# Dog doesn't trust me.....



## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

So Angel my almost 5 month old golden retriever doesn't trust me. The dog trainer can't figure out why, she is still having massive issues with walks. When we go to walk away from the house she will stop dead. I have done the reward thing. We tried, dog treats, chicken, duck, hotdogs. They all work to get her moving but after a bit she will stop taking them and her fear starts to take over. So I showed the trainer what I was doing and she said what I was doing is fine and she can't figure out what her fear is from. I told her I started to do two things first I would go on walks with the wife and Angel would still give us issues but her wanting to be with us would trump her fear to a point but after thay point is reached she will go back to her fear mode. The other thing I am doing and I know this will get some people mad is I will walk at a normal pace encouraging her all the way but not slowing down for her fear, which would appear to people watching me as me dragging her down the street. I do this for about 30 feet stop let her rest a sec and move again. It looks like I'm dragging her because I am but here is the kicker when we turn around to go back she will walk perfect. Heel walk slow and be very easy tail not in fear position. When we r in the house or at the dog training building she is great we got her sit, come, down, touch, watch and high five down. When we go to walk her fear starts again. Both trainer lssays she isnt trusting me and no one seems to know why. Some of you will say the dragging is why but that wouldn't explain why she is great with everything else. So I am at a cross road with her, I can either A key her be fearful during walks or I can continue to press thru and hope she will just get it thay during walks u r safe. I told the personal trainer that i kind of wanted something to happen so angep will see i will protect her. I have two dog trainers one is a personal trainer was suppose to help with the walking problem and the other one is the star trainer. Btw star is so worth it, she get socialized with people and other dogs it's great, the personal trainer seems to be out of her element with helping with the walk issue. So for now i will keep the encouraging but not letting her stop walk going. The other thing I have done is try to desensitized her to the traffic noise, I keep the door open I let her sit when a car goes by or lay down. I was told dogs can only do one thing at a time so if she is doing something she can't be fearful at the sametime it works but only for a short time she eventually realizes she isnt at home and the gig is up. But overall she is a great dog I don't see her doing tracking but agility maybe, during star training we did tunnels and the first time she was like hell no I am not going in there, by her second try sue was barking and jumping wife thought she was scared I said no she is excited and wants to do it again sure thing she loved it. She kept doing it and doing it. When we got to the tunnel she would spam out and run thru it no problems.


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## usually lurking (Apr 21, 2017)

You may need a behaviorist, rather than a trainer. I will say that with my timid dog, if there was something that he was fearful of, I'd go up and touch it to show him it was okay, and he would always investigate after I did that. After a while, he started checking things out on his own. I can't recall if your prior posts stated that there are certain objects that she's fearful of, or if it's just the noise, or if it is more generalized.

The other option is baby steps. Take one or two steps in the direction she's unwilling to go, then turn around and go back. Add a couple steps each time, rewarding with high value treats (think hot dogs and cooked hamburger) when she takes them.

Edit:: Here's another thought.... If you aren't there, will she walk with someone else? Also, if you could post a video, someone on here might see something that you or your trainer have missed, or be able to offer another solution based on what they see.


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

Your title says Angel doesn't trust you... your response it to drag her down the street? At what point will the needs of the pup be greater than your need to walk her down the street?? She's only 5 months old.
This isn't about being physically capable of walking, she isn't ready! Walk to the distance where she will walk and return home. She's doing the best she can. If you can show her just a little respect for her limitations she will get past this. 
Forcing her to do something she is not comfortable doing will only make it worse. 
It's much like a parent throwing their child who is afraid of water, into the deep end of the pool. They may or may not survive but this certainly won't build trust.
What's your hurry? Slow down and allow her to tell you when she has had enough.


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

Lurking, no she doesn't walk with anyone well. The go two steps forward and one back is something the trainer suggested as well. I will give it a shot can't hurt. We ate teaching her touch so I could try to incorporate objects into it.

Puddles, first if I did your idea we wouldn't make it out to door sometimes and never make it to the end of the driveway. Can you explain why she can't go away from the house but after we get to the destination and turn back she walks fine? When she is running around the house and spazzing out because her energy level is thru the roof because she doesn't walk that becomes a issue and that is why I desire her to walk. If we r in the house she is amazing with her obedience.

Also her needs are always meet, I do and have respected her limits but I feel if I don't force the issue she isnt going to move on, at 5 months I wasn't expecting her to learn heel but she knows it when we are walking back to the house. The thing that kills me is she is not dumb she is VERY smart I would say smarter then Athena was at that age. So for her to be smart but afraid of walking makes no sense to me at all.


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## usually lurking (Apr 21, 2017)

It may not make sense to you, but I can assure you that it makes sense to *her.*


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## ceegee (Mar 26, 2015)

Another thing you might try is to toss very high-value treats in front of her, instead of giving them directly from your hand, so that the reward comes from the act of walking forwards, not from you. In other words, walking becomes self-rewarding. You might have to be content with one or two steps forward at first. Be patient, even if you can only add one or two steps per day.

I agree with others that forcing her to walk isn't going to build trust. She's about at the age for a second fear period; you need to be careful not to anchor the fear in place permanently by forcing her to do something that frightens her.

When my dog was about 7 months old, he came with me to a country fair and absolutely freaked out at a life-size stuffed toy being used as a mascot by one of the kiosks. I didn't force him to face it - we just moved away and visited another kiosk. Fast-forward a year: we went back to the same fair, and this time he walked straight up to the same mascot, sniffed it, pushed it with his nose and then tried to pee on it ... 

There are a lot of things you can do to build a trusting relationship with a fearful dog, but dragging her down the street isn't one of them. Find an activity she likes, and do that with her. Hang out with her. Take her to obedience class. Invent games with her: tugging, retrieving a tennis ball, etc. Teach her some cool stuff: scent detection is very easy to teach, for example, with a few small boxes or ice-cream containers, and there are endless variations. Teach her some tricks that involve interactions with you: shake a paw, weave between your legs as you walk, etc. All this can be done in your home, where she seems comfortable. The more positive stuff you do with her, the more she's going to trust you.

By dragging her, you're reinforcing her fear of walking and her perception that walks are a bad thing. My advice would be to take a step back from the walks and work on the confidence for a while.


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## Gleepers (Apr 20, 2016)

Do you guys follow the same route every time or change it up? Different times of day? Same reaction? Any differences between walking with your other dog vs taking her solo? Are there other dogs around (barking in a yard or house?). Does she like kids? If you took her to a playground would she get excited or scared? Other people in general? 

Trying to help brainstorm what might be her trigger fear.


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

The training she is great at. If we don't change it up she gets bored, it's like being smart in class and getting bored. We are trying to get her to stand from a laying position it is getting her brain going, wife is trying to get her to play dead when she says bang, so far she lays down. Thst throwing food in front of her sounds very interesting.


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

Greepers, she loves kids, other dogs have to go thru me first, we do not have a set walk time. We have noticed if it is quite we get a better walk out of her. If we let Athena walk Angel would walk fine but two problems with that first Athena can't walk distances her back legs wubble and are weak she is old, second I don't want Angel to use Athena as a crutch. From what I have gotten from her is loud noises or strange noises are the trigger. That is why I keep the door open so she gets use to it. I thought of playing noises while at work but I can't see how she is doing so I think that wouldn't work well. We have thought of taken her to a park or petco.


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## Jessie'sGirl (Aug 30, 2010)

It sounds like your neighbourhood is very busy , traffic wise. Is there anywhere else you can walk her where it is quieter? Maybe daily outings to different places with less street noise.


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## Cpc1972 (Feb 23, 2015)

How do you know it's fear? Chloe also flopped and wouldn't keep walking as a puppy. Puppies will do this from time to time.


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

What you said is very revealing... sounds like she is already in panic mode before you even get out the door. She runs home because she knows when she is headed back to where she feels safe.
This is just like when you were pinning her to the floor... she is not Athena, she doesn't think like Athena and things you did with Athena are not going to work for her. You have to think very soft temperament vs GSD.

Start over. 1st you get her comfortable with going out the front door... give her lots of love and kisses on the front porch then let her go back inside if she wants to. Do this until she tries to take the 1st step off the porch. Just sit out there with her until she wants to go back inside and take her back inside. You may have to take this one step at a time. Considering her young past she may never be a dog that enjoys going on walks. I have one in the yard right now that at 9 yrs still does not enjoy taking walks. She's a really great dog but leaving her backyard is way out of her comfort zone. I got her when she was 4, sometimes it's just too late to turn back the clock.

Walking is not a good exercise to burn off energy anyway, do something she enjoys. Play fetch... play chase in the yard... walk her on the leash in her yard where she feels safe. Try a frisbee, rope toys, hide a treat under a plastic cup and teach her to find the treat. As she figures it out put out more cups and only one has a treat. But forcing anyone to do something outside their comfort level is never going to give you the results you are looking for.

Maybe you should rethink your original plan to get another GS puppy. Not all goldens are extremely sensitive but it sounds like this is what you got. We are all who we are until we decide to be something else. Your goal is to help her feel safe so she can learn to accept new things. How you do this is up to you but clearly what you are doing isn't working.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

I'm thinking that treat tossing might also get you closer to your tracking goal. The down side of it is she's shopping when she's walking and you don't really want to do that all her life. Also, try playing games w her where you go down the street 20 feet or so, and your wife has her on lead and you call her to you. I'm sorry I couldn't talk long today!


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

We are assuming it's fear because if a car comes by she will try to go back home as with loud noises. I did try the throw thing it worked I also did watch and touch and those worked well. Prism I would love for her to do tracking but I have a feeling that might not be in the cards for me, but agility is a maybe. Don't worry I called you at a bad time.


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## aesthetic (Apr 23, 2015)

I'm kinda in the same boat as you with the whole fear thing.

Kaizer (2 years old) was neutered 5-6 weeks ago and has since decided that our training place is scary. My trainer and I have decided that it looks like he's gotten really sound sensitive - he cowers when the doors shut, when the agility teeter hits the ground, when loud trucks pass, when dogs bark, when there's a large crowd, etc. There are visible vents on the ceiling, and every so often he looks up at them and cowers (I can't hear anything but a friend's fearful, sound sensitive BC was the same way about the ceiling). He was slightly sound sensitive pre neuter (not for a lack of socialization, he's always been hesitant about weird or loud noises but we worked a lot on that when he was a puppy and he was better), but this is just a hundred times worse and really sudden, he didn't care this much about the sounds at our training place before.

At first, i did what you did. Kinda just put him in the middle of it all and waited for him to focus on me (however brief). It didn't do us any good and it was really frustrating for the both of us. Putting him in that position was not setting him up for success at all. He really did try to work with me - he was trying to do what I asked of him, but he could just not get himself together. His fight or flight response is 100% flight, it's not even a matter of him not trusting me. Usually he runs towards me but in this case, he was trying to get to the office where the sound is muted.

Last Friday, we started in the office and slowly worked our way out - we were just doing basic tricks that he has fun with: paw, high five, spin, turn, wave, roll over, paw targeting, nose touching, etc. Our sessions weren't very long (maybe 30 minutes tops) and we didn't go very far (so we started at the entrance to the office and maybe got a foot away) but it is really mentally taxing and stressful for him to face all those sounds and work with me. It doesn't seem like a lot of progress, but I was really happy with him. He was unsure about the crowd but was still engaged and focused on me.

On Sunday, we had a CGC class. I had signed us up for that class way before he got neutered, but I figured we might as well go and give it a shot - if anything it's just more practice. It's a small class, about 4-5 people, and he did great. He was so attentive, tail wagging, eyes bright and happy. He didn't freak out until the end of class when the next class was coming in and a large golden came in barking very loudly.

tl;dr: baby steps are a lot more rewarding than big steps. Start small - maybe just walk out your door and give her the chance to see and hear all the stuff that goes by. Maybe even do a mini training session with her, 5-10 minutes tops and then bring her in. Just do things that she likes doing. My boy loves nose touches, spins, and paw targeting, so we do a lot of that. Just move very slowly to begin with, give her the chance to run inside if something scares her and then slowly encourage her to come out and join you. Don't go in and get her and bring her out again, but give her the choice. I've found that giving them that choice means a lot - I let my boy run back inside if he's afraid and I just sit there and tell him he's a good boy and ask him to join me (literally, "hey pup wanna get over here"). He comes 9 times out of 10. When he doesn't come, I just walk away and do something else and he follows me out of curiosity. I've noticed from the couple of times we've practiced this that he's less likely to go back into the office the more choices I let him make.


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## Ffcmm (May 4, 2016)

Perhaps the busy traffic is scaring her, and she is associating leaving the house to the loud sounds of cars etc. Maybe you could carry her out of your front door, and take a short car ride down the street (preferably a quiet street) and try and walk back together. 

She could be fearful of leaving the house, for a walk, but perhaps might walk if shes far away from the house? 
If she is terrified of unknown objects, like the others said, it might help for you to approach the object and touch it to show her that its fine!


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

I started do incorporate touch with new objects. When we go for star training i have to pick her up to get in the car she will freak a little i say lay down and she will lay in the passengers seat and put her head on my lap. Once we leave the car she will be afraid for the first little bit then I will do a tug on the leash and say heel and she knows o we are at the fun place and she gets excited. I am going to do more training during the walk to get her mind off if fear. I gave noticed if she starts to get in her panic mode and I say what's that who's there she gets out of her panic mode and started to look around in a protector mode for a bit.

Don't get me wrong she is great when not "mode". Shes great with people still have to work on the jumping on people and her proper manners with the neighbors who adore her. When she goes out to go to the potty she goes then will sneak to the front door knock on the door with her nose they answer and she worms into the house. They love it they use to have a golden retriever named Angel as well, me I hate it because she so dang smart. I know I should leash her but sometimes I spoil her.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

I think you are going through 1 of 2 things.... 

1. She's going through a fear stage.

2. She's at that age where if there is a joint or other health problem, it will show up with resistance to exercise. 

I think because she's 5 months old, I would not push it too much. I think less exercise is better than too much in that first year.... especially at the 5-8 month point when wheels can come off the bike a little with injuries and/or the dogs are showing first signs of something bother them.

I'm a bit more sensitive about this because we had a dog who we would drag along for walks until a point when he pulled out of his collar and ran home... we stopped trying after that and kinda a good thing as he did have a serious health issue.

Fear stuff - it takes baby steps to sort out. My Jacks when he was at his most out of his mind manic with associative phobias wouldn't leave the house. As this progressed, he also refused to go in rooms with big windows and would hide from the windows. <= Again, there was a health component which was out of whack + he had to also gradually be successful at venturing without feeling fear. 

And this was more than just being outside and at home. When he was about your dog's age, I went to our local petstore and there was a combination of the sliding door BANGING open + the rescue people had some dogs crates outside the petstore and crate-aggressive dogs who were all lunging at my dog. 

It took almost 3 years before I got him over his fear of this petstore. 10 years later, he LOVES this petstore. We pull into the parking lot and he starts vibrating and squeak-barking because he associates the petstore with me buying special sausage treats for him + he gets to pick out new toys every time we go. 

A lot of his phobias were because my house is near 2 different gun clubs. 

Once I got him so he would voluntarily leave the shadow of the house, we worked on going to the end of our street and back. And then a little further... and within 1-2 years, got him so he was doing the 2-3 daily walk without any problem.

Dragging your dog around the block might speed up the process of just making her deal with the walk and learn it's OK, but because of her age - I'd be more patient. And again, don't forget that these dogs do not show pain very well. Pain is often shown by aversion to doing something. And or other people can sometimes see something that you missed. <= I went to an obedience practice on Mon this week and ended up pulling somebody aside to let her know that her dog was sore. He was not limping at all, was jumping just fine, etc... but you could tell by how he was holding his back (he was hunching) that something was going on. This was a field dog who had done a lot of stuff at the National. A lot of field dogs have minor muscle strains and pulls because of all the stuff they do. The owner did not notice the soreness herself, but it did explain to her why he was going around jumps more than usual.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Meant to add - I took my guy for rides around the block with the windows down all the way. He'd get all excited about people watching, checking out neighbor dogs, and we'd "look for rabbits". We'd have neighbors come up to the car to say hi sometimes and usually there was at least one rabbit they'd get to see and get all excited about. 

This transferred over to him going for walks....

But also - to this day, I still do sometimes take the scenic route home with the dogs, letting them hang out the windows to check everything out. The dogs get to smell and see everything - and those sights and smells are the same when we go for walks.


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## myluckypenny (Nov 29, 2016)

I agree with others that she is a very sensitive pup. You need to modify your training methods to take this into consideration. Everything needs to be positive at this point, because if she is going through a fear period and you are putting her in situations she is uncomfortable with then it can have a lasting negative impact. Or if like Megora's dog, and she may be masking a health issue, pushing her is going to more harm. 

If you are worried about getting the energy out I would suggest you look into more mentally challenging exercises you can do at home. Have you thought about nose work? It is a great sport for sensitive dogs and can really help build their confidence and help you grow as a team. I would suggest you look into taking this course through Fenzi - https://fenzidogsportsacademy.com/index.php/courses/14305
You can do it all at home where she is comfortable! And it could help build a foundation for tracking if that is something you are interested in down the road. My friend that does search and rescue and heard at a seminar that 5 mins of nosework is the equivalent of a mile and half walk (or something like that). 

You need to get creative and stop pushing this poor girl. Train the dog in front of you, don't train her as you think she should be.


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## usually lurking (Apr 21, 2017)

Megora said:


> Meant to add - I took my guy for rides around the block with the windows down all the way. He'd get all excited about people watching, checking out neighbor dogs, and we'd "look for rabbits". We'd have neighbors come up to the car to say hi sometimes and usually there was at least one rabbit they'd get to see and get all excited about.
> 
> This transferred over to him going for walks....
> 
> But also - to this day, I still do sometimes take the scenic route home with the dogs, letting them hang out the windows to check everything out. The dogs get to smell and see everything - and those sights and smells are the same when we go for walks.


That is a fantastic idea. Wish I'd thought of it!


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

myluckypenny said:


> Or if like Megora's dog, and she may be masking a health issue, pushing her is going to more harm.


I doubt that this is the issue with the 5 month old girlie... but the dog who was exercise resistant and refused to go for walks turned out to only have 1 functioning kidney 2-3 years later. 

It wasn't a case of pushing him causing more harm, but in this case it was an early symptom.

Exercise resistance in other cases with young dogs - may not cause harm when they have sore limbs or muscles, but sometimes I think you just need to stop and look at an issue differently. If a dog is sore or achy or experiencing pain, it's not fair to force them through it...


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

I am trying to get more girly with my praises, S.T.A.R trainer said I need to find my inner girl it is difficult. If I had my way, I'm married so I don't i would love for he to do tracking, but i am perfectly fine with her being a house dog if that is what Angel wants. Don't get me wrong I am not dragging her everyday I only try the walking with her maybe 3 times a week. 

For now the wife is trying to get her to play dead at the word bang. I will most definally try the nose work. I am just reinforcing the things she knows, come , sit, down, stay (only stays for a bit) touch, and high five. 

Another thing she does that make me laugh is when I'm in my man cave on my computer and the wife is training her, she will run into the room happy tail wagging sit next to me I'll let her then she will go grab something to play with, so I get off my compture to play with her and then she will just sit down chewing the you. I will go back to the computer and she will repeat. I tell her ok I'm here to play but you keep sitting and doing nothing, then she will bark at us. We take her out but she just walks around a little. It is like I am missing something from her.
O and another thing she does that makes me lose my mind, is she will turn her back to me when we do go for walks. It's like she is saying, I am disgusted in you. Ilk call her and with a glance over her shoulders she looks at me with the face what do YOU want worm. Makes me laugh and pissed at in the same moment. She has a personality that is wonderful and annoying all at the sametime.

We do got to get her anal gland check she has a very unique smell coming from her, hard to explain. When will she go.into heat her first cycle that is? Currently she is close to 5 months the 11th of this month she is 5 months old.


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## myluckypenny (Nov 29, 2016)

I just have to commend you for being so willing to listen to advice of others and seek to improve your relationship with Angel! Its not easy to ask for help and I think with lots of patience and understanding Angel is going to become an amazing dog.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

Another thing to keep in mind is that this is not going to be solved with one session of tossing the treats out front. It is something to so slowly but consistently, increasing the distance you go very slowly. She does sound very timid, so you need to help her feel secure. YOU need to be safety, not the one forcing her to do things that are scary. Do you jolly her up when you are walking? You can use your voice... "Come on! Let's go, Angel, good girlie! Let's go!" All excited. You want her to be excited, thinking, well if HE'S all jazzed up, there must be something fun about to happen!


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

I have taken a step back from walks with leash. Someone made a great point she is getting ready for her second fear phase and I know most likely whatever fears she gets or keeps with the second phase will be very hard to fix. So I told the wife, I will do more off leash training in the yard so Angel can run away if she needs to. 

Also when would her first year cycle start and how will I know other then blood?


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

I am trying to get my inner girl going it is still a work in progress. My S.T.A.R trainer makes fun of me all the time, says Nate become a girl get all happy, I try but is not were as good as my wife. That being said when she is misbehaving she listens to my deeper voice.


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## rabernet (Feb 24, 2015)

Nate83 said:


> *I am trying to get my inner girl going it is still a work in progress.* My S.T.A.R trainer makes fun of me all the time, says Nate become a girl get all happy, I try but is not were as good as my wife. That being said when she is misbehaving she listens to my deeper voice.


I think we might need some video evidence that you are following your trainer's instructions. In the interest of keeping you honest. :grin2:


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

I will try to post videos of the bad, good and just plain fun. To give a better prospective.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

If you are smelling a fishy odor from her it could be her anal glands, and you probably should have the vet check them. 

Females can go in heat anytime usually after 6 months old, some don't have a season until closer to 12 months old. You could ask the breeder what her mom's schedule has been, she might take after her mom. You should notice her vulva swelling, but the most obvious sign is bloody discharge.


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

mylissyk said:


> If you are smelling a fishy odor from her it could be her anal glands


 that is the best way to explain it fishy, and she licks it none stop, we will be setting up a vet check.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

rabernet said:


> I think we might need some video evidence that you are following your trainer's instructions. In the interest of keeping you honest. :grin2:


That's just a HAHAHA moment.


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## jennretz (Jul 24, 2013)

Nate83 said:


> that is the best way to explain it fishy, and she licks it none stop, we will be setting up a vet check.


Fishy smell usually means full anal glands - might need to get them emptied....can cause issues if you don't


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

Ya we are setting up a vet check just to be on the safe side, also today i noticed she scooted times after pooping and she peeped several times and right after peeping squat to pee again. So for a safety of mind ill get her checked out.


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## rosegold (Nov 9, 2016)

You also might consider a uti with the repeated squatting, licking herself, and fishy odor. Our girl always gets a fishy odor to her underside and her urine when she has a UTI. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

rosegold said:


> You also might consider a uti with the repeated squatting, licking herself, and fishy odor. Our girl always gets a fishy odor to her underside and her urine when she has a UTI.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thank you.


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

My first Golden, Honeybear, kept having problems with clogged anal glands and then a UTI along with it. I don't know if the licking caused the UTI. We finally had to have her anal glands removed, though that's unusual I think.


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

Ya it was the anal gland. thing was full to the max, we r going to bulk up her stool.


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

Here is Angel doing some training.


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## LynnC (Nov 14, 2015)

Nate83 said:


> Ya it was the anal gland. thing was full to the max, we r going to bulk up her stool.


You can also add some canned pumpkin to her meals. Just the pure pumpkin, not the pumpkin pie mix (too much sugar & spices)


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## Wenderwoman (Jan 7, 2013)

Hello, you've gotten lots of good advice but I though I'd throw my two cents in as well. There are two things that I would suggest, the first is to act really excited if she seems to slow down or stop and I mean get REALLY excited. Pretend like keeping going is like winning the lotto and act like you're going to run (don't run just start to do a little jog to get her going.) Or, sometimes, if she won't go in the direction you want her to go, then go just go in the direction she wants to go to get her moving and then just turn around and keep going. 

In either case, once she's going, then praise, praise, praise her.

Second, (and I think this would be the most helpful) is to find a higher value treat. You need to find the one treat she will never say no to and she will ONLY get that treat on walks. Freeze dried treats are usually pretty high value or you can try cooked chicken, hot dogs, liverwurst, popcorn, just find a really high value treat. She will only get this treat on walks though. When I was in training class, the instructor was constantly having us switch out treats and always making us find higher value treats. And, even if a treat starts out as high value, they can get bored with it and you have to find a another high value treat.


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

For now I have stopped all walk training, when she outside she has zero attention she is so distracted by everything. While in the house she listens so so so lately, the video I posted gives a rough idea of her skills but she wasn't into it at all. I am not sure of she is having a off week or teenage time or fear phase 2. So when she is outside we let her get free roam and try to get her to respond to come command, let's say she needs work. Our nieghbor have noted on her more confident demeanor and how healthy and beautiful she looks. She is growing like a weed I also have noticed she is better then a month ago with certain fears. Her thing with cars is not to instantly run away but now it is to stare and watch with great intent, treats, calling her nothing breaks her consentration it is actually impressive. After the "threat" leaves the area then she books it home. We are going baby steps. One thing I have noticed is she doesn't seem into anything lately. I mean when it comes to me. She will run to everyone else with joy but with me it is a "o ya I should say hi to you to out of respect" type thing. In the morning and when I come back from work are the two times she will greet me with joy the others time it is a most a chore LOL. For over week I haven't forced a thing on her. When we go to get in the car we wait for her to make the choice to get in and when we leave we let her make the choice. This goes againist everything in my body, I want to say get in the car now stop being scare you brat but with joy i encourage her to move at her pace. 

To be honest I am torn between feeling unloved by a breed that is suppose to be all loving and being ok with it because I want my wife to be bonded with her so she can have the feeling I did with Athena, that dog owner bond. 

We will see if it is a teenage phase or something else, I know this I don't beat my dog and she is VERY well taken care of. The 300 dollar very bill can atest to that love LOL.


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## rabernet (Feb 24, 2015)

Nate83 said:


> For now I have stopped all walk training, when she outside she has zero attention she is so distracted by everything. While in the house she listens so so so lately, *the video I posted gives a rough idea of her skills but she wasn't into it at all.* I am not sure of she is having a off week or teenage time or fear phase 2. So when she is outside we let her get free roam and try to get her to respond to come command, let's say she needs work. Our nieghbor have noted on her more confident demeanor and how healthy and beautiful she looks. She is growing like a weed I also have noticed she is better then a month ago with certain fears. Her thing with cars is not to instantly run away but now it is to stare and watch with great intent, treats, calling her nothing breaks her consentration it is actually impressive. After the "threat" leaves the area then she books it home. We are going baby steps. One thing I have noticed is she doesn't seem into anything lately. I mean when it comes to me. She will run to everyone else with joy but with me it is a "o ya I should say hi to you to out of respect" type thing. In the morning and when I come back from work are the two times she will greet me with joy the others time it is a most a chore LOL. For over week I haven't forced a thing on her. When we go to get in the car we wait for her to make the choice to get in and when we leave we let her make the choice. This goes againist everything in my body, I want to say get in the car now stop being scare you brat but with joy i encourage her to move at her pace.
> 
> To be honest I am torn between feeling unloved by a breed that is suppose to be all loving and being ok with it because I want my wife to be bonded with her so she can have the feeling I did with Athena, that dog owner bond.
> 
> We will see if it is a teenage phase or something else, I know this I don't beat my dog and she is VERY well taken care of. The 300 dollar very bill can atest to that love LOL.


I disagree with the bolded. I saw a puppy who WAS into it - she was very attentive to you. I don't think that she doesn't love you - I think she's trying to understand you. She's not fluent in your language yet, but I think she's trying really hard to understand it.


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

She's a sweet little girl, you're a loving parent. It will work out just fine. Keep working patiently with her. I think you are training each other :smile2:


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

Thank you both.
My brother made a joke, she taught me to high five guess it is true. i will keep on training. the way i read the training when we did it was she wasn't into it but then again i cold be completely wrong it will not be the first or last time.


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## myluckypenny (Nov 29, 2016)

I also disagree with your perspective on your training session. She looks very attentive and engaged to me. I love the suggestion above of finding a high value treat just for walking lessons. Something that just gets her jacked up, like hotdogs or liver, and really excited to work. In my nosework class we discuss something called "setting the scene" which means getting clues in place so the dog knows what you are wanting to work on. For instance, having a special harness they wear or whenever I train I have a treat pouch on. Now as soon as I put that pouch on they get so excited because they know we are going to work. 

Also, if there is a collar she wears all the time you can switch it up for walks. Start off with just putting the walking collar on, lots of treats, then take it off. Do that until she starts associating that collar with super fun stuff, then try going into the front yard, lots of treats, etc. Until you work your way up to an actual walk? 

You have to go real slow though and make sure you stop your training session before she wants to. In my retriever training they really stressed throwing marks one less time than it takes for the dog to get bored. So if the dog will reliably do 3 retrieves, only do 2, that way you are ending with the dog wanting more.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

I just saw your video Nate. She is precious. And totally into you.


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

Thank you everyone. I thought I was good at reading my dogs, I fail yet again LOL. Good to know she is into me for training.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

I totally disagree, too. I also see a pup totally focused on you. Learning from you. That builds your bond. 

Bonding is not about jumping around and being all excited every time they see you. Being bonded to you is your pup finding security in you. Strangers ARE exciting and total fun. But when push comes to shove, they want YOU sitting beside them at the vet. My dog runs around the park saying hi to every human there. She basks in the love she gets. I love watching her. And the more people who love on my dog, the better. But my dog doesn't go bananas when I get home from work. She comes and stands quietly with her head in the crook of my neck while I rub her ears and kiss her head, and she just breathes me in. She knows I am coming home, and when I do, she is just so quietly content. It's far better than jumping all around, trust me. :smile2: 

I'll tell you when I do see excitement: on stat holidays, I often work, but my dogwalker doesn't. So I always make sure to get home halfway through the day so I can take her for a walk. Well, when I get home home in the middle of what she knows is a work day (from the whole morning routine) she always comes to the door and is like, "hey, it's YOU!!! Why are YOU here??? This is so FUUUUUN!! It's YOOOOOU!" I love it. Happens every stat holiday. It's a different greeting than she gives my walker (whom she adores) but it says so much. I love that she goes bananas when my walker comes. I love more how she greets ME, both at night after work (quietly) and when I surprise her midday (with a surprise happiness). 

Oh, and it builds with time. Five months is not enough. (Sorry, I might be remembering your pup's age wrong). But either way, it builds and builds. It gets stronger every day for the rest of your lives together.


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## hahuston (Jul 5, 2017)

Nate83 said:


> I am trying to get my inner girl going it is still a work in progress. My S.T.A.R trainer makes fun of me all the time, says Nate become a girl get all happy, I try but is not were as good as my wife. That being said when she is misbehaving she listens to my deeper voice.


What's your favorite sport? How do you cheer for a touchdown/home run/3 point shot/etc.? Okay, now do that, but do it an octave or 2 higher, lower the volume, and use your bridge word instead. 

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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

Bridge word?
I am trying to get girly. I am glad I misread the situation with Angel.


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## hahuston (Jul 5, 2017)

Nate83 said:


> Bridge word?
> I am trying to get girly. I am glad I misread the situation with Angel.


Whatever you tell her after she completes a desired behavior such as, "Yes!" or "Good girl!" before giving her a treat. 

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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

Why is it called a bridge word?


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## Kalhayd (May 4, 2016)

I'm a little late to the game. Our Dory, now 18-months(how'd that happen?) is an apprehensive, easily jolted, pup. She loves, loves, loves, her walks- we say walk, and she goes and grabs her leash and collar and waits by the front door with her backend jolting from side to side! However, she does not like sudden noises(loud cars, hover boards zooming by, motorcycles, etc). So, if we're walking and this occurs her go to reaction is to bolt. She is an amazingly trained walker. Walks calmly and to our side. Our kids are easily able to hold the leash(supervised of course!), but these noises she forgets all of that. 


Now, when we see it, we all(whoever is on the walk) get on her level- hug, cuddle, and pet her until the perceived threat is gone. This has helped SO much- while it looks completely ridiculous in our little subdivision- it helps Dory feel safe. I don't know what triggered her fears(and she tends to be just noise sensitive), but she definitely thrives from the positive reinforcement that we will keep her safe and secure. Some noises still get her(and she still HATES hover boards which every 3rd neighbor kid has)- but she mostly has learned to sit and wait for some loving rather than freak and run.... 




Just stay patient- and calm and reinforce you're here for her. It is quite obvious in your video that she loves to please you!


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

I use to hug and give loving but I thought that would reinforce her fear so I stopped. I do encourage her to watch or sit when a car comes by.


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## Kalhayd (May 4, 2016)

Nate83 said:


> I use to hug and give loving but I thought that would reinforce her fear so I stopped. I do encourage her to watch or sit when a car comes by.



Gotcha- for us, it established trust. The fear doesn't go away alone, but her being able to trust us to keep her safe and reinforce that... causes the fear to be less scary(at least for our girl)


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## hahuston (Jul 5, 2017)

Nate83 said:


> Why is it called a bridge word?


Because it's the verbal "bridge" that spans the space between the desired behavior and the food or play reward. The bridge says thus is the bahavior I want, now the reward is coming. When I use our bridge word, Asher knows he did what I wanted and starts looking for his reward.

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## hahuston (Jul 5, 2017)

Nate83 said:


> I use to hug and give loving but I thought that would reinforce her fear so I stopped. I do encourage her to watch or sit when a car comes by.


I've been encouraged to give my dog copious amounts of high value treats during scary or stressful situations. If we can anticipate and start the treats before just before the stress or fear begins, that's always best. 

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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

When she gets onto her phase, she doesn't response to treats, then again i haven't tried walking in a while. She did bark at a stranger across the road.


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## hahuston (Jul 5, 2017)

Nate83 said:


> When she gets onto her phase, she doesn't response to treats, then again i haven't tried walking in a while. She did bark at a stranger across the road.


Eventually, you and your trainer wil figure out what works. In the meantime, practice finding your "inner girl".

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## Wenderwoman (Jan 7, 2013)

hahuston said:


> I've been encouraged to give my dog copious amounts of high value treats during scary or stressful situations. If we can anticipate and start the treats before just before the stress or fear begins, that's always best.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk


Nate, I just want to say that I totally agree that your puppy is focused on you and that you are doing a fantastic job of working with her and getting as much information as you can.

I also agree with HaHuston that anytime you can anticipate and start working with the dog before the stress event happens, the better. My girl can still be reactive to other dogs or people but if I can see them first and start repeating "leave it," her reaction is much less hyper and sometimes not at all. Does your puppy know "leave it?" Usually it's taught around not picking up some object but, for me, it has become more of a "ignore that" thing.

I also don't think it is necessarily wrong to comfort your puppy when she is that anxious. My dog has moments of anxiousness too, especially with fireworks and in the car. In both cases, I will comfort her. I feel that ignoring her, because of the level of anxiousness, is worse than asking her to "leave it/ignore it." You know? At that level of anxiousness, she can't think clearly enough to understand a command. So, I would stop and let her know everything is okay, let her calm down a bit and then let her continue on her own. She will get more confidence as she gets older.

Also, I think you were very right that she is probably in a teenager phase. That phase where dogs seem for forget commands they used to know. Just keep working with her and you will be surprised to find one day, she's suddenly listening again.

As far as bonding goes, every dog is a little different. When I got my puppy (which was five years ago,) I wanted her to sit on the couch next to me and sleep in the bed. She doesn't want to do either. But, I am the only one that can even get close to her paws to clip them or clean her ears. And, rather than sit on the couch next to me, she will always sit under my feet and will follow me to every room I go to. She does love other people but I can tell that, even though she doesn't do all those things I wanted, that she is my heart dog and shows it in many other ways.

Just keep loving her and working with her and playing with her and being happy around her and she'll develop a bond with you.


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

I only have the S.T.A.R trainer the other trainer was good for simplier training but she has no idea how or what to do. I am getting help from Robin, puddles (when she is nice LOL) and everyone else. I am starting to notice a different attitude these last few days. She seems to have some swag with her lately. I am trying not to read into to thinking o she is getting brave.


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

Ya she knows leave it but it is a matter of her listening to it LOL. She does love snuggling with me and my wife, she will listen to me better them my wife becsuse of my deeper voice but my wife can get that hyper voice so we equal each other out. I can't complain tho she is a VERY loving dog.


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

What is everyone's take on letting a female puppy go thru one heat cycle before neutering. I am 99.9% sure I am going to do it for growth reasons. I have no intention to breed her at all.


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## cwag (Apr 25, 2017)

My breeder sent a link today about delaying spay/neuter.

Spay-Neuter Considerations to Maximize Health - IVC Journal


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## Kalhayd (May 4, 2016)

Per recent studies, our girl went through a heat cycle prior to spaying.


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

When i brought this up to the vet she actually was shocked i knew what i was talking about and agreed that the pros of waiting one heat cycle outweigh the cons. the only cons she came up with was a increase if breast cancer but it is minimal with one heat cycle if i was letting her go thru many cycles before getting her neutered she said then the increases is greater. my main concern for the cycle was a lot of blood but Robin and others have told me it in minimal and on top of that she should clean herself. one thing i will do however is watch her like a hawk/crate her more.


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## hahuston (Jul 5, 2017)

Our vet is in the "one size does not fit all" camp. Only one of Asher's testicles has descended so far. She is hopefull it will descend later. She suggests neutering after one year of age depending on what is happening with that other testicle and with his overall health.

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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

So ever sense she had her anal gland expressed her crate smells like a fish market, anyone know why?


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## usually lurking (Apr 21, 2017)

Did you clean her crate? The odor clings to everything and will linger if you don't clean.


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

Ya, we r going to clean it again


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

So, Angel has been labeled a soft dog LOL by the S.T.A.R trainer she loves her. Today we went to Petco, for the last 2 weeks i have been doing a different style when we exit the car. i am letting her make the choice to leave, i am not forcing her to leave she does it. she will whine and whimper a lot but after sometime she comes out. She wanted to bolt back into the car which is a first and i know why she is doing it (she equates it with home), i tug slightly on the leash and say some which she does, her nose is planted on the ground and her ail is touching her nose LOL. We smell around the entrance for a bit then go inside which she did very well, then we r instantly greeter with a very kind guy who gives her a treat so it worked out perfectly for her. Then she pet by one o the groomers, off we go her tail is not so under her now it is flat on her butt (less fearful) she smells everything that is remotely close to her it is funny. i let her guide me for a bit and we meet a little girl maybe 3 or 4 and angel gets a pets and she doesn't jump (was surprised she didn't jump). we keep walking her tail now starts to raise a little(even less fear) and is greeted by a little boy maybe 2 or 2 1/2 again she didn't jump she laid down and got pet. she was VERY good and everything for her was a good experience. she did give a issue when we where leaving i think all the outdoor noises shocked her, so i had my wife call her and she left the building. all and all she is did very well for her first Petco experience.


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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

So i should just wait before i post things for now on, angel is showing tons of trust with me now, isnt like i did something different. Wife is getting a little jealous, so i let her do the S.T.A.R training yesterday they both did great wife was shocked at how fast angel will pick stuff up. i will post a vid of her doing her stuff when i get a chance. She really loves tunnels now to, they setup a mini course no jumping but they had 1 tunnel then a A frame with a flat top then a tunnel at the end, angel did the whole course the first time (her recall still needs work but she did listen after the 5th time). first time we taught her to sit on the top of the a frame she did, then she went thru the tunnel and run off to grab a toy and with it in her mouth she cut in line and did the whole course on her own the trainers where shocked she sat at on the flat top got a treat went thru the other tunnel and went to my wife for a treat, i actually was dumbfounded myself. btw anyone have any good recall tricks?


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## hahuston (Jul 5, 2017)

Nate83 said:


> So i should just wait before i post things for now on, angel is showing tons of trust with me now, isnt like i did something different. Wife is getting a little jealous, so i let her do the S.T.A.R training yesterday they both did great wife was shocked at how fast angel will pick stuff up. i will post a vid of her doing her stuff when i get a chance. She really loves tunnels now to, they setup a mini course no jumping but they had 1 tunnel then a A frame with a flat top then a tunnel at the end, angel did the whole course the first time (her recall still needs work but she did listen after the 5th time). first time we taught her to sit on the top of the a frame she did, then she went thru the tunnel and run off to grab a toy and with it in her mouth she cut in line and did the whole course on her own the trainers where shocked she sat at on the flat top got a treat went thru the other tunnel and went to my wife for a treat, i actually was dumbfounded myself. btw anyone have any good recall tricks?


What a great update! As far as recall, I doubt I can add anything your trainer hasn't already suggested. So I'll just encourage you to be consistent; use her favorite, most high value treat (we use real bacon bits); keep channeling your "inner girl"; and practice, practice, practice. Good luck! So fun reading about your family's successes. [emoji3][emoji177]

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## Nate83 (Jul 13, 2017)

hopefully i can post some video of her doing the tunnels and A frame


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