Courteous Canine: August 2011

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Adolescence - What a Wonderful Time!

My baby is definitely no baby anymore! Kash has reached his six month milestone, and reach it he did! This last week and a bit has made me realize that he has definitely entered the realm of "adolescent" - my friends, I have a teenager on my hands! And with that, comes new challenges, many of these are the same challenges that many of my clients face from day to day!

- Learning about his little "nuggets" - he is definitely cognizant of his developing manhood. His interest in the ladies has piqued, and he is quite the comical flirt. He has also discovered the joys of lifting his leg to urinate - the first few times quite funny as he ultimately peed all over himself, but I think he'd tell you that he's a pro now!
- His impulses have decreased once again. A normal aspect of adolescence, as I instruct all my clients to expect that with development, adolescence sometimes brings setbacks to basic impulses and skills as they mull their way through the swamp and fog to adulthood. Lots of impulse control work, regular training, and sit/down stays are helping him through what is also a difficult time for him!

- His playstyle with buddies has changed. It is no longer that care-free play of puppyhood, where it doesn't matter who's who, and everyone plays with everyone. He very much is now interested in "who" he is meeting, and now greets different dogs, differently. He has been experimenting with his "voice" as a greeting, it's one thing he did find at adolescence. It's coming along quite nicely though. He remains quite stable throughout, although he succumbs to the odd "rude encounter" from time to time. But he loves when all the boarders come to stay, and looks forward to romping with those new dogs.

Through it all, he's still the same sweet, loving, sassy, smart boy - his brain has just been flipped upside down for a couple of months while he gets the next set of "life lessons" figured out, and makes that move into adulthood when it all smooths over again. This that part in every "parent's" life when they look at that teenager and wonder what they can possibly be thinking. LOL. But as we've all been there, we understand that adolescence is a time of more learning and sometimes a hard time for everyone, dog and human alike!

I have no fear that Kash will develop into a wonderful male like Zipper..........in a few more months! *G*

My Crew

I share my days with four Mini Schnauzers:

Gaci, my little black spitfire, who is a walking bundle of energy with an attitude bigger than life itself. She has overcome so many issues, but meets every one head on. She is my true heart-dog and has blessed me with so many things. I have her specifically to thank for directing me into my career path.

Shimmer, my sensitive butterfly, who loves nothing more than the simple things in life, from a sunny spot on the floor to dragging her own toys along behind her in play. She emanates joy and has the greatest sense of humor, you can always expect a laugh with her around.

Zipper, my wise old man (as I call him), who really is a dream dog, and one-in-a-million when it comes to stability and relations to the world. He loves children most, and dogs second, but will happily meet anything big or small with friendship - unless of course you are a wild bird (which he has a rather keen interest in as a play/prey item).

And Kash, my newest addition. A Zipper son, born in January 2011, he is proving to be every bit as stable as his dad, with the work ethic and spunk that I was hoping to increase from his dad. He's a bundle of fun, a real comic, and a joy to be around.

So many dogs have blessed my life in the past, and I am thankful to have extended relationships with many others. Every dog I share my life with has left an imprint on my heart, and has taught me some life lesson that can only be learned by living with dogs.

Courteous Canine

This is my small corner of the world in which I can share my life with, and love of, dogs. I made a commitment early in life to try to do the best I can by the animals who I get to spend my days with. Through them I have developed my long-wanted career as a dog trainer to help others build trusting relationships with and to help to better understand their dog.

Here you'll find a variety of topics, ranging from everyday experiences with my own dogs, to my budding business endeavours, to behaviour and training, to inspirational people or ideas who have touched me along the way.