Greetings

Sometimes I wish all my dogs could have greetings like Beckett, who is civilized and loving to every living thing even if they aren't so kind in return. Beckett never barks, never jumps up, he just siddles on up for some love or minds his distance. Forty people could arrive on our property and once and he wouldn't kick up a fuss. He would most politely invite them all in and tour them around.

Lemon on the other hand is a right tosser -sometimes I just want to nail her once so hard she never thinks of being a jackass again with me in sight.

So anyway Jinks and I were training in the yard, while Lemon toddles around in the front acre, probably trying to figure out how to get the lid off the cat food bin. Anyway, we're pretty darn rural so although we have a fair few vehicles go by, it's a rare occurance to get a PERSON walk by our place. Today... a person went by.

So of course I'm in the back field doing a great training session with the fear-stage puppy who thinks every new thing is suddenly out to get her, and Lemon starts a roaring fuss in the front acre or so. I have too much distance between her and I to call off her idiotic territorial "BARK BARK GROWL BARK BARK"now that it's started and not enough speed to stop Jinks who is now barreling to Lemon's aid, although back a good 15 feet from her (I'll bark at it from afar she says). So, corral the puppy into a down CHECK! Good puppy, stay there. "Yes mam, I think I will, you deal with that scary jogger up there."

Now to deal with that idiotic chihuahua.

I feel like a mother. You love your kids dearly, but sometimes you just want to smack them over a head with a canoe paddle. Of course we're 10-13 seconds in now and the jogger is nearly our property with her headphones on so doesn't notice a thing (thank god), but Lemon is now going past her invisible line. When she's an idiot, she's not going to do it halfway. She's almost going into ankle-biter mode. She's literally within kicking range of the jogger.

Usually once I'm within 10-15 feet of her the commands can come into play. Not today. Dog evaded pressure, threw off mean mum recall and ignored her down from a distance command. PLUS, when I finally did get to her, she knew she was in deep shit and pulled the "I won't let you touch me" move. So, I'm sure I blew a bit of a gasket and all I had was my chuck-it stick I brought in from the field. The jogger moves on and Lemon's still evading and barking her stupid little head off. So... I throw the chuck-it stick at her. HARD.

SMASH. (Better aim than I thought)  I think she was more stunned by the fact I threw a chuck-it stick at her than by it hurting her at all. So, take momentary laspe in thought and scoop dog up, release Jinks from her down which remarkably she's still holding, and go inside to where Lemon is going to remain her time-out crate for a long, long time.

Somehow I see a citronella collar in my future!

Teenagers!!!

Meanwhile, Beckett was still in the back field going "I'm just going to hang out here. It's safer this way." Dude knows whose boss. I'd take another Beckett in a heartbeat... a Lemon, I can only handle one.