"Good Dog"

Yesterday, while walking Sunshine I passed a woman with a smaller dog. Since Sunshine had been fairly rambunctious and demanding with the previous dog we had passed, I put her in heel and continued on. She did pretty well in part because this time we were passing someone on the other side of the street. The lady said to me as we passed, "Good dog."

While I agreed, I had to also ponder why no one every says, "Good trainer."

I love Sunshine and she is a sweet creature, but left to herself, she'd drag anybody down the street, chase after every rabbit, crown and squirrel she saw, and jump on every passer by. It's been my hard, daily work with her that let's me walk along with a loose leash and be able to say "heel" to her and get a dog that stays by my side or say "Leave it" and "Watch me" and have her look away from which ever of her foes she's spotted in the grass. She certainly hasn't read any books on good dog behavior (chewed on one or two but not read) nor has she ever been sad that she wasn't a well behaved dog.