No Dessert Till You Finish Your Vegetables!

[kjd]

She is still not good at eating, but I have taught Sunna that she gets a treat for a clean dish. Wherever I am, she will come running to tell me something is wonderful! Then we go to the kitchen, I exclaim over the clean dish, and she gets a treat.

Doesn't matter why she thinks she gets the treat -- whether for eating or for the clean dish. She doesn't expect the treat unless the dish is clean after having her regular food in it. I can put in people leftovers, which she quickly gobbles, but she doesn't expect a treat after them.

Such a sweet, silly dog!

[MaxHollyNoah]

Hi kjd,

What a sweet girl she is! I can see her proud face when she comes to you to tell you she has eaten up her dinner! You and Sunna has definitely got bonded!

Does she still not go for walk with somebody else, or has she trusted anybody else? I am sure she has gained some confidence.

Please put some of her pictures up, kjd. I would love to see her.

[kjd]

MaxHollyNoah,

She has gained a lot of confidence. I've even had her approach people on her own. Any time she gets close to others, I praise her profusely.

Is she ready to walk with someone else? Last week, at class, the instructor took her to show us a command. Part of it meant she had to sit. The expression on Sunna's face was "Not for you!" So this week I came early so the instructor could take her on a few exercises. She got better, but she was too stressed to take any treats. Behaved excellently with me ("I'd better be good so she doesn't let anyone else have my leash"?) during the class. I may try asking fellow classmates to have her obey them. We'll see.

I suspect the instructor is right when she says she doesn't think Sunna will ever be a therapy dog. However, I mainly want her to be an obedience dog (to go on to trial and obtain obedience titles). That, she seems able to do, limited only by my physical abilities. And if it turns out she can't? Hey, she's family!

This weekend, I'll try to get some good pictures of her. She is a sweetheart, but tends to move too rapidly to catch any great expressions. Most pictures, she just looks like a dog.

kjd