I should have known class was going to be a challenge for both myself and Kozmo since I left town right after class last week and didn't get home until very early Monday morning. Jet lag, and a million other things on the never ending to do list meant that Kozmo got a brief cram session right before class. Yes, I know, I am responsible for giving him more training. My bad.
The focus of class was some of the tests we can expect in the Canine Good Citizen Exam. Despite our lack of practice over the past week, Kozmo was doing well. He will sit politely and let someone approach us. He will also let that person pet him without jumping. He is making progress on walking politely and not pulling on his leash.
The one consistent thing about Kozmo is that he is a puppy and just when I start to get confident he is going to be a brilliant, well mannered dog, he does something to remind me he's just a puppy and we have a lot more work. I can't remember what the trainer was asking us to do, but it was an individual exercise. Kozmo and I were in the middle of the room while our classmates and dogs were sitting at one end watching. Kozmo had one of his moments of insanity and starting tugging his leash, shaking his head and acting like a wild, spastic dog who has never had one single class. Just as I was bending over to grab hold of his collar to correct this awful behavior he swung his head and his skull made full contact with my chin.
Here is where I know I am a real dog mom now....I was stunned, it hurt, but my very first thought was, "oh no, all of these people are going to think badly about Kozmo". I knew I took a hit when I heard the collective "ooohhhh" of the other humans in the room. I was just trying to get the lovable beast under control and the other human starts walking towards us. I handed him the leash and that darn dog almost instantly sat down and got back under control. I stepped out of the room for a few minutes, from the hallway I watched Kozmo do recall perfectly for his other human.
Just like getting back on a horse, I got back in the ring and finished class. I know we shouldn't humanize animals, but I think Kozmo felt a bit guilty because he behaved perfectly for the remaining 15 minutes of class. I knew Kozmo would be a lot of work and that it wouldn't be easy to train him, but I never imagined training Kozmo would become a full contact sport!
No comments:
Post a Comment