I mentioned in the last post that she's mellowed out some in the almost two years we've had her. (It'll be two years with us in late July.) That goes double for the last couple of months. We got into a beginners Agility class and after I learned the knack of all-positive reinforcement, she took to it like a fish to water. I had gotten back into some angry ways and she didn't respond well for the first two classes. So Becky let me know it was my fault she was responding badly, not Eva's. (9 times out of 10, it's not the dog's fault.)
So I wasn't allowed to use the word "No" in the training area at all. (Aside here: my "No" is one of the harshest sounding ones you have ever heard. I got into that habit when she used to try to chew on my kids, and I never developed a kinder correction as she got better.) So I had to learn how to be positive. This is not easy for me. I'm not a positive person. I remember in the last class Eva did something she really wasn't allowed to, and I told her no. I immediately appologised to Becky. She turned and told me that particular "No" was okay, because it was something I said to Eva, not something I yelled at her. I guess I had learned.
Eva has turned out to be an amazing workout buddy. No matter how fast I walk or jog, she's always looking back at me and bouncing a couple of times, like she's saying, "Can we go faster now? How 'bout now?" I don't think I ever need to worry about not pushing myself to go faster when we go jogging, 'cause it doesn't matter how fast I get, she'll always want me to go faster. That girl could run all day and have energy to spare!
I can get her to calm down pretty fast now when she decides to bark. She's friendly but not pushy with the kids. Having the "dog I didn't want" is turning out to be exactly what I need. I'm looking to see how much fun we can have now that we have developed a good working relationship. Sometimes you have to work to get a good family dog, but the work is immensely worth it.
I love my Eva!
-Nan
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