Seeing the Past Through Present Behavior:

I got an interesting surprise today. I went to see a rescue Chihuahua mix who isn’t housetrained. Like all ‘rescue dogs’ the new owner said she was abused because she was fearful when she got her, about six months ago. I noticed a little sensitivity but nothing I would gauge as ‘fear’ in our greeting. She was hesitant about me touching her, even when I was sitting on the ground. So I decided to get started with the process. First thing – associate a clicker with treats. That is when I got the surprise. I clicked. She instantly jerked her head around and looked at the treat she obviously expected to be on the ground. It could have been a fluke so I tried it again. Sure enough, I clicked, she instantly was searching the ground for the treat. Hmmmmm. Continue reading