Nika went to her first day of school yesterday. She was a very good girlie.
We're going to Gemini because it's on Monday nights (one of only two free nights we have), and because it allowed us to start any time rather than waiting for the beginning of a session. When Jonah first went to Gemini he was really scared to walk into the building. The puppy who went in ahead of us (a BC whose handler I know from agility) was similarly frightened, and had to be carried in. Not Nika! She followed us right in like a star.
Once we got in and she saw that there was a whole big crew of other dogs and people, she did get a little wary. She leaked a little and I had to clean it up. Oops! Mostly she wanted to stay near us.
Then, after introducing ourselves, we had playtime! We separated the dogs into 'big dogs' and 'little dogs,' and she was in the little dog group. She was a little tentative at first and was more interested in meeting people than puppies, but then she started having a great time with a 9 week uber fluffy golden pup. So much cuteness. She also played some with a little NSDTR kiddo, and she was friendly with the BC although they didn't get much into big playing.
After playtime we did some 'light training,' and it definitely was pretty light. We talked about what to do when a puppy jumps up, and then we practiced our sits with mini stays. She was very good.
Later we learned the 'leave it' game, which was a little harder for her. I think it was tough to learn something new in that environment. She never seemed too stressed by it all, but she was curious about the people and puppies on either side of us.
Towards the end she started to get a little fidgety during the talking, so we just worked on her tricks quietly, and she was doing very well with sits, downs, hand touches and spins. Her focus was definitely not as good as some of the puppies there, but they were all older. We'll keep working along and playing along and I'm pleased with how things are going.
We're going to Gemini because it's on Monday nights (one of only two free nights we have), and because it allowed us to start any time rather than waiting for the beginning of a session. When Jonah first went to Gemini he was really scared to walk into the building. The puppy who went in ahead of us (a BC whose handler I know from agility) was similarly frightened, and had to be carried in. Not Nika! She followed us right in like a star.
Once we got in and she saw that there was a whole big crew of other dogs and people, she did get a little wary. She leaked a little and I had to clean it up. Oops! Mostly she wanted to stay near us.
Then, after introducing ourselves, we had playtime! We separated the dogs into 'big dogs' and 'little dogs,' and she was in the little dog group. She was a little tentative at first and was more interested in meeting people than puppies, but then she started having a great time with a 9 week uber fluffy golden pup. So much cuteness. She also played some with a little NSDTR kiddo, and she was friendly with the BC although they didn't get much into big playing.
After playtime we did some 'light training,' and it definitely was pretty light. We talked about what to do when a puppy jumps up, and then we practiced our sits with mini stays. She was very good.
Later we learned the 'leave it' game, which was a little harder for her. I think it was tough to learn something new in that environment. She never seemed too stressed by it all, but she was curious about the people and puppies on either side of us.
Towards the end she started to get a little fidgety during the talking, so we just worked on her tricks quietly, and she was doing very well with sits, downs, hand touches and spins. Her focus was definitely not as good as some of the puppies there, but they were all older. We'll keep working along and playing along and I'm pleased with how things are going.
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