I’m working all day today, and I can’t take the puppy into a doggie day care to do my clinic, so she’s going to spend the day in the ex-pen in the trailer. My biggest fear for today is that some passerby will call the humane society about the dog obviously being tortured in the trailer.
We have a long wrestle, then she has breakfast and we go for a 15-minute walk. She’s excellent on the leash. In fact, when she gets near the end of it ahead of me, she stops and looks back to check where I am, then continues with it loose. I’m thrilled about this! Obviously she doesn’t keep it loose ALL the time, as inspirations overtake her puppy brain, but when she feels it tighten, she remembers immediately. Usually she backs right off. Once in a while she takes a more determined run at it, but she’s giving me plenty of warning so it’s easy to be backing up by the time she tightens it.
Finally put her in the ex-pen and go to work. Come out at coffee breaks and lunch, spray myself down with the anti-parvo stuff the vet gave me, and take her out to pee. Hmm. No noise at all. No tortured, abandoned, lonely, heartbroken puppy. Just a queenly little dog sitting sleepily on her big pillow. I’m in Heaven! After supper I go to bed early to read a book and she spends a couple of hours eating my toes and wrestling with my hair. Then she snuggles up under my chin and goes to sleep with me petting her muzzle. Eventually I put her in the crate and we don’t wake up until 6 AM. I take her out to pee, bring her back in, and we sleep until 10.
Two accidents in the trailer this morning, but this afternoon I’m starting to listen and believe that her fussing isn’t just a bored pup but a declaration of an urgency. And she’s starting to think I might listen to her, and holding it until I do.