We are not perfect pet owners, but I wouldn't say we are bad either. There are definitely things I wish we did differently in the beginning but like any thing in life, it has a learning curve and I am happy to say that in 2 years of living with the family, our dog, Blue has come miles. Let's back up a bit.
Blue was never a bad dog but he was a bit spoiled, he definitely thought he was a human, by no fault of his own, and as soon as I learned we were expecting I knew we needed to change a few things. He has adapted well to life in a crate, and life with a little one. He is patient and laid back with her. And today it was Pea who taught Blue and I about dog walking and training. In order to help Blue understand that Pea is above him in the household ranking we had her do several things, such as feed him, offer him treats, throw his ball etc. Every morning Pea and I take Blue out for his morning walk and Monday morning Pea asked to walk him. I obliged and showed her how to walk him close to her and not to let him pull her. I took a step back and held the end of the leash while Pea held onto Blue and did all the directing and to my amazement she was a natural.
Pea has confidence and dogs feed off of our feelings of confidence or lack of, Pea demonstrated you can be half the weight of your dog and still be in control. Every time Blue got a bit farther away from Pea she pulled back on the leash and said "WAIT!" Blue stopped. If Blue didn't stop right away (which happened twice) Pea yanked harder stopping him in his tracks and then stood there beside him watching him completely still. I was shocked to see Pea wait almost 5 minutes before advancing again and having Blue follow. I watched as she walked Blue the way trainers teach people to, without being taught. She was listening to her own instincts and trusting herself.
When Pea was finished walking Blue (almost 20 minutes) she handed me the leash and skipped down the road to be a kid again. Innocent, confident, beautiful, my little girl.
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