One step forward two steps back...

     Well today was a test of my patience. Our trip to the dog beach had a very rough start, just one dog on the beach today but you'd think that there were millions of dogs running all over the place. Voda pulled, she tugged, and she whined. Oh my gosh did she whine :-( We did have a very nice break, the dog and his family left and Voda actually calmed down enough that I could remove her lead. We ran and ran and ran splashing water everywhere. It was so much fun. I've never seen her smile so big! But then the cutest Black Lab puppy and his owner showed up and bring on the whining and barking yet again. I wanted to pull my hair out! I do have to get her some credit; we got about 5 feet away before she became too excited to handle. I have never met such a persistent dog before, she whined, cried, and made the most horrible sounds imaginable for 30 minutes straight. Thankfully the Black Labs momma was nice enough to allow us to work on our obedience while she and her baby, Bear, played. Unfortunately, they left before Voda could actually meet the puppy. But every bit of practice pays off.

     On a lighter note, my husband and I met up with a gentlemen who handles dogs and offered us even more help with our obedience. He has the most beautiful Belgium Malinois (example shown above) and he is so well trained. If I could have that much control over Voda I'd be giddy as a school girl! One of these days we will be as good of team as him and his dog! I am already excited that I randomly had this man ask me and my husband if we would be interested in working obedience and possibly more with our dog just because he had one look at her and fell in love. *I mean who could resist? She is the sweetest baby.* He is so excited about her though, he keeps talking about how intelligent she looks when they make eye contact and how he really thinks she could go far in training and gaming. I am stoked! It's so nice to run into fellow dog enthusiast.