Training day 7

7:29 AM

This technically isn't a "training day", but it just made sense to keep going in order.

I slept relatively fitfully last night. I woke up once because my parents called around 2:00 AM west coast time, and it took me a while to figure out that it was the desk phone that was ringing. I just heard a noise, and sort of began groping about on the bedside table for anything that could possibly make a noise. I'm sure you know how it goes.

Then, a few hours later, someone's dog in another room barked. well, Prince Arden was probably like "Me too! biatch!" and woofed back. I could hear both myself and the other handler groggily telling our dogs "no!" before all was quiet again. I have this theory that even dogs who aren't barkers will sometimes bark when they're adjusting to a new territory; at least that's how it has been with my previous dogs. I'm sure if he barks inappropriately I'll get annoyed, but for now, I think it's adorable that my prince even has vocal cords! he has feelings! (He also randomly had the hiccups in the middle of the night, but those seemed to sort themselves in a few minutes)

I took him out to relieve this morning, and it was the first morning he didn't poo. That could be partially because there were like, things literally falling out of the sky and onto the ground in the relieving area. I'm assuming that it's either something from the roof of the building, or perhaps a large overhanging tree, but it scared the living shit out of me as it clattered to the ground right next to us. startled, I brought Arden back into the room. I think I'll just try relieving him again in a bit--maybe whatever war the wildlife and trees are waging will have ended at that time, and we won't have to dodge any more projectiles.

I received an e-mail while in bed last night from a puppy raiser who's bringing her dog into be recalled for training today! So she and I are going to have breakfast! It feels so good to have someone come and visit me--especially because my own family and loved ones are so far away. I have visitors too!

I'll update again soon!

6:15 Pm

Despite Sunday supposedly being a day of rest, it actually turned out to be a pleasantly busy day. So the puppy raiser I mentioned earlier--her puppy is being recalled into formal training today, so she and her family came to stay at the inn last night. we agreed to meet up for breakfast. I was really glad to meet her and her daughter, and happier still that young teens are so involved in puppy raising. I think that that type of responsibility and commitment are so important for a teenager, and also really good for the puppy when it begins to guide (as it may not necessarily be matched with, say, a heavy-handed adult). Anyway, we had a very pleasant chat over breakfast, and I got to meet all three of her dogs! They were all incredibly well-behaved, and I was really impressed with all of their temperaments. She also told me a bit more about what it is that puppy raisers actually do. They're primarily responsible for house-breaking the dog--addressing bad or unwanted habits (chewing, barking, counter-surfing, etc.), and teach it basic obedience. They really do such an excellent job, and all the while knowing that it's a relationship where the end is already built in and very much in sight.

After breakfast, I settled down for a much needed nap. When I woke up, we headed out to the mall. It's always a bit chaotic when you have four people going to a mall, all with a different agenda in mind--but we actually managed it quite well, and I ended up getting myself a few tops. I also purchased a rake brush for my dog's coat, as he doesn't seem to like the slicker brush at all, but the prongs seem to be spaced too far apart, so I'm wondering how effective it actually is.

Before dinner, we did a t-touch workshop with the RA staying with us. It's essentially a workshop on how to massage your dog. It was actually originally developed for horses, but then the woman discovered that it was just as successful with cats and dogs. My dog seemed to really enjoy it--his head lolled right back, and the RA said his eyes were drooping shut. It's just as well, as he and the other dog in the room were really eyeing one another up.

So it's been a peaceful day, overall. This upcoming week is going to be hectic, so I'm going to wind down, enjoy my massage tonight, and head to bed.