Lyra is progressing well with her dog and movement fixation. Indeed, she’s doing much better than I would have expected, which means I have to be careful not to push too quickly or to be disappointed by setbacks.

She can play tug with her ball while another dog chases a ball, as long as I keep her engaged from start to finish.

In this video, you can see how I’m encouraging her to push me for attention – if she pushes into my space I will immediately turn to her and reward that behavior, both verbally and by playing with her toy.  Demanding attention from me when another dog is present is a huge step for her.

If she stays focused on me when I throw a toy for another dog, I make a big fuss over her.

If she watches another dog and then refocuses on me, I’m even happier.  That tells me she made a choice to stay with me/wait her turn rather than to chase the other dog. At the very end of the video you see this clearly; she watches Raika run after her ball and then turns to me to play tug.  Happy moment indeed!

Sometimes I push too hard and I lose her.  In these cases, I have to wait until she settles back in a bit before playing.  Note that I do not throw toys for the other dog when Lyra is in “circling’ mode.  That would guarantee failure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tALjvSgZRc