As followers of Ellie will already know, she's a very timid dog, and this means she has many more fears than other dogs might be expected to have. One of those fears has always been water. I've lost count of how many tennis balls that we have lost in the local pond, as they have landed in there, but then Ellie won't retrieve them, because that would mean stepping into the water.
As you will also know, we like to train a monthly challenge. However, none of last month's suggested challenges really grabbed my interest, and so I decided that I would really focus on getting Ellie through her fear of water, so that she would be more able to enjoy more locations as the weather is now turning warmer.
Just about each and every day, through the month of March, sometimes, twice or three times a day, I've been coaxing Ellie further and further into the local pond, in order to retrieve the ball during play. It's been very much a case of having patience while she has built her confidence up a bit at a time, but finally....
Today was the real breakthrough. She has been showing signs of real bravery in our local pond for a couple of days now, but today she really just went for it. I think I can safely say that she's over her phobia. At least at that depth anyway.
You can see the video below. There is also an extra feature at the end of the video, showing Ellie as she experiences her first snow fall.
Enjoy...
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