Puppy lovin'

Woke up this morning and took everyone to the beach again for some fun. Daca had a date today with a possible new home, but I am not counting my chickens before they hatch. Yishai has actually taken responsibility for her the last week or so. I am a little harder of a handler and he is very soft. I was thinking it had to do with my handling, but Daca seems to be better responsive to things when Yishai handles her.

Yesterday we ended up at a park with a really nice dog-type guy and his kid and two dalmatians. It was at that point that we realized that Daca is no longer really doing fear aggression so much as being protective of me. So while Yishai does have the magic touch of unconditional, kind regard, it would appear that she's just guardy now. And I do know how to deal with that. Interesting how things change.

Aussies go through such interesting behavior stages as they grow up. Rippa has started up this teeth-clacking thing that she does at other dogs that is also clearly guardy behavior, and she is quick to bark at people from the car. All things we simply need to teach as not being appropriate, but it's never dull!