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Reactive dogs seem to have a lot to say. Thank goodness I have a blog! |
Okay, I'll admit it. No more denial. I'm a reactive dog. Even though I don't think I'm entirely to blame as I did have a rough start in life, I have to accept that being prickly is part of my make up. Hard as I try and hard as my Forever Mom tries, it seems I'm destined to make a bad first impression. My Forever Mom explains that it's some deep-seeded, first-response, mumbo-jumbo default behavior that I'm likely stuck with because no one taught me any differently for so long and, of course, there was all that self preserving stuff I had to do while being a stray and running the streets and all. Oh well, she assures me that she loves me even though I'm a lot more work than she expected. Thank goodness for that.
But, as usual, there is a silver lining in my cloud, and right now it's the fact that I have been able to serve as a "demo" dog in a couple of my Forever Mom's classes at Cloud Nine Training School for Dogs. Yep. That's the truth. No lie. No fib. On more than one occasion, my Forever Mom has paraded me in front of a group of dogs that I didn't know and had me show them how to do stuff. And I did a GREAT job if I do say so myself!
One time I got to demonstrate a jumping exercise, and I was pretty focused and eager. I know this because I did a lot of unnecessary boinging back and forth over the jump, and I think I made my Forever Mom dizzy. At one point I decided to scamper off check out a young Border Collie named Mimic, but when my Forever Mom called "Dixon come" I actually left Mim alone and went back to work. Now let me tell you how hard that was. Not only did I want to check out Mimic, but I also wanted to say hi to some of my human buddies that were nearby: Sarah and Khamsin. But, no. I behaved. I did the right thing. I went back to my Forever Mom and finished the demo. And then I got hugs and kisses and treats. Not a bad trade off for having a little self control. I should remember that.
Then there was another time when I was . . . (dare I say it out loud?) . . . naughty. Just a tad bit anyway. My Forever Mom opened her office door and I bolted out during a class. Whoa, did that have the potential to be disastrous - at least with the old Dixon. But the new, improved Dixon behaved much differently, much to my Forever Mom's relief and satisfaction I might add. Instead of rushing up to the all the other dogs and causing an aggressive scene, I raced over to a man with a Golden Retriever and sat next to him, ready to earn one of the treats he was giving his dog. And I didn't even lift a lip at the Golden. Ta da! Insert fireworks here!
So, the good news, the silver lining, is that though I am reactive at heart, I can be a good, good, boy. I hope the trend continues because I know that's what would be a dream come true for my Forever Mom!
