Cleo on the right is the puppy we kept from the 1992 litter of CJ who is on the left. She was a lovely dog but the line between her eyes rather than spots convinced me she was not. So little did I know! She was not shown as she should have been nor was she bred.
Tango from this litter came back at about 7 months of age. He had been badly treated and was terrified of many women and crates. He taught me so much about trying to understand what a dog needs and adjusting my thoughts and actions accordingly. He was never crated but was happy in a xpen. With lots of love and a slow process, Tango regained his confidence and achieved his Championship status. He was my first owner/co-breeder/handler group placement - 1994.
Cleo and Tango were wonderful dogs and CJ their mother set a very high standard as a mother dog and an excellent temperament.
Cj taught me that demanding and pushing and trying to compel a dog to perform any task was not going to work. She was stubborn..like me, and we often clashed. She was sensitive too and so I had to throw away the teachings of the obedience teachers of that time, and learn how to keep her happy and lead her rather than push her, to complete tasks. I had to learn that very short, positive training sessions with very few repetitions built information quickly for her. She was way too smart to do something again and again just to show she would obey..she would do it, perhaps twice and the look at you as if to say, 'hey, I did it, I did it well, so let's get on with it'! She made me a much better dog trainer and she lead me on a wonderful path of positive, reward based training.
When I lost her at 14 years of age in 2004, it was a terrible blow. She was never sick up to 24 hours before she collapsed. She was a wonderful friend, companion, teacher. I am forever grateful for the lucky moments that came together to bring her into our lives.
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