| Trixie at Four Months What a difference two months make. Trixie more than doubled her weight from the time of her arrival; she now weighs 24 pounds. She recently had her first haircut which made her legs look so much longer. During the past month we had our son's dog visiting us. Athena is a mix between a bull terrier and something that runs very fast. About two years old, she still loves to play, and several times per day a wild game was on - in and around the house. When Trixie's pestering got too much for her, Athena grabbed a bone in order to have something to protect, and growled at Trixie's overtures. On the other hand, Athena felt obliged to protect her little friend against the other neighborhood dogs. After wild chases Athena sometimes returned alone. When we asked her to get Trixie she would take off again and, after a few minutes, return with the little one in tow. Another big event of this month was a Portuguese Water Dog party on Lake Washington. Attendees were at least two dozen PWDs, including three puppies, and twice as many dog owners. One of the puppies was her slightly larger brother Louis; the other puppy was about the same age but he was black and much more massive. Some of the adult dogs were also much larger than Trixie's parents. The dogs romped around the property and showed off their swimming talents. Tixie fell from the quay into the water. We showed her the way to the stairs, pointing with our hands, and she swam there without us having to "rescue" her. She did not panic, yet did not go back into the water to swim. When she gets her food she is very good with the commands "sit" and "wait." Her barking during the preparation of the food has markedly decreased - she quickly learned that I stopped preparing the food when she made a noise. During our walk "sit, wait" is not a problem unless there are kids or other distractions. We are working on "stay" while I move away, and on "right here" while walking on a leash. During the night she sleeps in our bedroom; mostly next to my bed. Sometimes she snored so loudly that, in the beginning, I asked my husband to turn, because I could not imagine that such a little dog could make such a noise. The other day we went to the Lavender Festival in Sequim. She behaved so well that she was the star wherever we went. During dinner on the patio she stayed down next to our table. She was not fazed when guests stepped over her, or kids and adults petted her. During her last puppy class it was just the opposite. She was distracted all the time and which made me nervous which, in turn, made her less attentive. We take Trixie with us whenever we can, in the car, to the hardware store, to outside cafes. In the paint store customers asked jokingly, "Did she step into white paint?" Our emphasis on socializing seems to pay off already: Trixie has no fear of other dogs and is very friendly with humans. She knows when to play and also keeps quiet next to us when we have dinner with friends. |