[nagdu] Too much petting from roommates

[The Pawpower Pack]

Laura,

People's answers to this question will probably differ widely.  My dog  
is a Doberman mix.  She is, by nature, a very reserved dog.  I am one  
of those people who doesn't mind if people pet as long as they ask  
first.  I first started doing this when she was in training because I  
wanted to get her used to all different types of people.  Also I found  
that a great way to teach her to ignore people petting her was to set  
up many situations where people pet her, then train her to ignore  
petters.  As I said; she's a reserved dog-- so she picked this up  
quickly.
When she's not working, she's just a regular dog.  My friends and  
family pet her; people at the dog park pet her and it's not a problem.
So my long answer to your question is that no, it doesn't impact our  
work together at all because she is petted by many people.

I think it's important to change up the working routine of a dog from  
time to time.  Especially a young dog, or a dog who gets bored  
quickly.  I do this by going a different rout, stopping work mid-rout  
and doing a quick play session, or just going somewhere new altogether  
where the dog has never worked previously.
   I also try to make the destination rewarding so she'll want to get  
there.  My dog is clicker trained and I treat frequently at down  
curbs, not only to keep that stopping behavior at a high schedule of  
reinforcement, but to keep things exciting.
I know I get bored doing the same thing over and over again, so I try  
to avoid this with my dog.
Good luck.

Rox and the Herbal HenchHounds:
Bristol (retired), Mill'E SD. and Laveau Guide Dog, CGC.
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm  
not sure about the universe."-Albert Einstein
http://www.pawpowercreations.com
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