My Dog's an Extrovert

According to Psychologist Marti Olsen Laney, 2/3 of people are extroverts, which leaves the rest of us measly 1/3 introverts feeling outnumbered to say the least. Many people think that the term introvert is synonymous with being anti-social. However, the real difference lies in where one gets his/her energy. An extrovert gets ones energy from being around other people and scans the external world to gather stimuli in order to fuel ones brain and body, while an introvert gets ones energy from one's inner self, ones thoughts, feelings, personal reflection, and quiet time. Depending on your temperament, both are acceptable and normal sources of energy. With that said, my dog is definitely an extrovert. We hiked the perimeter trail at VB today, only 3 miles or so, but I was carrying a 35lb backpack. I am starting to train with it in preparation for my first solo, overnight backpacking trip. We were hiking along, and I was thinking about my upcoming trip and various other things, while trying to reinforce proper leash walking with my dog. She doesn't pull too badly, but she is still working on it. To give some positive encouragement, I called her to me and talked sweetly to her. She, of course, soaked it up and buried her head in my legs, wagging her tail and perking up significantly. The difference in her demeanor was drastically different than before. After a few moments, I said, "Let's go," and she took off on the leash, forgetting any prior training. When she hit the end of the leash, she looked back as if to say, "What, aren't you coming?" That's when I thought it - my dog's an extrovert!