Long Lead and Snow Romping

Romp.

Summer and I tried a little "playtime" in the snowy courtyard today, but it wound up being recall practice. She is very good at recall; what she isn't good at is being comfortable in the courtyard.

I'm reasonably convinced that it has to do with an echo/reverberation between the buildings that she's particularly sensitive to. She's far more comfortable in these pictures because the snow muffles that reverb somewhat but in the warmer months the stress she experiences just sitting in the middle of the grass is truly alarming. It's stretching my experience as a behaviorist - and I love that for me, but not for her because it delays her resolution. I have some new plans for the upcoming year, however, that may help along with the normal exposure stuff.

"There's home."

"Complete recall!"

I know she's not truly at ease in these pics. She would not roll around and play like she did in a different area of the complex. Instead she stretches out her long lead and orients toward home until I call her to where I'm standing in the field area. After checking with me briefly she returns to her post. Much of this is learned behavior rather than an anxious reaction, and she wasn't genuinely stressed today - more alert, like the sentry she thinks she needs to be. At least her run got a little more rompy toward the end.