How I Judge Success

This may not look like much but it is actually amazing. I am holding a leash with some slack and my coffee cup on our walk and I was able to take a picture.

Izzy graduated from Dog 4. Our last class was held in a park. There were lots of distractions including other dogs, bikes, and children. Izzy did great and was able to walk on a fairly loose leash and follow commands even with all the activity. A few days later, I was walking Izzy and realized how far we have come. I was able to walk her and hold (and drink from) my coffee cup and walk her past at least 20 rabbits. I was even able to have her wait and take a photo. This is what I call success. I don't need her to walk right at my heel but I need her to be able to walk by me and she can. I also need her to pay attention to me and not pull. She is paying more attention to me each day. Pulling is minimal in familiar places and using a gentle leader works great with her in new places. I also need her not to lunge towards other people and dogs. She has really come to understand that when we are walking on leash, we are not playing with other dogs. She also waits for me to tell her it's OK to meet people. I have learned to judge my dog's performance on function vs perfection. I will continue to work with Izzy in some drop-in classes for graduates. We should be scheduled soon for her therapy certification exam!

I wanted to share some of the photos we got back from Salty Pet Portraits. I love them. He really captured her personality and so many of her expressions. These are a combination of the edited photos and some out takes. It is really hard to pick my favorites! If you have time, I'd love to hear which one is your favorite. I'm having fun working with them to create fun things to give people like stickers and coloring pages. I'll share those next.