Last night was 4-H dog agility night at the La Crosse Interstate Fair, so I decided to take Secret over for some socializing time. Heaven knows she needs time around children, and what better place to encounter a whole slew of them?
She was FREAKED OUT when we first arrived. The smells, sights & sounds all really overloaded her system from the start. I ended up having to tighten her collar because she darn near pulled out of it on the way past a group of teenagers at table.
Her tail was tucked all the way up under her belly when we entered the agility barn. Secret was whining and very unsure of herself. We weren't there long before I saw Diane & Holly -- Secret loves Holly and was super happy to see her. We took a seat next to them on the bleachers and Secret very quickly started to come out of her shell as I put her through her tricks.
A short while after we'd been there, I was approached by a gentleman with the 4-H project. He asked if Secret was with the project and explained that outside dogs were not supposed to be there. Oops! I've always brought my dogs to the fair in years past, but I guess their policy has changed. He said we didn't have to leave, but asked me to move to the back so as to not be so "obvious." I gladly obliged, as Secret was being a pest in the bleachers, anyhow, constantly trying to crawl underneath on the search for food. :o)
There were some great kids who helped with Secret's socialization by giving her treats and having her do tricks. She still doesn't quite understand these "little people," but she did very well around all of them. Secret didn't lunge at a single running child, but she was completely baffled by the two boys with balloon swords!
We walked with Diane & Holly to the food stand after we were done watching and Secret got to take in lots more sights & sounds. While waiting at the food stand, a very young girl (about two or so) came up behind us and grabbed Secret around the waist. OMG! That could have been a nightmare, but Secret did so, so well and just whipped around to stare in horror at the little creature. A different young child later asked to pet her, but after the previous freak-out I figured perhaps it would be best to not push her at that point. After two hours, I thought Secret was probably done and we didn't need to push her anymore.
Secret went NUTS when we got home. Her brain was definitely in that over-tired, over-stimulated state and she ran laps around the living room for a while before crashing. It was a great experience for her and I'd love to repeat it, but I guess we won't push it now that we know dogs aren't supposed to go to the fair anymore. :o)
I have video to share! We did this before leaving for the fair last night. It's just something thrown together to show her jump training progress. Check out the new speed gears she's starting to find! And the tug!! She adores the furry tug that I bought over the weekend, which is a surprise since it doesn't squeak. lol
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