The Original Angry Melon

You know when you're talking way too fast and sometimes your words get jumbled or you accidentally combine two words together?

Well, one time someone had asked me what breed Nyx was and I intended to respond with "she's a Belgian Malinois." That's not how it came out. It ended up coming out as "she's a Belgian Melonois." Seemingly perfect with all the other mispronunciations of the breed but que, her nickname of Melon. 

Our team dynamic is fun. We are very loud, I admit it, but we have fun. We both feed off each other's energy. The loud barking Malinois and well, me the stereotypical Italian/German. When shaping lots of behaviors in the beginning we used frustration and drive building to get her mind off her original fearfulness. That transferred over to many people commenting on how "angry" she seemed when she would be barking to play tug, or play ball, to get to the dock, basically to just work or play in general. 

It was perfect for her. The Angry Melon.

Unique, catchy, and fun! 

 

When I first got Nyx, she was already over a year and a half old and had already belonged to 4 owners. She was never in the right home. She was deemed untrainable, destructive, and everything else. 

Her first day home she jumped at everything but especially the ice maker and the TV. The pads of her feet were mostly burnt off and she even had skin infections. 

Later I found out Nyx had pyometra, a deadly infection in her uterus. It was so far along that she shouldn't have even made it another month. 

After getting her healthy, I didn't have many aspirations set for her because of how severe her fear issues and her lack of confidence were. At the very least she would have a happy life as a happy, and stimulated pet dog. 

Well, that quickly changed. The more I worked with her, the more Nyx's confidence grew and grew. She loved to feed off of my energy and the more she excelled the more excited we both got. 

From an active pet, she continued to excel in being able to do more and more. We began more challenging and difficult training. From there she was introduced to the dog sport world. First dock diving, then Schutzhund, and FastCat.

In 2017, during her first year of Dock Diving, she got invited to Eukanuba Nationals for both elite distance and air retrieve. She even ended up placing 3rd overall in air retrieve.

After only 6 months of joining a Schutzhund Club, she earned her BH. 

2018 she's been invited back to Eukanuba Nationals for Dock Diving in Orlando, FL for elite distance and air retrieve. She placed 9th in elite AR and 17th in elite distance. 

 

Who knows, maybe something else will be on her schedule later on. 

 

She has been a perfect A1 dog. We learn together and she has opened so many doors for me, as a trainer, as a handler, and just experience. Anything I ask of her, she does without hesitation and puts all her trust in me. Sure we are definitely a work in progress but she has taught me so much.