Gypsy

It constantly amazes me how the single difference like different handlers can effect the entire demeanor and behavior of a dog. It's something I've always known when thought about but today it was like a slap in the face now you SEE it sort of thing. The face slapping realization happened revolving around a new dog to the kennel. She arrived yesterday though since I had only an hour yesterday I chose not to take a new dog, but today I had plenty of time to devote to getting to know a new dog. Her name is Gypsy and she's an australian cattle dog mix, you can tell the mix by her color but her instincts and energy proved 100% towards the cattle dog genetics.

When I first pulled her from the kennel like all of them she was over excited, pulling/jumping because the kennel set ups practically fuel over excitement.Once I got her out of the immediate kennel she started calming down with the given corrections really fast, level by level and we started walking. That was when a staff member about to leave for lunch pulled up in her truck and asked how Gypsy was doing, especially with other dogs. I had explained that she was simply curious excited about the other dogs and was already starting to calm down. The lady was surprised and then moved on after explaining the dog had been a real jerk. We went back to our walk and in less than 10 minutes Gypsy was walking loose leash with only the occasional reminder correction. We had a pleasant long walk including some sprints and she behaved beautifully. Took her to the enclosed yard and she ran and ran and chased after the birds. Loves to play.

I moved on with my day walking quite a few dogs. Most get about 20-45 minutes when I have a day off and then 15-20 to toodle around in the yard. It's not really enough exercise but at least they're getting it near daily. I was walking the last dog of the day when I saw a group with Gypsy out, I suppose considering adoption but I don't know for sure, and one of the staff members had her(other than the previously mentioned staff lady) Gypsy saw me and the dog I had and began yelping, lunging whining and spinning with over excitement at wanting to meet the dog I was walking. She's a friendly type, wasn't showing aggression, but the staff lady wasn't giving any kind of instruction to Gypsy or correction and looked annoyed. Gypsy was made to look bad in front of prospective owners. It was like a night and day difference from when I had her. I can't seem to wrap my brain around it. And yes, this adorable little girl is up for adoption still, just needs an active family that can give her consistent boundaries and lots of exercise!