Who IS this dog?

Matt and I have always loved our Barley, but we recognize that he may have been a bit much for others in the past. He ate food out of kitchen sinks (ours as well as others), growled and snapped while eating his food or a bone, and even tried to kill another dog, which got him expelled from doggie daycare (though the specific details of that incident are debatable).

Lately, however, he seems to be a completely different dog. When Matt takes Barley for his morning walk, they hike through a nature preserve so Barley can be off his leash. They met up with another hiker and his dog recently, and Barley ran to the hiker, sat down and waited to be pet. "I hope my dog is as good as yours someday," the man said. Matt just laughed.

This morning, Barley sprinted ahead of Matt after leaving the nature preserve. He ended up in a neighborhood, heading straight for a woman who was trying to leave for work. Matt yelled "Stop!" Barley stopped instantly, frozen in mid-stride, sat down and looked back at Matt. "Oh, what a good dog," the woman said. Really? Our Barley? A good dog?

I think the difference is that we've finally stopped trying to control everything Barley does. We give him more independence (like leash-free walking in the nature preserve) and we "pick our battles," as my parents say. The result is a more obedient, more affectionate, more all-around wonderful dog. He's become the dog I dreamed of having when I cried about how bad he was when he was a puppy.

Good boy, Barley.