Echo’s Breakthroughs

Yesterday was a big victory day for Echo. He showed courage by choosing to walk to the end of the block that faces a busy road. He showed restraint by sitting politely and waiting for me to acknowledge him when I arrived. And – for the first time – he learned how to play nicely with a human. Check out this video to see his amazing progress.

We also met a stranger for the first time. When Echo lunged to greet and I told him no, he actually stopped lunging and just stood near me quietly while the stranger and I talked for a minute. The man respectfully gave us space, Echo remained calm… It was awesome.

Standing quietly while I spoke to the stranger showed me that even though he might not give me eye contact, Echo is hearing me, and he is trying to respond. This is a massive turning point for him; until now, his panic has tended to overwhelm him to a point where he hasn’t been able to do that. Seeing him work so hard to control his excitement when I arrived… This is another tremendous step for him; in previous sessions, he’s crowded me and tried to jump on me, and he’s seriously invaded my space. Another major stride for him is taking him down the stairs to go outside; in previous sessions, he’s pulled towards the door by practically flying over the stairs. But in this session, he worked very hard to control himself by trying to keep pace with me. He did an awesome job of it.

After almost three months, Echo is finally starting to enjoy being outside. This is also a tremendous change for him. He’s starting to learn that even though it’s scary for him, “outside” can be an interesting and even fun place. Being a kennel dog until he came to his current family, he had no experience with being outdoors without fences – which is why he’s afraid of the outdoors. But, he’s slowly starting to realize that he’s safe with me. This is a colossal step forward for him, and profoundly humbling for me.

Echo made a lot of progress yesterday. His choice to face his fear by taking me to the corner, his curiosity, his show of trust in me by standing quietly around a stranger, the way he played afterwards… There are no words to describe how it makes me feel to see him starting to come out of his shell.

Have a great day, and remember to stay calm and lead on.