Ella has improved this last week but is still showing signs of fear. I walked into our room the other day with my tablet in my hand and Ella came up to me to say hello and she bumped the top of her head on my tablet and immediately cowered and tucked her tail and went inside her crate as if she had been hit. One of the biggest challenges is that Ella is not food motivated. She often spits out kibble when she is fearful, in a new environment, or sees something she is uncertain of whether it be the police car driving around the facility, or another dog. When she shuts down like this, it makes training impossible. The other day I tried to bring a ball to a training session I was doing in the hall since she loves to play fetch. Often, incorporating something fun into training will rev up a dog’s engagement but Ella showed little interest in the ball when normally she loves fetch. She is a tough dog to crack and I am still very unsure how well she will do in her role as a service dog.
While Ella can perform sits, down, and stays and will heel, when she is afraid or uncertain, that overrides her obedience and she will just sit and stare off into space ignoring her handler. Time will tell whether she is able to overcome this. On light of this, she still exhibits her strengths where she loves to cuddle and be with her handler. She is very affectionate and sweet and will sit at your feet and stare into your eyes with her cute puppy dog look that nobody can resist.
