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A focused few days brought meaningful progress for Nakina, including continued CGC work, improved separation training, and a shift to permission-based greetings.
🐾 Productive Few Days
This week was highly focused. After returning late Tuesday from holiday travel and working through a bad cold, I still managed to make meaningful progress with Nakina.
Training
We completed AKC Fit Dog Level 1, and now have four additional weeks of individual walks to finish for AKC Fit Dog Bronze. We also began an AKC Novice Tricks Class, adding a new layer of engagement and learning.
We skipped Advanced Beginner this week due to my concerns about being contagious.
CGC class was held at Bass Pro Shop, where Nakina had difficulty with the separation exercise. The trainer felt this was likely due to my being away for five days, which made sense given the timing.
To work through this, I returned to Bass Pro later in the week and focused on heeling and simply spending time together near the separation area to build comfort. Today, Guy and I practiced the separation exercise there again. It was still slightly stressful for her, but noticeably improved from earlier in the week.
We’ll continue to build on this with consistent, low-pressure repetitions.
Socialization
Now that Nakina is no longer jumping on people, the focus has shifted to permission-based interaction. She is learning that greeting people is not her decision, but something that happens when given a “Go Say Hi” cue. She is starting to understand this, which is a meaningful step forward.
What's Next
- Emergency Stop & Hand Targeting — creintroduce and build consistency
- Down vs. settle — continue creating a clear distinction
- Stay — increase distance, duration, and distractions
- Recall — continue on leash in more distracting environments
- Travel Crate — zipping with no stress
- Grooming — begin grooming desensitization on the table
- Continue elevator desensitization
This week required fitting a lot into a short period of time, but overall, things remain on track. Whether or not Nakina passes the CGC evaluation this time, the focus is on understanding where she is, identifying what still needs work, and continuing forward with a clear plan.