November 14, 2009

Bad Morning, Good Afternoon


Bella was an absolute pill this morning. No commands were executed on first request, she didn't stay by my side, she ate everything she found and dropped nothing. I had to dig through her mouth to get the whatevers out. She did come when she was called only to bolt a second after she arrived. Time for Doggie Pushups. No nothing without compliance—a sit, a down, a wait. And no treats for sloppy execution.

Dog says, "Sit? Hmm-m-m. Let me think about it. Oh sit, oh yeah, I can do that. Watch."

My response? "No tickie, no bickie." A delayed sit doesn't warrant a biscuit. Nor does a "Down? You want me to do what? Lay on cold pavement? Naw. Not gonna do it. Oh you really want a down? Okay. Let me think about it first..."

This afternoon was—thanks heavens—a different story. I took her over to the church parking lot and threw the tennis ball for her. Before every other throw a command was given and compliance expected before the ball was tossed again. She did really well, not immediate in all cases, but nothing like this morning. On the walk afterwards, she did a heel about 80% of the time.

Guess I won't send her back yet.

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