The Rosie Road, part 1

Today we start a trip back in time with the story of Rosie, or "how puppy-lust brought me to raising Leader Dog puppies."

It's Christmas morning, 2007.  Andy comes down from upstairs and drops two soft, round doggie beds onto our living room rug.  "Merry Christmas," he kisses me.  Thanks, now Gypsy can have a soft spot under my desk and another next to our bed.  She already had a nice bed on the main floor of our townhouse.  "You misunderstand.  They're not for Gypsy."

He smiled.

Andy caught me more than once perusing PetFinder or the pet category on craigslist.  He knew I struggled with "puppy-lust" since working for Invisible Fence (IF).  We figured it's possible I trained up to 1000 dogs a year on the fence; now I was doing one-on-one, in-home obedience for IF as well.

It had been seven years since I raised Gypsy, rescued at seven weeks old.  I knew more about dog training and was eager to apply what I'd learned.

Aside from my "puppy-lust," I rationalized the need for a puppy as beneficial for Gypsy.  She was obedient and well behaved, but a bit shy and jittery around other dogs.  Taking her with me to work gave her confidence.  She had a blast chasing balls and otherwise tempting ready-to-be-off-leash dogs new to Invisible Fence.  Her good behavior garnered me plenty of obedience work with my IF customers; I swear she was worth 50% of my sales!

Confirmation of my idea that getting a puppy could help Gypsy surfaced during a week of obedience training for IF trainers.  My co-worker and trainer-friend, Katie (a graduate of National K9 School), developed IF's "train-the-trainer" program.  I was her "left-hand" (I'm left-handed, sorry for the pun!) assistant. 

Trainers brought their personal dogs to class and we had several other dogs available for extensive hands-on practice.  I was amazed to witness this group of "balanced" dogs interact with no issues, both when focused during class-time and when romping in play at break-time.  (The picture at right is of some of these dogs "holding sit" with outside distractions!)  Even Gypsy felt comfortable, taking particular interest in cavorting with a young female Westie.

You mean...I can get a new puppy?  Andy aswered, "Yep!"

The search was on.  In earnest.

"Pinch me out of my dream."

Rosie thinks she's gotten out of Leader Dog responsibilities, but the mission she has now might be just as vital--being present while three precious girls grow up, listening to whispered secrets with abandon, slopping well-timed kisses as she offers a supple coat to bury tears.

I see in her the proud and confident dog that I left at Leader Dogs so many months ago and not the fur-flying, leash-pulling lab we picked up after her career-change.  She's settled into her new home nicely.

I watch as Rosie nudges each niece off-and-on during the evening I am with them, as she lifts her head when she hears one of them move about in another room and then gets up to check, as she turns into a wiggly-waggly bundle of joy when Anne gets home from school.

Rosie is definitely their dog now.

QUOTES BY SOFIA

"It's hard to believe that Rosie, was once a tiny and playful, puppy. Now, she is a beautiful, obedient dog. -sofia"

(Post by Sofia on FaceBook after my evening with them.)

"Now I have nothing else to wish for!" 

(When she realized that Rosie was to be HER dog.)

"Mom.  Pinch me out of my dream." 

(As we left on the first "family walk" with Rosie, FLD Mike, and Gypsy.)

Finger Sweep

Poem day.   Here's a "FIB" inspired by my many walks with young puppies.  Check out Gregory K's blog, "GottaBook" for the detailed definition of a FIB:  a 20 syllable poem based on the mathematical "Fibonacci sequence."  You'll appreciate my verse if you've ever found yourself wishing you had named your puppy "Kirby" (as in the "vacuum").

Finger Sweep

butts,

gum

wrappers

leaf, stone, twig,

plastic thingy, rock.

Litter-picker-upper puppy

A TIP for Tuesday: A TIRED PUPPY IS A GOOD PUPPY

FLD Mike slept in until almost 7:00 am today.  Usually he stirs in his crate between 5:30 and 6:00.  We don't mind much getting up that early; Andy and I both like to rise with the birdies, but sometimes it is nice to linger awhile in bed.

How FLD Mike gets tired is the result of a number of things:

MORNING WALK (this day we did just over 3 miles)

Our daily walk is necessary exercise--for Mike and me!  However, our excursions are also training opportunities.  Before his Leader Dog jacket gets buckled on, Mike "parks" in his spot near the dumpster.  Off we go.  While he is HEELING he is "at work."  He learns to pay attention to me.  I vary our pace from a crawl to a 15-minute-per-mile march.  I stop abruptly.  I turn RIGHT or LEFT, or do an "about-face."  I make Mike SIT and sometimes "hold" his SIT as I stop to pick up a lucky penny, or to keep his focus when an excited little Bichon escapes her owner and dashes across the street to greet us.  We travel on sidewalks along busy roads so heavy work trucks banging through potholes do not startle him.

KEEP HIM THINKING

If we don't have time for a walk, or the weather is nasty, exercising Mike's mind for 10-15 minutes  at a time tires him out sometimes just as well as a long walk.  We work on obedience drills, depending on what he knows or needs to practice.  I use part of his daily allotment of food to use as treats; his effort becomes a game!

Mike knows "mat" well now, so I move his mat around the house.  Mike, MAT.  He looks over to the spot where his mat usually is, cocks his head and wanders to the last place it was (this laid-back puppy is a thinker).  When he spots the mat, he gives a little leap as if to say "Ah, ha!  There it is!"  He bounds over, turns around on it to face me, and lays down in anticipation.  (treat)  We work on staying on the mat.  I leave the room and call his name.  MIKE.  He finds me and SITS.  (treat)  He thinks he's doing tricks when I he does "puppy-pushups."  Mike, SIT.  (treat)  Mike, DOWN.  (treat)  Mike SIT.  (treat)   Mike DOWN.  (treat)  YEA!!!

PLAYTIME (this day with Rosie)

My trainer-friend, Katie, says, "Running around the yard is like taking your kids to Chucky-Cheese--instead of the excitement having a calming affect, their tiredness just makes them cranky and wound up."  Has anyone been around a worn-out, crabby two-year-old?

I took Mike to my sister's yesterday afternoon to watch the girls while she went off to her graduate studies at Oakland U.  Mike and Rosie chased each other around the backyard for hours.  When we came in for dinner, they were so wound up and panting they wouldn't settle down.  "We put Rosie on her mat when we eat," Sofia told me.  Rosie, MAT.  She went right to it.  Mike, on the other hand, couldn't stop himself from engaging her.  Mike, KENNEL UP.  He ran into Rosie's crate.  That solved things.  Once Mike was forced to "stop," he fell right to sleep.  Not that this provided us a peaceful dinner--he SNORES!