Sundance, the dog I grew up with, had a bevy of bad habits – getting into the trash (as in, knocking it over to rifle through for any errant Taco Bell wrappers or minute pieces of meat that we had inconsiderately thrown away), running away, scaring our friends and family, etc.

In comparison, Choppy is a dream. But, as much as I don’t like to admit it, she does have a few faults. In particular, she has one fault that I have been working on for years: she does not handle meeting and greeting other dogs well.

I don’t mean that Choppy doesn’t like other dogs – she loves dogs she knows, and she loves being around those dogs (well, up until the point that I am petting another dog, then jealousy kicks in and she has to butt in and make sure everyone knows that I love her the most – but that’s done in a friendly manner).

Choppy hearts Izzy. If only this extended to all dogs...
Choppy hearts Izzy. If only this extended to all dogs…

It’s just that when we meet a new dog for the first time, things don’t always go well. Choppy has never bitten another dog, but to see her descend into a fit of barking at another dog is not pleasant (to say the least. And this goes for everyone involved – including Choppy, me, the other dog, the other dog’s owner, people in the general vicinity, etc.).

That said, it is actually a problem that is getting better, even if people who haven’t spent lots of time with Choppy think it’s horrible (still). I know what Choppy can and can’t handle, and so many people have been wonderful in letting Choppy meet their dogs to help her out with this. We’re to the point where she can (almost always) at least greet the other dog calmly (though the key in that sentence is “almost always” – Choppy does have her moments), even if it then gets not-so-good when Choppy gets her ears sniffed or something she doesn’t expect happens.

This morning, Choppy actually initiated play with a dog that she has had problems with in the past. I don’t know what changed, but it was great (even if the other dog is 15 years old and looked at Choppy like she was crazy). And we can go to the dog park without many (if any) problems (though this is not always the case, at least when giant dogs are involved).

I’m not sure if Choppy will ever get entirely over this (especially with regard to shy dogs, which she thinks need to be barked at. Sometimes for hours. I wish I was kidding). That said, I’ll keep working on it, and hope that someday it will no longer be a problem.

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