Chopper has had some backsliding. I had gotten complacent some with the clicker training, and it coincided with some environmental stuff we couldn't control. Our neighbors are selling their house and have people in it at all sorts of hours he isn't used to with a working family. During the day you can hear them pretty clearly, and it had been scaring Chopper. Combined with the people in the house behind (and above) us having kids playing on their deck, Chopper was just going internal. I think if I had been diligent with his enrichment those things wouldn't have taken their toll. Lesson learned (bad Mommy!)
I was out of town last week and enlisted Greg's help to start up clicker training as well. I came back to way more treats then expected. I don't think he's quite as generous with them LOL. There's always one parent who's more giving, right? Well despite that, Greg's clicker training did make a difference. When I came home Chopper was improved. I went back into the routine and now a few days later he's almost back to his high point again. In fact, some stuff is better. For example, he took a break in the middle of breakfast yesterday to play with his toys, which he'd been ignoring for a few weeks. When I thought he was done and started to take his food up he got really cute and did a play bow by his bowl as if to say: "I was just taking a break!" Back it went, and he went back to eating.
Today we took Chopper and Kolohe for another walk in the woods. Kolohe was smiling, Chopper was full high tail, wagging away. I'd had a long and full day at work and as we were walking I realized I'd was grinning. It was the first time I recalled doing that all day. I turned to Greg, who had Chopper and said: "If I had a tail, it'd be up now too." Those walks in the woods are so much more then just for Chopper. What a gift he's brought us.
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