Sophie Dog Goes to School.
My friend Jane, who keeps Sophie when we’re out of town, thinks Sophie should be a therapy dog. I totally agree. She’s the perfect temperament, friendly, gentle, and soft to the touch.
We got home from our family reunion at the same time that Jane was attending the first doggie class (on her own; dogs weren’t invited). The next four weeks required dog and one or two people. Due to schedule conflicts, I took Sophie on my own one of those days and Jane took her another day without me.
That was a hard month! A hot month. We’d leave in the heat, park in the sun, and walk shadeless sidewalks. At least the class was indoors.
But Sophie loved it! She loved the class. She loved the proximity to other dogs. She loved her practice sessions. And she loved the treats.
Her best command is “sit.”
Even with treats at home, “down” is a challenge. The instructor told us that position can cause small dogs to feel vulnerable.
Jane and I are undecided about continuing Sophie’s education. Since the second class series takes place outdoors, we are definitely waiting for cooler weather.
One Curious Result.
For months before going to school, Sophie spent her nights on the living-room sofa rather than sleeping in our bedroom. Within days of beginning class, she resumed spending her nights near us.
The class came to an end. Our practice sessions dwindled to nothing, and Sophie reverted to spending her nights in the living-room. I thought, hmm, that’s odd. Time to make a change.
Since my main time with Sophie is on our morning walk, I decided to combine walk and practice. We find a shady spot at the park to put in a few minutes of practice. The outdoors is definitely more distracting. I’ve given up on “down.” “Stay” doesn’t always work, but it’s coming along nicely.
And Sophie has returned to sleeping with us in the bedroom. I would love to know what this means, since it can’t be about treats.
Growing Pains
I’m a Show Me kind of learner, and my self-publishing project by definition requires a lot of DIY steps. Like Sophie, I love learning most of the time. But I have exceptions: such as getting used to a new car or mastering a computer program.
These last weeks became stressful when I realized I had jumped the gun in sending off my first manuscript to be formatted. Since it’s a four-part series, I have been working hard on all four parts; my biggest concern has been to reach a satisfying conclusion.
Meanwhile, I sent off the first manuscript for formatting without confirming that it was ready. It was not. After (too long) a debate, I retracted it, determined to do it right so that (maybe) I won’t make future stupid mistakes.
In consequence, my newest project is to master MS Word. I’ve used Pages for years, and for many years before that I used WordPerfect. Learning Word is a huge painful hurdle
I can do it, though maybe not with the same joy that Sophie exhibits.
I need a treat.
Kate Harrington 