Barney at 3 Years Old

What's the matter. Do I smell?

Barney is now 3, and a grown up. He will be at his prime for the next two years, although may not necessarily reach his peak. He is normally a well-mannered and well-behaved dog, making him easy to live with. He does however have a mind of his own, which he may decide to use when out. This can lead to a few amusing escapades, though not always amusing at the time. For instance if we are on a walk on the common he will stay reasonable close, coming back when called, as long as I remember to frequently train a reminder. But if he sees something he wants he will go for it, even if he is next to me. That may be someone he knows, and who will fuss him, or give him a titbit, or to have a run with horses, birds or dogs, and especially if he sees a rabbit. The last is allowed however as this rarely happens, and I do not offer him the chance to earn his keep. Barney will pursue his prey with gusto, and is not one to give up, searching the area for up to half an hour afterwards. Multiply that by 5 to bring it to human terms, and tell me how many humans you know that will keep trying for as long as this, without giving up.

It is a shame my lack of fitness and training ability will never let him show his true potential. Barney is a good, all round dog; his worst character flaw is with him being so timid. He is no wimp, and will play with the strongest and largest dogs, now showing self-assurance and maturity, but if he is frightened of something he withdraws to a nervous wreck, with an impenetrable barrier. He does quickly recover, but this will get worse with age, and need constant correction and training. If allowed to he will be lazy, quite happy to sleep inside, and will need motivating to run when out. Once given the motivation however he shows plenty of stamina.

He still gets frequent admirers when out and about, either walking in the town, or on the common. He ignores the pigeons in the Market Square, as he does the ducks on the pond in the local park. At some of the places we have been to this year, he has showed a mature tolerance for all other animals, even the tame rabbits while passing through their show in the small animals' enclosure at a country fair.

I have recently started clicker training with him, in an effort to reach him when some distance away. Being a food motivated dog is fine for the close-up work, but can become a source of frustration, trying to reward him at any distance. I am sure most competent trainers would easily be able to overcome this problem, but he doesn't seem to want verbal, or any other reward. Outside he has quickly progressed with some distance control, although I am usually limiting it to being left in stays, and then a recall.

Inside it is a different story. Trying to train him by teaching him to think what he is doing is frustrating at the moment, and where I can say we have had some progress, the most optimistic would say it is a little slow. I cannot seem to make him understand and think about what I want him to do. Being a sighthound, he is good at thinking for himself, relying on me for instruction when asked to do different tasks. I expect it is my lack of ability as a trainer, where I become competent only after some experience, that is the root of the problem, but all I have read has pointed that progress is less than satisfactory. It could be I am forgetting to do it often enough, after all I have the opportunity, or that my lack of knowledge of the speed to progress is what is holding him back. Suffice to say I have seen some progress after several weeks, but from what I have read this should have been accomplished in days.

So there we are then. That about sums up Barney at the moment. He has proved he has the ability to win shows, and the potential to win obedience in the future. He as the ability to become competent at the different disciplines, making a true, all-round dog. As a companion I could ask for none better. He has caught our dinner, proving himself to be a bread (or meat) winner. He is fit, healthy and usually well behaved. If we can teach him to retrieve objects over the winter, we should release him to do bigger and better things next year. As long as he enjoys going on outings, I hope I will be able to continue to take him.