It's a tough go with only one person

Hi to anyone who is still stopping in now and then to check on things with Beckett. He's doing well but I think we've hit the wall for things he will take on with heart and the things he will not attempt because he doesn't know what to do. It is evident in the training he adheres to and the work he will do when he has to versus when he feels he has not choice to do. In my books, a dog needs to "want" to please the master of the house and not because he feels he has to or be punished. That is the true turning point. In my case, it was very clear early on that even though you couldn't stuff Beckett into a holding kennel without sedating him heavily, he will readily hop into the back seat of the car because he likes to be there. He loves sitting in the back driving to new places and old while alternating from window to window to poke his head out. I'm sure he thinks that just approaching the window makes it open. LOL we watch for him and will lower the windows on the side he nears while closing the opposite. When you look into the mirror your see him actually enjoying the wind in his face. This is what I mean by Want versus Must. I want Beckett to want to have us pet him because he likes it and not because I have cornered or made him come to me. With another dog getting attention, he does look to 'want' to have it but when we get home he goes back to his growling state. This week I planted the seed of finding Beckett a companion dog. I do have the pup on order for the fall and my hopes that there is a 'normal' dog out there needing a loving home before the fall is just that, a hope. I know that these dogs are great family pets and the odds of me finding another dog to balance Beckett is fairly slim. Then again, finding Beckett was pretty slim too. It would be a crying shame to have him for a year and then discover that he can't or won't ever go to that point where he is a great dog that is part of the family. Right now, as much as I think of this little guy, I mentally have him just at the edge of my heart because I know he is the one who will make the decision or not to be part of the family based on his ability to adjust. On our side... OMG.. we are adjusting much more than we had thought we could. Still searching for that magic switch that lights up Beckett's life.