So exhausted!

I adore this little dog.

Sometimes I just have to sit back and wonder at how such awesome dogs come into my life. Rhys is definitely one.

Okay, so I’m not going to talk about how he had to have baths two nights in a row because he rolled in something super earthy, super organic and very smelly. Not really sure what it was, except that it wasn’t poop.

Rhys is not a fan of baths. Turns out though that he kinda likes the towel drying part. And he wasn’t so traumatized that he couldn’t come back into the bathroom to watch me rinse out the tub after his baths.

What I am gonna talk about is how he is such a fantastic, smart, thinking little dog that makes my heart burst with pride.

We started off the day, Easter Sunday, with a nice cuddle in bed.

I actually woke the dogs up because my legs were all achy and I had to get out of bed and stretch. I decided to feed them early as Rhys had puppy class later and then go back to bed.

Usually I place Rhys back in his bedtime crate when I make the decision to go back to bed. Today I decided to experiment and brought him into bed with me. It was the first time he’s been in bed with me since shortly after taking him home.

Youke was not a fan of this arrangement. He refused to budge from his coveted spot right next to me and proceeded to voice his disgust and anger with the situation, which was not helped by Rhys trying to snuggle up against him.

Rhys decided that maybe snuggling up against Big SisterMommyAuntieGirlfriend Camm was the better idea, but she informed him going back to bed is serious business and it is not a time to fuck around.

Therefore Rhys decided that being very small, sidling up behind Youke and snuggling up against me was the best thing to do. Bravo!

We then proceeded to breath in each other.

Taking breaths together is one of my most favorite things to do with creatures that are not human. I used to do it with horses, sometimes with cats and now I do it with my dogs. Rhys and I curled up nose-to-nose. I felt his body relax and before either of us knew it, he was fast asleep.

We all stayed curled up against each other for another hour and until my alarm woke everyone up. I think they would’ve stayed that way a bit longer if not for the alarm.

Then Rhys and I were off to puppy class. We’ve skipped half the session as I had other commitments and Rhys had other life experiences. This was the last class of the session.

Despite skipping so much, and, truthfully, despite me not doing much in the way of formal training, I am so pleased with how well he did in class.

Rhys has sit with a verbal command about 75% of the time and 100% with a hand motion, down with a hand motion about 85% of the time and walks very well on a loose leash. He also has a rocking recall, and the best thing ever – fantastic focus on me.

I really, really, really like that he is not uber focused on other dogs and that he is polite with people, but isn’t a pest.

Before the class began, there was a puppy play session and because it was Easter, there were hardly any dogs there. In fact, it became just Rhys and a very small Shibu Inu. The Shibu was adorable and taught Rhys how to play the chase game. Surprisingly, he hasn’t really played it before. He wrassles with Camm and plays Bitey-Face, but Camm is too quick on her feet and too adept at rolling him over for him to have understood the chase game. Beside which, I usually find border collies like to engage in the chasing part and aren’t such big fans of being chased themselves. At least mine aren’t.

Rhys did take offense to a yellow Lab that was in the class. It was the end of class, and Rhys was exhausted, but I suspect it was more a case of border collie prejudice and offense at the Lab’s approach. Still, it was the first time I’ve ever seen Rhys snark.

After class ended I took Rhys to run some errands, but apparently this year everything closed for Easter. I seriously do not remember this occurring before. But then again, I think I’m usually at an agility trial or something.

So off we went to a local park for a little jaunt. Rhys saw a ton of Small Humans, as well as people on bikes, people with kites and a big Cricket match. He also got to see some people playing tennis.

Taking it all in. Rhys as 16 weeks.

All the time, Rhys walked like a pro on a nice loose leash. Pretty amazing, considering how little he’s actually spent on a leash.

I decided to stop for a coffee at one of my favorite coffee shops before heading home and took Rhys with me as it’s a dog-friendly spot. There was a long line of people waiting – probably because most everything else was closed for Easter.

Granted, Rhys was about toast by this time, but he was excellent waiting in line with me. He politely said hi to a few people, but waited for them to notice him first. The very cool thing too was that every single person actually asked me first if it was okay to pet him or to say hello.

It was good experience for him as there were men and women, big guys and big women, people in hats and sunglasses and people who ignored him completely. The best thing was that there was a mat at the entry and Rhys chose to pop himself down on it after I had placed my coffee order and was waiting. No lunging out-of-control puppy here!

I was going to take Rhys by the vet’s to be weighed as he turned 16 weeks old on Saturday, but discovered the vet office was also closed today. That will have to wait until later in the week. I’m really curious about his current weight and even more curious to see if he will in fact double it as an adult. Youke did not, and many dogs do not, but it’s a commonly held belief. Time will tell.

Rhys is now napping in his crate, which it appears he will be outgrowing in the not too distant future.

For all of his spunky naughtiness, he is also a complete angel.