A Miserable Failure

I failed miserably. Yep. I blew it. I suppose that comes as a surprise to some of you who might expect an intelligent, clever, action-packed little guy like me to be picture perfect, but it's true. I didn't come through when my Forever Mom needed me most. And though I feel bad about it, I think you'll agree it's a good thing. 

You see, my Forever Mom has some students in one of her classes that have reactive dogs - dogs like me, as a matter of fact - and she wanted to show them that she understands what they are going through, that she's "been there, done that," that she "feels their pain," etc., etc. To demonstrate this and to be absolutely authentic and convincing to her students, she pulled me out of her office, the inner sanctuary where all us dogs stay while she's working, so everyone could see how I explode with unpleasant, snarly, growly, barky behavior when I see dogs I don't know. The point simply was to let her students know that she knows what they are dealing with because she has ME. 

Well, I'm here to tell ya, and happily so, that her plan backfired. Yep. It's true. When my Forever Mom held me in her arms in front of a class full of dogs that I had never met, I'm proud to say that I behaved well - quietly,  gentlemanly, angelically even, and I did not react! 

Dig that! All the training training and desensitizing, along with my Forever Mom's most excellent situation management skills (plus her love and devotion to me too, I suppose), are working! Once again I declare that I AM making progress! Hot diggity dog!

Now, had my Forever Mom put me on the floor in front of all those unfamiliar dogs, it's likely that I would be telling you a different story (and I totally would share the whole truth with you because I am an honest little sheltie after all). But, when my Forever Mom did a double take and realized that I was being a good little guy, she decided to keep me in her arms, praise my most excellent behavior and then quit while we were ahead. Good call! Ending on a positive note worked for me! It was so much fun to be able to make a positive impression for once and show people that there is hope for improved behavior for reactive dogs!

So, it’s all good. Well, it’s almost all good. I still have to live with this whole failure thing since I didn't go off the deep end like my Forever Mom expected me to. But you know what? I think I'm okay with it. In fact, I think I'll do it again sometime soon. I'll let you know how it goes!

Sometimes failure is an option. 

I failed at something recently, 

and I’m glad I did!