A more positive report on Willy boy.
Willy completed his Basic Manners course Monday night (7 weeks) and Tuesday Night we started Beyond the Basics (also 7 weeks). Christy and her dog, Zeke, have continued on with us, the other 2 dogs in this new class we have not met before. Also a different instructor.
So at the start we went around the room doing our introductions, talking a bit about our dogs. I introduced Willy, who was lying quietly on the floor mat. I said I am fostering him, and explained he'd had no training, and was a puppy in an adult dog body when he arrived in July. Gave a bit of his prior background, and so forth. And when I finished, Christy piped up and offered:
"And let me tell you, that dog was rather obnoxious when she brought him to the first class, 7 weeks back. He has changed a LOT!"
I asked, "RATHER obnoxious?" Smiling, of course, as I know what he was like, better than anyone, he hee.
"Oh, well I am being nice," she replied. ;)
Now, she knows dogs, has had them all her life. She has seen Willy a total of 7 hours! IN a class, always on leash. And she sees the HUGE improvement in this boy. **woohoo** Classes ARE paying off, as I had hoped they would!
The 1st course was FULL, with 11 dogs in it! This one tonight, we were just 4, so it will give us a lot more attention from the instructor. The other 3 dogs (all males in this class) are: Rocco, Belgian Tervuren, age 1 year; Dexter, 8 mo Boxer, and Zeke, 6 mo Tennessee rescue. He has some collie, some hound, and due to his triple dew claws on the rear feet, somewhere in his background he has Great Pyrenees. (Apparently that is the only breed with the triple dew claws). Willy quite likes Zeke when it is just the 2 of them (Christy and I tend to arrive early, so they get some time to interact).
Then there is my grumpy old man who barks if the 'puppies' try to play. See, Willy STILL likes to be the BOSS! He hasn't changed completely, ha haa.
