Season’s Greetings

My Wish-List for You in 2021:

Spend quality time with quality friends
Discover new and fun activities (and toys)
Bring joy and laughter to others
Play games together with your dog(s)

New Dog (Re-)Search Begins

I have decided: it is time to plan for a second dog!
I will look for a dog to be a good helper & demo dog for my basic pet obedience training classes & private sessions. Of course, they’ll need to be a great companion and house dog to join in with the fun stuff we like to do around here!
Reya, my current dog is a brilliant 6 year old kelpie. She is an awesome demo dog and partner in my work to teach people dog training skills. Reya is very dog social, so I suspect she’ll enjoy a buddy around the house. She’s got a definite preference for playing with boys (though gets on fine with most girls). She does not “do” wrestling play styles. She’s also jealous of human attention. That means I’ll need to plan ahead to make sure the new dog fits in well.
Reya is sensitive (she’s a rescue dog, she’s allowed to be..) and does not like to get barked at or biffed by puppies. 😉 It would be good to have a #2 dog to call on when there’s a large, insensitive pup; or a reactive dog hurling “verbal” abuse that need some serious ignoring or putting up with – without much stress. Again, I’ll need to do my homework to make this a likely outcome.
So I’m on the hunt for a dog with a stable temperament that is dog and people sociable. To get that, a pup has to be well socialised. But to get real confidence and resilience, dogs need the right genetics too. I’m also looking for a dog who can adapt to a variety of play styles, and that tends to be breed specific. My chances of getting a rescue dog that fits all of the above are slim, so looks like I’m going to be choosing a breed, a type within a breed, a breeder and then (gasp!) a puppy!
 
I run puppy classes. I like puppies! But I tell you what – raising a pup is a daunting idea. :-0 The last time I raised a puppy was back in 2006. I look forward to extreme vigilance, fencing in the house, “surprise” cleanings, interrupted sleep, and things I’d rather not have teeth marks in (including me).. It’s a good thing puppies are so durn cute. 😉

German shep pup

Amika, 2006!

Dog Training During Pandemic

This meme helps me keep going.

Meme

Move forward despite doubts..

New digs for dog training help

We’ve had an offer accepted and are looking forward to our own home in Swan View. Not too many swans around, but there’s a park across the road, which we have a nice view of.

We’re looking forward to settlement and hoping for a smooth move for Perth Raptor Care and Raptor Presentations. In between setting up temporary mews and the hospital, I’ll be doing lots of habituation and counter-conditioning with Amika, the German Shepherd featured in my profile pics.

Amika