Mar 8, 2014 Awake in Real Time: Coffee-induced Meditations and Journal Entries
My past few FB posts about Holly:
March 1, 2014
Holly is a delight. Long walk with her in the morning. The pup is a pleasure to walk with. She continues to be charming and funny, and good. That’s all for now about her.
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March 2, 2014
Long walk with Holly and S to the playground, up and down the hilly regions of the place where I live, and romping in the baseball fields near the playground. All snow-and-ice covered, it’s heaven for a snow-pup like Hol.
Got my exercise with her yesterday and today. We walked AND ran.
Feeling good.
She’s tired and asleep.
Just as it should be.
Got my exercise with her yesterday and today. We walked AND ran.
Feeling good.
She’s tired and asleep.
Just as it should be.
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March 7, 2014
Didn’t even get on FB for a couple of days! Amazing!
Anyway, been somewhat overwhelmed with work.
Also, busy at home with Holly — taught her to sit and stay the first week, shake paws and lie down between Wednesday and yesterday. Today, I taught her to roll over.
I never knew I could do “dog training!”
Little Hol loves to learn.
She was terribly nippy earlier in the week (teething like mad), which freaked me out a little. She gets too excitedly happy when I come home, and is beside herself with joy. Her loving mouthiness turns to nipping, which she then cannot control. Commands don’t work. Loud commands DEFINITELY don’t work. After Tuesday’s somewhat exhausting session of nippiness, I learned a few things: Be calmly attentive, not overly so. Keep a low voice, a reassuring one. Distract her with a teething toy when she needs to nip. I did all three things. She calmed down immediately and was just loving. When she did resume nippiness later, I simply didn’t allow it. I walked away, or tossed her a chewing cloth, which she’d happily attack.
When she calmed down, I continued to teach her tricks all through the rest of the week, rewarding her with bits of doggy treats. She really, really loves to learn new things. She’s bright.
We’re both learning.
She adores all of us, I think. We adore her back.
Anyway, been somewhat overwhelmed with work.
Also, busy at home with Holly — taught her to sit and stay the first week, shake paws and lie down between Wednesday and yesterday. Today, I taught her to roll over.
I never knew I could do “dog training!”
Little Hol loves to learn.
She was terribly nippy earlier in the week (teething like mad), which freaked me out a little. She gets too excitedly happy when I come home, and is beside herself with joy. Her loving mouthiness turns to nipping, which she then cannot control. Commands don’t work. Loud commands DEFINITELY don’t work. After Tuesday’s somewhat exhausting session of nippiness, I learned a few things: Be calmly attentive, not overly so. Keep a low voice, a reassuring one. Distract her with a teething toy when she needs to nip. I did all three things. She calmed down immediately and was just loving. When she did resume nippiness later, I simply didn’t allow it. I walked away, or tossed her a chewing cloth, which she’d happily attack.
When she calmed down, I continued to teach her tricks all through the rest of the week, rewarding her with bits of doggy treats. She really, really loves to learn new things. She’s bright.
We’re both learning.
She adores all of us, I think. We adore her back.
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March 8, 2014
Gone is the bliss of a Saturday morning, where I can moan quietly, roll over and fall asleep for another few hours.
No, today, I got up at 6:00 (6:00 !!!) just as I do EVERY day of the week, and dealt with Holly’s business THREE times! Made coffee, said, “What the hell, might as well go for a walk with aforementioned puppy!”
So we did — Holly and I, around 7:30 or so.
And it was a beautiful morning. The sun was gentle, the cold wasn’t bitter, and the pup and I sailed down the street, she as good as gold, and I not much worse.
We walked up and down the side streets, and went to the playground where there’s a baseball field, and MANY dogs.
She had fun! The place was swarming with dogs, and I’ve seen several of those before, pre-Holly. Mostly big ones, but a couple of small ones. At first, Holly was skittish, but they all did their usual bottom-first greetings, and soon, she was quite comfortable with a couple of them, barking out playful messages, and not skittish around the rest.
Doggy kindergarden? Doggy play-date? Maybe a meet-and-greet. The other dogs were off-leash, and soon, I’ll do the same, but not yet. I’m not ready.
Nice scene.
Now, she’s sacked out on a bean-bag, and I’ve draped a blanket over her. Only a black-grey snout is sticking out, flanked by two floppy ears.
She is SO, so, so CUTE!
And I’m so, so, SO TIRED!
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Tags: blue brindle, Chronicles of Holly, Puppy-Training, standard poodle pup, Walks with dog