The Beast

...as Bill now calls her, is doing very well. She attended her first dog obedience class last Wednesday and while well-behaved, was incredibly excited to be around so many other dogs. At one point, the trainer needed a dog to demonstrate a particular exercise and I couldn't help but volunteer Layla. The trainer must have spent 5 solid minutes trying to get Layla to stop jumping up so she could demonstrate what she wanted to show the class, before she turned to Bill and I and remarked, "This dog has some SERIOUS vertical". Lucky us. Did we adopt a dog or a basketball player?

Fortunately, we took the advice of a very wise dog-loving friend and have started to squirt Layla with a water bottle when she does something unacceptable. Incredibly, it has worked immediately; Layla stops the bad behavior imediately once getting squirted, sits and looks up at us, and even cowers when she sees us carrying the bottle. What a magic trick!

Yesterday, Bill took her to the local Petsmart to get cleaned (I have visions of Layla escaping the shower and running throughout the house covered with shampoo if we attempted this at home!). She not only left with a shiny, and clean coact, but she seemed somewhat "out of it" for the rest of the day. Incredulously, she even walked into the crate on her OWN last night, laid down, and closed her eyes. That must have been one exhausting day at the spa!