Good afternoon there Becky,

Yeah. A dog comes in a lot of flavors. Some are warm and cuddly, and some are miserable AHs.

I intentionally got one of the miserable AHs a few days before he was supposed to get a needle. And the first year was unpleasant, and extremely so on occasion. The second was better but still a caution. The third smoothed out, and now he is my shadow and demonstrates a level of loyalty I never would have expected in the first month of his being here.

He still is not a mutt I would allow around children or other than family adults. He apparently is uninterested in new best friends.

That noted, I am glad I didn't give up on him. We had a few come to the Lord meetings of the mind, and a lot of cold shoulder attitude. And gradually, we grew together, on my terms. He is curled up next to the couch beside me.

I think the biggest reward comes after the hardest work. And I am disinclined to give up, by temperament or maybe by genetic predisposition.

In truth, what works for me with the dog is constancy. A schedule which has the effect of conditioning a dog to my timing and rules. A training process that looks for consistency in approach, to minimize confusion. Lots of random intermediate training cues using the basic commands. Lots of acting my approval or disapproval to get the dog to read me off command, and to emphasize my feelings of the dog's behavior.

I believe in formal and informal training. Formal training periods with objectives and milestones of performance. Informal training all the time in the form of random commands all throughout the day to reinforce basic command compliance, and to remind the dog of its relationship with me, to reinforce our relationship.

I don't look for the dog to be my pal when it first arrives but see it as a growing and bonding exercise where trust gradually is the glue of the relationship.

There were times when I fleetingly questioned whether or not it was my wisest move to save the mutt from the needle. I no longer question the decision. We have grown together in the journey. I was reminded of how important adherence to rules and structure are in training, and the mutt figured out that structured life was really good and well rewarded if the rules were followed.

This long epistle is by way of congratulating you for staying the course, and an encouragement to keep at it. The light at the end of the tunnel is not a train.

Be consistent, patient, confident, fair, etc. Just persevere.

More a rah, rah moment. Not really worth two cents.