With each trip to the dog park, our wallflower puppy is turning into a social butterfly. Savannah is no longer hesitant about meeting new dogs at the park. She used to sort of amble in their direction when we first started taking her to that park, but now she runs like the wind as soon as she sees a new dog coming through the gate. And she's not running away from them... she's running towards them, ready to meet and greet and play, play, play.
There was a new dog at the park yesterday, a Hungarian hunting dog called a Vizsla. We'd never heard of the breed, but her owner told us it's been around for centuries. He said the breed has always been popular in Europe, and has caught on in the U.S. over recent years. It's amazing to me how every now and then a certain breed becomes a sought-after "designer" puppy and everyone wants one.
The Vizsla's name was Addie, and Savannah took to her very easily and they were running and chasing a tennis ball and then running some more. Addie's owner started tossing the ball into the pool and Addie didn't hesitate to jump right in after it... right over the edge into the deeper part of the pool. Savannah, however, isn't quite that brave yet. Instead of jumping into the pool at the center, she runs around to either side where the shallow part is and she can run into the water and then stop just before the floor of the pool dips down into deeper water. And Savannah clearly knows where the deep part begins and she stops herself right at the edge. Sooner or later, I know she's going to test that water. I know that dogs will swim by instinct and off she'll go across that pool like the other dogs, and I hope I remember to bring her big towel on that day.
We usually stay at the dog park for about an hour. By then, Savannah is usually tired from running and playing, but she's like an over-tired child at that point... very tired but doesn't want to admit it. At that point, Gary and I start walking towards the gate, with Savannah following close behind us. When we get too near the gate and Savannah realizes it's time to go home, she will walk slowly away from us and head back towards the center of the park. That's when I take the leash and hide it behind my back and walk slowly towards her, talking to her all the time and asking if she wants a treat or wants to go out or wants to get into the car. Savannah knows the words 'treat,' 'out,' and 'car' and just hearing those phrases gives her a few moments to think about them and thereby gives me a moment to slip the leash on her and steer her back towards the parking lot.
Savannah will come to me when I call her inside the house, but when she's outside on our property or playing with other dogs in that dog park, all bets are off and she's focused on everything else but the commands she has learned. Proof positive that she's now in the 'Terrible Twos' stage of her puppy life?
When we got home yesterday, I walked Savannah up the road with Judy and Bella. I knew that Savannah had to "do something" because she didn't do anything but play in the park, and Judy happened to be walking Bella right when we pulled into our driveway. Savannah was so tired from the park that after she said hello to Judy and Bella she didn't even attempt to play with Bella during that walk. She did take care of her business, though, and when I brought her back into the house, she went into her bed and slept for three hours.
Later that night when Gary and I sat down to watch the news, Savannah brought her chew-bone over to where my husband was sitting and she laid down by his feet and put one paw on his ankle and just stayed there with the bone in her mouth, content as could be. I think Savannah may know that her adventures in the dog park are my husband's treat for her, because she doesn't find herself at the dog park when she goes out in the car with me. I like to think that Savannah's paw on my husband's ankle was her way of thanking him for such a great afternoon.
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