Days With Daisy. 6 Months Old.
And the simple pleasures of life.
So much has changed since my last report!
In a nutshell, Daisy’s personality continues to present itself, and we have found that she is one part “Kramer”—think Seinfeld when Kramer slides into the room, going at about 100 miles a minute, and has that “face.” She is smart, fun to train, lovable, somewhat mischievous, and a world class snuggler.
She continues to grow at a rate that while wonderful and healthy, is already well past the size and weight these old-timers anticipated when they decided to take the puppy-plunge. Oh well… maybe things slow down drastically after 6 months, not that we are counting on it. Surely we have passed the point of no return and it is likely that some serious weight training/muscle building is in our future.
Daisy Gets the Special Calming Technique
Last time, I mentioned her training, which is going well. All except the part about greeting people with “4 on the floor” or sitting. While all other aspects of her training seem to have clicked in, not so regarding containing the “happy-exuberance.” We’re talking over the top, I’ll go home with you happy. And children, forget it! Other dogs, maybe a drop easier to hold back than the humans. Our granddaughter has developed her own calming technique, half love and soothing guidance, “calm down Daisy;” and the other half some kind of wrestling harness hold! It appears to work… for a moment. She has gotten a tiny bit better when greeting people that come into the house. Our friends have been helpful in supporting our training efforts, trying to ignore her cute adorableness when they come in until she settles down, and such. Outside, meeting people on the sidewalk on our Village walks, it still feels a little hopeless (although smile provoking just the same).
But regarding other aspects of her training, she is wonderful, having mastered many of the normal commands. In the image below, we are with the trainer that has been helping us, Gail Murphy—she is wonderful— at a special place called Clam Island. We were training her on a long line to come, without hesitation or question, at the sound of our whistle. The training is called “recall.” Gail brought us to Clam Island because it is empty (of people and dogs)— almost always. It is mostly inaccessible, and there is a long walk through soft sand to get to a place where the land is wider. People mainly access it from the water or by 4-wheel drive vehicles through the sand. You can see the tire tracks in the photo. It was a great training and the setting was magnificent. It must have been high tide because it truly felt like we were alone, in the middle of nowhere on a spit of land with the bay glistening all around us. It felt like we could be swept away at any moment, and the beauty and light at the end of the day was just extraordinary. I can’t wait to go back again.
Daisy, Gail, and Barry on Clam Island.
It’s gotten a bit chilly here. Daisy runs pretty warm, however when it was in the low 30s, she needed a coat when we go out for our longer walks. Here you can see Daisy’s reaction to the spiffy puffer coat I bought her. She was so embarrassed to have it on that she took to her bed. Fortunately she forgot about it once we got outside. Same with her new harness. She cannot wear the XSm anymore!! She runs away when she sees it come out, and stands perfectly still, without moving a muscle once I put it on. It is very funny, and we are wondering what specifically she is objecting to! Next, she is at home, a typical “play” session during down time. She loves to rummage through her toy “box”— a wicker box in a corner of the living room— to find just the right thing. Sometimes she puts one back in the box before taking a new one out, but as you can see, not usually!!
And wonderful news! Daisy has an amazing pet sitter. She loves to go, especially when it includes a “beach walk” which also includes a handful of other dogs. It has helped with her canine socialization as the pet sitter has 4 dogs of her own, and the “day care” part of the day often includes a few other dogs that she is sitting for. AND, Daisy sleeps over if necessary… and loves it!! Of course we miss her terribly when is is gone over night, but we know it’s good for all of us. Below—Daisy at the beach on a beach walk, also on a long lead practicing recall. And last, here she is at 6 months, just groomed and looking adorable. Daisy frequently has a “Who me?” expression on her face, and it’s hard not to laugh… but as our granddaughter says, isn’t that the point? And so we laugh freely and often with this amazing creature, the Divine Miss D. Thanks for following our story!
Please click on all the images above to enlarge.
More Days with Daisy. Click here.
