Although yesterday I posted 9 awesome things that Cabana does well, I could just as easily have come up with a list of things Cabana doesn't do so well. At the 9 month marker, I am realizing that our time left with Cabana before she enters formal training is getting short--and there are still so many kinks to work out in her behavior.Cabana is much better at walking with a loose leash--but if there are any cats, dogs or humans within a 200 yard radius, the loose leash goes by the wayside. We can't even follow a person walking ahead of us at a comfortable distance because she stays in her alert mode, trying to catch up with the person.
We took Cabana to a 4th of July party, and she did fairly well overall. But she still greets our friends way too rambunctiously, wanting to jump and nibble all over their hands. Even when I am completely ready and expecting these behaviors, with my hand on her collar to give the corrections, she persists in doing it almost all the time.
And even though Cabana is very good in the house, after all these months, I still feel like I am not used to having a dog. No matter what else I may be doing, a portion of my brain is always "on", thinking about what Cabana is doing, where she is, how long it's been since she's been out to do her business, whether there's water in her dish, what does she need from me....During "normal" times, I can handle the added distraction of having a puppy. But when my life gets busy, like this week is, the added stress makes me feel like the circus performer who's spinning plates on pointy sticks--and any second, they're all going to come crashing down.
Thankfully, I feel like I am not alone in my discouragement--misery does love company! In reading other puppy raisers' blogs, there seems to be a bit of a malaise--maybe it's a combination of midsummer blues or the crappy economy or all the celebrity deaths? What do you do when you've got the doggy blues?
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