The next few weeks
It is amazing how fast Zabel is growing – the little puppy we first got a few weeks has grown so big in such a short space of time.
Even though she is bigger she still draws a huge amount of attention every time I bring her for a walk the number of people that stop and chat and want to pet her, then when you explain that Zabel is a trainee guide dog they want to know more about the program etc. A couple of people I chatted to were really keen to find out more from Guide Dogs NSW so hopefully they got in touch…
Some days you can have a bit of fun with people too a young girl well when I say young I mean early 20s not like 8-9 said to me as I walking Zabel “Really cute” – I asked did she mean me or the dog!!
Our neighbours recently moved back to Germany but it always amazed us how many people they knew in the local area – they always maintained it was because of their dog. I can see it now as Zabel is a great conversation starter.
We were recently telling a friend of ours who has recently gone through a bad separation and is suffering depression that he should get a puppy as
- its company for him at home as he currently lives alone,
- it will get him out of the house as he has to exercise the dog
- it’s a great way to get to talk to people which would help him get his confidence back
- the puppy training classes are a great way to meet people
One of the joys of her getting bigger is she more adventurous and is starting to go upstairs prior to this she was too small to get up the stair, although she still has quite figured out how to get down the stairs, Although strangely enough if we rattle her bag of food she is down those stairs in seconds.
However the downside of her going upstairs is that’s its fully carpeted and secondly it has not been made puppy friendly that is removing everything off the floor so in reality the kids school shirts, shoes, socks, towels, books or magazine that you might have lying beside your bed have all become playthings for Zabel – which is great but not if the kids are trying to get to school and you waste 10 minutes chasing a puppy around the house with school socks in her mouth or trying to coax her out from under the bed. Not a great start to the day – but funny when you look back on it.
So this has meant having to get another baby gate to shut off the stairs and front door.
While there are many plus sides to fostering a guide dog puppy one of the downsides of puppy raising and this doesn’t apply just to guide dog puppies is the constant biting, this is really becoming a problem.
Especially at night just when you want to sit down and relax for a bit and watch TV, Zabel would be continually jumping up and biting us – and seems to be me more so than wifey and the girls that she bites. Someone was telling Wifey that’s is because I am the Alpha male and she wants my attention – not sure how true that all is but its happening for sure.
I was joking last week with a neighbour that it looks like I am self-harming when all it is are puppy bites on my arms, hands, and wrists. It also means having to be more careful and having to tell people that she nips if they want to pet her, specially if she nips a kid.
Until next week and the next installment of Zabel the trainee guide dog…