Wednesday, August 24, 2011

I Think I Can. I Think I Can.

We started Sissy, our retriever mix (?) in flyball about six weeks ago. She's a great dog but a worrier. I can see the stress of learning something new in her face. She doesn't pick up new things as easily as the Border Collie but still loves to go.

She especially loves to swim in the doggie pool after class when there's time. She paddles out to the deep end, swims around, and comes back out in the zero entry only to slither back into the deep end from the side of the pool. She loves water; swimming around in circles and lapping it up.

I'm not sure she'll ever be a flyball dog like Susie, the Border. I don't know how she would handle the tournament stresses. It's very loud, dogs everywhere, staying in a hotel, and the worst part - the crate.

She's not crate trained. I've been working on it slowly by feeding her meals in the crate most evenings. I think it's only causing her to gobble up her dinner even quicker so she can be done and get out faster. She goes into the crate just fine. She doesn't freak out anymore when I slide the noisy latch over to lock the crate. Sissy seems ok in there if I leave her alone for a few minutes after she eats. But eventually, she barks and whines to be let out. Normal for crate training but I have a soft spot in my heart for this one.

We don't know her history. She's a rescue and found us when she was 1.5 years old and a thin 32lbs. She stared at me from behind the kennel wires, begging to let her out, play with her, and give her a chance. We did and somewhere around the 5th kiss on the cheek we were hooked. That sweetness in her eyes, that look of despair, and willingness to please has to surely be part Golden Retriever but I'm not sure.

I hope she can pick up flyball and all the chaos that goes with the sport. If not, that's fine too. She won us over five years ago from the behind those kennel bars; a desperate black dog with statistics working against her. She was looking for a new family and some people to love and maybe just maybe learn a new sport.

Savor the details.

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