I went to our second class this week, this time there was another dog there. The combination of a strange warehouse type room, tons of smells, a strange dog that kept looking at her and the trainer was too much for Izzy. She was barking and lunging the whole time. I really don't think that was good for her at all, she was just rehearsing, rehearsing that behavior and we were both really upset by the time we left. I was so stressed out.
Is this desensitizing?
She is so high strung now, last night she barely slept.
I have been sort of desensitizing her slowly to the neighborhood with short walks, but there really has been no improvement, she is just a nervous nelly. Plus she was sort of living in a plastic bubble. Now she cries even more because she is so dependent on me.
This week, I am going to try it the old fashioned way, not get stressed about it. I am getting her out at 6 am, taking her on super fast, long 5 km walks around oceans and neighborhoods and parks. I am going to walk past other dogs, and people and not cross the street because she 'might' bark.
My husband and daughter think I am reading too much into it and stressing for no reason, which may be rubbing off on her.