Bribes and breakthroughs

When Shayna drove out here from Utah to adopt Rocky she brought with her several boxes of dog treats that someone had given to her. I don't normally use a lot of treats at home for my own dogs, but they are useful at adoption events and for training. They are great "bribes" to encourage shy dogs to interact with new people and they are helping Rowdy make breakthroughs as we work on his fear and trust issues.

The best thing Rowdy has going for him, however, is his pack. Trooper and Precious are all over me when I go out there, clearly trying to get as much attention and contact with me as possible. Rowdy is noticing and he's beginning to come up for some of that on his own. Last night when I put them to bed, Rowdy got himself in a place where he felt safe and then let me approach him, touch him, and even pick him up. Today I've gone out to the dogyard a few times with a bag of treats and made myself very popular. Even Teddy comes up for treats, although he is still keeping a bit more distance and would prefer that I toss them to him. Rowdy, however, comes right up front with Trooper and Precious to get his fair share.

I expect Precious to get adopted next week and possibly, hopefully, Trooper as well. Until then, I'm going to use them as much as possible to help Rowdy overcome his fears and shyness. Since Teddy suffers from the same problem, he and Rowdy alone won't make a lot of progress.