Monday, March 1st

We had a check-up appointment with Dr. DePorter this morning and many things were clarified for us and I was given very specific training to work on with Toby.

I went shopping to buy some 'high value' reward treats for Toby so both Ken and I can have them available while we work with Toby.

The weather was beautiful so I took both Buddy and Toby for a walk. It was uneventful as we didn't run into anyone. When we got back home, I took both outside to play in the yard. Buddy played fetch while Toby watched and sniffed around. I finally found a large ball that Toby could see clearly and tossed it for him. He would run towards the ball but keep going in a wild tuckbuttrun around the yard. He did this several times and seemed to be completely happy with the exercise - not going after the ball.

Later we tried the treats conditioning at the door, going in and out. Toby did quite well with this and followed me around for a while after looking for more treats. I also fed him at the kitchen door and he ate at a normal rate without a care.

Generally, the dinner time with Ken home went okay. About an hour before I expected Ken home, I gave Toby some Xanax. Toby was with us the whole time and didn't show much stress. Then, after dinner something changed. Toby and Buddy went outside, but when it was time to come in, Toby stalled at the door to listened to the melting snow hitting the eaves above. He did not want to come in the door at all, which was a first for me. I immediately grabbed some treats which he stretched and took from me. When he balked, I stopped for a minute. Then I got down to his level, held out the treat again and he came right to me. It was odd, but then again, the pinging noise was new to him. (It makes me wonder if he was left in a crate for a long time and not exposed to 'normal' living).

The evening ended on a high note. Ken came into my computer/studio and sat down to talk. Normally Toby would move closer to me. This evening, Toby, with a relaxed tail, walked over to Ken for some ear scratches! It was a pleasant surprise for both of us.