Miracles do happen

We are noticing continued improvement in Guinness’s behavior. Yay!

• Today, I got out the Christmas candles and placed them in each window of the house. Guinness was very curious, but he did not try to grab anything or get in the way.
• For more than a week, while it is dark mornings and evenings, we take him out to the side yard for potty time with NO leash! And he does not run away! Even the one time that he did run down to the driveway chasing a squirrel, he came when called!
• For the past many weeks while on our walks on the nearby bike path, when we reach the ball diamond/soccer field area, I test his coming on command which has steadily improved. If there are no people or dogs around at that point, I drop his leash allowing him freedom, and test his recall. He is doing great! Sometimes he is allowed to play in that area with another friendly dog. Last week, he was running in circles with an Old English Sheep Dog which has no obedience training. Their circles were getting wider and wider, taking them around spruce trees where we could not see them. I called Guinness to come. It took a few times, but he eventually obeyed, and the other owner was able to snap her leash on her dog!
• Neighbor Christine and toy poodle, Sasha, came over for tea recently. Sasha was devastated when overactive Guinness moved to the neighborhood. One and a half years later, he is beginning to tolerate Guinness’s presence, so this was the first time in a very long time that he came to our house for a visit. Christine came in her “doggie clothes” (rather than her normal designer wear) to help me teach Guinness to calm down when guests arrive. Both Guinness and Sasha behaved quite well. Guinness needs a little more practice, so we plan to do this more often for working on our social skills. Sasha has two kitty cats, so Guinness is not invited for tea at their house.