We spent some time at the Canine Development & Testing Anniversary Open House today. I thought this was a good environment to throw the heroes in… lots of people, noise, food tables and a few dogs.
I was super proud of them for staying relaxed and non-reactive during the busy event. They resisted the buffet table and BBQ burgers walking around. And with the help of many dog savvy attendees their paws mostly stayed on the ground. They also had an important first encounter with a disability scooter which they were curious but neutral about.
I was able to get their attention back with every distraction EXCEPT in the presence of a cute little Rottie baby puppy. She’s a confident special needs baby with some vision issues. There were other dogs & puppies of varying ages/sizes but they were mesmerized by this little girl which makes me wonder… what do they know or sense about her? Could they tell she was challenged? An extra knowingness or not, they were super sweet and gentle with her which was a wonderful thing to witness.
It’s hard to handle AND take photos so thanks to Tina & Alyssa for sharing theirs. I did manage to take a short video of the boys in an impromptu group downstay in the noisy event. A big thank you to my friend Kari Thomson who helped me puppy wrangle — I so appreciate your savvy K9 skills!
