Thursday, November 21, 2002

Long Day

Good long day I spent today! I was up and about as early as 5:30 am (been like that for the past days but what's different today is that I no longer feel like I'm suffering from jetlag of some kind). We're feeding seven puppies thrice a day. I must admit that this is probably the first time I'm enjoying actually rearing puppies. There comes a time when one is confident enough through experience and you know exactly what to do and what not to do. And you also come to a point when you start experimenting more and getting a little more creative and you come up with alternative ways of doing things. My girlfriend and I are trying to teach 4-week-old puppies how to sit already as in clicker training them at this point. I'm starting the pups on the show stance.

It's tiring but quite fulfilling, I tell ya! Since yesterday, we've been out in the yard playing dog-trainer and enjoying time with the dogs. Our dogs seem to be enjoying us too. It's really cool hanging around, getting sunlight... down and dirty and stinky ... LOL! It's fun!

It's also amusing how one dog picks up commands easily and there are those that are not so blessed ... duh. Just like people, I suppose. I still prefer dogs to people even if they're the duh bunch. It's still easier to motivate them. They rarely hold a grudge. They try very hard. And they are happy even if you scream, shout and correct them.

As for dog people, there are different types. I'm sure those show enthusiasts are missing out on the fun real dog lovers have. My girlfriend and I were talking about the different types of dog people. Those we normally hang around at shows talk about the bloodlines, the blue ribbons and points... judges and like the latest upcoming litter or the planned breeding they are about to do as soon as their bitches come on heat. Seldom do we hear them tell stories about what "their" dog did recently or what "their" dog's favorite past time is. It sometimes annoy me when so-called dog people don't even notice the things their dogs do and we take notice. What dogs do always make my heart smile.

I really enjoyed today. I taught a couple of my dogs a minimum of 3 commands. And we have this 7 week old Belgian Sheepdog pup that my girlfriend started training yesterday-she could do 4 commands by today: sit, paw, down and rollover! It's really cool...
Thank you for a nice day! God bless you all!!!