So proud of Louis - progress at last (sorry, long post)

[MaggieR]

A lovely post Elaine.... and one which deserves a massive 
Great to see all your patience and understanding of Louis's problems and uncertainty has paid off - you should feel very proud of yourself, as well as your gorgeous boy 
Am hoping I'll get to see him again on a COL meet when he's up to it, because he really was such a lovely lad before all this started.  Be so nice to see him able to come out and relax again 

[Hurtwood Dogs]

I'm so so thrilled for you

Dealing with it, finding a possible solution and having the confidence (and guts at times!) to keep putting that into practice is so blurry hard.. Whilst he may be maturing and that 'might' be a factor also, if you hadn't tackled it so well - the problem could easily have escalated and worsened with age. I know I'll never be able to relax fully with Normy and there will always be an element of the unpredictable about her  but we have reached a place where I'm not stressed about managing her anymore and that's more than good enough.

Massive well done you and long may he continue to grow more confident

[Michele]

It was very clear to see on Sunday at West of England show the progress he has made, and he wasn't in the least bit bothered sat on his crate when Florence was towering above him on my table.
Well done to both of you, and long may your hard work continue to reap rewards.

[elaine.e]

Thank you for all the lovely replies

I'm sure it's more down to Louis than me because once he started to regain his confidence it became much easier for me to remain calm and positive in potentially bad situations too. I'm beginning to enjoy my walks again

Maria (Rubydoo) has also been a great help and a confidence giver to me and Louis through all this. She uses the "watch me" technique on Louis too and has always been there for me when I've felt really down or when Louis has had a setback.

Maria's dad has also helped in getting Louis calmer around men he doesn't know. Louis has only met Maria's dad a couple of times when they've both been at Maria's house at the same time. The first time Louis had a bark and a growl at Maria's dad when he walked into the house so Maria calmly shut Louis in another room, got her dad to sit on the sofa with a cuppa and got him to ignore Louis when he was allowed back in. It was enough to relax Louis and since then they've made further progress through a mix of not approaching or making eye contact with Louis and randomly throwing a treat or two towards him. I'm not sure if that's what a trainer would advise but it's worked and Louis is now confident with Maria's dad.

[lindseyp]

That's a wonderful post to read Elaine & I'm so happy for you & Louis 
Due to all your time & dedication you have given to your special boy, along with his growing maturity, he really is developing into a lovely merry little cocker   
It's so lovely that you can take a step back, relax on walks & just enjoy being together - well done to you both   

[Nicky]

Well done, your should be really proud of yourself and Louis 

[poppy]

Just read all the posts and have to say as well as the rest of the COL's that you have done a splendid job and Louis is such a clever boy.  

[JazzyJasmine]

Thats wonderful news you should be so proud of yourself and your gorgeous boy well done!!