A walk with Gal!

Oh today was a good day, we are finally whittling the litter down to size. Sending puppies home to their new owners. I got to spend some time enjoying my adult dogs and taking little Gall along on a little excursion to my neighbor's house about a 10th of a mile down our dirt road. She was so curious and followed the big dogs as they sniffed the bushes and grasses on either side of the road. She looks like a little stuffed animal compared to the monster sized Aussies, Cash and Hondo her uncle and her father. What a barrel of fun. Her father 'Hondo' still has a lot of pup in him so he was really enjoying helping her check out every little scent they came across. Uncle 'Cash' is a more serious type and a little older so he was always trying to make sure that she didn't get too far away from me. I traveled in my power wheelchair so I had to watch out so as not to run her over as she darted to and fro along the road. So nice there are no cars or other dangers along our little easement road so we can walk off leash.

As I approached the neighbor's back door, where we usually stop so that the boys (Cash and Hondo) can beg for some dog cookies from my neighbor Billie, her dogs began barking and I thought Gal was going to run all the way back home. When she finally slowed down to look over her shoulder and saw that no one was behind her and she turned to rejoin us. The purpose of this walk (besides being very relaxing), was to teach Gal to accept new situations. She discovered that new places are safe and sometimes they end up with snacks and new toys. As we move along on this socialization we will take her to scarier places like the village where there are cars and people all around and even other strange dogs. When she got back to where we were she sniffed around my neighbor's garage, to see if there was anything for her to play with or eat most likely. Before long she found a large wine bottle cork beside the recycle bin. She was so thrilled! She ran around like she had found something really special and started trying to get the big dogs to play keep away with her. Of course her father was more than willing to oblige. She was having so much fun until she realized that she had her tooth stuck in the cork! Too funny. She was struggling to get the cork out. Looked like we would need a cork screw for a while there but she got it out for awhile and then the game started over again and again. Of course I watched to make sure she wouldn't get choked but she just carried it around. I love it when a puppy carries things in their mouth because that is a good sign that it won't be too hard to teach them to retrieve items, something I value highly as a service dog user/trainer.

Today she also learned that the little blue bag on my wheelchair contains something that makes walking next to me a very rewarding experience! When she found her way to the heel position (at my left side looking up at me) I pulled out a little piece of meat or a piece of kibble from the bag and rewarded her just for being in that position. Casually not on a leash or with any coaxing, just letting her know that I like it when she is right there and that I'm willing to pay for it!

Back we walked and by the time we got home she was really tired and ready for her nap. That is a great distance for an 8 lb puppy, especially with all the playing and exploring along the road. I keep in the house now in her crate when I can't watch her except when she is outside in the dog run with her siblings for a play session, at night she still sleeps with her siblings in the kennel. That will go on until the others are gone or until she is around 12 weeks old. I do that so that I can be sure to get a good night's sleep. If I did not have the kennel or her siblings for company, I would have her in the house of course but it is a blessing to be able to let her stay outside. I don't sleep well so loosing even a little sleep is a big deal to me. I do not relish getting up to go potty in the night or at sunrise like most pups need to do at this age. She is taking to the crate really well. No crying so far! That is a well adjusted puppy!

Soon I will have more time to spend with her and we will begin learning about retrieving, healing, and such. When she begins spending more time in the house she will start discovering which things are okay to chew on and which things are off limits. She will learn that the toilet is ONLY outside and that it's really fun to please me!

Happy puppy training!
Mary