[nagdu] Too much petting from roommates

[Tamara Smith-Kinney]

Lora,

Could be boredom.  You might want to observe to be sure he's feeling
physically well, too.

I agree with Rox that it is important to change things and up and keep them
interesting and rewarding.  Taking a play or sniff break with dog or
something like that can really help.  If there's a part of the task your dog
really likes, you can give him opportunities to do that, then praise the
heck out of him.  /smile/  Mitzi loves to show off how clever she is, so I
will give her a chance to do so whenever I can, then gush about how clever
she is.  Happy poodle.  And even when we're just doing a quick errand with
DD in the truck, I have her take the lead and find the door on the way out.
Or I will go off for some indoor work alone with her, then ask her to find
him.  She adores him to no end, so finding him is its own reward, and he
always makes a big deal out of her when we do.  Happy, happy poodle.  /lol/

Weather could be a factor, too, I suppose.  Mitzi slows down more in summer
heat, especially when she's getting do for another cut.  She will also slow
down if I'm not on the ball because I have a lot on my mind.  Sometimes I do
still have balance problems, then she's super slow and careful until I get
in the right head space to keep up anyway.  /smile/  If I'm having a grumpy
day, she will slow down and become more and more non-responsive.  Now that I
know that, I can usually catch myself and just paste a smile on my face and
focus on walking perkily.  Which makes me much less grumpy about whatever it
was, so there you have it.

Can't think of anything else to offer.  It takes time to learn how to
diagnose the small stuff, since there's hardly ever anything really obvious
behind it.  In the course of my busy daily life, I've found it can be
difficult and irritating to find some attention to focus on what's going on
with my dog every second so I can start experimenting on small changes to
see what happens.  By now, of course, I've learned all the little signs and
symptoms and what they mean and where her problem comes from, so I can just
redress whatever balance is off for her, at home or at work or at play.

Now, if I could do as well with my own issues!  /grin/  She helps there,
too, because a happy poodle is a fun poodle who makes you laugh.

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Lora
Sent: Friday, November 19, 2010 1:50 PM
To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nagdu] Too much petting from roommates

Hello
Has anyone found that their dog doesn't work for them as well if
people pet the dog alot outside of harness? My dog isn't walking as
fast and doesn't seem to respond to guide commands as quickly. Any
thoughts would be appreciated.

I'm also wondering if he isn't just getting bored with the routine.


-- 
Lora

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