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Bing Blog #9



					"The Dog Show" -- December 19, 2005 It’s time to celebrate!!!! There were back-to-back dog shows nearby this past weekend, and I decided that I needed to take Bing so that he could get used to the hubbub of the show environment. On Saturday afternoon, Pete and I loaded up Acacia and Bing and took them to the show. Armed with a million treats, my plan was to have them walk around outside for a while (just the smells there would be enough to overwhelm most dogs), then take them in the door, click and treat a bunch of times, and take them back out, for a total of three times.
	The first time we went in, Bing wasn’t initially overwhelmed by all the goings-on. We only went in about 30 feet from the door; just enough to be out of the main stream of traffic. I clicked and treated him for looking at me and for not pulling. After about a dozen clicks, his ears went back and he pulled toward the door. I called his name, he came back and looked at me, I clicked and treated and got real happy and took him out. He really wasn’t too bad, but stress is definitely cumulative, and three minutes or so was enough for the first venture. Of course, the whole time, Acacia was with Pete, showing Bing the ropes. For a reactive dog, she really is awesome. You’d never know it! While we were standing outside, letting the dogs sniff, we discussed what just happened and how it went. What happened next sort of makes me want to kick myself! A man and his teenaged daughter walked up to us and the man started to pet Bing on the head, the neck the back. The moment I saw what was happening, I started to furiously click and treat ANY calm behavior! Needless to say, I was not breathing…at ALL!! Bing, however, was cool as a cucumber. It was as if he couldn’t have cared less. His ears were up and erect, his mouth was open and smiling, he wasn’t backing away at all. The petting went on for a few minutes, as the man identified himself as a Belgian Sheepdog breeder. (Do Belgians recognize Belgian people?) we ended our chat and walked back inside, and found a relatively quiet place to stand, while I clicked and treated Bing for looking at me, while I sobbed!!! I am SO proud!!! All that work we did! But SHAME on me for not even thinking that this could happen! It’s a darn good thing that man didn’t give me warning, and that I hadn’t thought of this as a possibility!
	Meanwhile, we were inside the field house, allowing Bing to look around and check back in with me. We started to walk around a bit, staying to the more open areas. We ran into my show handling instructor, to whom I explained what had just occurred, and SHE pet him! He was a bit more worried this time (mouth closed, eyes a bit wide), but still fine, and I clicked and treated him all the way. Marie was suitably impressed, and agreed that he has come a long way. We parted after about only a minute, and we walked a bit more, then went out again. The third time we went in, we found our Belgian Sheepdog club members, all of whom doted on Bing and Acacia. Mary Grace just gooed on Bing, and Barb fed them some roast beef. There were other Belgians to sniff (I love watching dogs get into that breed recognition thing!), and we stayed with these folks for about 10 minutes or so. All that time, they were both getting treated for looking around and then checking back in with me. Bing even gave Mary Grace a kiss on her chin! Eventually, Bing decided he had to play with Acacia, so rather than having a boxing Belgian in cramped quarters, we made our way back outside and took those wonderful pups for a long hike at the adjacent playing fields.

				WOW. For one reactive dog and one snappy puppy, we sure seemed perfect! Acacia has always been more or less fine at dog shows, and Bing really did follow her lead. By the third time in, he was almost completely relaxed. I’ve noticed that he gets overwhelmed really easily, so I planned for short, quick repetitions. It worked beautifully, and I let him tell me when he was sitting on the edge. In fact, he really enjoyed the experience. On Sunday, I returned to the show, but this time it was just me and Bing. No big sister to babysit for him! I was again prepared to go into the building and back out again, but he was having a nice time, soaking in the experience. He shopped a bit at a vendor, and then we ran into Bing’s girlfriend, Phoebe, a Malamute. Phoebe’s owner, Donna, mentioned that she had spoken to our handling instructor, and that she thought Bing was a good looking dog, and that he had really come a long way in a short time. Yay! We made our way to the more crowded part of the building. A few times we had to step in between some grooming tables or crates in order to stop and regroup, and a few times I simply led him with a treat to get him through a particularly crazy spot. He was very distracted but doing ok, until we got to the far end of the building, where he was nearly getting knocked over by hustling handlers. As we rounded that corner, however, we found a wide open area next to an unused ring, and chatted briefly with a man who was watching his dog from ringside. Bing just sat and got clicked and treated and praised. The man initially ignored him, but ultimately petted him, and Bing was back to being relaxed. He is learning the ability to regroup emotionally.
			I took him out then, and we went home. Score another big success for Bing!! Finally, yesterday, I took Bing to the vet to drop off some stool samples. Bing did a few repetitions of getting weighed; he’d been afraid of the scale for some reason. I just had him do ‘touch’ es to get him on the scale, clicked and treated, then asked for a bit more, until he was going on and off like a champ (39.5 lb). He then allowed the receptionist to pet him. He was leery at first, and then seemed to relax as I clicked and treated him. She pet him on the side of the head first, then on top of the head, then down his chest and shoulder, and finally all down his back. It didn’t take long for him to look at me with an open-mouthed smile. However, he’d pretty much had enough when another staff person walked by and petted him; he began to look worried again, so I really got happy for him, fed him a lot, and he calmed down a bit. Immediately after that, we left. YAY Bing! What a boy! He’s not ready yet for high stress environments like actual showing, but when I pick and choose which situations he can handle, he really looks relaxed and composed. All that hard work and worry really is paying off! Ali Comment to the Webmaster about this story. Your comments may be posted. Comment to Ali in private. Return to the Main Blog Page.