Pearl’s Big Steps

Little Pearl took big steps at Zoom Room recently.  Pearl, a pint-sized Boston Terrier that was rescued from a puppy mill joined her “big sister” Molly (also a Boston) for our one hour Introduction to Agility class.  Her parents didn’t have big aspirations for Pearl in agility, as she was still learning to cope with the world and they hadn’t yet been able to get her to walk on a leash.  They just wanted to gently expose her to new experiences to aid in her socialization.

The plan was to carry Pearl to the obstacles, set her down and use tasty treats to acclimate her to the equipment.  We outfitted Pearl with a very small, lightweight coiled bungee leash so they would have some control.  To everyone’s surprise Pearl did not shut down as usual when the bungee was attached to her collar.  She happily took treats for hanging out near the agility equipment and by the end of class she was comfortably strolling around the gym on her bright pink bungee.

While Molly successfully mastered every agility obstacle that day, Pearl never did touch any of the equipment.  But, as her incredibly proud parents reported back later, she achieved something much bigger.  On the way home, for the first time ever, Pearl walked an entire block and a half on her new bungee leash.

Is your dog lacking confidence?

Shy Dog and Agility classes can help!