Karma just freaks when it comes to parking lots because of the flurry of action that goes on in a relatively short amounts of space in a relatively short amount of time. Think about it this way: If you sit in your car at any busy store, notice what happens around you in a twenty or thirty-foot radius! You have people going in, people coming out, cars backing or pulling into parking spaces, people talking, and the list just goes on and on. I couldn't get Karma to focus on me.
As of the other day, that is history! Since I have been exposing her to a lot of different scenes, especially busy traffic, she has done very well. However, when it came to the busy parking lots of grocery stores, for example, I couldn't get her to focus on me, because she was so freaked out, and when she's freaked, she really pulls! I just kept working with her on this issue by redirecting her focus elsewhere such as walking her towards the back of the building until she was calmed, then I turned us back to the parking lot. At the parking lot, she remained calmed until we got further toward the middle of the parking lot, and when she started to freak out and pull, I turned her around.
The other day was her big test. I took her out of my vehicle for a walk and she walked just a little head of me and did not even pull! She even greeted the people going in or coming out of the store with a waggin' tail and a smile! I guess you can say she aced her test!
