As promised on my last post, I will show you what Abby does prior to giving me that perfect sit/stay and eye contact. Why? So you are aware of all her antics and refrain for saying to your furry kid, “You should be like Abby.”
Abby, at the beginning, does comply and follows my hand.
Abby then decides that she must first show me how excited she is by jumping all over her bed and ignoring my hand signal.
Abby’s enthusiasm, this time, is less because she’s learned that the sooner she calms down the faster she’ll eat. At the beginning she used to jump up in the air.
She finally settles down and at such time she is rewarded with a meal. Believe it or not, that exuberance Abby displays every time I feed her is something I enjoy seeing and hope that she’ll continue to display. Just like many pet parents out there, there are some things that I don’t want to change in Abby because it makes me happy and she looks adorable doing it. Happy Holidays!
AllMyCanineCompanions 
Hi Marcella, loved reading this. My Whippet puppy Olaf (the Herbal Hound) does the sit-stay-eye-contact thing too before he gets his food. Eating is so peaceful because of that. And yet, I love the occassional ‘grrrr wrafff’ and the excited face when he’s trying me out.
I am glad you also love your furry kid’s antics. Yes, there are certain things I really do not want to change about Abby just like you with your Olaf, and you know what? That’s what makes them so adorable:-)
Yes it is 😀
The joys of puppy training. Trust me, Sam still acts like that and we’ve gone to professional training classes. And he’s over 10, if it’s any consolation. 🙂
Lol. Thanks for sharing. Misery does love company, and I am glad to know other pet parents share my “joy” when it comes to puppy training.
We’ve all been there, down that, and ‘earned’ the t-shirt! BOL 🙂
Then I am in good company:-)
Watching our new puppy learn her tricks makes me smile. She is smart but also super excited and will sit with her tail wagging at a 1000 mph! Precious. What do your an last post?
Aww! Just like you, I love Abby’s antics when it comes to food. Please clarify question. Thanks and Happy Holidays:-)
You know, I think one of the most valuable things we can teach our dogs is self-control. Like how Abby is learning to control her own reactions above. If they can do that, then we don’t always have to be imposing our will on them. And the whole pack has a better life. Thanks for sharing “behind-the-scenes.”
Correct. Self-control takes time for dogs to learn. What am I saying? Even for us humans. Thanks for sharing.
Our foster Margo is an excitable girl. We’ll work with it and wouldn’t change her either. Working to train 2 dogs in the same small area has been a challenge although we do clearly know some ways to separate them.
I am glad to hear there are other pet parents like myself:-) Keep up the good work.