8 State Hurricane Kate

Today Cayenne started her first obedience class. She has been here with us since April and has had plenty of time to settle in. She has ridden along to obedience school, agility, and herding events. Now that summer is over and she has become much more comfortable in different situations, she gets to attend her own class.

You may remember that when Cay first came here, Becky and I had to pry her out of the crate. She got along with other dogs, but was terrified of people. She gradually became comfortable with me, and I took her places to meet other people. The first time she went to the obedience school, to stop in to meet my friends after Bandit’s class, she was very spooky. She gradually came to look forward to those visits, where Ann, Deb, and the other Ann said hi to her and gave her yummy treats.

Over the summer, Cay has learned a lot from Bandit and Chase. Sometimes I think I can see the wheels turning as she watches them. I began to realize though that she hadn’t been getting enough 1-on-1 time with me, even though I’m the first person that she has really bonded with. I noticed that she wasn’t used to going anywhere without the other dogs and had become wary of going without them.

Today though, Cay came along with me without hesitation, getting in the truck without the boys. She walked into the school with confidence, even though the class had a lot of large dogs and “strange” people. Cay responded well to my voice as I strove to provide confident leadership for her. She did very well on the exercises even though there were plenty of distractions. In fact, I think all the distractions may have stunned her a bit so that she focused on me more for leadership. Both of us have come a long way and tonight was a milestone. Cay went out with me on her own (leaving Bandit and Chase at home) and paid attention well enough to sit, down, heel, and in general imitate a well behaved, confident dog. And through it all, our bond grew stronger. Well done Miss Cay!

When the hour was over, we went home to the boys and went back to being our silly, undisciplined selves. But we’ll practice for next week. I’m looking forward to it!