Visitors and Fetch
A few weeks ago, one of Tom’s friends dropped by to chat. The boys stood out front for their conclave, and Lilly decided that Tom’s friend was her newest, very best friend. That’s quite a breakthrough for my fearful girl.
You see, even though he rumbled in on his motorcycle. Even though, he sports an intense personality and rapid, emphatic speaking style, Lilly decided he was just fine, thank you very much, because he played fetch with her.
I needed her to come inside so that I could drive out to my knitting class, but when I asked her, she:
- Flat out refused
- Leaned into his leg
- Looked up at him adoringly
Longtime readers may recall that our behaviorist told me years ago that I *thought* Lilly was OK with strangers but that she really wasn’t.
We’ve been working on that a long time, as well as her fears in general, via the Relaxation Protocol and other dog behavior modification methods.
Lilly’s ability to greet people (by hand targeting) has improved. She typically won’t be super friendly to people she doesn’t know, but it seems the breakthrough thing (at least at home) is if someone will play fetch with her.
Stinker!
I couldn’t be too mad at her for ignoring my request to come inside … since she had made a new pal.
It’ll be interesting to see if they continue this friendship next time he drops by.