I suppose its been awhile since I've written an update about Chingu's progress and its time. Chingu continues to impress me with how much he can learn and accept. It still just blows me away when I think of where we were and where we are.
Now we not only attend group classes as observers but actual participants! That is so exciting. I remember when Gina first mentioned group classes and how important they would be for him and I wanted to ask, "lady are you smoking crack? This dog will never be able to attend group classes." But he attends and participates and thus far we've been pretty incident free. He did growl at one dog but thats OK. Like Gina said he has a right to his personal space and a right to voice that its being invaded so he can growl, but he doesn't have a right to bite. So growls and moving away are fine but snaps and bites need to be corrected.
Also whenever we go to private class he always gets really cuddly in his attempt to avoid Gina. He's always a little crabby but then accepts her, but he knows she's gonna make him do stuff he doesn't want to do. But whats different is now rather than lashing out at her (although it still definitely happens) he comes to me first and looks to me for protection. I love this. I love that he has started to view me as his protector and he's starting to realize if he doesn't like something he doesn't need to go all Cujo on someone but rather he can hide behind me and I'll be his bodyguard.
He's just come so far and there's still a long way to go. I still need him to not tense up if someone approaches and touches him but he's at a point now thats completely manageable and if we never move past this point right now thats OK. Where we are now is a place I can live with and work around so anything past this point is just icing on the cake and thats just nice to know that we're there. It will be a lifetime of constant reinforcement and now the new rule for all his food and treats is going to be he has to be touched and then he can have a bit of kibble or hot dog which will be good for him I think. But the point is if we can stay where we are or go further without backsliding then we'll be OK and thats a huge relief.
I'm also much more relaxed now with him and in public which I'm sure makes a huge difference. Its so hard when you have a reactive/aggressive dog to be relaxed and you can never completely be relaxed. At least I don't think I can be. On walks I'm always scanning ahead, watching for potential hazards such as loose dogs or small children, and anticipating our next move and checking for escape routes. But if we were to encounter say a loose dog now I'd be less afraid than I would have been a month ago.
I just really admire that he's been able to pull through this and I'm not sure I'll ever find anything as rewarding as what I've found in working with Ching. I often reflect on my time in South Korea which, to be honest, I didn't really enjoy that much. I hated my job, didn't really like the town I was living in, and sometimes I think my time would have been better served living in a different country or staying home in the US; but I think finding Chingu and Chingu finding me made it all worth it. Even if that was the only reason I was supposed to be there I think we were meant for each other. He is my pride and joy and I can honestly say my life is better for being given the opportunity to be his human mom.
