Sometime back in 2012, I lost Internet connection, so Sunna has been without the ability to talk with everyone. Back then, I was seriously considering taking her out of obedience class because she was obviously unhappy. However, while I was trying to figure out how to make her enjoy it, she was busy trying to figure out what was different. She had an "aha!" moment and tested it. That one command she was so perfect on, the stand for exam, she broke. Nothing bad happened. We set her up again and she broke it again. I don't remember whether she ever did the stand correctly that day, but nothing bad happened. The next week, I had a different dog in class. She was smiling and leaping up at my hand. Class was fun! When we moved up to Novice, she had one bad day -- maybe this instructor would do bad things. Then she relaxed. The day of class, she would start pestering me to go! Still didn't work for treats or toys. According to everyone who watched, "She wants to please you!"
I have more to say about her, but will divide these up.
Wish I could send a picture of her smiling, but the forum seems to have changed.
kjd
