Independant vs Bonded

A while back I wrote a post about Abby's training plan. It was well thought out and included lots of hikes and basic training. Things were going well for awhile and I wrote an update and added more phases to the training plan. Things aren't going so well anymore. . . and we are having to make adjustments to our training plan.

In some ways, Abby is doing great. She is more comfortable on our hikes and is willing to do a lot of obedience with me. She is doing well in class and I think that she will be ready to trial in Rally in another month. However, Abby is going backward with her separation issues. She has tried to escape from my office and has started screaming again when I leave her for "extended" periods (read: more than 2 hours). This is not a road that I want to go down again.

A part of me worries that I contributed to this recent increase in anxiety behavior. I routinely put her in stressful situations and ask her to look to me for support and guidance. We do this kind of training for many reasons, but the main reason is to help Abby keep her panic under control. And, in this case, the training is working. We often come across strange things on our outings and Abby has learned to stay near me and not to panic or try to flee. Today, for example, we literally ran into a horse. Both Abby and I were startled, but Abby did not panic and we were able to continue on our hike with no worries. However, my worry with this training is that Abby cannot handle stress when I am not there. I have worked so extensively on our bond to be able to do the kinds of things that we are doing, that I think I have really set her back on the independence work we have done.

So now our training plan is changing again. We are still going on hikes, and I am still planning on doing training with her on them, but I am going to ask her to do more distance work - more specifically, I am going to ask her to do more stays and am hopefully going to be able to get some distance stays with distraction. We have altered the way we work in class too. Abby is no longer allowed to sit in my lap during class. She is also required to stay tethered to the wall when I walk the course. She really hates that part, but I'm trying to teach her in a way that eases her anxiety about it rather than increases her anxiety about being away from me. I'm hoping that this works and that I will have a good report the next time I update her training plan.

Here is a just because picture I took of Abby on our hike today. Her lines are a little off because her hind end is uphill from her front end, but I still think that she is one of the prettiest dogs I've ever seen.