NEVER BEEN this happy in my LIFE!!!

WE GOT ANGEL TO PLAY WITH US FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!

Angel has been wary of playing since we first brought her home. She just freezes and becomes submissive, and sometimes growls and shows her teeth if you try to play bow/get exicted. She doesn't allow us to play with Muffin, either.

We felt sorry for poor Muffin, but what could we do? After a few months Angel warmed up to Muffin and they began to play wrestle sometimes. We'd also sometimes sneak in play sessions with Muffin.

Well today, after Angel living with us for a year and a half, I found Muffin's old favorite toy. I tried to get Angel interested in it by squeaking it, making excited noises, and putting it near her face. She just froze and looked away (no surprise). So Jason decided to play with Muffin a little bit.

I sat with Angel on the floor with her facing away from them. Muffin got quite into it. At first she kept looking to Angel, expecting to be attacked. Every time Angel let out any beginnings of grumpy noises, however, I would grab her firmly around the snout and tell her "no". After a few rounds of this she became more relaxed, so I told her to get on the couch. I thought maybe we could get her to watch and see that it was fun to play. We were praising Muffin for being a good dog and catching/retrieving the toy. I still had to reprimand Angel a few times, but she also started to wag her tail.

Not too much after this, Muffin grew tired (she's not the pup she used to be!). We decided to let Angel down and she went over to Jason wagging her tail. We tried it with the toy again and she ACTUALLY WAS CATCHING IT! In the air and everything! Just like a good Border Collie should do:)

She didn't want to give up the toy, but wanted to play with it. We took it from her quite a few times and had her catch it again. SHE DID IT REPEATEDLY!

This was such a huge step for Angel tonight. I don't know if she's ever played with a human like that before. I can't wait to go buy all sorts of toys to see which is her favorite:) I guess my brand-new PetsMart discount is going to come in handy!

It has been so rewarding to see Angel blossom into the dog she is today. I'd definitely do it exactly the same again if given the chance!

That is excellent news. :)

Congratulations! I have several timid dogs in my yard. The first time Franklin kissed me, I cried for an hour! When Delta finally let me pet him, I couldn't have been happier if I'd just won the lottery! I hope your girl keeps making progress! IMO, watching a timid dog shed their shell is one of most rewarding things in life!

That is wonderful news! and I know the feeling, from my cat Cuddles, who was severely abused in her past and didn't trust anything human. It took about the same amount of time, year and half, and lots of role models with all theother cats here. She still can make more progress, but she has come a LONG way and each step has brought tears to my eyes. Great work!!!

Oh, big huge congratulations! :) Happy, happy, happy day!