Yahoo, I love it when I feel like I did a good thing. And made a little money to boot. Pearl will thrive in that nice family. The oldest boy, Gabe, is thirteen and the youngest, Nathan, must not be too much younger, maybe ten, give or take a year either way.
Here is Nathan, ready to put Pearl in the car to go home!
Pearl is ready to get back in the car (we forgot to take their pic)
because the rain drops on her little head are just to much to bear.
When they came to look at Pearl yesterday the mom, Kathrine, told us that Nathan was afraid of dogs, that sure seemed to be the case on their first encounter. But by the time they were ready to go he had taken the initiative to work with her a little on a sit, stay and walked her on a leash, he was even carrying her around finally.
Kathrine said earlier today when she called that it was hard for her son to leave Pearl behind yesterday. Today when they arrived he was very bold with Pearl and ready to take over ownership.
I am thrilled that these nice boys will have the perfect dog. Rat Terriers are big dogs in small dog bodies, they are exceptional buddies for boys who want to throw sticks for their dog and teach them to play dead. But they are small enough, calm when they need to be, and smooth coated enough to be a great indoor dog. I am a big dog to little dog convert for sure. I still like big dogs they are splendid animals and certainly have their place but I used to think small dogs were just a silly waste of dog flesh, not anymore.
They will be coming back on a regular basis for Anna and Bet to show the boys how to work and continue to train their new pup.
So see you later, for now, Pearl.
Just in case you were wondering, the first and primary thing to remember when you have a dog or pup in your life is that you are in charge. They are there for you, you are not their slave. I know it is fun to joke about how pets can take over our lives but that really isn’t the right thing to allow them or yourself to do. It isn’t any better for them than it is for the frustrated owner and can even be very detrimental, in some cases causing neurosis in the dog. And the owner.
A dog owner must have what Caesar Milan calls a calm assertive attitude. Don’t get all hyped up, that isn’t calm. And don’t be all nervous and afraid, that is not assertive.
Just like I tell Anne when she comes to ride horses, know what you want to do and know how to tell your horse to do it. Don’t give unsure or mixed messages. It is the same thing with a dog. Cats, they’re a little bit different story, so we will not talk about them.
You and the dog must be clear on the idea that you are in charge. They gain a large amount of security from that. They don’t need to be the Alpha in the pack, but someone must be. They will certainly take over if you are not doing your job and stepping up to the leader plate. The trouble then comes when you or someone else would like the dog to do something other than what they are doing. This causes confusion and a struggle, which causes various bad behaviors in the dog.
So be in charge. Literally and figuratively.
One of the key illustrations for this concept is the heal position.
Too many people think that the “heal” command is just for the dog to come back into range of the person, not jerking or tugging on the lead. But it is far more than that. 
When walking a dog, you are the leader and that isn’t just an idea or a concept it is an actual physical position.
The dog whether on lead or not, when told to heal must do exactly that, be at your heal. In the picture above you can see that Martin is right at Anna’s heal, when she strides forward Martin will actually be slightly behind her leg. If you dropped a plumb line from her elbow, it would rest on his head. That is a nice position. It tells you and the animal that you are in the lead.
Here Anna actually tries to get Martin to run ahead of her and he is clearly not liking the idea. He knows where his place is. If he were some other type of dog, hunting or pulling for his supper, you would need to train him on the difference. But when Martin is on the lead he knows it is for a polite walk and he is to be at his mistress’ heal.
Have fun with your dog.
Bet said nix on the rain farming today and forbid me to don on the rain gear. I looked at Dirt’s favorite weather site and sure enough the rain is suppose to stop tomorrow so tomorrow it is! Another Yahoo!
