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Echo has had a couple of bad experiences with rude/reactive dogs and it made her very wary. It got to the point that if a strange dog was approaching us and got too close she would get so nervous she'd start shaking and barking. 
Well, it's taken a lot of work but today Echo got to come to Nevy's agility class to "watch". Now, when Echo is in her rally class she's great. I think it's because she is so focused on working and the other people in class are great about keeping their dogs close. The dogs in that class all seem to be lower energy, quiet dogs too. The dog's in Nev's class are very different. Quite loud, and the general atmosphere is more amped up.
Echo was great! She laid in her crate (set up close enough that she was about five feet from the strange dogs) and was super quiet! No barking, no hackles, no shaking! She was so good for the last five minutes of class she got to come out and sit on the sidelines beside her sister (in full view of the other dogs, maybe only about three feet away). She didn't care at all! Tail was wagging, she got to practice some sit/down/stands between runs.
I'm so happy she is making progress! I was worried I had "ruined her" by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and failing to protect her from some of the dogs in my building. I was beating myself up, thinking I should of been carrying her, that way she would not have been trampled/rolled.
I think dogs are more forgiving than we think though.
~ Photo just because ~
Well, it's taken a lot of work but today Echo got to come to Nevy's agility class to "watch". Now, when Echo is in her rally class she's great. I think it's because she is so focused on working and the other people in class are great about keeping their dogs close. The dogs in that class all seem to be lower energy, quiet dogs too. The dog's in Nev's class are very different. Quite loud, and the general atmosphere is more amped up.
Echo was great! She laid in her crate (set up close enough that she was about five feet from the strange dogs) and was super quiet! No barking, no hackles, no shaking! She was so good for the last five minutes of class she got to come out and sit on the sidelines beside her sister (in full view of the other dogs, maybe only about three feet away). She didn't care at all! Tail was wagging, she got to practice some sit/down/stands between runs.
I'm so happy she is making progress! I was worried I had "ruined her" by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and failing to protect her from some of the dogs in my building. I was beating myself up, thinking I should of been carrying her, that way she would not have been trampled/rolled.
I think dogs are more forgiving than we think though.
~ Photo just because ~
