Well, it's been a big week for the pup. She is officially wearing her raspberry-colored harness now. Still a bit big in the chest, but I couldn't see making her wear the little puppy one anymore. Just a little too small. But, she'll grow into her bigger one, I'm sure.
Last Tuesday, Bree got to go into town with me when I had the truck worked on. I walked her down to the library (only a couple blocks). She did quite well! Walked decently on her lead on the sidewalk and everything. She pulled a little and was interested in EVERYTHING, but what can I say, she's a pup. We walked past one building that had those dark, reflective windows. Bree looked, and there was a little dog staring back at her! She was SO excited to see another dog! All of her was wagging. Of course, when she went to sniff at it, it didn't smell like a dog. I got a kick out of it, though.
She got to go into the library and see her friend who works there...who was absolutely thrilled to see her again and kept commenting on how BIG she was and that she needed some cows to chase, lol. Bria got to wander the library a little. She did quite well when there were limited people around. We even sat down to read for a few minutes, and we worked on Down and Quiet when people went past. Some talked to me for a minute and petted her, some walked right on by. In all ways, it was a great experience, and she did very well. Of course, when I went up to check out my book, she was straining at the end of the leash and was just way too overexcited again!
I guess smooth-coat BCs aren't all that common, but a lot of people asked her breed. Some commented that they new dogs "like that" and one person asked if she was "BC/lab cross"! He seemed genuinely interested to know she was pure BC, but short coat. Even had a kid come over (HS, I would imagine) who asked...does it bite? I said no, the worst she'll do is jump on you. So he petted her for a minute and said he'd been attacked by two BCs when he was a kid. Showed the scars on his hand and said they'd been put to sleep afterwards. I have no idea if he had fear issues with dogs at all, but I was glad Bree got to be a good dog for him to pet. She may get socialized yet! Still need to work on jumping when she's overexcited, though. *sigh*
She also got to go in the local farm supply store. She was excited in there, too, but at least she walks in the door now and doesn't act like a scared little pup!
On another note, the dog wanders. Horribly. Road, neighbor's property, everywhere. So she's been on leash for a few days now. She's doing pretty well. I know she's kind of bored with not being able to roam, but it's good for her, not to mention peace of mind for me. I know she won't get hit by a car or shot for chasing chickens this way. It's also giving me an opportunity to teach her to behave around the horses (as in, not biting their ankles or jump at their faces). I must say I am very lucky to have two great horses who really couldn't care less about the little dog barking at them or biting their ankles or jumping at them. They are amazingly patient, and the least I can do is teach her to behave herself around them.
On a small side note here...I started asking her for "Down" and other tricks when playing fetch. As in, pay attention, do what I tell you, go fetch. I've made a whole big game out of it, and she really latched onto it. Not using food anymore, which works a ton better for her. She was pretty food motivated, but she is even moreso PLAY motivated! So I've also started bribing her to come right back to me with her tug rope after she fetches, so the ball gets dropped at my feet instead of over yander somewhere. It's working wonderfully! But with the Sit and Down before I throw it, she's learned to Down with just a little hand signal and voice, and I can even get her to Down from a ways away! I'm so excited!! It is slowly becoming a very nice way to control her when she gets goofy, especially around the horses. Still a work in progress, of course.
I am also using the Down as a means of teaching her to be patient. She doesn't have Stay at all, but she will Down and wait. I can get her attention with it, and she stops what she's doing and pays attention to me. So slowly, but surely, we're creating a bit of control.
I have also been trying to get out and ride in the hay field where I feel safe letting her off leash to run around. She quite enjoys letting us "chase" her up and down, and she sure gets her exercise in! She's doing better about nipping heels, too, and usually listens to "No" or "Stop" when she gets overexcited and goes for the heels. I even had her Sit and Down today while I was on the horse! I am quite impressed with her.
Poor pup has had a bit of a tummy problem recently, I think. She wasn't eating very well for a few days. I think she overate when I gave her the most recent smoked bone and maybe had a problem with that. She never seemed sick at all, just didn't eat. But she seems to be back to normal now with her eating.
I suppose that's it for now. I have a few new pictures to post eventually. She's not seeming to get too much bigger right now, but I can definitely see her starting to look like an awkward teen! Her head and face have changed a lot since she was a wee pup. It's really neat to see her growing up!
