Dog walk Friday and other news

I lost count of the dogs I walked today, but I loved them all. I have to say that my favorite this time was a chihuahua/Lab mix puppy (I don't even want to imagine how that came to be - the mother was the chihuahua) named Bruno. He was adorable. If you've ever wondered what a tiny breed would do if it could be a large breed, Bruno is your answer. Bruno and littermates were found in a mud puddle and were nursed back to health, fostered and Bruno is now available for adoption. He was as cute as could be and I wanted to scoop him up and take him home. I walked another Husky named Storm and wanted to adopt her too. I think she was an elder dog, but a great walker. I'm convinced Huskies are the best walkers in the world! We finished early today and I tried to sign up for another shift on Sunday afternoon. The volunteers have all been very welcoming and friendly. I really enjoy volunteering at the humane society!

I have to sing praises of GDB puppy club leaders and field representatives! I've been having trouble with McCoy biting and mouthing me during handling and play time. I've even sustained some skin breaks. I had resorted to a collar/skin shake that I was advised to use, but my CFR said that that is old school advice and that I should now do a quick pop and then turn my back on the dog. Yay! I think this is a much better technique - much more positive and more dog-language like. My leader also has started sending the new puppy raisers some benchmark guidelines so we can work on where our puppies should be at this point in their development. Again, something I've wanted for awhile - a way to gauge how well my puppy is doing. The manual makes me feel my 11-week-old puppy should be perfect and I know that's not developmentally logical. I was also advised to look at the positives and how far McCoy has come. He's really doing well - he's sleeping through the night and keeping his crate dry, lets me know when he needs to defecate, and he knows his name and comes every time I call him. That's quite an accomplishment for only having him 2 weeks. I'm proud of him!

The last thing to be shared is that Ardella is doing very well. My CFR was very pleased with her behavior yesterday and has no inclination to career change her at this point. She may be going to a finishing family soon and may make it to training yet. This is fabulous news! I feel sad that I couldn't finish her, but that she could make it to training is more than I ever thought possible. I'm pleased that my CFR had the desire to work with Ardella and could see promise in her.

Tomorrow we learn some new puppy handling techniques. Maybe I'll actually have pictures. I'm really looking forward to the training and I may try to weasel my way to Flock and Fiber - I just can't stand the idea I can't go!