GROUND ZERO
Yesterday was our first training session with Dani Santanella of Urban K-9. We thought it went really really well, despite the frigid temperatures and lack of many "test dogs" to trigger Dash's aggressive on leash behavior. We'll be on top of Dash over the next two weeks implementing Dani's advice and hopefully we'll slowly start seeing some progress. Fingers crossed!

UPDATE 3.28.2009
After another two sessions with Dani, we're back on our own... but with the training we got from Dani (both for Dash and ourselves haha!) we've seen a ton of improvement since we started back in January!

• Walking on leash is actually walking on leash instead of pulling like crazy on leash... though Dash still drifts ahead, getting him to stay in the heel position will take more work consistency on our part.

• Leash aggression is also improving by leaps and bounds... I would say we can get past 90% of dogs without a problem. For the most part it seems his leash aggression only rears up (at a much lesser degree, if we don't catch it ahead of time) when we pass by dogs that we've had a history of fussiness with or dogs that are coming aggressively after Dash. And we still have problems getting by our downstairs neighbors' two super aggressive barky dogs when they're loose and right behind their door... this will just take time to train out of Dash since it's such a specific behavior and their dogs aren't always out loose.

• Nuisance barking has diminished a ton and there really hasn't been much barking out our front windows at dogs passing 3 stories down on street level. We can also watch YouTube videos of noisy dogs and catch episodes of the Dog Whisperer and Dogtown now with only the occasional outburst from Dash. And if he does start to get overly barky (dogs will be dogs) it's not too hard to get him to tone it down to his frustrated huffing and puffing mini-barks. Next step is to iron those out as well.

• Running to the door to greet guests and people passing in the stairwell still happens (our bad for not correcting as consistently), but to a much lesser degree of frantic.

• Separation anxiety has improved, but we don't usually leave him alone for very long so it's less of an issue (Dash goes to daycare 4 days a week!). We still work with him while we're at home with his crate though so when we do have to leave him at home he's less whiny. Right now he's lounging in his crate (door closed) while I write this.

• Runners - what runners haha! Motorcycles and Skateboards still need work, but we're also well on our way in those departments.

• At work Dash has done a 180 and now gets to roam free 90% of the time off leash and gets along with all the other office pups! Now if only I could get him to do my work for me too...

+ I have to say the trek to Prospect Park for off-leash hours has helped so much and is totally worth it since it allows us to work around/with practically a hundred dogs! Plus in the end Dash gets the totally awesome reward of running completely free in a massively huge park with a ton of other dogs! Can't wait for it to warm up so we can coax Dash into the doggie lake!

+ Dash's backpack/saddle bags (the ruffwear approack pack in small) are also a great tool to help drain his crazy tank to normal so it's much easier to train with him and he's more receptive.

- A new problem that is rearing up is that Dash has become afraid of really loud construction noise and industrial air compressors. I think it started when we were walking past a dump truck and it was crushing wooden pallets... he was so spooked he went into flight mode and pulled me all the way back to the office. Will need to start working on getting him comfortable with those jarring sounds... such are the challenges of being an urban hound.

Did I miss anything Dash? We'd love you even if you were a bad pup :)