Gosh, I look back at the last blog posting I did and wonder where the time has gone and why it's been so long since then. Obviously a LOT has happened since that time (yes, my uncle's killer/drunk driver was sent away for murder, so that helps with closure) AND we moved back to mainland USA AND we got a puppy!!
Kuromi is a black goldendoodle. She was the last of her litter and my sister-in-law figured it was time for me to have someone to love again. She was right!! Kuromi has brought light back to my life... frustration, too. I mean, if you have never had a puppy you just do not realize (or remember as in my case) HOW MUCH WORK a puppy is!! But, did ya look at that FACE!!??
We decided to do puppy school for not only socializing her with other dogs, but with other people, too. Kuromi loves people SO MUCH she explodes when someone comes up to her! Her trainer put it this way: The person is like when you shake a can of coke... shake as they walk toward her, then it opens as soon as they get to her!" Needless to say, I learned real fast how to stick up for my baby girl and let people know we're not ready for petting. So, if you haven't ever asked if you can pet a dog before touching it? Please do! I also have no problems pulling another fiesty dog off of mine at a dog park. I noticed that we always pull our dog away... what if your dog is the one on the ground and the other is on her? That's Kuromi... the one on her back on the ground allowing the other dog to bite at her neck. *sigh* So, YES, I'll pull the other dog off her and let her take a break. What should you do in this instance? Don't be afraid to stick up for your dog and pull the other off him/her!! If their owner has an issue with you touching their dog, silently point out the rules prohibiting aggressive dogs in the park. (all parks have rules)
Shameless plugs for puppy rearing items (note: I do not get anything for plugging any of these!):
Kissable Canines - dog training in Springfield VA
Calming Signals - great information on how dogs calm each other and themselves
Puglife Harness - for a harness that I use to attach her seatbelt to and to walk her. I'm sure there are less expensive ones or similar ones that you can find. This is just what I use and I feel safe with her in the car with her seatbelt plugged into it.
Carseat Cover and Seatbelt - This is the one I bought. It's just a touch too big for the backseat of my car, but fits the truck perfect! It came with two "seatbelt" which are a strap that clicks into the seatbelt plug and hooks onto her harness. She is able to stand and turn around with it on. We have done two long trips (one to Florida and one to NC) with her using this system and she's very comfortable... I'm comfortable, too, as she's safe!
Please also check pugharnesses.com for more Pug harness.
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