It's been a bit of a mixed bag recently.
We've been slightly unlucky with triggers.
At daycare pick-up, there was a woman standing waiting in a dark corner - to be fair to George, I was a bit startled too - I appreciated her giving us space but it gave George a fright.
When we got home, there were lots of neighbours in the car park. That hasn't happened for a while and George's reaction was intense.
'Big' events like that obviously have a knock-on effect over the following days.
If we're lucky and avoid triggers, the effect is shorter.
We avoided a lot but have still had a few big reactions unfortunately.
The other day we arrived at home in the dark when a man walked past the car holding an umbrella. George was barking like crazy and jumping at the car windows. He was hyperventilating as he walked to the house.
But I get it - it was a big scary moving shape in the dark!
The weather has been a bit rubbish. Whilst I appreciate the rain (it keeps people indoors!), the wind and thunder has probably been unsettling.
He's not been resting quite as well, or as much. I don't know if it's the weather, trigger stacking, or more likely, both.
He's been reacting more to noises at home. The other day he reacted over 10 times in the space of an hour - when the neighbours are all coming home from work which also coincides with his situational meds wearing off.
I've realised he needs something to do during these particularly challenging times. A lickimat has been working well, or if I'm not still working, training and games.
We have been having lots of fun together.
Lots of pattern games, cue training and scent work - all of which George loves. He gets so excited and has a big, waggy tail.
We've tried learning "middle" again - something he struggled with in the past but is now doing very well with.
We've been doing some training at a familiar Sniffspot which went well - touch, 1,2,3, emergency u-turns, and loose leash walking. We've also been practicing these outside daycare.
We've been doing some LAT (look at that) and engage/disengage if we encounter triggers at a great enough distance.
Some agility equipment had been set up at one of our lovely Sniffspots. We had great fun practicing jumping and weaving.
When we first encountered agility equipment in one of our classes, George was very cautious and nervous. Now he had no hesitation engaging with the new equipment.
He's come such a long way with his confidence.
He jumped onto logs, clambered on to new surfaces, leapt inside a giant tyre, and splashed about in the little stream.
I think the weekly Forest Adventures he goes on with his daycare are really helping with his confidence in engaging with the world.
One of our major challenges remains running the neighbour gauntlet getting in and out of the house.
Now that George's appetite has improved, I have been holding a wooden spoon smeared with peanut butter in front of George's face to walk between the house and the car.
I don't think it would make a difference if we encounter a neighbour. But I am hoping that over time, it will start to reduce his high levels of anxiety in this space and help build positive associations.
It's early days but so far so good.