Lucy and I had our first puppy class last night. It was mostly informational - the owners talk about their puppies’ issues and the instructor talks about the things we’ll be doing over the next 8 weeks, and what to prepare for. Most of the puppies are 3 or 4 months old, so Lucy is the biggest. There is a Golden Retriever (”Instigator”), a Rottweiler (”Over-Achiever”) and a Cocker Spaniel (”Painfully Shy”). Just for fun, we’ll call Lucy “Spaz Monkey.” The puppies ran around and played for most of the class, until they got too rambunctious, and we put them back on leashes. Most of the dogs laid down under their owner’s chairs, or sniffed around. Not Lucy. She flipped - absolutely refused to sit still. In her defense, the instructor-woman was using the other puppies as examples and giving them treats, and Lucy really wanted in on that action. She pulled and pulled on her leash (which resulted in running in place or falling down because her nails were slipping on the linoleum floor) until the instructor laughed and said “Can you take her batteries out?” Haha. No. Sigh.

After about 30 minutes, Lucy went from pulling to barking - which she never does unless she’s scared or really frustrated, and I couldn’t get her to stop. The instructor said “Tell her ‘LEAVE IT’ or ‘ENOUGH’. And when she stops and then looks at you, praise her and give her a treat.” It worked, but I’m pretty sure by the end of the night, I’d taught Lucy to bark for treats.

I think that’s going to be the biggest challenge. Lucy is manic (or what the instructor calls “an active thinker”), but very smart. She’ll learn, if I can just get her to focus. And those who know me, know lack of focus is MY problem as well (”look at the monkey!”). No doubt, we’re in for quite a ride.

“Spaz Monkey”