#silly trainer

Whitworth/Cyrus' barking problem is worse than I thought, probably because I took him to a place with a dog park and horse stadium and sat there for half an hour while he barked. On the first day I got him, when he had no clue who I was or what he was doing with me. Gloria was vomiting and coughing and needed to see the vet for an emergency appointment, so I was parked there to hand off the money to dad so he could take her in. Then I brought him to the same place today for his vet appointment. He barked so badly we had to go in the back. We're going to stay at home and countercondition with recorded barking for the next few weeks before going in public yet. He has this undersocialization, but any candidate I chose would have some baggage and this is workable. And I always have the option of not keeping him if it becomes clear this cannot work.

I kinda don't wanna ask, but is having accidents in the house again a normal part of teaching your dog to go on cue? I've been doing it by waiting until I know she has to go, then taking her out on a leash and giving her the cue, but it's only worked for peeing so far. I used to give her run of the backyard, but it's gotten so muddy that she needs a bath every time she goes out. She only seems to poop after running, and she's never done it on leash. And she only has to poop about twice a day which makes it harder to time correctly. And she never goes at all anywhere except our property, unless it's been a REALLY long time, and then she tries to find a puddle to pee in. So she only poops outside when I let her run in my mud swamp backyard, and she's gone inside once since I stopped letting her out off leash whenever she wanted. Two steps forward, one step back. So there's my dilemma. Any advice?

In other news, I'm a bad trainer and dog owner. Gloria has had 3-4 accidents since she was potty trained and none of them have been her fault. What a surprise, if you let a dog out to pee at 8 PM and then go to bed at 10 PM, she's going to have to pee at 5:30 AM. She did whine and wake me up, we were just too slow to respond and she couldn't hold it any longer. So that was today. It's possible she had another when we got home from the dog park because nobody let her out when we got home, but a mysterious puddle by the door isn't necessarily her fault. There are lots of liquids to track in and drinks to spill. So I have to man up and start actually taking her outside when she asks even though it's really inconvenient and cold to take her out on a leash and really inconvenient and dirty to clean her up if I let her run out in the mud puddle we call the backyard by herself. I know these were little mistakes, I just need to be a little more vigilant to make sure it doesn't become a habit.

I went to the doctor for a follow up on my shoulder today, and brought Gloria. She opened all the automatic button doors, and had a great time doing it. Mom had problems handling her, but I put her under the seat and then she stayed there happily the whole time. She was so well tucked in the waiting room she surprised the nurse when she came out from under the chair. My shoulder is fine, just really loose. So, more PT to strengthen it for at least a year before we explore any other options. When I walked out the door, there was a lady who was terrified to see Gloria. She was across the hall and Gloria was right by me, but she jumped backwards and walked away. And what does Gloria do when she's surprised? She barks or startles and then tries to investigate (or else she just ignores it completely if it doesn't startle her). I found that out the first time I met her, when I did the temperament test. And that's just what she did. She barked under her breath and went to the end of her leash, trying to see the strange lady who jumped away, and successfully validating that lady's fear of her. Ugh, I can't be upset because that's what I should have expected of her, but I REALLY need to teach her what the appropriate response in that situation is. Maybe just desensitize her to fearful people running away so it becomes boring. Totally my fault.

Yesterday, I foolishly forgot to take Gloria out to pee and then didn't understand her barking and whining. I thought she was just fussing about being locked in until she peed on the floor for the first time in several months. Of course, we rushed her outside to let her go. Today, I took her out before bed but when I closed the door and laid down, she barked twice before peeing on the ground, and then sat by the door to ask to be let out. I didn't let her out. Her fussing about being closed inside my room now includes peeing on the floor. Great.

Getting the dog to find a beeping phone is harder than I thought. She was interested in the beeping, and in exploring the couch, but didn't care when she found the phone; she just ignored it and kept playing in the couch cushions. Ugh, I actually have to TRAIN my dog to do something useful for me?! I thought she was supposed to come with the ability to do exactly what I wanted her to do without me putting any effort in whatsoever /s.