April 02, 2003
Paying attention in class...
1:30 p.m.
I think our visit to High Park really wore Dusty out - she's been sleeping for hours! We went to our own dog park this morning and Dusty played with her friend the Pug, but as soon as we got back she napped!
Once again, I've caught up on the 'Photos' section of this site. You'll now find scrapbooks for weeks 15 through 18.
10:30 p.m.
May I please admit that Puppy School stresses me out and overwhelms me? Yes? Thank-you! No matter how many deep-breathing exercises I do on the subway up to Lawrence, as soon as I walk into that room full of young dogs, I can feel my 'cool' evaporating.
I think Dusty can feel my tension, or she might if she wasn't so busy losing her own cool over the multitude of different distractions. Occasionally we both draw back and, leaning on each other for comfort, try to gather our wits before the next exercise begins. I think I actually flinched when one of the other puppies started barking and the instructor glanced at me questioningly. A few of those dogs are the canine equivelents of 'fingernails on a chalkboard' - by the end of the class, I'm tense and I'm often on the edge of headache.
I know I'm not the only one. Tonight after class, I watched a frustrated classmate wrangle her puppy toward the sidewalk and then spend 10 minutes trying to get the reluctant pup into the car. Her voice grew shrill. Dusty's ears perked. My heart went out to her. I didn't offer to help - I know better. The last thing you want when you're freaking out over your dog is for someone else to come over and offer to help. Finally, she picked the pup up and shoved her in the car and drove away.
I'd just had my own little crisis a few minutes before. Dusty, who had obviously been holding it for the last part of class, nearly had an accident in the hallway on the way out of the building. I rushed her upstairs, having literally 'caught' her poo in a bag before fleeing. As I struggled to put her on the ground outside, the poo squeezed out of the bag and onto the flexilead and then on my hand.
I stumbled around in the dark, juggling the Sherpa bag, the flexilead, the poopy bag and tripping over my own feet (and trying not to cover myself with poo). Finally I made it back to the sidewalk. Dusty was running in circles around me and I was snapping "Sit, sit, sit!" (not the most effective way to give my dog a command).
Back inside, I cleaned the flexilead and my hands while Dusty sat in the middle of the washroom and whined. We stopped in to the classroom on the way out - the assistant instructor asked me if I had forgotten something and I told her "Yes, this bag of poo." I had left an earlier bag of poo sitting on a counter. It was a big night for poo.
Now, back at home in silence of my apartment, I have the luxury of hindsight and I realised: Dusty tried to tell me that she needed to poo earlier and I didn't listen to her.
In the middle of class, we all went outside to practise loose-leash walking and Dusty uncharacteristically went careening onto the lawn, nearly pulling my arm out of my socket. I tried to pick her up and she yelped. I tried again and she yelped. The instructor asked me what was wrong and I speculated that maybe she was afraid of the darkness. No, she just needed to go potty - that's why she was heading for the grass. Poor puppy.
I tried to explain this all to Dusty after we got back. I was lying on my stomach on the floor, sulking. Dusty layed down in front of me so we were nose-to-nose. "I'm sorry. You tried to tell me you had to go potty and I didn't listen" I told her.
While I mulled over what I could have done differently, Dusty got up and stretched, then settled herself onto my legs. A lap is a lap whether it's right-side-up or upside-down and Dusty didn't waste time on needless speculation. So neither will I, though I will say that I'm going to pay better attention to the signals my dog gives me. This isn't the first time my mind has been on training while Dusty has been intent on relieving herself.
On a bright note, Dusty had a wonderful time playing with Kaya, the other schnauzer in class. As soon as we released the dogs for playtime, they gravitated toward each other and were almost immediately locked in a mock battle. Rising up on their hind legs, they looked like they were dancing. It was great fun to watch.