Discipline

Day 2

 

Arriving a little earlier this morning, I found Buddy waiting at the gate. He looked ready to hit the road, so after hanging out a little while in the carriage house, we got his new blanket and headed out. I was happy to see Camie, one of Dawn's canine friends, in the yard--she and Buddy didn't hit it off too well in the beginning--and though Buddy was there, she didn't seem perturbed by his presence.

 

Anyway, we first stopped off for a cup of coffee since I still hadn't completely woken up. It's funny, everywhere we go people say, "That's one good-looking dog." Hopefully, he won't let it go to his head. I wanted to see how Buddy would react to a lot of different stimuli, so we got back on the road and walked a few miles to a PetCo (not sure if he'd been there before). Man, he was all over that place, sniffing everything he possibly could. He sampled some treats and found one kind (garlic and onion) that he particularly liked.

 

After that I got some breakfast and Buddy basked in the sun. He's displayed remarkable control when I tell him to submit and stay. Now that he doesn't seem quite so under the weather, I keep him on a tight leash. I've noticed that if he has his way, he'll drag me in every direction--that wouldn't do at all on a trek across the country. Consequently, for the next few days, I won't be giving him any extra slack. The plan is to get him accustomed to walking right by my side, tuned to my steps and responsive to my every prompt. He's already stopped pulling, and obeys immediately when I say "stop," "sit" and "let's go" at zebra crossings.

 

Back at my house, he crashed on the floor almost immediately. We spent a couple hours there recharging the batteries; then, headed off to pick up my last month's pay cheque. It's neat to see how personable he is. Everywhere we go he's looking to make a friend.

 

Taking five at Sonic

Restin' the paws