Bad Days for Me But a Good Molly

I've had a couple bad days so haven't had the energy to train or update the blog. Molly has, of course, been a wonderful support and companion. She's done a great job keeping me company, lying at my feet, under me, or by my side most of the time. If I need something, she's been right there with excellent retrieves or followed me wherever I needed to go. When she's needed out, she's been so reliable that I've started taking her on potty outings without a leash even though it isn't the fenced part of the yard.

We made Danish meatballs for dinner tonight and happened to drop one in the process. DH was managing the cooking right then and I was sitting on a chair keeping him company. When the meatball hit, I just said, "Leave it, Molly" and she did. She looked at it but didn't try to touch it. It was fresh and smelled good and she loves meatballs. I stayed sitting and DH continued what he was doing for a while and Molly continued to ignore the meatball.

When DH was finished what he was doing, he gathered it up and we offered her some kibble as a reward. A little later he gave her the meatball in pieces while he did some leashless heel training with her.

After dinner, we took a couple more meatballs to practice her leave it skills some more, because they are very important for an SD. First, we put two on the floor and told her once to leave it. She did.

Then we gave her a piece of one as a treat and put it back down. She continued to leave them alone. She's a real master of doggy zen.

For her next challenge, DH gave her permission to eat a meatball. Then quickly followed it up with another "leave it" so she'd know the second was still off limits. Molly didn't find that much of a challenge, as you can see. I think she is saying, "Yummy! That meatball was great but I'm not going to touch the other one."

We waited, but she continued to ignore it like the good Molly she is. With us both there watching her, she knew somethign was up, so she stuck around. However, she seemed to find the entire exercise very boring.

To top things off, I practiced having her take and give me the meatball. She DID IT! She was a little unsure, but with encouragement, she dropped the meatball into my hand. She was promptly rewarded with a piece of it. We repeated and she did it again. That time she got the rest of it in pieces. Unfortunately the pictures of that didn't turn out so I can't prove her feat.

But I'm proud of my girl and her growing skills. I also love her just for the bond we have. She is really sensitive to my moods and my needs and that in itself is a great sign of our growth as a team. I'm also getting more sensitive to her needs, wants, and signs of stress and discomfort.