Keep Going

When I take our three dogs on a walk, things go pretty smoothly until we run into someone walking their dog. I can count on our youngest chihuahua Luna to stand her ground and defend our pack. I see her catch sight of the oncoming canine, ears perked and fur raised. She begins huffing, sort of a pre-bark, and the closer we come to the unwitting offender, her pre-barks become regular barks, complete with lunging and leash-pulling, as if the other dog were an imminent threat rather than an innocent passerby.

Though she sees her defense as a duty as well as a pleasure (I suspect), the other two dogs and I just want to walk in peace, so I started bringing along some training treats to work on eradicating this behavior. When the ears perk and the fur raises, I hold a treat in my hand, catch her attention, and say, “Luna, keep going.” Because she values food even more than her role of defender, she keeps her eyes on me (well, on the treat, anyway), and once the other dog has passed, I’ll give her the treat. A few times I forgot to bring the treats, so I held my hand out as if there was a treat in it and said, “Luna, keep going.” And she did though I imagine she was a little disappointed with a pat on the back and positive affirmation instead of a treat.

The command “Keep going” is a good one, not just for Luna but for me, too. When I want to scroll social media rather than completing a task, I tell myself “Keep going.” When I’m irritated and would like to make a snippy comment, I think, “Keep going.” Once you’re on a good path, all you have to do is keep going