Originally Posted by
TuMicks
I think I would probably do close in ring-type sports w/out the e-collar. ('Cause, hey! I'd be doing this to learn new things, right?) BUT... to get RD in the building, past (or among) a bunch of strange dogs and people, I couldn't do it with a shoe string around her neck. I mean, she doesn't know about the ring, the rubber mats, the reverberation of noise that happens in a big empty building, the smells of dogs present and past... dogs all around her getting cookies. Do you know what happens in our kitchen when LeeRoy or Bridget get a plate or a cookie????? It's a friggin' rugby scrum.
Look, with a dog like RD, going in with her in a tether and me with cookies in my pocket would be complete pandemonium. The old gals at No-Name Dog Obedience and Lace Doilies Club have no idea what they're asking RD and me to do. They don't give a rip either. (And by inference, they don't care about the other dogs whose people would be paying good money to have a black blur make hash of their class.)
To transition to something new... we would need to, um... transition. We would need to begin with what she knew. For her, going without the e-collar without acclimatizing her to the new paradigm would be like trying to heel a naive puppy around a busy street off-lead.
The other thing about RD's whole life is... the e-collar means HAPPY!!!! It means... we're going out!!! We're going to do stuff!!!
Urgh. And I know we could do it. That's the frustrating part.