Bright Idea...didn't work!
The temperatures are rising and there is a major risk of burning the foster pup's paws on the pavement, now is the time to teach the dog how to walk on the treadmill. Where did I come up with this idea? Remember the whole Crock or Chock? I bet my dog is really wishing that I skipped that part of the book, because I most certainly chose to overlook the part where Cesar suggests that a professional should be the one to attempt such a task. Honestly, how hard could it be? and...who has time for a professional? I'll just ignore the fact that Cesar says it could take up to two weeks for the animal to accomplish this challenge of walking rather than bolting off the machine!
Basically I wanted to get her comfortable around the machine, and I used plenty of treats to coax her onto the belt...but it just didn't work out. There are not enough treats in this world to get her on that machine AND walk while the belt moves. Believe it or not a mere .5 is pretty intimidating for a dog! I placed treats on the belt and did NOT turn the unit on, allowing her to explore the machine. Once I turned the unit on, it was a whole different story! There was NO WAY that I was going to coax her to get stay on this thing! Finally I let the treats "take a ride" on the belt and she would gobble them up! Needless to say...she loved that....and it reminded me of I LOVE LUCY. The episode when Lucy and Ethel were working at the candy factory and those yummy chocolates kept coming by faster and faster while the two of them kept shovelling those luscious morsels into their mouths at record speeds!! Well, yep, that's kind of how the training ended up! A feeding machine...hmmmm...the foster pup likes that idea... If I had a better back, I could have hauled her on there and worked with her more! I guess we'll have to try it again tomorrow and go for walks in the evening, when everything starts to cool down.