January has been a full month for me. I had several puppy meet-ups for training at some malls with different dogs and raisers. I walked through the food court, practiced my duration stand and downs with tons of people all around me, and met my goals! We went in glass elevators, and I worked with many different handlers this month. I don’t mind going to work with somebody else at all. My raiser and I pick up and deliver groceries to a good friend every 2 weeks. For over 10 months, we’ve done this, and the nice lady always wanted to pet me (she loooooves me), but I got too excited. But finally, after much work on greetings and being calm, she was able to pet me while I sat at her feet. It was a big moment for both of us, and we were very happy!
This month I went in to be spayed, so I have been out of commission for a few days. Leading up to my surgery, I learned to wear the soft cone in all situations. So when it came time for me to wear it when it counted, I didn’t even notice! I’m going on little walks right now, wearing a raincoat on top of my soft cone; I didn’t use to like the raincoat, but I’m fine with it now. During my recovery time, my raiser has kept me busy with a lot of enrichment activities where I don’t run or jump. Still, it gives my brain a workout which is actually even more tiring than a long walk or a romp at the beach with my pals. I have been eating my meals out of all kinds of containers, doing puzzles, using treat dispensers, finding kibble in my kennel and on my bed. And in a busy box that my raiser made for me and playing lots of variations of It’s Yer Choice, I learn to make good decisions and keep my impulses in check. My absolute favourite activity is my snuffle mat – it is really fun to find the kibbles buried in the mat. It’s so much fun I don’t even mind that it takes me longer to eat!
I’m looking forward to getting outside again for longer walks and plays, but I’m quite content at the moment to get better and keep my brain sharp!
Submitted By: Caroline Lewis
