Big Challenges for a Little Boy…by Lisa Harmon June 18, 2008

Kenai trotting back to Mom for a treat, 24 wks old

Appearantly, WordPress got the message about their picture uploader! Suddenly a full size pic is the size it was saved at…yay! Big pics again for the blog, even if I am back to barely getting a good one out of 10 tries. Kenai turned 6 months old, yesterday. Happy Birthday, toffee tank!

We’ve had a couple difficult days, Kenai and I, birthday or not. He’s been so hungry, that he begins to misbehave about 4 hours after he eats, and it has gotten much worse since my last post. Our outside playtimes have reflected his frustrated state of mind: NEVER HEARD A WORD, kinda thing. And inside, he’s gnawing on anything, won’t mind, frustrated. Uugh.

I really cracked down on him yesterday afternoon, because I won’t have such pushy and toothy behavior from him, hungry or not. We’re going to the vet tomorrow, for his rabies shot, and whatever else the vet wants to do. We need to find out what’s going on with my boy’s tummy. Something’s just off, as if his digestive system is in turbo drive.  

And one of Kenai’s and BB’s internet friends is also having a hard time. Abby is losing weight and not eating. She’s a year old, and the family just moved, the heat is atrocious…let’s all hope and pray she’s only reacting to heat and stress. Great Danes are notorious for not eating when the temps go up or their environment changes. 

I went to the first puppy obedience class last night, and it’s going to be a big challenge for Kenai. The first night is just for people, but next Tuesday we see how he does. The dogs that are there, from what their owners say, seem to be sort of problem child types. They range from out of control high energy, to nervous and anxious. Only one of the 10 can do a sit, and only sporadically.

Before I get too arrogant about that (human nature can be stinky, can’t it: my dog is better than your dog…), I always keep in mind that Kenai’s obedience isn’t what it used to be. He picks up on the energy around him, whether it’s a obedient dog going through their commands, or an anxious dog having a fit.

A service dog has to be sensitive enough to pick up on the handler’s energy, but not to get so involved in the environment as Kenai does. His focus is just a bit too much on what’s around him. He’s a puppy still, big as he is, and that’s a very normal thing.

All the same, bit by bit, he’ll learn to focus with exposure, shaping, and practice. And maturing as he grows will help too! Right now he is six months old, which is the equivilent of a human 4 year old child. Puppy class for Kenai is kinda like the Head Start program for children. It’s tough being a youngin!

I am going to spend considerable time this week working on the “Control Unleashed” book’s beginning exercises. Hopefully, the look at me practice will lay the groundwork for the look at that exercises he’ll need for Tuesday’s class. A dog can’t do what you want if they aren’t paying attention to you, right?

I really don’t know how class will go for him, other than I’m going to make it as fun as possible, paying attention to me in the midst of everything. Big, Big, Dane sized challenge for him to pay attention with all that noise and excitement.  I’ve got an extra $25, so I’m going to spend it on new and interesting treats. He doesn’t take treats in public, as a rule, so they’ve got to be super duper terrific.

It sounds awful, but I don’t feel the intuitive closeness I have had with a couple dogs before. I know Kenai’s habits, I have tremendous love for him, we’re very tightly bonded, but he is harder to understand. Does that make sense? Kenai is more work for me to “get”.

Maybe it’s just me, being a totally different person than I used to be, with much different capabilities. Maybe he’s just a very different dog than I’ve had before, too. All the same, I love him beyond words, and we’ll keep plugging away!

I’m going to retape his ears today, since the one is starting to fold a little at the crease, and the tips are just too droopy. Poor kiddo, gotta have another week of itchy tape. But we’re getting to the end of it all, which should make him happy–over soon little big guy.

So today is a trip to get his ears done, a trip to my bank, a trip to the puppy store for treats, and a lot of practice at heeling and looking at me! I’m having so much trouble with him in the field the past couple days that his play time will be after we get home. We’ll see how he does!