So proud of Eddie today :)
I feel guilty sometimes posting pictures of adorable Eddie and bragging about each and every one of his accomplishments here. He's a good dog, but he's not the superdog that I sometimes portray him to be.
Eddie has dog aggression issues and has toy hoarding tendencies. Although he's airborne or neck deep in snow in the pictures I post, he's always been a little overweight and his athletic ability is very average for a Yorkie. On unleashed walks, untrained Lucy and lightly trained Jillie keep up better. And although Eddie's been housetrained at home since he was 9 months, he'll lift his leg in a minute if we're in a strange home with another dog. I have to watch him like a hawk.
But with those caveats aside, let me get back to my bragging about him
Today, we volunteered to be a test dog for a Delta Society (therapy dogs) instructors certification class. The wannabe instructors were to evaluate us as if it was a real test, but we were to deliberately make some mistakes to see if they caught them.
It was a new room for us -- a little cold, quite drafty, and there were a couple large ceiling fans that would come on intermittently and make a loud noise.
But Eddie went through the 20-stage test without flinching. People made loud noises to try to surprise him. People argued in loud voices. Several people rushed up to him at the same time wanting to pet him. One person bumped into me while I was carrying him.
He noticed all those things, and he checked them out. But he didn't panic. He kept his focus on me and waited for the next command.
The most rewarding part for me was listening to the half-dozen observers in the room react to him. I could hear oohs and ahhs when we did a leashed walk. I tossed in a finish command after a "come," and he calmly circled me and sat on my left. After we finished the mock test, several people came up to me to say how much they loved Eddie.
I think all our dogs have strengths and weaknesses. I can live with and manage his weaknesses, but I'm awfully proud of his strengths. He may not be a superdog, but he's my superdog!
Eddie has dog aggression issues and has toy hoarding tendencies. Although he's airborne or neck deep in snow in the pictures I post, he's always been a little overweight and his athletic ability is very average for a Yorkie. On unleashed walks, untrained Lucy and lightly trained Jillie keep up better. And although Eddie's been housetrained at home since he was 9 months, he'll lift his leg in a minute if we're in a strange home with another dog. I have to watch him like a hawk.
But with those caveats aside, let me get back to my bragging about him
Today, we volunteered to be a test dog for a Delta Society (therapy dogs) instructors certification class. The wannabe instructors were to evaluate us as if it was a real test, but we were to deliberately make some mistakes to see if they caught them.
It was a new room for us -- a little cold, quite drafty, and there were a couple large ceiling fans that would come on intermittently and make a loud noise.
But Eddie went through the 20-stage test without flinching. People made loud noises to try to surprise him. People argued in loud voices. Several people rushed up to him at the same time wanting to pet him. One person bumped into me while I was carrying him.
He noticed all those things, and he checked them out. But he didn't panic. He kept his focus on me and waited for the next command.
The most rewarding part for me was listening to the half-dozen observers in the room react to him. I could hear oohs and ahhs when we did a leashed walk. I tossed in a finish command after a "come," and he calmly circled me and sat on my left. After we finished the mock test, several people came up to me to say how much they loved Eddie.
I think all our dogs have strengths and weaknesses. I can live with and manage his weaknesses, but I'm awfully proud of his strengths. He may not be a superdog, but he's my superdog!
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