I was nervous about how Phoenix would react to the strange place--an armory with a concrete floor and parked Hummer--but she took it in stride. The other dogs didn't bother her and she had a great time playing and exploring. It was when the instructor took Phoenix's leash that Phoenix got very nervous. We worked on it, with me standing next to the instructor so Phoenix knew she was not being led away. We both gave a lot of praise, but Phoenix was still stressed. Later, Phoenix' performance was obviously affected--she just shut down. Out came the tennis ball and Phoenix was back to her happy self. What I learned is that Phoenix needs a positive distractor, i.e. toy, whenever she stresses because it helps her regain her focus.
All in all, I am encouraged that working on an obedience title would be doable and fun for both of us.
Frodo also went to school this week, but it was a human one. I took him to work to meet my students, and he was mobbed, petted and kissed by about 100 children (closely supervised, of course). He took it in stride and loved every minute of it! He got a lot of compliments by adults on his calm temperament. Not one person had ever heard of a Cardigan Welsh Corgi and most thought he was a Border Collie, until I put him down and they saw his diminutive stature.
Tonight Frodo gets his ears taped. I was planning on doing it last night, but quickly learned it is a two-person job.
1 comment:
Yay for Phoenix and Frodo! Don't you just LOVE the temperaments on this litter? They all seem to be extra sweet and laid back. Greta and Hope got to meet the goats, horses and pony through the fence today and while Hope was a little more "intent" on them, neither of them freaked or got scared. Greta could have cared less, actually. :-)
Post a Comment