Come on, you know you want to...brag thread

 Ari never fails to make me laugh!  She also reminds me to relax and have fun, stop and smell well this spot, and that spot and that spot hehehe.  She is a FRIENDLY dog.  Everyone is a potential friend, dogs, cats, people, kids - it doesn't matter she'll try to find a way to charm them :)  I love this about her and am grateful! 

But mostly Ari's a good fur friend.  She gives the best kisses and puts up with our human ways :)  

Lex is the first dog I adopted on my own (without parents you know), we had our ups and downs. Even with all that we learned from each other so much. He is an incredible dog and the best first one I could ask for. He is extremely loyal, which I love about him. He never takes his eyes off me - Which is what I wanted, a Velcro dog. He is calm inside the house, plays wonderfully with other dogs and is respectful to our kitties. He loves to swim and hike with me, and will fetch until he drops. He is also very smart, I love seeing how fast I can tech him a new trick! Over all Lex is the best pup I could ask for. I always say that I want to add another dog to our home, but I think I will compare it to him!

eta - I also crate trained Lex and a couple weeks ago I finally packed up his crate and felt he had learned how to behave in the house. We went to a water park that same weekend right after I packed up the crate and left him alone for 10 hours. I was dreading walking in the door thinking the worst...but when I did - NOTHING! He was wonderful, nothing was torn up and no accidents, I was so proud of him! 

Emma recently graduated from her crate, too. I'm very proud of her, because she hasn't made a mess, broken or stolen anything. She's also gotten remarkably good with other dogs, lately. The other day, a small dog ran up and bit the back of her neck for no apparent reason. She did a *big sigh* and walked away from him. I was very proud!

Ena is coming along very quickly with her training. I'm totally impressed! I've been told by so many people how difficult Chinese Cresteds are (hmm... same with PRT.... maybe I just *like* difficult dogs), but she's given me no problems. 

This morning I was felt so lucky to have such a good girl.  I guess everyone knows she's on Prednisone now and that makes her pee all the time.  I've been sleeping on the couch so I don't sleep too deeply and can take her out every couple of hours.  But, last night I fell asleep for 4 and I got woken up with a Willow nose!  She had to go badly and her harness has two clips, I clipped one and she started for the door. 

She's always been good about accidents but this was exceptional because the medication is really effecting her.  I think a lot of dogs might of pee'd on the floor. 

She's just a really good dog. 

Also, the other night I had the door to our deck opened and someone knocked.  I knew who it was but as I got up to go answer it, she put herself in front of my legs so I couldn't walk toward the door, growling.  If there is one thing chows do well it's guard. 

 Congrats to all of you and your accomplishments!  It's a testament to how much we all love and are willing to work through whatever issues our dogs have. 

  Indie passed the Delta Society certification test for therapy dog work this morning!!!  It was just a mock evaluation as part of a therapy dog workshop the SPCA was putting on but the evaluator is an actual evaluator and will be e-mailing us info about doing the test for real.  She said with a bit of fine tuning, Indie could easily be qualified for complex certification.  He doesn't like his butt brushed so that part of the test he sat down when the brush reached his butt, which he does anyway, regardless who's brushing him and he needs some work on crotch sniffing and ignoring strangers. 
 

 Today we went out for a picnic with my inlaws and took the dogs.  I had my misgivings to be honest, but they did us proud.  My oldest dog is a bit of a tearaway at heart.... but for the grey in his face you would never guess he is almost 13.  But he listened well the whole time, stayed VERY calm even when a boisterous labrador came RIGHT up in his face when he wa son lead.... gosh a couple of years ago he'd have tried to chew its ear off.  We have worked so hard together and today we could see how well it paid off.  Dell was a star too and proved that her recall is now proofed 100%, or as near to as makes no difference.  There were A LOT of people, dogs, kids and sheep around... lots of tempting things to run up to and investigate but she would stop and come hurtling back to us at a word or whistle no matter WHAT.  It was a lovely day.

Coke and Kenya are a perfect pair for each other.  They are pretty opposite in temperament, but they play together every day, 3-4 times a day.  We've never had a single fight, or even a scuffle beyond a warning snap or bark (and even that has only happened maybe 4 times).  Both are reliable free in the house even with the cats.  Neither chews or destroys.  Neither guards food, objects, or people.  Both are respectful on the furniture.  They ride well in the car.  When they do have to be crated, they go in willingly.  Neither has ever been forced in a crate or made a fuss about being in a crate.  Both are very well socialized and are reliable with dogs and people.  Both walk on a loose leash and have no reactivity issues.  Both are angels at the vet and walk in and out with their tails wagging.  I can bathe, brush, pill, and trim nails without a fight.  They are reliable with toys so they can have free access to toys.

Kenya is totally reliable off leash and has been from the day I got her.  She is a UKC conformation champion, passed the CGC three times, is certified with Therapy Dogs International and the American Temperament Test Society, was "recommended" for training when tested on sheep, got her Rally Novice, Rally Advance, CPE agility CL1-R and CL1-F titles with five first places, two second places, a third, and a fourth.  She has never NQed or not passed anything she has tried.

I am really lucky when it comes to my pack of five dogs. Three German Shepherds, one Husky/Chow mix and one Husky/Malamute mix. All of them are loose in the house all the time none of them have to be crated anymore and they get along. They have access to outside via doggie and we haven't had pottie issues since the youngest were pups. I am by myself a lot and if I get so sick to not want to get up all I have to worry about is feeding time.......I tell ya, I got it made (knock on wood).

 Lexi, our first belgian mal and first dog together for DH and I, is easily the best dog we could have asked for. We, as someone else stated about themselves, made so many rank beginner mistakes with her (who actually thinks a 3 ft. X-pen is going to really keep a malinois in when push comes to shove?) and she has humored us through it all. She's just been an absolute delight to have in the house, showing up as a potty trained stray with basic house manners, and is truly a once-in-a-lifetime dog for me. Dog aggression aside, of course.

Lilly, our mini schnauzer, has turned out remarkably well given the circumstances we adopted her under. She's from a puppy mill, dropped off at my shelter at 6 wks of age by her owners, and then adopted by us the day before one of our cats died. I will be the first to admit that I was in such despair and depression over our kitty's death that Lilly did not get the socialization and training that I knew she should have received as a puppy - I simply was in no state to do it and she has turned out to be lovely despite me. She knows basic obedience (sit, down, stay, come) and her off-leash recall is amazing for as little as we have worked on it. She is, by far, the biggest attention hog in the world, loves people more than anything, and I am strongly considering putting her through her CGC and TDI tests so that she can begin visiting people in nursing homes or hospitals - I think she would be great at it.  

Jamie, our other belgian mal, well...Jamie has no titles, no championships to speak of, and little training. She is hard to handle, with severe separation anxiety, a penchant for climbing over/under/through fences, a stubborn streak a mile wide, and trying to work with her can be downright frustrating. We suspect she may be a belgian malinois mixed with a small pony and 10 lbs of dynamite. She is destructive, loud, and having her is the proverbial bull in a china shop. But there isn't a mean bone in her body and she is still loyal to a fault. After all she has been through - 6 owners in about 13 months - in addition to being chained out, beaten, abandoned, and given up on, she still wants to do the "right" thing. I know the training will come, her "episodes" will eventually subside, and maybe one day she will have CGC or TDI after her name, but that will all be icing on the cake. I am proud of her for just being herself - for surviving thus far and somehow continuing to be the loving, enthusiastic, wonderful dog that she is.

Benedict

I made so many rookie dog mistakes with him, though far less than I would have without everyone here. 

Bugsy is such a wonderful dog but he was a handful as a pup - fearless, confident, powerful, completely independent, and bright.  Basically a whole lot of dog for a newbie owner. Training him in some things has been one of the great mental challenges of my life (and my life hasn't been simple ) - because of having to research and try various techniques and dog psychology and because it required more patience and suppression of frustration than I am known for

Now for the brags - he was housebroken in two days - 100% reliable, he was about 3 months old and had been a stray.  We crate trained him and started leaving him out at about 10 months old - he has NEVER done anything wrong when we've been out.  He destroys anything you give him to destroy instantaneously so this is big!

He can lay his head on the counters but has never counter surfed or gone in the trash.  He has no aggression and can play with the tiniest dog or the grumpiest and everyone inbetween.

He still needs to walk out in front of you at the end of his leash - not pulling but always on the cusp - but he can heel and earned his CGC on his first try. A major accomplishment for him and for me.

He is absolutely fantastic when we bike together - people stop and ask us how we did it and really he just loves it and fell in.

He overcomes his allergies which effect him daily basically year round.

He is still overly happy and his recall will never be 100% (but I would say we are 90+%), he remains willful but I know how to work with that better.

He has grown to be a really good dog (nearing 3 yo) and I am super proud of him

LOL oops well you invited me to gush 

My turn!

Honor:  My gorgeous girl is a true exercise in patience, and she has made it so rewarding.   It shames me to admit that it's easy to forget sometimes just how well she's trained, as she's always figuring out new stuff to get in/over/through to!  But it's because she's incredibly intelligent, and she's easily the smartest dog I've ever been blessed to have.  This fact alone makes her an exciting challenge to work with, and her fearless and bold personality is even a bigger plus.  She constantly wins over people with her flashy personality and enchanting "woowoo".  And I couldn't be more proud when she's showing herself off.

The sweetest part to Honor is knowing that she has a secret cuddly side.  When I had the flu a few months ago, she snuggled by my side all night.  Sometimes when she thinks I'm not paying attention, she'll sneak up on the couch next to me and smush herself into my side.  And she follows me everywhere, always projecting the tough-girl premise of "I'm just coming with you to protect!"...of course you are, Honor.

Nike:  The gentlest of gentle dogs.  He lets Honor walk all over him, and handles his stuffies with exquisite care.  It's amazing how gentle and loyal he is, despite his less than auspicious beginning in life.  It's been a joy to see his personality unfolding as he learns to trust DH and I, and I can't wait to see how he develops over time. 

One of the things I'm proudest of Cherokee for ATM are how good she's getting to be around other dogs (at least at a distance...we haven't done much meeting other dogs recently). For instance, the other night I was going somewhere and taking Cherokee with me, and I was really distracted by my cell phone (which isn't normal.. I never used my phone while I'm walking with Cherokee) while walking to the car, then I was fumbling with the keys trying to unlock it WHILE on my cell phone and holding the dog, and I glance down at Cherokee who's sitting very politely at my feet with a DOG and its owner about 10 feet away. It's pitch dark, she's staring right at them, and yet the most I heard was a teeny whimper from her. OH MAN I was proud. She could've reacted to either the person or the dog (dog because she's pretty DA, and person because it was so dark and that freaks her out), but she didn't! I immediately put my cell phone down and she got lots of "whatagoodog!" LOL

Another thing I'm uber proud of is how good she is around my cousin's daughter. 5 years ago I seriously thought Cherokee would never be able to be around kids. She was never allowed around my 4 younger cousins because she was rather aggressive towards them. They were pretty beastly kids, but still. Then my cousin had a baby, and they were around a lot from the time Alleen was like a week old. When she was 2 months old I started babysitting her a few days a week at my house, and I guess going from a crying blob to a mobile toddler was so gradual since she was around constantly that Cherokee never really thought to be aggressive towards her. Now Alleen's 5, and if there's anyone besides myself that I trust Cherokee never to bite, it's Alleen. They love each other so much. My absolute favorite picture of either of them is Cherokee sound asleep on my bed with Alleen snuggled up against her.

When Alleen was around 2 or 3 and pushing the limits, Cherokee growled at her occasionally. It was never an "I'm going to bite this kid" growl, but a "please make her stop doing this" thing. So I did. And I let Alleen feed her treats, help me feed Cherokee (in a NILIF way), etc., and they've been great ever since. Actually Cherokee growled at her for the first time in at least a year just a couple weeks ago.. She'd chewed up the pad of her foot, and Alleen accidently touched it with her foot. It was again a "please don't do that" growl, even in pain and fear it wasn't a bite warning, as much as a warning of a bite warning, ya know? But it did kinda catch me off guard, because she absolutely NEVER growls at me, and I thought she was there with Alleen too...but Alleen has been around a lot less often lately, plus she's still a kid, and I guess I can't expect a leopard to TOTALLY change its spots. But believe me, after 9 years with this dog, I know the difference between a polite "stop that" growl and a not-so-polite "I'm going to eat you if you don't stop that" growl. 

She's a little less great with my nephew, I think because 1) he's a boy, and therefore a different animal than Alleen, and 2) She's basically seen him once a week his whole life instead of mostly daily. I still don't think she'd bite him, even pushed really far, or I wouldn't let them together.. but she growls at him (the "please stop that" growl) more often than she ever did with Alleen, though he's the same age that Alleen was when Cherokee started growling at her. So I'm hopeful that she'll be almost as great with him in a couple years as she is with Alleen now, especially since Noah is really starting to get it. Just tonight he was here, and apparently Cherokee was in a bad mood because she growled at him for seemingly little or no reason, and he said "Oops! Sorry Cherokee!" and changed his course to be farther away from her. Like he knew he'd just scared her by being too close. He used to laugh, or not be phased at all, so this is huge progress.

But yeah, Cherok's a good pup. Alleen's little brother is 7 1/2 months old now, and he crawled right up to Cherokee the other day, which didn't bother her one bit. I'm guessing it would've been bothersome had he grabbed her fur or something, but just his close proximity wasn't stressful to her, which I think is a really really good sign.

Last week on Thursday evening, I was walking Bear in the neighborhood.  There is a family who has a couple of Shelties and whenever we go by their house, the Shelties go berserk, barking and such.  Bear stays pretty calm, just continues along like it's no big deal, doesn't give them too much attention.  Anyway, this particular evening, one of the ladies was outside doing some work in the garage/driveway area and she looked up when her dogs started barking at us.  We exchanged "hellos" and then she asked if I was for hire.  I said, "for what?"  At that point, Bear had stopped, turned his attention to her, but waited until I gave him the okay to approach her.  She petted him and said, "We just love your dog.  He's so good, he's calm.  My two need to go to bad doggie class."  I thanked her and commented that maybe her dogs were going a bit crazy because they're protecting her house (we were out on the sidewalk in front).   And I said that Bear is very food-motivated, so he works to get the treats, and he likes to please, which makes him pretty amiable.

Nonetheless, I was beaming as we continued on our walk.  We aren't perfect, but I must be doing something right with the big guy!

 Shoot, I brag about Neiko all the time! So, I probably don't need a thread specifically for that haha. But here we go. I'll include my other dogs too.

Dakota: She's gorgeous and very sweet in her own way. She's not a cuddly dog by any means but you can tell she loves affection. I also have been having her off leash lately and she has been sticking around. This is big for her. I know it's because she's 15 but still. I"ll take it. I like to let her swim without a lead.

Lily: She is sooooooo cuddly. All she wants out of life is to sit on my lap and be loved on. She has this super quiet innocence to her that everyone falls in love with.  She also does really well with individual training. I'm going to start her in Rally soon.

Neiko: He's my heart dog. I can't even explain how much love I have for him. He's perfect in every way and makes me laugh constantly. He loves people and shows it by wiggling his entire body when he sees his favorites (my BIL, sister, brother, etc). He loves visitors. Loves kids (and is very protective of them). He's super smart and is always thinking. I treat him as an equal partner, not just a dog, because we make such a good team. He knows how to read me and what I want out of him and I trust him 100%.

Abbie: You can't help but love Abbie. She's the kissing master. She kisses everyone she encounters and loves everyone. She's very sure of herself and doesn't see herself as a puppy. She will grow up to be a great partner/teammate as well. She's very smart and also always thinking. She's going to be a lot like Neiko, except more alpha. Where Neiko is submissive and gentle with everything, Abbie excudes confidence.