Happy Friday!
After several weeks of unseasonable warm weather, Sophie Doodle and I awoke to our first truly fall like day. Unfortunately, not one of bright sunshine and crisp temperatures but rather a dreary, overcast type of day. Sophie perches herself on our back porch and sits facing the wind, giving her a model's shot with the the wind fluffing out the fur on her snout. A very elegant look for a very comical doodle!
My doodle has been blessed with an abundance of energy, or rather a joy de vivre when it comes to her personality and demeanor. Meeting someone new is not met with trepidation but with a "Oh! I'm so Very, VEry, VERy, VERY glad to meet you! (insert a mental image of a 75 pound dog with her tail gyrating at take off speed, trying to cuddle up against you in order to really get to know you!) This is how I am greeted every single morning upon her return from her morning constitutional! She is definitely a lover.
I have been working with her in a concerted effort to ratchet down her "dizzy dance" a notch. This dance is still in full swing if you happen to one of the various delivery persons, occasional Jehovah Witness proselytizer, or random stranger that decides to come to our door. Along with her bigger build, she has an impressive "mean kinda dog" bark which is much appreciated by her momma. It is good for strangers to be weary of her. You tend to be a bit safer if you're a known quantity. A friend who works for us during planting and harvest, joins us for lunch whenever he is around. Sophie is very calm when he is around; she sees him as part of the family. She always offers him the chance to scratch her head and rub her belly (all the while thinking-"I AM adorable and you know I've definitely got you under my spell....") but her rampant dizzy dance is noticeably absent. The same is true when our kids and their families come to visit.
Part of me really dislikes the notion I need to quash the sheer joy she has when greeting our guests. How many times does this joy completely consume her human mamma, especially when mamma could us a much needed shot of joy? Rational mamma then remembers the painful impact 75 pounds of joy can have on the knees and feet of Sophie's loving recipients! Oh well...In the meantime, I will continue to ponder this dilemma and continue to work with one very smart and headstrong doodle to control versus quash her JOY de VIVRE.
Hari OM
ReplyDeleteOh it is good to see a post from you... and I know exactly what you are talking about, for my own angel Jade was one such 'greeter'! She was immensely responsive to training of all sorts, but that hi-octane greeting was something I had to train folks arriving about, as much as Jade; unless folks are really dog-savvy, they tend to give off signals which inadvertantly say 'come at me'. Lifting the hands is a classic, so my first thing would be to say to folk to keep their hands down. Also, not to turn, or look the dog in the eye, but rather just to keep talking to me while standing as still as possible. This total lack of response generally meant Jade lost interest much quicker. That said, if they were not family or close friends, then I would simply have to keep hold of her collar and make her sit. Time and effort but rewarding.
She did eventually tone down after about six years - at least with the jumping up; the dizzying spinning and whip tail continued almost her entire life! YAM xx
She is gorgeous
ReplyDeleteThank you!
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