[nagdu] Update, Trouble with Tugging

[Kristen]

Hi, all--

Last time I posted here, Corvette was unwilling to jump out of 
cars, becoming one with the car floor and not budging at all. I 
am delighted to say that, with the suggestions of many list 
members here (especially Raven), he is getting out of the car 
perfectly almost every time. It took lots of practice and praise 
with the clicker at different locations, but our accomplishment 
feels so rewarding. Clicker training works wonders!

However, maybe someone here can think of more solutions than I to 
a smaller issue we're currently having: This mostly happens when 
he is unfamiliar with our surroundings or sees any car (it 
doesn't have to be ours) and wants to jump in. He immediately 
begins looking for our car among parked cars, even when we're 
nowhere near it. Corvette will tug forward or to either side if 
he's in a hurry, making me drop the lead and pull him back by the 
leash. I make him do puppy situps (sit, down, sit, down...) to 
refocus his attention on me. Within a few minutes, though, he 
will revert to pulling me again to bolt to wherever he wants to 
go (usually, anyplace where he knows he will get to lay down) at 
the time, often not watching out for whatever is ahead of me. 
Sometimes, I think it is just that Corvette is skiddish and 
unsure of where we are. I try using the term "easy," which he 
knows means to slow down after a few situps, then clicking and 
rewarding when he goes slower, but that is usually only a few 
minutes or so until his attention is unfocused on our current 
task again.

I'm looking for a better way to set up this situation during 
obedience routines to practice. However, he is fine when we pass 
the car in our driveway, and I say "leave it." He does, and I 
reward. It's not bad at all at home because he's familiar with 
the surroundings and knows where we're going and what to expect.

Any suggestions to correct this using positive reinforcement? (I 
would like to mention that he will not take a treat on the lead, 
which I am happy about after reading recent threads about food 
refusal problems. I would like to keep it this way with him.) He 
is a "soft" dog and lives for praise/love, which worked well 
after clicking to get him out of cars. I've tried a simple leash 
correction after the refocusing, but it seems not to last long. 
He does use a halti at all times.

Thanks in advance for any advice!
--
Kristen