Hard work pays with super impress me results!

I am so extremely proud of the team luna and I have become. We have not quite reached the 6 month mark but yesterday showed me that I must be doing something right.

Everyone has either heard me talk about how good Luna is or seen it on videos of how she is at choir shows, but during those times she’s not really working, meaning there’s no harness on her then. I’m extremely proud that she is very well-behaved during those times. However yesterday takes the cake for being in harness!

I do obedience with luna a few times throughout the day, some off leash and some with the leash and she does a good job with lots of snorts and grumbles at me. Especially when I decide to do some at meal time. Man, she really hates me then, lol. One of the things I work on only at home because it’s a controlled environment is not holding her leash and giving her commands, sit, down, come and stay. Stay is the biggest one I work on since she does the others with no problems what so ever. The longest i’ve gotten her to stay without me near her is 5 minutes. Not bad!

Now that you got that little background, here’s the story.

Yesterday was an open house at International Academy which is the school I attend for Massage training. I wasn’t too sure at first if I would take Luna because I knew that I at the very least would want to get a mini massage and I wasn’t sure where I would put her. In the end of course she came with me. Ha, she would have had a cow if I would have left without her, lol.

I’ve already had one classmate tell me that she didn’t even notice I had a dog and she sits right next to me, smiles. Shows how good my girl is. Not a peep out of her. That’s definitely the way I like it.

Anyways, off track, sorry!

Luna was on her best behavior the moment we got there. When I stopped to talk to instructors or staff or students she either stood quietly by my side or she sat down. I gave her verbal praise for that.

Here’s the start of when Luna impressed even me!

I decided to get my mini massage and I had Luna sit out of the way under the table and told her to stay. I had no idea how well this was going to work since the student therapist has to move around and possibly step very close to her. This was not a controlled environment. it is a big open room with people coming in and going out. Clients getting on tables and chairs and student therapists moving around. So nerve city!

I told Luna to stay once more and I climbed on the table. For the whole 15 minutes Luna did not move a muscle! The person giving me the massage told me that she had her head laying on the little ledge under the table watching the room and that was it. she didn’t even move when the student stepped close to her. I of course was shocked! 15 minutes Luna did not get up once! She waited until I stood up before she got up. I praised her like mad and gave her treats of course. That was worthy of a party! Never ever have I gotten her to stay still at home that long. Yay Luna!

For that test only students and some staff knew she was there and Luna was praised loads from them as well.

Test 2
I decided well lets try again and see how things go because I wanted to try out reflexology. something I never had done before. This time there were some from the general public in the room and of course everyone says how cute and well-behaved she is. *beams* of course, that’s my girl!

This time I’m in a chair so she can see me and I’m pretty close to the ground in this chair. So once again I’m a little nervous cause I started a bad habit at home, but shhhhh don’t tell Jessica my trainer, lol. At home there’s a rocking chair that I sit in and Luna loves to jump in my lap and sit up there with me. see where I’m going with this? *chuckles* So yeah was a little afraid that once I sat down I’d have a dog in my lap.

Luna showed me once again that she knows when to show her good side, lol. She checked out what the student therapist was doing, figured it was safe and I wasn’t dying and she laid on the floor next to my chair. I didn’t pay any attention to her at all until I heard this from a client in the next chair, “that dog hasn’t moved at all since they sat down.”

I reached over and sure enough Luna was laying nicely by the chair. She lifted her head and wagged her tail when I touched her, but when she saw we weren’t moving, she laid back down. she did not get up until I stood up. Once again another 15 minutes of me not holding on to her she showed that she could stay still. But in this one there was an added test. The client that said she hadn’t moved walked over to her when he was done with his session and wanted to pet her. Because it was a first time in public with me not holding on to her I didn’t want it to turn into failure so I told him that she was working and he was fine with that and waited. He was very close to her partly kneeling in front of her and again, she did not move! So for the second time she got a super praise party.

The third time was pretty much like the second time except she was sitting under my chair instead, but the result was the same. Luna did not move for 15 minutes. She waited until I stood up or reached for her leash!

I am so proud of my girl! I was afraid to try it because of the result I get at home, but I guess that when she’s in harness she will surprise even me and shine bright! Three 15 minute sessions and she was absolutely *terrific*

Also I got lots of comments about how mature she is and loads of surprise when I said she’s not even 2 yet. When luna has her harness on she is night and day. A holy terror when not working, but super impress me dog when that harness is on.

Thank you Leader Dogs for such an awesome girl! I couldn’t have asked for a better dog.