Abby's first year and a half with me were pure torture. If we weren't dealing with some medical issue, we were dealing with separation anxiety. With the anxiety came the eating of everything - from my pillows to my books, to my mattress to my drivers license. If only I could crate her. . .wait. . .she breaks out of every crate I have ever put her in. If I did manage to securely close, lock, hog-tie it together, the screaming started. Not barking and whining, SCREAMING. For hours. And if both the anxiety and the medical were in check, she was either sleeping or peeing on something she wasn't supposed to.
When Abby first came to me, she didn't know what life outside of a cage was. While most trainers would recommend slow introductions to the world, my life didn't work that way. If I couldn't leave her alone, she had to come with me. And my life is anything but slow. I did work on confidence building with her and that eventually led us to agility and later on, Rally-O.
The agility and rally work really opened up a whole new world for the both of us. Abby not only blossomed and became a "real dog" in many ways, I was able to have the training partner that I desperately wanted. She not only enjoyed, but she seemed to excel at whatever I asked of her. She has become a true companion to me in so many ways. Sure, she still gets anxious in new situations, and she still doesn't like strangers; but she has learned to trust me, and because of that trust, she has been able to do so many wonderful things.
