We introduced Jimmy to a bowl of food left next to him and told him to leave it. At first, he thought it was meal time, but got used to the idea that if he left it alone he would receive treats and praise from us. This training will be useful for his public access test when simulating a crowded area such as a restaurant and food is dropped.
Jimmy was digging in the grass with his teeth to get to a worm, when another dog tried to put his face down there too. Jimmy showed his teeth and growled and the other dog backed away. Jimmy has not shown any resource guarding to humans and I try to pet his back and head while he is eating his meals to desensitize him to it.
Place, distractions, and stand goals have been met for the week and will continue to work on it in different scenarios and areas. We also started public access training around the facility, including walking through a thick and noisy crowd, lying under the table during crowded times, staying and leaving him around distractions, and recalling him with distractions. Jimmy did great on all tests. He also does not mind elevator trips.
