Mr. Dignity, by Lisa Harmon July 21, 2008

Sir Speedy stretching his legs, Kenai 28 wks old. The cute little toddles is a big boy now.

My trip to the puppy store Thursday paid off, and I’m glad I bit the bullet and went. I’ve been sick as a dog (pun!) all week, more miserable than I’ve been in years. Very glad I went though. The Frontline Plus and flea spray seems to have vanquished the nasty little buggers that hitched a ride home from obedience class with us. I hate those darn things. Ticks you can pull but fleas jump. Grrrr.

And the tip a friend gave me about Eagle Pack Lamb and Rice being the only formula that didn’t give their dogs loose stools also panned out. Both the boys love the taste, and Kenai’s stools are FINALLY normal. I just have to watch their growth, since I want to slow it down and the Lamb formula has a fairly high calcium content. I’ve restarted the MSM supplement to control it.

BB lost considerable weight from his ordeal, but he would eat the whole bag of Eagle Lamb if I let him. So he should pack it back on now that he’s home. The bag says 4 1/2 cups a day for a 100 pound dog. Right. It’s an adult formula, and these are growing puppies. They’ll get a little more than that. But I do like feeding them lower amounts, since it stretches out the pricey bag.

If 5 cups a day isn’t enough to keep them from getting hungry, I’ll throw in some oatmeal. Vets say to use rice or potatoes, even pasta. But that’s all starch and they put on fat from it. I want to keep them lean, so rice defeats my purpose. Oatmeal is my preferred additive to keep the hungries away.

Kenai didn’t get to play at the puppy store Thursday, since I needed him to be calm and obedient. He wore his vest and gentle leader. The sinus infection my neice brought with her last weekend moved into my nose, and it set of a migraine storm/fibro flare of biblical proportions. That pic of Kenai was one of the mere 3 play times he had all week long. I even slept on the couch one night because I was afraid of falling on the stairs to our bedroom.

For all his boredom, Kenai behaved most gracefully. I can’t fault him for a little whining and restlessness. Saturday I was feeling a bit better after some muscle relaxants, and we did some playing inside. And yesterday morning was good, too. So into the car we went. I bought a big bag of Eagle, and a couple interesting toys for little brother BB who is stuck on bed rest. Then it was time for lunch out.

The restaurant was packed, loud and busy. Big test of puppy composure. Our back booths were taken, so Kenai had to do a down stay right in the middle of the place, with people coming and going all around him. His tendency to take up the walkway needed some reminding to move in, but he kept his large self mostly out of the way. He did very well just laying there for about 30 minutes! Crying children, clanging dishes, loud voices, people walking by from all directions…

Yay!!!! That’s my big butt boy!

After 30 minutes he was getting restless, his legs sore from the hard floor (darn growing pains), and just wanting to get up. He made it another 20 minutes until we were finished eating, though he was getting up and had to be returned to down stays 3-4 times. The place was clearing out, and almost empty when we finished. I don’t expect “perfect” from him, though I keep in mind what we need to practice and polish up.

My boy’s doing good in his training. Maturity and practice will put the finishing touches on his performance. One thing I do need to consider is Kenai’s desire to keep an eye on who is near me. When I feel really ill and fragile, Kenai will do his sit stay at the counter facing backwards. He’s not reactive, he just wants to be able to see who is near. He’ll wag his tail at them, but won’t turn his back.

I’ve tried several times to turn him around, and the smart little stink decides he’ll do a down/stay in front of me when I’m at the counter, that way he can still see. Uugh. Stubborn boy. He can tell when I’m weak, and wants to be on sentry duty. He maintains his dignity and gentleness, but I’m wondering what will happen someday if an agressive dog or person gets too close.

We’ve had a couple incidences with a snarly dog that focused on him, and it will make Kenai step back a bit. But once it was directed at me, while I stood and chatted with someone, and he got right up against me, with most of his body sheilding me. His tail came out from its hiding place and his head came up. The little dog backed off, but someday one might not.

That’s normal, for dogs to protect their “pack”, especially Danes with such a very strong social bond with their humans. But it could get us in trouble as a service dog team. He cannot ever, ever, growl or bite as a service dog. He hasn’t tried, but under the right circumstances, any dog will. In a way, it is comforting to know that Kenai would protect me, but then again, it is a concern. I keep that in mind when dogs or people approach us that seem a bit unstable.  

I watched a dog whisperer show where he dealt with walking your dog around unleashed dogs. I know the “technique”, and have a couple times used it in my life, but some days my ability to project a calm and assertive energy is not so good. Those are the days I am concerned that Kenai will take it upon himself to deal with a situation. The burden is upon me, to be aware and capable. I don’t want to let Kenai down about it. I hope I don’t, and I’ll try not to.

My rhino baby isn’t so little anymore. He’s moved out of the “all puppy” stage of life, and into that transition between mature and immature. Sometimes he is downright majestic, calm and very adult. Then we have bursts of “goober puppy”, with zoomies, snuggies, and funnies. Then it’s back to Mr. Dignity. We’ve gone from glimpses of the adult Kenai admist the playful puppy, to glimpses of the playful puppy admist the growing up boy.

I still have a few months before adolescence hits, in all it’s unnuetered glory. I’ve got a little time to get my legs steady again, thank God! We’ve come a long way, me and Kenai. We’ve gone through alot together already. My friend with the brand new Dane puppy has made me notice just how grown up the toffee tank has become. The tiny toddles that followed me around now has a long lope! (And a mind of his own!)

He’s really a remarkable young fellow, so patient as I work out the kinks of how to train a service dog from the ground up with all my limitations. He’s become a stunningly beautiful dog, too. We get stopped constantly to be told how he was seen across a parking lot, or they just had to come and say what a magnificent dog he is, or how well behaved he is.

If they only knew the blood sweat and tears! There are days that a compliment makes it worth the effort, so thanks and good wishes to everyone that goes out of their way to encourage a service dog handler!

A note about BB–he’s doing better, and eating like a horse. All his poops are loose enough to come right out and his suture lines are closed. No problems now, and we’ll get him back on track with his PT as soon as he’s off bed rest and the staples are out. Keeping him quiet for the week will be the biggest problem.

I’m just glad to have my little four pack back together. Everybody’s home where they belong. Now if we could just get rid of the intruders…

“Fish and houseguests start to stink after a week”, –an unknown but wise soul