The first time I attempted this... in December I think, he escaped from my car and it was quite traumatic for both of us. Don't worry, he wasn't in harms way. I was still at home and he just ran into the neighbours back yard. Thank goodness they like dogs! We had to corral him into their house so I could get his leash and collar back on. Quite an adventure. Needless to say, that ended our car trips for quite a while. Since then he's been going to daycare and making tremendous progress with his leash issues. I will post more on that shortly.
For now, back to the PetsMart story!
So, I was a little uncertain, but sometimes you just "gotta suck it up!" I set it up so that our Dog Program Co-Ordinator met me with one of her confident dogs outside (Cyle). Since he's comfortable around other dogs, they went in first, Cash followed Cyle and I was behind giving Cash a little nudge when he needed it. I was very surprised. He was more distracted with everything that was going on around him than afraid. There were dogs and new smells all over the place. He did very good.
Once we got to where ARF sets up their booth, we got a volunteer to set up and x-pen for him. I got him in the pen with a puppy and took off his leash so he'd be more comfortable. I think it only took about 20 minutes for him to relax and start enjoying himself. It was really nice to see! He was very curious of all the new people coming to look at him, not to mention all the other dogs that were there! By the end of the visit, he was wagging his tail, playing with a puppy and doing simple behaviours for treats! Exiting the store to go back into the car was a breeze! I am so proud of this kid right now!
Thanks for taking the photos Morgan!
He will be at the Chinook PetsMart every week-end from now until he gets adopted for the added exposure and confidence building it will bring him. Hope to see you there!
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