (or at least controlled behavior) around other dogs while on leash
• Starting CDSP and/or APDT competitions in the next year
• Having a friend work with Charlie to develop more trust and teach him that others can work with him, too
• Perfecting , crisping up, and generalizing all of the items in the first two sections

Side Notes

Charlie did all of the above even though I was sick for a month in November.

I was able to meet the Animal Care and Control officer who removed Charlie from his abusive home. He wouldn't tell me much other than it had been one of the worst situations he had ever been involved in. However, when I asked some specific questions (i.e. I think XX must have happened to this boy) - he confirmed most of what I guessed - really nasty.

Sheila has starting shaping!!!!!

Charlie is now out of school for a while. The food he has been eating was changed, and now he's itching again. We're changing his food to grain free and raw, but its going to take a while to completely switch. Until the itching is under control we're only working at home. We're doing longer, more focused work at school, and I can't have him learning he can break stays to itch! However, he's doing really well at home with duration!