Recently, Pete and I were out of town together, and without Acacia and Bing. We were gone for one week, back for 3, and then away again for 6 days. While we were gone, we had arrangements for people to stay here to take care of them. This plan originally was hatched because we had two geriatric dogs who we felt shouldn't be kenneled. Little did we know that by the time these trips came around, we'd be down to two Belgians. But we had made the plan and stuck with it. It turned out to be a wonderful learning experience for Bing.
Anne stayed here for the first trip. She's a professional dogsitter and I've known her for years, but she hadn't met Bing. She didn't have a particularly difficult job; no direct handling was required because the dogs would be managed within a one-acre fenced area. The dogs had free access to being inside or out, and all Anne had to do was play ball with Bing and feed him. Of course I was worried about how he would react to her, warned her about Bing's Whale Eye and concern over being petted, etc. None of it was necessary.
As soon as I was unavailable, Anne became Bing's best friend. He slept on the bed with her, cuddled on the sofa with her, demanded to be petted on the head and all over, all day long. My other trainer, Sue, came over a few times to take them around the pond, and he reacted the same way with her! Normally, Bing is worried with her, too, even though he knows her very well. But as soon as I’m not around, he becomes a lovebug. Apparently it's all me!!!
The second time we went away, we had a similar setup, but my regular dogwalker, Linda, stayed her the first two days. Bing's behavior was the 
same with Linda as it was with Anne and Sue. I'm THRILLED at this progress!!
Now, I just have to figure out HOW to convince him that it's not necessary to be worried about hands approaching him when I'm around. My theory still stands, though, about how this behavior came about. When he was young and we had to clean his ears thoroughly twice per day, and then he got the hose water in the eyeball and we tried to examine his eye, it was probably during a fear period. That one incident set him up for Single Event Learning, and he learned that when I'm around and others try to touch him, bad things will happen.
Now, when I'm not around, someone else must take the roll of being 'constant petter'! It will probably just be a matter of time and process before he realizes that this is unnecessary. Let's hope I'm right!
