Ardella and I had a good time today at the Animal Enrichment Center consulting with Megan Kate. Megan Kate feels that Ardella needs to do something fun like Agility, so we signed up for a class after seeing how Ardella reacted to some agility equipment. She had no problem whatsoever, and Megan Kate thinks this will boost Ardella's confidence tremendously. She didn't think Ardella should start with obedience classes yet, but when she's been doing agility for awhile, I'll enter her in some next-step obedience classes (Bachelor's class) where we'll be working a lot with dog distractions and stay commands, among other things.
Another suggestion that I am excited about is to go to Well Balanced Dogs and let Ardella run around with a trained pack of dogs to get her comfortable in social situations. This facility is in the Ridgefield area and sounds like something we can enjoy doing from time to time while we're waiting for agility class (in late November).
I also came home with an herbal medication called Tinkle Tonic to help with Ardella's bladder issues and a suggestion that Ardella walk an hour every day. We've also got a plan to help Ardella with her car issues. It's very much like the car introduction plan that is in the Guide Dog manual but we're starting over.
I've switched Ardella to a different food - Canidae Grain Free Formula. I've been introducing it to her gradually and can see it's agreeing with her digestive system. She also seems to be scratching less.
Megan Kate felt I should give Ardella a good solid foundation before trying again to raise another puppy. I know this is true, but the desire still tugs at my heart. I have joined the Guide Dog career change Yahoo group and hope to get active with them. I'll be puppy sitting a Golden Retriever puppy starting next weekend. At any rate, I don't lack opportunities to get involved with dogs so I'll just sit back and enjoy whatever I do between now and the next puppy.
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