I don't know when it happened, but Surf looks like a big girl now. She has always been a mature puppy---definitely a wise old soul. That's not to say she doesn't have her crazy moments, or lapses in judgement. :-) Physically now, she looks like an adult and I have to constantly remind myself that she is far from being physically mature. It's can be so easy to rush a puppy into training, and push them harder than we should---we see it all the time in videos being posted to Facebook. And sometimes I get caught up in wanting to try something, but then I always take a step back and remind myself that Surf is still a baby.
Hopefully we have the next decade to play agility together, or any other sport she might like. Right now is the time we have to focus on our relationship, her body awareness and thinking skills that will set her up for success down the road.
Surf absolutely loves working sheep, and I wasn't sure how much I should be letting her go herding. She was pretty crazy at first, but now she's gotten pretty dialed in to not having to work them at a million miles an hour anymore, so I worry less. The herding gives her so much confidence! You can clearly see her genes at work, and how much of her grandparents show up in her. Surf has SO much eye, and she finally knows what to do with it.
It was very interesting to see how she handled agility class on Thursday and herding on Saturday last week. Surf is still very distrustful of dogs in agility class--and rightfully so. She does really, really well when all the dogs are out on the floor working. But when she's the only one on the floor, and the others crated and making lots of noise, she struggles---not knowing if they are coming after her. She was able to work well for about 30 minutes, but then was just over threshold.
When we went herding on Saturday, it was in a new location, with a lot of new dogs around. Some even crated next to the arena and making noise. She never even noticed them barking! She was just there to do her job! She was happy to say hi to lots of dogs, and even played with a wee 9 week old pup. Surf was totally relaxed, no worries at all. The ONLY environment where she gets worried is around the arousal of agility, and that seems to be confined to indoor locations, where we just can't get far enough way from the "barking crates".
My goal continues to be to desensitize her to that environment, as well as build her confidence in herself and trust me. But for now, she just gets to be a puppy. We play a ton together and I've been working on new tricks with her---just no pressure stuff. Part of my challenge is going from Gypsy---a balls to the wall girl who you could hit over the head with a 2x4 and she'd keep working---to Surf, who is much more thoughtful and honestly more "normal". Surf has tons of drive and is wicked smart but thinks things through before reacting. Gypsy rarely thinks about anything before acting---she is just a freak of nature. :-)
I adore both of them, and respect them for who they are. And I am SO grateful that they get along so well!
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