Training at a Pet Store
Today Levi and I went to a pet store near our home to work on socialization and training. Levi can be reactive with strangers and although he has gotten better in general, we still need to work on it frequently. Additionally, he’s very good with his tricks in quiet environments but he needs to keep working on it in noisy and busy environments. While he has been in stores before, it had been a few months so it was almost like starting brand new.
I was a bit nervous taking him into the store so I decked him out in gear. He was wearing a harness with velcro patches that say “do not pet” and “in training”. He was also wearing his e-collar and I had the remote in my pocket. I never ended up using it but I brought it anyways for the added reinforcement just in case. I do also walk him in a prong collar, however the main purpose of going to the pet store was so I could buy a head collar. Lastly, I muzzled him just in case he did have a freak out and needed the added layer of protection. I was nervous we’d get weird looks for him being muzzled but nobody actually acknowledged it. I know all of this gear looks a bit excessive. Realistically, he didn’t need the muzzle or the e-collar, but I’d rather be over-prepared than underprepared.
When we first arrived at the store, Levi was extremely nervous and his entire body was shaking. Levi does well with tricks to distract him from the triggers so I had him in a heel as I walked around. I immediately took him to an empty aisle and had him run through a few tricks. I was hoping to get his mind off of the environment and I think it helped a little. I also continued to walk him around the store. When we passed people, I would put myself between him and the stranger. We also mostly avoided other dogs, the closest we got was maybe 10 feet. It took about 5 minutes for me to feel comfortable enough to start actually shopping. By that point Levi was still nervous and shaking, but he was giving me his almost full attention. As I shopped around, Levi would stay close to me, not completely in a heel but almost, and when we stopped he would sit down as I looked at the shelves.
I only ended up getting a few items, including the head collar, a new toy, and some training treats. When we went to pay, the cashier told me that she thought Levi was being so well behaved. Although it was evident he was nervous, he wasn’t bothering anyone or causing a commotion. He handled himself very well and I was so proud of him. He even had moments where he calmed down enough to not be shaking out of nervousness. He was never calm enough to take treats in the store but gladly ate some once we got into the car. We were in the store for 35-45 minutes which was a good start for him.
Once we got home I immediately gave him his new toy. I think it’s safe to say he loves it, he’s a big fan of interactive toys and this toy has a small ball inside of the bigger one. He was very determined to try and get the smaller ball out. We also tested out the head collar and walked around in the apartment a little bit. He’s not the biggest fan of it so far but I’m interested in seeing how it goes compared to the prong collar or a front clip harness.
