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| Riley (not barking) |
To kick things off, I took my dog to a new training class tonight. My dog had unfortunately been mistreated before I adopted her, so she reacts in fear to new people, loud noises etc. Enter the Reactive Rovers class at the
Rovers Ranch in Runnells. That's a lot of R's. Darcy Emehiser was fantastic tonight in teaching Riley, and me, things that made a great deal of sense. Much to my absolute amazement, Riley did wonderful tonight! She didn't bark once! (I'm used to her literally demanding everything by barking). Could it be that she's spoiled at home (Noooo!) and is just used to getting her way? Yes to a certain degree. She has legitimate fears that we will be working through but it's my job as her protector to remain calm and let her know that it's ok and she can trust me to keep her safe. Sometimes in life we are presented with situations that frustrate, confuse or scare us and it's our first instinct to react without thinking clearly. It's best to stop, relax, wait a few minutes and then decide the next course of action.
After tonight, I'm encouraged that this class is going to be very beneficial for both Riley and myself. Turns out you can teach an old dog new tricks. And I'm talking about me.
Tomorrow's activity involves a little bit of preparation and a lot of new flavors, tune in then!
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