#i assume bc of the merle and maybe her short tail - she looks unusual

[seagulley]

Little dog went on a city walk today and did perfectly!

I’m hoping to take the BH test with Kaija sometime next year and wanted to see where she’s at with her manners in a busy urban environment. I've taken her downtown a few times before, but it's not a regular thing for us (since we'd both rather spend our time wandering around in the middle of a forest & away from people lol), so I'm really happy with how well she behaved.

Kaija wasn't fazed by noisy 18-wheelers and trams, by scooters whizzing by unexpectedly, or by yelling, running children. She could calmly walk past other dogs and didn't attempt to approach or greet people unless they interacted with her first. We also stopped for a coffee at a dog-friendly cafe, where Kaija chewed her bully stick and then promptly fell asleep. Good dog! :)

#i think kaija would probably do fine with the out of sight wait as well but i'd need helpers to test it #so overall it looks like the traffic test shouldn't take too much preparation for us :) #the long straight heeling segment and the long down stay are the pieces that i'm anticipating having to put the most work into #2 years #australian shepherd #dogblr #dogs of tumblr #dog training #oh also i know i shit on the dog culture here #but one thing i'm extremely grateful for is that people don't tend to suddenly approach strange dogs #i've read other people's stories about strangers coming up and just starting to pet their dog without permission #and we really haven't experienced that at all since kaija stopped being a tiny fluffy baby #people do sometimes stare at her #i assume bc of the merle and maybe her short tail - she looks unusual #but that's it