My Newest Love

I have a new dog to wrangle.  Her name is Maisy and she is a yellow lab.  Adding new dogs to the pack can be interesting.  Maisy has been with me three days now, and I am looking forward to seeing how it goes today. 

It always amazes me how quickly new dogs acclimate to the pack, and how well the pack educates a new member.  That first trip to the off leash area can be a little stressful.  Both on the dog, and on me.  My major concerns are always, of course, socialization and recall.  In other words, am I going to see appropriate doggie behavior with the other dogs - in my truck, and at the park?  Is the newbie going to stay with me, and come to me when it is time to leave? 

For the dogs, it is stressful because they are meeting more than one dog at a time, they are unfamiliar with riding in the truck, and they really don't know where they are going.  Once we get to the park, they generally do well, mostly due to the fact they are stressed so they stay close to the only thing they know (me) the first trip or two.  Roamers don't generally manifest until they are comfortable with the routine.  Hopefully by that time they have learned my whistle, and follow the pack when I call for them.  And yes, it is always my whistle.  Can you just imagine trying to give a good "Maisy Come" call to each of  5 or 6 dogs at a time...We'd never get anywhere.

At one time I had a wonderful female in my pack, Ginger.  She was an older Golden Retriever who had raised several litters.  She took it upon herself, to "educate" each new dog as they joined our group.  She really made my job easy, and I miss her dear soul.  Fortunately, since the passing of Ginger, I have had pretty good luck with new dogs. 

Maisy has been great for the most part.  But we are working on the "into the truck" part.  It seems she has no idea she can jump...and she shies for no apparent reason, even just walking along at the park.  She is a bit nervous in general.  So we have been working on this, and I had great success with her on Monday.  Nothing like lots of reassurance outside of the truck before I even open the door, and "doggie crack" placed into the bed of the truck as a bribe.  Returning from the park Monday she even got her front paws up onto the bed.   I am looking forward to seeing how it goes this morning.

So I say Maisy is a bit nervous...but there is one place that just doesn't apply.  Once we hit the lake shore she looses her mind.  Maisy loves to swim, and to "retrieve".  Unfortunately, Maisy, like many labs, has ADD.  She wants to get ALL of the balls, sticks, rocks and other toys as they go into the water, leaving the prior item wherever she happens to be when she spots the latest.   So, typically, you throw a ball for her, she swims out to it, picks it up, sees another item, leaves the ball, goes for that one...and proceeds to swim around chasing everything and returning nothing for several minutes at a time.  Fortunately for Maisy, she gets to go with her friend Ollie today, and he follows the same philosophy...I expect to have a fine time watching them in the sunshine!

Nuala the Lunatic!

This week is vacation for me...well, not really because I rarely get away.  But this week I have one less dog to care for.  One wouldn't think one dog would make that much difference, but Nuala has BIG personality.  She also happens to be one of my favorite dogs, but every once in a while it is nice to take a break from those we love.

Nuala is a Wheaten Terrier.  Nuala appears to have a severe case of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).  Not unusual in a terrier, but really she has the most amazing case of terrier brain I have ever experienced. 

Nuala is only a knee high dog, but I end up looking her in the face most of the time, she bounces.  And she is fantastically trained not to jump up on people, well, on their front side...so often you will find her bouncing off of your back side....just a gentle tap of the feet to let you know she's needing you, in case you'd somehow missed it.

Nuala's game is fetch...tennis ball & chuck it fetch...she is definitely keeping my arm in shape.  And she retrieves really well most of the time, unless another dog makes a serious move for her ball, or I don't throw it exactly where she wants it, in which case she just turns around and asks me to throw another ball for her...easily done when we have a multitude of balls to choose from, not such a great game when we have the only ball around.  Then I end up fetching...traipsing a hundred yards at a time across a field, on her whim. 

My favorite thing though, is that Nuala doesn't want me to feel like I am missing out on the fun, so when she does bring it back, she thanks me for the game of fetch by playing hide and seek with me.  She loops around behind me where I can't see her, and deposits her ball behind a tree or bench or any other thing that will cause me to have to search for it.  Barring the ability to do that...she will find the muddiest, deepest puddle possible, and place the ball in the middle....if I cannot seek, I must wade.

And Nuala does have a special affinity for puddles.  Her game....pee in them.  Every one she comes to.  Combine this, with Ollie, my mud puddle sponge (see my earlier blog for more info on that), and you can see why a trip to the hose bib is required for Ollie after each park trip.

Which brings us to Nuala's mud velcro.  Imagine trying to bathe a cat who just doesn't want to be bathed.  That is the same effect you get if you try to hose Nuala down.  Her owners have told me to just do my best to towel her off, and leave it at that.  Honestly, mud sticks to her like Velcro, and doesn't let go until it dries.  I cannot imagine how they manage to keep their home clean...I do my best, but she is just a mess when I am done with her.

So that is what I am missing out on this week.  My groups have not been nearly as interesting without her injection of high energy.  Benny is doing his best, as a good terrier will, to fill the void. But really, no one is as Nuala as, well Nuala.  She's sort of a Nualatic!

Do Over!

Okay, perhaps I need a do-over on the whole blogging idea.  So  I am starting anew, with every intention of keeping it up this time.  Today was a day I have my favorite little Rat Terrier - Benson.  Benson (Benny) is usually either the biggest, or the smallest dog in my pack, depending upon the day.  When I pick up Benny he expects two things.  First, he expects Nuala (the wheaten terrier) to grump at him when he gets into the vehicle.  Second, he expects Ollie (the golden retriever) to wrestle. 

So from Benny's house, until I reach the park...well, shall we say, the truck it is a-rockin'.  I often see the people on Benny's street look very concerned as I drive by...concerned for Benny's well being.  What they don't know, but I can see, is that it is Benny on top of Ollie, straddling his neck and chewing on this face that is causing all of the ruckus. 

 Benson (Benny) gets along with everyone at the park.  He loves to play chase, he loves to wrestle, he loves to check out the people.  He never vocalizes, and generally he listens very well.  Unfortunately for the small dogs, he is taking all of the tricks the larger dogs are teaching him, and using them on the smaller dogs....On those days, he is the one greeting the dogs with a grump when they load into the back end.  He also goes from being the little dog underfoot mouthing up at the larger dogs, to being the larger dog with little miss Sabine mouthing up at him.

My favorite Benny move though is his Vulture stance.  He loves to step onto large rocks, place all four feet into one place, and lean.  I mean really lean, out over the edge.  His balance is amazing.  I have even seen him manage this maneuver on a log in the water at the lake...while it was washing back and forth in the waves...like a log roller.  Pretty amazing little guy.  Definitely a keeper!