Well, after much work and preparation, Beebe managed to convince AKC that not only is she a real Shiba (she recently received her papers in the mail at the age of 1.5 years), but she is also now a certified Canine Good Citizen! She passed the test in typical Shiba fashion, paying attention when she felt like it. It didn't help that I had just picked her up an hour earlier from 3 days at boarding while I was out of town.
I was certain we had failed, when, during the left about turn, I failed to secure her attention. I marched sharply to the left expecting her to following me, but Beebe just kept going, so naturally I ran into her, stepping on her tootsies and sending her flailing end over end with a squeal. I barely managed to stay upright, but here was my dog sprawled on the floor looking up at me (finally) like she had just been mortally wounded. I was certain the test adminstrer was ready to dismiss me for willful animal abuse, but instead she said, "Well now she's finally paying attention to you."
Go figure, Beebe got up, she was ok, but she gave me a wide berth and a wary eye for the rest of the test. Lesson learned from this event: I look like a clown when I expect my dog to march military style right next to me and read my mind. Also, relax and keep it fun!
More about the CGC test:
http://www.akc.org/events/cgc/training_testing.cfm
