Boy! Does Eli love to run around!! Most of the time it is impossible to catch him. He has not been too bad out in the yard, though. I have been reinforcing "come." It usually works and when it does not immediately work, it eventually does.
Eli has been getting more curious about the horses...and also a bit braver around them.

I can not imagine what it is like for such a tiny little guy to be looking up at something so much bigger than he is.
Eli and Mei-li seem to be getting along better. There have not been any brawls as of late. Oddly enough, Mei-li seems to be more sociable these days. Perhaps Eli had a positive effect on her.
I do not like this feeling that I can not do everything I need to be doing for Eli. He makes me proud so often. In fact, he attended his first basketball game last weekend and was excellent. People were astonished that he was not affected by the buzzer. He visited with a friendly stranger who was sitting next to me in the bleachers. The only "negative" thing was that he wanted the squeak toy that a baby was playing with. I guess Eli needs to learn that he can not have anything that squeaks.
I am just disappointed that we were not able to get to the Agility class this month. I know it would be beneficial to Eli's ongoing training and skills reinforcement. There will be other classes, I know. But feeling like we have been at a stalemate is bothering me. Eli, though, seems unaffected and just as happy as ever. ♥

December

Our plans have not worked out and I am being very hard on myself for it.
My cell phone decided not to work correctly, which turned out to be a system error with my carrier, and I did not get the reminder for our first Agility class. I was so upset about that! Eli and I will have to continue waiting. I have just been feeling horrible for Eli ~ feeling like we are in limbo right now with training.
When Eli is working he makes me super proud. He amazes other people, too. I have to say that I can not remember having a dog as smart as Eli is.
When Eli is not officially on the clock, he has gotten into a routine of bad habit. This is where he is not making life a little easier for me. This is when I feel I should have gone the other way and tried for a mobility assistance dog rather than a medical alert dog.
I am sure that Eli is having issues because of the relationship between him and his big sister, Mei-li. Eli habitually urinates on my bed. There is an ocassional urination on a chair in the living room, but almost every day I find that he urinated on the bed. We have one comforter and blanket which are not even the right size for the bed, but they are the closest to being big enough. The comforter is dump material at this point because it's been washed so much and is torn to shreds. I am getting so frustrated with this behavior. I take him out constantly because I am trying to prevent it from happening. Sometimes I feel like he saves it just to do the deed on the bed.
This has made me rethink his ability to work. However, he still exhibits the drive to do his job and I do not want to disappoint him. When I look at him I am beginning to feel like I am failing him somehow. I also can not imagine not having him around, but am I giving him the best life he can have? Eli is obviously feeling stressed about something. I do not want him to be unhappy.