Jump to content
BC Boards

I have an interesting situation


Recommended Posts

Yesterday we went to the mall, Gidget did awesome... Except for the tile floors at our local mall, they are quite busy, I understand how she feels as they make me dizzy so I tend not to look down when walking on them. She did ok yesterday but made it clear she did not like them.

 

I figured that I would take her back today so that we could see how she does, help her get adjusted to them if needed. We walked in the lower level, she took one look at those floors and sat down giving me a look like Oh not this again. So I told her to stay (like she didn't intend to move anyway) I walked a couple circles around her, showing her that it was safe. She thought about moving but gave me that look like humm. So I went around again but this time I stomped my foot a little on the floor to show her it was very secure. Well I asked her if she was ready? She got up, took a few steps, stop looked at me like Are you sure? So I did my little circle around her again telling her all was fine. I encouraged her to try, told her I know she can do it.... Well that little trooper so proud of herself we walked all over the mall with no problem whatsoever! We took a few breaks sitting on benches like we normally do, she was fine, laid rite over all the busy tiles.

 

I think we will avoid the mall for a few days though, give her a bit of a break not having her go their on a daily basis at least for now. I am a little bummed about this problem, thought it was going to be a good place for us to go this winter.

 

The floors are actually much brighter and more busy then these pics actually show. Any ideas or suggestions?

 

 

Thanks in advance.

post-16310-0-60889600-1410900368_thumb.jpg

post-16310-0-66754100-1410900369_thumb.jpg

post-16310-0-56642400-1410900370_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

She will get used to it. It will become visual "white noise" after a while. I wouldn't avoid it now, I would keep going - because she got over her initial anxiousness about it, this is a good time to reinforce things.

 

YMMV.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To me, it sounds like she did great for a stressful new experience. Just continue introducing her to the mall/floors at her own pace. Don't rush her. [Go in for 5 minutes, then leave. Next time, try for a little longer, then leave.] Give her lots of reinforcements - treats, praise, whatever - and take breaks. Just be patient and I bet she will walk around the mall like it was nothing in time for the winter weather.

 

Try to concentrate on quality vs. quantity. For example, IMHO it is better to get 5 minutes of happy walking than 20 minutes of "I will walk with you, but I am not really happy about it."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you all for your thoughts and ideas, I will keep bringing her to the mall, we just walk around, so the amount of time we spend there really can fully depend on her and how she feels. I know that she enjoys getting off of the main floors going into bigger stores with more friendly floors, so we will continue doing that, taking breaks sitting down watching the goings on too is good for her I think.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can you just sit and have a cup of tea and let Gidget just observe the mall? Tonight I took my pup to an puppy agility class and she was 100% comfortable the minute we walked in the door. I know this is because she has been to many classes where my daughter is running a friend's dog and my puppy is there to observe. My Nattie loves her classes even more than the other puppies because she has spent so much time at dog training that the environment is not new to her.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have gotten a drink and we have sat down, she likes that very much, we will also sit on a bench and she will watch the people go past. We will continue to do that and make nice short visits to the mall, I am thinking that after today she may not freak out so bad tomorrow when we go back :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...