To say that 2016 hasn't been one of my favorite years would be an understatement. It might be better to state that this New Year's Eve I will be making sure that the door hits it on the rear end as it makes way for 2017. Without boring you with too much detail since you aren't here to read about me, we had to move, I broke my right and sprained my left ankle (at the same time and while we were moving), went down to one car and had two very close family deaths.
For those reading this, thanks for sticking with me. It was fans of the blog that made me sit down today and add another chapter in the adventure that is living with Rogue.
It hasn't been all bad since the last entry. Rogue participated in her first Updog Challenge with a lot of the same people who saw her in July last year. She also competed in two other disc competitions in May and September. I've got a real disc dog now.
Look who is on the cover of this article.
But disc isn't the only sport we've tried. She's been lure coursing, got her novice trick dog title and was in her first Barn Hunt competition. She's not a fan of Barn Hunt. She loves to roll in the hay, but isn't a fan of the rats. I think it's more that it's not as interactive with me as the other activities.
There is no pond in back of the new house and she, Ruby and Steel are really missing swimming time
She loves her new life jacket because it gives her enough buoyancy that she can spend more energy on speed and less on keeping herself afloat. She doesn't wear the life jacket for swimming most of the time, but we got it in case we take her in a boat. And how could we resist the one with the fin?
We continue to struggle with her reactivity to dogs that make eye contact with her while she's on leash. It's our biggest challenge in getting her to be a therapy dog. She's been getting lots of practice. She has visited a rehab facility and it was amazing how just her presence brightened the residents' faces.
For those reading this, thanks for sticking with me. It was fans of the blog that made me sit down today and add another chapter in the adventure that is living with Rogue.
It hasn't been all bad since the last entry. Rogue participated in her first Updog Challenge with a lot of the same people who saw her in July last year. She also competed in two other disc competitions in May and September. I've got a real disc dog now.
Look who is on the cover of this article.
But disc isn't the only sport we've tried. She's been lure coursing, got her novice trick dog title and was in her first Barn Hunt competition. She's not a fan of Barn Hunt. She loves to roll in the hay, but isn't a fan of the rats. I think it's more that it's not as interactive with me as the other activities.
There is no pond in back of the new house and she, Ruby and Steel are really missing swimming time
She loves her new life jacket because it gives her enough buoyancy that she can spend more energy on speed and less on keeping herself afloat. She doesn't wear the life jacket for swimming most of the time, but we got it in case we take her in a boat. And how could we resist the one with the fin?
We continue to struggle with her reactivity to dogs that make eye contact with her while she's on leash. It's our biggest challenge in getting her to be a therapy dog. She's been getting lots of practice. She has visited a rehab facility and it was amazing how just her presence brightened the residents' faces.
Here she is at a disc dog demo. I love the fact that I can hand children a disc and she will chase that disc with as much enthusiasm as she does with me and drop it at their feet. She still loves kids and they certainly seem to love her.
Our plan for the reactivity is we're going back into training. I'm hoping that a class with other dogs will give me an opportunity to reward her for ignoring them. Sometimes, it takes someone else's perspective to get you past a problem you're having issues correcting. This applies to hearing dogs as well as deaf ones.
Another plus is the progress of her relationship with my husband. They've always had a bit of a distant relationship with her really having little to do with him unless I'm not around. My dear hubby has gone out of his way to work on that and the results are a testament to his hard work. I've found that she really likes physical affection on her terms. She's very snuggly in the morning and at bed time but she also likes chin scratches and butt rubs during the day. She's not a daytime snuggler,
It's time for my butt rubbins!!!
So we progress. She'll be three next month and it doesn't seem like it could possibly have been that long. She is an adult, but she's an adult like a 20-year-old is an adult. From my experience with Steel and Ruby, she doesn't become a true adult for another year or two. She frustrates, infuriates and amazes me still.
And even though she's standing next to me right now yelling at me because I am not throwing any of the five toys she's brought me as I'm working on this, I know it's not just because she is looking for something to do, it's because she's looking for something to do with me.
I think that's pretty cool and I'd better get to it.
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