Agility With Mia. Not Sure She Gets The Point. Not Sure I Do Either.

I thought you might like to see what Mia the German Shepherd and I got up to today.

I have discovered that Mia likes to do her own thing. She does not have that doggy thing of trying to please her owner. She is most certainly her own dog. It is almost as though she has been able to always do exactly what she wants to do, and not taught anything. For an example, at the moment she is outside in the dark. She keeps coming to the wagon door and rattling the cat flap and yet when I open the door she will not come in. It is like she is just making sure I am still here. She will come in if I offer her a treat, but I refuse to give her a treat every time. Also she will come in when she decides she wants to. Another example is that she knows perfectly well what 'sit' means - she will sit for a treat - but if she decides not to sit she will not. And it doesn't matter how often I say the word either. I counted how many times I tried to get her to obey today. I stopped at twenty times. I am learning patience. Trying to make her come when called is difficult too. She is out there now, sitting in the middle of the paddock, looking straight at me when I call her, and yet not moving an inch. It isn't defiance. I know that because if I go outside and pretend to walk away, she comes running to me immediately. In the mornings before she has had her breakfast, she will do everything I ask of her. After she has eaten her breakfast she will disobey me entirely. She is very intelligent.

We will get it together eventually I am sure. She is great to go for a walk with and keeps coming to make sure I am not lagging too far behind. I try to avoid area's where there might be other dogs though unless she is on her long lunge lead. I am sure she will take off after them and I will have a hard time getting her under control again. I know this because if we do see another dog she takes off on her long lunge lead and nearly takes my arm out of it's socket. Come to think of it these are the only times she does act like a dog.

Having said all that, I should point out that we are getting on great. She is really focused on me. She is a really sweet natured, affectionate dog.

I have just called her back in. Had to shake a plastic bag to do it. She associates the plastic bag with a treat. I gave her a piece of cheddar cheese. She likes cheese. Peanut butter too. And apples. And liver. Bacon, she loves that. Eggs too. I tell you, she thinks she's human. Can't have that. I prefer dogs.