There is much to report due to post-spay surgery/recovery!
A highlight at puppy class this week: Mother Britton & Daughter Indy reconnected!!! (photos)
Tedious gardening chores are made much more ‘fun’ with a four-legged friend giving support! (photo)
Given recovery after spay surgery, Britton enjoyed many nearby woods walks with opportunities to be off-leash, practise recall & attentive checking in, perch, & jump on. (photos)
The family dog, Charlie, showed amor, but Britton held onto her independence, and the two dogs happily coexisted. (photos)
One small challenge I observed when Britton came to us was that she didn’t like to have her teeth brushed. That’s now changed: over time, and with the help of seafood-flavoured toothpaste, Britton now sits and allows her teeth to be brushed. How? I cajoled her by being gentle, having her sit, and stroking her head and chin while holding the brush with the toothpaste just in from of her nose for a good sniff. She shows much interest, and I slowly offer the brush; she licks, and I brush, “Gooood girl.” We brush again for “Let’s rinse.” Finally, I massage her gums with my finger, then say, “Kennel,” and off she bounds into her kennel to go to sleep for the night! This transformation has been lovely to observe!
Britton can sleep through dramatic dynamic changes in Chopin! (photo)
After a busy day and the last walk around the block, Britton is ready to snooze on her ‘Bed’ in our TV room, when we’re watching TV. Often, we’ll hear gentle, feminine snores! (photo)
The song “Getting To Know You” comes to mind: how would Britton be on the bus? We took a bus to UBC to find out about this, and Britton ACED it (A+). As with “Go in” everywhere, Britton knows exactly where to go when riding on the bus. (photos)
Another trip that we took was to the Tsawwassen Mills Mall–a very good site to practise loose leash walking, ignoring people distractions, AND enjoying a puppuccino! (photos)
We continue to review durations, fluidity of sit/stand/down, roll, and restraint when meeting/greeting people. Duration inside the house yesterday, with me walking around out of Britton’s sight line: 10 minutes down, 4 minutes sit. Stand remains challenging, but with me actively involved, we managed a 1-minute stand. Sometimes, Britton gets ‘perch’ and ‘jump on’ confused.
It is a pleasure to have Britton living with us, for sure!!!! (photo)
Submitted by: Sandra
