Gigi goes to class

Every once in a while she would turn and
give me this "why did you bring me here"
look as if she was very disappointed in me.

Erika Renee at Unleashed Academy is running a training course for dogs in need of socialization.  We're not talking about Trooper's level of social skills, just dogs who are nervous and uncomfortable in new situations, around strange people and/or dogs.  That pretty much describes Gigi.
 


You can see her little Blue Heeler
friend just behind her nose in this pic.

The first class was Tuesday evening.  It's tough to get me to leave home after dark in the winter, but it's even tougher to convince Gigi to go someplace new.  The class was at 6:00 p.m. so it was getting pretty dark by the time we left and Gigi was already in bed for the night, or so she thought.
 
She wouldn't budge when I called her, I had to put a leash on her and still had to pull her off the bed to get her to come along.  Clearly, this was not something that she had signed up for.
 

She liked Erika.

When we walked into the training room with six other dogs and their assorted humans, she was not happy to be there.  Her tail was tucked tightly between her legs and under her body.  She stuck as close to me as possible and tried to hide behind me.  At one point she sat next to me and put her paw on my leg.  That was the move she had done when we were at the Gainesville adoption event that convinced me to keep her.  At one point we traded dogs among handlers.  Gigi would have none of that and refused to go with another person.
 

Gigi responds to touch.

She did approach the guy who was next to us.  She seemed to like him and his little Blue Heeler (who had the cutest little, undocked, raccoon-like tail).  She also let the instructor hold her and handle her.  She seems to respond best when strangers stroke her gently. 

It was painful but she survived it.  She does need to get out more and get over her pathological shyness.  It's a forced social situation once a week for six weeks.  It might be good for both of us. 

My friend Tricia Johnson was also in the class with her new Pyr, Justice

Gigi had a light late dinner when we got home.  She spent a little time outdoors with our
other dogs, then it was back inside, upstairs, and in bed where she had wanted to be all evening.