New Years Resolution: Battle of Achilles

Well today was interesting in terms of my back of the truck goal. As we were about to leave the park I took Achilles out by himself, on leash, to try and coax him into the truck with a piece of chicken. I had set the treat pocket thing on the tailgate on the other side of me. He would get half way up and then back down again. When he was backing down, he swiped the treat pocket. Normally I would just grab it back, but this is the 160lb Great Dane who swallows tennis balls whole. I really didn't want him to swallow the entire (full) treat pocket.

Resourceful thinking kicked in and I grabbed a cookie a client had given me earlier in the day from my dashboard. I broke up the cookie and put it on the ground and luckily Achilles chose the cookie and coughed up the treat pocket. 

After this small victory, Achilles was a little too excited to jump in the backseat and ended up catching his leg on something and falling back out which totally freaked him out. From there on it was like trying to tame a bucking bronco. Needless to say, today was not Achilles' day for the back of the truck.

On the other hand, Cooper was a rockstar and rode to and from the park in the back of the truck! He was not totally convinced about this idea, but he was a really good sport. I gave him treats every time we stopped and he didn't even charge when I opened the gate to let Miles in. Good boy, Coop!

New Years Resolution update 1

As a part of my New Years resolution to teach all of my park dogs to ride in the back of the truck, Achilles and I had our first lesson today. Achilles is a 2yr old, 150lb Great Dane with a lot of spirit and a hint of a stubborn streak. He is bigger than me in size and weight and so far I've been happy to get him in the truck any way I can. If I try to push/pull him he throws a fit like a bucking bronco and after successfully staying on my end of the leash, we have to take a few laps to settle down before trying again.

Considering the scenario I just described is just to get him in the back seat, I thought I had my work cut out for me today. To prepare, I brought a nice selection and Trader Joe's cheese and prosciutto. Random, but it's easy to cut, easy on the stomach, and something I knew he couldn't resist.

Much to my surprise, Achilles didn't even hesitate to jump in the truck on the first try for that cheese. We practiced several times and then I turned on the truck and started closing the tailgate and letting him get comfortable with that. He decided that was as far as our lesson would go today, but I am so very proud of him!

Next step is to try the Trader Joe's magic cheese while another dog is in the truck. I do believe there will be a day when I don't have Dane slobber on top of my head (he rests his head on mine while I drive - endearing and gross). Stayed tuned and wish me luck!