Back in Action!

Whoa! Two weeks have passed since my last post, so much for my resolution to keep the blog updated on a weekly basis! In my defense, this past week has been exhausting and I couldn’t have formed a coherent thought if I’d wanted too. 

Sunday Dave(id) crossed the one month mark with us. 

Hard to believe right?

I can understand, especially after this past week, a little more why GDF advises its handlers to give at LEAST three months for the dog to start bonding with them. (At least that is my understanding, please feel free to correct me handlers). While Dave(id) fits very nicely into my home and current lifestyle, when we’re “working” in public, we’re not a cohesive team; more like a girl with a semi-controlled dog on a leash. 

Last week, I ran from dawn to dusk, or so it seemed, with Dave by my side for big chunks of that time. It was an off week for both of us, I think, because I really wanted to focus on my friends, and having fun.. and you can’t really do that with your “child” in tow. We went many places; we left early and returned late. We had little bits of sleep, and lots of needs for breaks. But we survived. We experienced new places, saw new things (Dave did at least) and we learned. Learned that we still have a lot more work ahead of us in order for us to become a cohesive team. 

It’s not that I didn’t know this before. 

It's not that I expected us to “bond instantly”. 

We just had more opportunities, back to back, to realize things. 

In other words, this week David and I set some more goals for ourselves. 

• “Work” (aka in coat, on leash) around more kids. 
• More exposures to moving things such as merry-go-rounds More “Work” with people we know. (Dave is very happy to see people he knows. A little too happy!) 
• More “work” around other dogs (Though despite barking at the strange dog in Mast General Store [a dog friendly store] He refocused and settled down faster than I anticipated) 

All in all, he’s your typical five month old, male pup. We love him.

David, laying beside a cabinet on tie-down/leash 

David plowing ahead as we shop

Dave(id) moping on his dog bed

David in the floor of Mast General Store, looking at some girls who were by us.

David laying on the floor in Mast General Store

David sits by a tree

Dave flopped down on the porch exhausted from running