Olive Update
And I don’t mean the oil, although I recommend checking out that post if you use olive oil as much as I do.
We received a note about Olive from her foster mom in Florida when we adopted her that said she’s sensitive, but I’ve decided the foster mom confused her with another puppy. Judging by the fact that I can very firmly tell her “no” and she doesn’t bat an eye, I’d say this dog is anything but sensitive. Honey, in comparison, is so sensitive that when I reprimand Olive, Honey puts her tail down and gets all weird. I’m constantly telling Olive “no” and Honey “it’s okay”, switching between deep and high-pitched voices like I have a personality disorder. My neighbors are probably starting to worry.
Aaron is still thrilled to have what he calls a “real” dog, and he and Olive have been rollerblading every morning, a la Cesar Millan. And yes – he bought the rollerblades last weekend specifically for Olive, after he determined that she would soon be out-running him. Her “comfortable” pace seems to be about a 7 minute mile…and it’s looking like she’s going to be a distance runner. We were a little apprehensive about giving a 4-month-old puppy this much exercise, but the vet nearly gave us the money to buy the rollerblades after trying to give Olive an exam. Let’s just say we got our money’s worth on that appointment.
In all honesty, having a new puppy has been a trying time for me, since I’m the one who’s home with her during the day. The vet confirmed that Olive has a very dominant personality (sweet, but dominant) and she’s going to require quite a bit of training to establish that she’s not in charge.We’re working on basic commands like “sit” and “down” and making her wait for her food, but there have been a few instances where I just can’t control her. Namely, when we’re outside and she decides she wants to jump all over the person walking by or chase a bird. It’s kind of cute as a puppy, but will NOT be cute when she weighs 50+ pounds.
We have a puppy “interview” with a trainer later today to get some guidance and figure out what classes Olive should be taking…and what classes I should be taking too. I have a feeling I’ll benefit from the classes just as much as she will.
On the positive side, Olive is also a very good snuggler when she’s tired, a great running/rollerblading buddy, and seems to like every dog she’s met. Sure, she shows it by pawing at their faces and jumping on them, but she is a puppy after all. I keep reminding myself that this is the toughest time for any dog owner, and she and I will both figure it out over time.
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For the dog owners – how did puppy training go for you? Was your dog relatively easy (like Honey), or more of a challenge? If you have any advice, I’d love to hear it!
P.S. We found Yellow’s owner last week! He lives right around the corner, as we suspected based on Yellow’s lack of flying ability, and was so happy to have him back. His owner is a little old Italian man who has a few other canaries and a living room that resembles a tropical rainforest. I think Yellow was quite pleased to be home, especially considering Olive’s “interest” in birds.
