I am finding Puppy Raising is about creating experiences for the pup that are the Real World. There are times when outings with the fur-ball are just not a reality. When the hard-core training needs to take a backseat, and the guilt creeps in just a touch to let you know that you are still really dedicated.
But in reality I am finding that even during the "down times" that Haddie is still learning. This is real life ~ when schedules get tossed up and hang out time tends to be the norm. She needs to learn how to behave when outings are rare and life seems repetitive. And I need to learn that it is "okay" that her week has been this way. I truly would not have changed it because ...
We have been in help-extended-family mode since Thursday when my niece was admitted to a children's hospital for a ruptured appendix requiring emergency surgery. Life at our house consisted of having two extra kiddos with us, lots of time spent on the phone communicating with in-laws, time spent visiting our niece, and running here and there to keep up.
All in all Haddie was a gem. She enjoyed the two extra pairs of feet by her side, the extra attention at home by two new kiddos, and the showing off of all of her "wisdom" and "tricks". This is real life.
So I had it on my schedule to hit the outings hard this week ~ starting today ~ since Monday's are taken up with me teaching Piano and Haddie on a down next to the keyboard.
But it won't be today either.
I received a phone call mid-home-school-lesson yesterday that my son was running a fever and had a sore throat, and he needed to be retrieved from school. Sigh.
One more stall in the outings, Haddie. Hang-tight!
At least she had a fabulous, and long, outing with me and my friend last Wednesday ... hoping that continues to carry her over until we can start over.
She is certainly getting a reality check of the Real World. Unpredictable. Flexible. Lotsa Waiting. And it's all worth it.
I'm glad to hear that other puppy raisers go through this too! Churry has been in that mode the last week as well. I need to remember that hanging around a house is a reality and some dogs don't do that well. She needs to learn to do it well! So she has been practicing... She finally got a really good outing today though and the next couple of weeks is pretty busy for her, too.
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