Private Lessons

Today Lilah and I joined my mom and Ritter for their private training class so that we could address the issues between the two dogs. One thing that I need to mention is that this is the same trainer that taught the Beginner's class that Lilah and I attended when she was a puppy (over a year and a half ago).

And though it's been a long time since Lilah last saw the trainer, I'm pretty damn sure she remembered him. Because even though she's a wiggle-butt greeter under normal circumstances, she just played herself up to the max level. She wiggled her butt. She greeted him politely enough without jumping on him. She reacted positively and intelligently to his instruction. And followed every damn one of his commands.

In a way, it could be said that Lilah's behavior made me and the trainer both look good as well; showed that I was capable of applying the training and handling her, and that the trainer was successful in teaching me how to train her. Seriously though, where was the barky and obstinate dog that I was so used to? The one that snatches up any piece of paper product that you drop? The one that gives you a flat tire and untied shoelaces when you try to leave a room? *sigh*

Lilah with all her star power and ability to make others shine along with her, however, did not make Ritter's issues any less apparent. Poor Ritter was his normal public self: nervous and reserved, wedged into the small space next to my mom's stool. Reservation among strangers is more the standard for their breed.

Lilah is a huge anomaly in that regard. Any person that passed the training area and made eye contact with her for the briefest moment got that weirdly bushy butt of hers wiggling and her little paws stamping in excitement. An elderly Asian lady actually threw away all semblance of dignity and spent a couple minutes making funny faces at Lilah and wiggling her body in answer to Lilah's. It was kind of bizarre, but that's the kind of draw Lilah has. A very potent and dangerous power.

If Lilah were a human, she'd be that sister that you just hate because she's so damn good at making you look bad. And she can't help but do it every time.