Nakina made major strides this week with loose leash walking, Rally Skills, and calm crating while officially submitting her AKC Novice Tricks title.
🐾 Novice Tricks
Nakina and I had a wonderful week together, with new classes beginning and several areas of training showing noticeable progress. Most exciting of all, we may have finally found a focused loose leash walking approach that is really working for her.
Training
We officially submitted Nakina’s AKC Novice Tricks title application and are now waiting for it to be awarded.
Our private training session this week was held at our training club. It took Nakina a few minutes to settle in and understand that she needed to focus, but once she did, the difference was remarkable. It was wonderful to see her lock in and work so confidently.
Nakina also did outstanding in her new Rally Skills class and genuinely seemed to enjoy the work.
In Intermediate Tricks, we learned six new tricks this week. During class, Nakina needed to remain crated while surrounded by people and dogs, which is still challenging for her. Even so, she handled the situation very well and showed encouraging progress with remaining calm in a stimulating environment.
We are also working on three highly focused 10-minute walks each day. This structure seems to be making a significant difference in her loose leash walking and overall engagement.
Socialization
Our focused walks are also helping Nakina better understand that interaction with people or dogs only happens with permission.
She still becomes very excited when she sees people she loves, but the intensity of that excitement is beginning to decrease, which is encouraging to see.
What's Next
- Emergency Stop & Hand Targeting — reintroduce 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 felt like a major step forward. For the first time, it truly feels like the foundational pieces are beginning to come together in a way that could make reliable public access work possible in the future.