Turkey Tracks: September 30, 2017
Hitting the Jackpot!
I now have two co-pilots in the car. I can’t believe how far AC Slater has come in just a month. He may be the smartest dog I’ve ever had, and No No Penny (Penelope), seen here on the left, is super smart.
He comes EVERY TIME he’s called now—running to me with joy and delight. He’s learning the boundaries of the radio fence. (See his pink collar in the picture—it has been through 2 dogs now and used to be red.) He is learning to walk beside me without a leash to the command “Stay by me.” He’s learning language really fast. We had about a week of no potty accidents, then a poo accident yesterday, but at the door to go out—and I caught him in the act—so he knew it was bad, bad. He was embarrassed and immediately regretful. He is just 6 months now.
With the radio collar, I can let him outside as often as he wants. He is “on the job” with the squirrels and chipmunks. I had an infestation of these this year, so that’s great. Hoping no skunk episode. Or porcupine.
AC wants to help with anything and everything outside. If I’m removing a spent plant from a pot, he helps with the pruning by pulling at plant pieces with his mouth. If I’m digging, he helps. He follows me everywhere, looking for work connections with me. I think that spending the night with him in an inn near where I met Casey bonded us. That was a good move.
I would also note that I train with Peter Loeb’s method, from the book SMARTER THAN YOU THINK. This method is not punative in any way, but relies on getting a dog to hear your voice no matter what, making you the dog’s “safe place,” and does not use treats to reinforce behavior. The dog works with you because s/he wants to bond with you and be with you, not because of any punishments for bad behavior.
I love his tremendous energy and his happiness and his sweetness. I have access to woods/fields walks where he can go unleashed. We ran across a really sweet man and his dog the other day on one of these trails, and I called out to him that “he doesn’t bite; he’s a new rescue” as AC had run ahead of me. (When this happens, he always runs back to me as I am his safety place.). The man said: “well, you hit the Jackpot, didn’t you?” Hmmmm. Jackpot may be the new nickname as both of us hit the Jackpot.
On this same walk, we met two women with four small dogs, one a female Jack Russel terrier. She was the miniature of AC, who was taller than she was. So, yes, there is a LOT of Jack Russel in him. They ran in circles around us in sheer joy.
AC runs ahead of us, but waits for the two old ladies (me and No No Penny) to catch up when the path curves and he cannot see us. He takes circular side trips out into the woods, running full bore, but never loses knowing where we are. Thus, he gets in the running he needs. And NNPenny and I are moving faster each day and increasing our distance. Thus, I have not needed to use the dog park so much—and there are some problems with the other dog park dogs, where there is a lot of humping going on. That’s a whole other topic.
I love this boy to pieces! Thank you Casey Carter of Rock City Rescue in Arkansas and foster mother Ashlyn for doing the necessary work to get such a fine dog to me. I am forever grateful.
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