Today was Echo's last "Happy Hour" at the Hound Huddle. Next week he will be too old. He played with some old friends Bella, Murphy and made a new one, an eleven week old super cute Boxer puppy, Lloyd.
Echo and Bella had the same energy level and temperament, so they chased and wrestled. Lloyd wanted to play with Echo, but would get his attention and run away. We put Echo in a DOWN STAY for a bit to let Lloyd crawl over him and test Echo. Echo squirmed around a little but remained DOWN while the puppy antagonized him.
Last Monday at training class, Echo was afraid of bubbles. This was so surprising because he has enjoyed playing with balloons. Bubble Therapy was prescribed. This evening we walked to the drug store to pick up a bottle of bubbles. After dinner, we tried the floating monsters again. Echo was still afraid, fleeing and barking at them.
So we brought out our secret weapon, Buddy. Buddy loved the bubbles, chasing them and eating them. It took about ten minutes for Echo to share Buddy's appreciation for the vanishing spheres. The therapy will be repeated for a few days. Once his phobia is cured and he likes to play with them, we will have to teach him to ignore the floating toys. It's always something.
From the dog's point of view, his master is an elongated and abnormally cunning dog. - Mabel Louise Robinson
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