Quick Update

Everything is going good on the home front. Having a few adopted takes some added stress off. I've got nothing on the stress of TG or the rescuers in Taiwan -I just found out one rescuer has over 300 rescued dogs now, she rents her own farm for them all, and hires two employees to care for them all! Man, and I thought 8 was too many bodies. I am one small ant in the anthill! One little ant who will keep trucking along.

Levi has been doing awesome in boot-camp. She is becoming a well-mannered companion with clarity and consistency. We have had a few stumbling moments where I came away feeling a little on the mean side. Whoever said dogs don't pre-plan is a liar."I think I'll just break that rule I have learnt over a hundred times now." Some dogs just made a slip-up, but collies.... collies pre-meditate.  All collie and collie mixes seem to plan. How else could they herd efficiently!?! Anyway, Levi has been doing awesome at waiting lately. She waits before she leaves her crate -to the point now where I don't have to ask, she just waits-, and before she opens the door -she just waits, everyone can take off in front her now and she'll wait-, and she has become a gem on her leash (we haven't done much work with distractions yet mind you).

So, we were heading outside for the third or fourth time during the day, and for the past almost two weeks we've followed the same procedure

Sit @ door before it opens.
Stay sitting WHILE it opens (she gets up, I close the door)
Let other off-leash dogs exit the premises first.
Wait to be invited out, making sure that there is NO tension on the leash.

I haven't been getting slack on her, so I'm not sure if she figured it was worth another try, or she thought my guard was down or what, but she was in a perfectly lovely sit, waiting for everyone to go out and she gives me the "let's go" look which is fine because I always love having her look at me before we go anywhere. Well, this time was a little different. She looked at me like she usually did, but there was something cheeky in her eyes.

MUTINY.

And without a second thought she is huffing it out the door as fast as she can go with all the force she can muster with the other dogs just out the door so thank goodness just out of stepping range (I'm sure I would have taken Daisy out I was lurched so fast). Luckily for me I'm not lurched nearly fast or strong enough to let go of the leash. I get two steps, dig in my heels, root myself and quite promptly, tighten up the leash so that Levi is almost tiptoeing, and then take her all the way back inside, up the stairs and to the crate, not nearly so nicely toss her butt inside.

EEEIN WRONG ANSWER.

I was torn between being annoyed and feeling sorry. I try not to feel sorry for the dogs too much as it doesn't do them any good, but I don't like being mean and I was feeling a little mean. I feel mean with Jinks quite frequently, but she is my project, and I'll be mean if it means I keep her safe, and keeps people safe from her.

So, let Levi out of time-out after a few minutes -after I've got my cool back together and am over that "sorry" feeling. Thankfully since her ten minute time-out, Levi hasn't tried another mutiny. Didn't work out so well for her. Was it a pain in the butt, sure thing, but I'm glad she gave it to me, that mutinous moment. The more she fusses and the more it gets her absolutely no where, the more I build the behaviour I want. And what I want is a patient, thoughtful dog who minds where I am, what I'm doing and is happy to be part of what I'm doing.

Bring it on Levi. I've done rounds and rounds with Jinks dog and will do rounds and rounds more with that much more stubborn girl. You are a much easier mutiny. It also helps that Levi is a Velcro type dog. She honestly WANTS to be somebody's dog. Jinks is kind of on her own agenda. She is my dog to the core, but she is not an eager to please a person dog, she is more than eager to please herself mind you. Levi is an honest companion. She is smart, but not devilishly smart.

I'm sure she will try other mutinies as we go, and it's important that whoever adopts her follows a clear, consistent method of consequence, alongside many opportunities to be successful.

She's a pleasure to have though, I really enjoy her company. It's a real shame she doesn't present herself to people the best. I'm worried whoever will come to meet her with go "Oh, she doesn't love me."

Spend an hour with her without the person she's currently heavily bonded to and you'll get that bond quickly too. She's just about ready for her forever home. This weekend will be her finishing of true bootcamp. The rest will be icing on an already pretty good cake.