We started the month with the celebration of our grandson’s second birthday on a warm sunny day in our son’s backyard with 20 people, 2 dogs and a huge sandpit with digging toys, swings and slides for the 5 toddlers. Once Kiyoko settled down, she did quite well playing with our grand pup, Jeff, and mingling amongst the toddlers, babies and adults. What fun we all had!
The best thing that happened this month was that Kiyoko can now finally jump into the backseat of the car! I always had to give her back end a boost, as she did a perch.
We attended 3 puppy classes this month where we practiced our skills, including leash pressure, recall between 2 rows of toy distractions, settling on our mats, calmly greeting people/kids and walking past another dog without interacting. Kiyoko is a champ and sometimes amazes me with her concentration.
After puppy class one week, she had an enjoyable hike and lunch out with sitter Carol and PADS Tetris. The two pups got along famously off-leash along the trail and settled nicely afterwards at the restaurant. It’s always good to practice dining etiquette with another pup.
She is well socialized and has weekly local trail walks with 2 groups of other dogs where they start off on leash and eventually are allowed to run and play off-leash. Her recall is always excellent and gets along well with the other dogs.
The kids at school, where we read once a week, got a Komodo Dragon for their classroom, which Kiyoko has seen from afar in and out of its cage. A rather strange-looking reptile.
She’s been on various outings to Home Depot, Sport Chek, Spinners & Weavers Guild, grocery store, restaurants and a few breweries where she calmly greets people and settles well under the table.
We went cross-country skiing this month, but only one time this winter since Kiyoko was too young to participate in a long hike. My son pulls our grandson in a homemade chariot, and our two pups are allowed to run along off-leash on this dog-friendly trail. Kiyoko did very well in keeping out of our and other skier’s paths, maintaining pace and staying on the trail. A fun and successful outing for Kiyoko.
Kiyoko attended a candlelight concert featuring instrumental music by the Beatles and Queen, performed by a string quartet. A good first concert for our 6-month-old puppy: the music was not too loud, and the concert was not too long, just right for a settle and a nap!
We finished the month with a quick 3-day trip to Victoria and Nanaimo. It was Kiyoko’s first time on the large ferry to Victoria, and we also took a smaller ferry to an island off Nanaimo. There were many other dogs on board the ferry to and from Victoria, which she ignored, and of course, they did not have access all over the ship as Kiyoko had in her cape. She stayed in a hotel on the 4th floor for the first time, sleeping in her soft-sided travel kennel and did not have any accidents. It was a long car ride, and she was a good girl all weekend, well-mannered wherever she went, including settling nicely at restaurants.
At 6 months old, Kiyoko has blossomed into a most enjoyable companion, calm beyond belief and smart as a whip. Let’s see what her future holds for her!
Submitted by: Chris Buitinga
