The sky is the limit

Shyla's incredible growth in trust shined during our recent trip.

When we're not in territory that we know well, we never know when we might run into a new person, a new dog, or even a speeding dirtbike with a helmeted rider. On our last trip, we ran into all sorts of unpredictable situations, and Shyla handled them with ease. She's still sensitive and stops to evaluate situations before deciding how to behave. I actually like that "thinking approach" a great deal because it prevents Shyla from running into bad situations like a Looney Lab.

On one trail, we met several bikers who had been riding quite fast toward us. I quickly ushered Shyla into a sit-stay next to my bike, and she calmly watched them approach. On one occasion, the bikers asked to meet her. I bit my tongue because my instinct still is to warn people that she is fearful and may not want to interact. I managed to stop myself from saying that -- and Shyla walked over to their outstretched hands without a hitch. She even ended up leaning into the leg of one of them, enjoying being petted as I chatted with them.

There was only one situation where she hesitated to meet someone. It was a very large man with a motorcycle helmet on standing next to an ATV. He was dog lover and wanted to meet our cute puppy, Shyla was leery of him at the start. I wasn't present but the Runner advised the man to chat with him for a little while and let Shyla see that he wasn't scary. Sure enough - it worked. The Runner says that Shyla went over to nuzzle the man's hand while the two of them talked.

When I met Shyla almost three years ago, I honestly didn't believe that she'd ever trust people to the extent that she does now. I was devastated to see how fearful she was back then. Everything in the world seemed to scare her - even us and our house!

Now, she's an outgoing and very happy girl. Just this morning, we met a hiker and standard poodle who were approaching us head-on on the trail. I stopped and watched the body language of the poodle and Shyla. As soon as the poodle lowered her tail and started wagging, Shyla started approaching in a very non-threatening way. The two met very amicably. Then, Shyla moved on toward the hiker and greeted her happily and politely.

People who meet Shyla now for the first time don't have an inkling of how amazing it is that she wants to meet them. And, I've stopped telling them about her past. I just let Shyla speak for herself with her actions, and I quietly smile at my absolutely amazing dog.

Way back in September of 2012 when we were just starting this journey, my wonderful trainer said that she believed that a day would come when Shyla would seem like a completely normal dog. She said that she believed that the sky was the limit for Shyla.

She was right.