![\"\"](\"http:\/\/beardogco.com\/WPBlog\/blogimages\/May11\/SundayDrive0651.jpg\" "\\"\\"\/")
<\/a><\/p>\nBut today, I took Bear and headed out for a Sunday drive. Bear gets very excited over ANY animal…cows, horses, other dogs, deer, squirrels – you name it, if it has 4 legs, he wants it. Even in the car when it is cows or horses in a pasture some distance away. I don’t know if he didn’t get out much or it is just everything new and changed or what, but my hope is that if I don’t react and he gets used to seeing this stuff, he’ll NOT react. And I hope this happens while I still have some hearing left…a beardog barking up a storm in a Jeep Wrangler…loud!<\/p>\n
So, off we went.<\/p>\n
Oh, I did take another tool to try…the electronic collar. I have one that has a paging feature. “Page” is vibration only. I can turn off the “shock” part. I had no intention of using any shock, but thought I’d see if a bit of vibration was distracting enough that he’d quiet and hear me. He did. So sometimes I used the page, sometimes just a firm “Leave it” and by the end of the drive, it was voice only and sometimes even that was not needed. I don’t think one drive is going to do it, but every bit of training and success builds – his confidence in himself and in me as the leader. We had a good time. I talked about the cows and horses and the pretty day. And for the first time, Bear kissed me in the car – in the past, whatever has been out the window has been too exciting. Today, there was a bit of “Isn’t this fun?” between us.<\/p>\n
And it WAS a beautiful day for a drive. It has finally turned serious green and it is that vibrant Spring green that speaks of new growth.<\/p>\n A bit hazy again as a new front swirls up from the southeast, but some sun and some blue sky and the mountains have new snow from this latest cold storm.<\/p>\n We arrived home to see Bob on the front porch.<\/p>\n “Did you happen to lose that dog while you were gone?”<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n