Welcome to the Pack: Coal
Coal is a 4 year old Pit Bull/Beagle mix, and he is one sweet, spoiled boy!
I actually met Coal’s owners while I was working with another dog at Rural King! During our conversation, his mom mentioned that Coal isn’t exactly the biggest fan of other dogs. After hearing about some of his past experiences, a lot of his reactions sound fear related to me.
So, we’re going to work on that! But here’s the thing…
The goal is NOT for Coal to become best friends with every dog he meets!
The goal is for Coal to learn that he can be around other dogs without feeling the need to react. He doesn’t have to love them, play with them, or even interact with them. We just want him to learn how to coexist peacefully, respect their space, and make better decisions!
Coal is also a pretty sensitive guy! Certain noises, even something as simple as his owners coughing or sneezing, can startle him. Thunderstorms and loud bangs are also pretty intimidating in his world.
We talked about how to help him work through those moments without accidentally making them into an even bigger deal. Sometimes our natural instinct is to immediately jump in with the “It’s okay! It’s okay! It’s okay!” when our dogs get nervous. And while there’s absolutely nothing wrong with comforting a scared dog, we also want to show them through our own calm, confident behavior that there’s no reason to panic.
Think a little less “OH MY GOSH, ARE YOU OKAY?!” and a little more “Rub some dirt on it, kid. You’ve got this!” Of course, we still want to respect his fears and work at a pace he can handle!
Along with slowly building his confidence around other dogs and unfamiliar situations, we’ll be working on obedience and engagement!
Today, we worked on a few things!
Understanding the difference between OFF and DOWN. Two very different commands!
Building engagement and learning to check in with his handler.
Working on keeping those paws to himself!
And let me tell you about that last one. Coal has clearly figured out that if he turns on the charm and puts that adorable little paw up, somebody is going to give him attention. And BOY does he know how to work it! Breaking that habit might be harder on his humans than it is on him!
He also discovered that I carry beef liver and salmon treats, so I think I’ve officially won him over.
I’m excited to help this sweet boy build some confidence, learn some manners, and realize that the world doesn’t have to be quite so intimidating!
Check out his instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/coalthomson?xtok=OWtjbTJreGw3cXM2
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