Since our regular exercise walks are about the only outings we have, Lilly and I really look forward to them. Each day I adjust my schedule to avoid as much other traffic (people, dogs, horses, cars) as I can. Still, some days we cannot help but cross paths with someone or something. Most times, I just work her classical conditioning and feed our way past whatever it is, but last week, an older man who walks for his heart stopped to chat with us.
I just didn’t feel like explaining the whole Lilly plan thing, the drugs, the restrictions, etc.
He has herding dogs at home, though, so he knows they can be sensitive, and he knows I work hard at Lilly’s training. So, he naturally bent down and allowed her to approach, rather than trying to interact with her on his terms.
It took all my self control, but I did not say a word to her. I did not cue her to interact with him. I did not ask her to focus on me. I just waited to see what she would do.
And, she actually approached him twice and let him pet her.
She immediately came to me for food and ate pretty much the whole time we chatted, but she went to him of her own accord.
Technically, she’s not supposed to have contact with strangers for quite a while longer, but like I said … sometimes I get tired of explaining the whole thing. Since he’s a totally non-threatening person, I figured she’d be fine. And, she was.
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