I was walking the dogs through the woods today and we met a woman with a bouncy, reactive, young poodle boy that she's beside herself working on training. As we approached, she warned us that he would bark and lunge but he wasn't aggressive, just hyperactive. My boys maintained a heel remarkably well as we passed and she was treating him for remaining relatively calm. Having dealt with so many issues with Woobie where I'd have loved someone with a mild-mannered kid to help me work with him, I offered to help her if she wanted just by having the dogs be nearby so he could have some exposure to them for desensitization. She was very grateful and said most people with dogs just want to run past and get as far away as possible. It was clear to me the dog wasn't aggressive, he's just a young happy bouncy poodle that is so overjoyed at the sight of other dogs and doesn't know how to contain himself. So we worked on getting closer and closer as he stayed calm. I was so proud of my boys, they sat nicely and you could practically feel them calming him down with their mellow energy. We got close enough to touch noses and then when he broke and jumped completely on top of Indie (in happy play), Indie stayed nice and chill and moved away with me. They were just so great with him and so obedient with me that it really reminded me how far we've come. I work training time into everyday activities and especially when we're on our walks, it was nice to see it's paying off and could help another dog out.
Just had to brag, I LOVE MY DOGS!!! 