Weekly Wish

Well, Reader, I am doing just a lousy job at saving all of my Wish stories for one post per week. But I sort of tried this week. Partial credit?

Here is a recap of everything I wanted to say all week!

Sunday (and the weekend): Wish's first bath

Wish thoroughly enjoyed the sights and smell of the weekend up north. He did well in the car on both trips - with the exception of occasionally trying to squeeze my brother and sister out of their spots to maximize his middle seat space. But you may recall that my recap included a few mentions of rain, which turned the ground into some mud, in which Wish spent several hours sitting. And all of this sitting-in-mud led to him smelling terrible less than fresh. (Another apology to my brother and sister for having to sit with him in the back seat all the way home.)

It was time for a bath.

We planned to use the hose outside for the job as soon as we got home, but the skies opened up just as we got in the door, so we had to get him into the tub. He was so peeved that we would dare do such a thing, then he was eventually sort of resigned to the task but would not admit that he enjoyed four hands scrubbing his fur.

Then he got all riled up again when I broke out the "cool" function on the hairdryer to help expedite the process. Turned out he had a better idea. He jumped out of the tub and started doing the full-body dog shake over and over, which actually works really quickly, and then did his crazy run up and down the length of the apartment, perhaps to prove that he still maintained some semblance of independence. Thanks to the rosemary-mint shampoo, he smelled so much better and his coat was so shiny and clean. (He has more white in his fur than we realized!)

The whole point of this story is to post the picture I wanted to post all week. Kudos to Josh for suggesting that I get one photo of the mayhem.

Monday: Wish's first obedience class
I would've been lying if I said I wasn't nervous. I am learning a lot about being a dog owner and the different styles that everyone takes with their pup. I am working to shake my habit of being a little too uptight structured and trying to take on more of Josh's approach. I think he does a great job at balancing being firm with seeing that we have to give Wish a little length on his leash (metaphorically and literally) sometimes to give him the chance and trust him to make the right choice.

For all of the bravado Wish can exhibit toward other pups on the sidewalks, I think he was perplexed by the training class scene. There were eight other dogs, large and small, and he didn't make a peep for the first half hour. In fact, at one point he flopped down and rolled over, asking with his eyes if this was a good time for a belly rub. (Sorry, buddy.)  Later he did bark at a couple of foes pretty dogs, but I was really pleased with the class. We worked on "come when called," making eye contact with the owner, and loose-leash walking. I love the teacher - she's fabulous and really, really, clearly knows her stuff.

And then afterward? Wish was totally spent. (I posted this on Monday but couldn't resist showing you again.)

Tuesday: Wish's first run!
Tuesday was cool and overcast, and I grabbed my chance to try out a little run with Wish. We went two gentle miles and he trotted along merrily the whole time. I talked to him all the way through and gave him little treats from my running pouch-belt, which has escalated into a full-fledged fanny pack, much to Josh's dismay.

After the run, Wish gobbled his dinner and was wholly tuckered out - like, conked out on the floor at 8 p.m. (That happens to me after a good workout, too.) I think there was some element of "WHAT WILL HAPPEN TOMORROW NIGHT?" after his bath, training class and first run on three consecutive days.

Other highlights: FETCH!
When we brought him home, we were sort of bummed that Wish seemed to be less than zero percent interested in toys. Josh stumbled on a little soft baseball about a week later and tried lobbing it toward Wish, who turned out to be very interested in a game of fetch. He is so low-key at home that it's almost startling to see the enthusiasm with which he embraces the game. Wish races up to max speed to retrieve this ball, up and down our long apartment. Sometimes he is extra-playful and prances around with the ball in his mouth, refusing to give it back. I attempted to photograph this activity one day and love the results. Wish is the barely-there blur in the bottom-right corner.

We brought him home three weeks ago on Sunday and are learning new things every day.

There you have it!  Happy Friday, Reader!