A woodland walk
Pebbles went on a woodland walk yesterday. It did not go quite as Mum had hoped. Don’t misunderstand, nothing momentous occurred, but it did sum up rather well some of the problems poor Pebbles has with the world. When I say ‘poor Pebbles’ it’s more ‘poor Mum’ as Pebbles is totally oblivious of her impact. She has a sort of dog equivalent of ADHD, which is not without its challenges.
Firstly she can’t control her excitement and can become hyperactive very easily. She was jumping up grab-biting the lead before Mum could even attach it to Pebbles’ harness. That may sound fairly normal for a puppy and in isolation you might not think anything of it, but it goes with everything else.
Getting bored
Can you imagine a dog getting bored on a walk? Pebbles actually gets bored. Even when Mum takes her somewhere new and they are doing a circular walk, so not going back on themselves. Yesterday was the perfect example. To begin with Pebbles was enjoying sniffing everything. Mum was happy to let her and they went along quite slowly. Then, not quite half way around the walk Pebbles just said ‘What’s next?’ She didn’t want to sniff anything after that. How weird is that? A dog not bothering to sniff!
Anyway, Mum played ‘find it’ throwing a treat ahead of them and Pebbles having to find it as they went. It’s a fun game once or twice, but for a whole mile it’s a bit much.
When Mum didn’t throw a treat soon enough then Pebbles got frustrated and bored and started grabbing at the lead again.
Meeting dogs and people
Pebbles loves meeting dogs and people. She met a few on the walk. The problem is she doesn’t understand social boundaries and has no recognition of what a dog is saying when it’s telling her to back off. She just doesn’t understand what’s appropriate.
Mum tries very hard to teach her, but she just doesn’t get it.
On the teaching front she is still struggling to concentrate too. She simply can’t sit still for a stay, she has to be on the move all the time. Then when she gets back to the car, she never lies down but is on the alert permanently. It’s very tiring for the rest of us.
Mum wants to take her on lots more long walks as it’s good for them both, but it does present a bit of a challenge.
Love and licks
Wilma
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