A Handsome Boy

Thinking solely about the weekend, I scheduled Shea's dog training session for this morning for a little after 10:00 a.m. I didn't want to be required to be up, showered, and dressed too early. That is never a fun thing on the weekend. This may not have been a great decision, seeing as 10:00 a.m. is a time that Shea is normally fast asleep in his crate.

When the doorbell rings, Shea goes nuts. Not only does he bark and crowd the door, his tail wags so strongly that his whole body shakes. As I hold onto his collar for dear life, he usually gets airborne as he tries to jump on the visitor. He is only looking to greet them with a lovely kiss, but most people don't understand that when a 75 pound animal is leaping at them. However, today, when the trainer arrived, Shea sat at her feet and solemnly leaned against her. When I told her I wanted to work on his greeting skills, she thought I was crazy!

His odd behavior continued. He was very subdued as he literally laid down and slept on the floor while I gave her a little background about Shea and we spoke about the expectations of our meeting. The crazy beast of a dog I was describing was peacefully sleeping on the floor beside my feet. It looked as though I was lying.

Inside the house, I wanted her to see Shea's food stealing ways. Whether it is a bagel, a piece of chicken, or a cookie, he gets his grimy paws up there and starts licking frantically. I put a treat on the counter and, of course, he politely waited, not even flinching at it. This has never happened before. The big guy was on his best behavior! I feel like I could have put a seven-ounce steak wrapped in bacon and smeared with peanut butter and he wouldn't have made a move. This type of behavior happens once every three years with Shea. And yes, Shea is only two!

We went outside so I could show her how Shea pulls when he is on a leash. No pulling. I wanted him to demonstrate how stubborn he can be and how he will just stop and lay down in the middle of the road. He followed by my side contently the entire time. Go figure, on this day, he was going to be the model citizen.

I decided to take matters into my own hands. I gave her then leash and walked away. Shea hates for me to leave. He started whining and then pulling. She got her first taste of the real Shea. Then she tried to walk in the opposite direction. Shea came through and flopped down on the ground like he had just died.  We talked about corrections for these things and I feel confident in what she preached.

Now, while I hate to admit it, I am the dog owner who thinks their dog is simply the best looking creature on the earth. I admit this although I do realize that I probably hold bias. To my shock, the trainer knelt down at one point and said, "he is so handsome." She repeated several times during her visit. I found it funny because I tell Shea all the time how extremely handsome he is. There is no other word to describe him! Just look at his modeling shots:

Believe me, it was hard to pick just three. I now feel, after meeting this trainer, that my notion that Shea is a handsome dog is justifiable. She actually took it to the point where she asked if Shea had been neutured in hopes of breeding him with her female lab. Luckily, for the possible owners of Shea's future offspring, he has already undergone the snip-snip.

Anyways, Shea's training session went very well. Even though he was on his best behavior, I learned some valuable skills that I will be able to practice with him. He is on the road to transforming from a good dog into a great dog! On the days that I don't feel like following through with Shea's training, I can remember Jeff. I want to bring him the best Shea possible. I will work so that Jeff will be pleased when they are reunited (even though I think the reunited part will please him enough!).