It is humbly and with many apologies that this raiser is submitting Dior’s November pupdate so far along in December. I won’t bore you with the reasons why…
Dior’s first half of November was experiencing her 3rd sitting experience in her 11 months of life while her raiser experienced some lovely sun with the beach included.
The second half of November saw her as a busy girl. It began with a live theatre Saturday matinee front row viewing at Pacific Theatre, where the staff had comped her, her very own seat space. A lucky pup did not have to fit herself at my feet. Having said that, the actors were right there several feet in front of her. She really wanted to participate but we derailed that idea quickly. An hour and 15 minutes later at intermission, we decided that she had reached her limit. (Her raiser was exhausted.) Many compliments were issued on our way out about her good behaviour.
A field trip to Semiahamoo Mall to meet with two other raisers and pups gave Dior the opportunity to practise (trying) ignoring other dogs, in close proximity. This has been a struggle for her, but she surprised us all with her settling down quite quickly. We sat in the food court, taking turns getting up and walking our dog around the other dogs, group walking through the mall, into different types of shops, and talking to lots and lots of people who were curious about PADS. All the pups were good little ambassadors.
Several days later, Dior went to visit Jo Brand at the Langley Hospice. Jo showed us around and introduced Dior to some of the residents. At the end of our time, Dior and I sat in the little dining area for a moment and had quite a fright, when a visitor with a small dog on lead, rounded the corner and the dog ran at us, snarling and barking. The kitchen staff came running but all was well as Dior dove under my chair, and the visitor whisked their dog away outside.
Several visits a month to the local school, when I pick up grandchildren continue to have her puzzled as to why she can’t go and play with the kids. Working on it!!
Her highlight was going to Cirque du Soliel for her birthday on Nov 27. Between not being allowed to talk to the lady next door, or eat the popcorn off the floor, and not being able to see the show, she did remarkably well. Dior excelled in quiet, close LWW in heavy crowds and during a pre-show, and intermission cocktail reception. She enjoyed staying the night at a downtown hotel where she was treated with her own food & water bowl, and a small bag of treats (non-PADS approved :0) Dior was fascinated as we walked around and checked out beautifully lit up for Christmas businesses and restaurants, had a look at the Koi Pond in the Telus building, did a self guided tour of the Vancouver Public Library and tried to figure out how to do a BG on the edge of a sidewalk with a narrow ribbon of grass & dirt all with the noisy traffic flying by.
She ended the month by attending a dress-up Christmas Party at Northview Golf Course. She mainly studied the underside of the table we sat at and worked hard to ignore the bits of food that had fallen off the buffet when we were filling our plates. And thus ended Dior’s November.
Adolescence has changed Dior’s view of the world. This has brought about some new fears that we’ve been working on. Traffic coming fast and heavy from behind is a big one. Many other challenges are still being worked on, LLW on a flat collar, durations, dog-to-dog interaction, and sock stealing… but also many victories. Getting better LLWs on a flat collar, will trade for 85% of items she has picked up, and is a chill pup in the house who loves to practise cues and cuddle. There is so much as yet untapped potential in this little lady. I am so curious as to what she will show us next.
Submitted by: Heather DeVries
Bonus Pupdate:
I spent 3 weeks with Dior, part of the perfume litter. There were some challenges with the dog wanting to retrieve items in the house (such as my shoes) without being asked to do so. However, we came to an agreement on that.
Dior enjoyed leash walks with all the new smells, although she was a bit reluctant to go out in the rain. At only 11 months old, this is her first time experiencing the November monsoons.
Submitted by: Shelley, PADS Puppy in Training Sitter
Photos below…
Submitted by:Β Shelley, PADS Puppy in Training SItter
