Your Friday Wish

Now we are five days into life with Wish!

I don't mean to be overly dramatic, but rarely have I ever learned more in a single span of five days - and seldom has my perspective changed more in that window of time. It can be hard - but he is just a joy for us.

Who, me?

Obviously, it's terribly important that I take at least 6,000 photos of Wish per day, most of which are either of him sleeping or of his back on a walk.

 

This is my favorite one of him sleeping, early in the week, with his head tucked neatly under the couch.

Keeshonds are very charming about loving and attaching to their humans. Wish is very low-key in our house and loves to sit by us (or lay on us). He is responding well to his crate and is completely housebroken.  He is also very food-motivated, which helps a lot with training, and like his foster said, he is eager to please us. (Also, Nat asked if we have any nicknames for him yet. The answer is yes, several million.) We've read that they take cues from the humans about how to react to strangers, and he has been a love to all of the family and friends who have met him so far. (Especially to my mom, who brought him a basket full of treats!)

 

The challenging part of his breed is that they are dominant little pups and like to show that dominance. In 35-pound Wish's case, this means pulling on his leash during walks and being a little less than friendly, shall we say, to passing people, squirrels, buses, and especially dogs.

Part of his transition, too, is simply adjusting to living in an urban neighborhood and all of the sensory details that that entails. He's figuring out what's scary, what's exciting, and what's an ordinary part of the neighborhood. It's funny how quickly I've absorbed this into my own perspective, even when I'm not with him.  ("This would make Wish crazy!" "Wish would love this!") This morning, he got totally nervous as we approached a gnarly, scary, ferocious tree stump.

We've spent some time this week just sitting outside with him and getting him used to all of the sights and sounds and smells. We've also started implementing some basic training ideas to work on the leash-pulling and over-reaction to these perceived threats (or excitements). This can be tough, but it is such fun to see him start to process the training and respond to it.

A squirrel? WHERE?!

And we ran together for the first time yesterday at lunch!  Two lengths of a little soccer field.  He was a big fan. I don't want to do much running until we're a little farther along in our training. I'm also cautious about this little furball overheating, so we'll wait til fall, I think. He is going to be a very happy camper in the fall and winter, I can already tell.

Biscuits!

Another part of this experience that I didn't expect is that in addition to all of the joy he has brought us, the whole process has been an exercise in global gratitude. So many people have helped us along the way, from people around our apartment building to the terrific volunteers from the rescue organization to friends and family who give us much-valued recommendations and much-needed advice. I have just been floored by this.

This weekend: giving him his first bath. Next week: our training class begins!