So I must ask, who is this wonderful Yellow Lab who looks like Maggie, and acts like Maggie, and responds like Maggie, but is not reacting at other dogs? Who is this dog that I just took out to use as a distraction dog for a Reactive dog student??? That's right, Maggie made her debut as my helper dog for a student and her dog reactive dog!!! Who is this, when did this happen and how long will it last?
This is just wild. All of a sudden a switch flipped and all of these years of training and worrying have paid off all at once. I am analyzing it like crazy and I don't get it, but I love it!
I warmed up my student using Etta and after a half hour of good work I decided to up the ante and bring out Maggie. I always work my dogs on a Gentle Leader in lessons. They are pretty good, but they must be perfect for a student. I actually found myself allowing Maggie to work on a flat collar after a few passes. She was great. She got a little forward once when the dog did react at her on a head on pass by, but it was a few hops ahead of me with no vocalization at all and immediate refocus on request.
It was mind blowing watching this happen and I want more now! I found myself always shying away from any potential dog interaction and now I almost find myself gravitating towards it. I don't get it, but I like it!
