The Puppy Graduates!

Yes, it was over a half of a year in the making! Yes, it took the persistent encouragement and help of my wife! Yes, it took the attentive love of our 2 year old Australian Shepard. Finally, though, I finally graduated our "puppy" from Basic Obedience Training classes! "Puppy School", as I called it.

The course was 10 weeks long. It started back in January. The goal was to go through the 10 week course, graduate our puppy then go to visit my family in the mid-west the week right after the graduation. Due to a rain storm, classes were delayed by a week and that is where it all fell apart until we picked things up a couple months ago.

Maybe my wife will offer her commentary as a side-line watcher. Basically put, our dog had to go through a basic series of maneuvers (on leash and off) in front of a judge. I was so proud of him. I cannot say than any error he made was his fault. He would look at me throughout the exercises with such a glee in his eyes I would almost bust out laughing. He not only enjoyed himself but he also seemed to want to "win" for me, too. The judge commented that our partnership was "beautiful".

At the end of it all, he took a trophy for 3rd place for the entire class of some 20 participants. My wife was so happy and proud! she noted also that there were so many unusual distractions compared to the other participants: dogs barking loudly and otherwise running amok. We stayed focused and if not focused, oblivious. All there was in the ring was he and I.

Gushing? Yes. Proud of him. Yes. Grateful for my wife's encouragement and our puppy. Both of them tested and tried my male ego and made me a better person because of it. Truly, we all became closer.