Right on schedule, Breeze is official entering her first teenage independent phase. It's not too bad, yet, but I suspect there's more to come. Up 'til now, if I opened up my arms and called her name, Breeze stopped whatever she was doing and ran straight to me. Now...not so much...it's time to play KEEEEEEEP..........A....WAAAAAAAYYYYYY! Yep, the very Belgian game of letting you "think" you can take a hold of their collar, until the hand is just a few inches away, then OFF they go!
Sometimes "keep away" turns into a ditz run. (Ever since I've had Belgians, I've called them ditz runs....they take off, tuck their tails and run laps as fast as they can, just for the joy of it.)
So, I'm on the offensive. Time to be proactive. When I don't want to deal with the potential of Breeze playing keep away, I keep her on a flexi-leash or long line in the yard. I'm also working with her on the behavior that I call "come to the hand." That means when I extend my hand, and say her name, Breeze is supposed to stop what she's doing and allow me to take her by the collar. I make this worth her while by having a treat in my hand, luring her to me with the treat (which is working so far thanks to breeder, Michelle, doing a great job of imprinting "treat" in her little brain) and then giving it to her while I hold her collar and pet her. (She's getting her reward during the behavior I'm working on, not after!)
If/when Breeze thinks keep away is more valuable than a treat, I'll need to have her drag a light leash around the house, but for now she's doing okay inside.
One of the joys of having a new puppy is discovering the pup's unique personality. (I always feel sorry for the owners who compare the new puppy with the older dog, typically in a negative way.) I try to help each new puppy grow to its full potential and personality; I don't want dogs that are clones of one another!
I have tried to get a photo without success of Breeze's Border Collie impression. In herding terms, she "walks up" on the soft frisbee that I'm waving at her from across the yard, enticing her to come closer so I can toss it for her. I'm doing the word association (saying "walk up" as she does the behavior), although sheep are a whole lot different than a flying disc. She really does look funny as she puts her head down, ears up and butt higher than her shoulders as she stalks her way to me.
The other day Breeze lived up to her name of "High Wind Warning" when she flew by me, leaping for the frisbee I was holding, but jumped much higher and further than either of us expected. She ended up about 10 feet behind me, somewhat broadside against a short wooden fence that separates the dog yard from my patio. Thank goodness she didn't hurt herself...and this served as a warning to me that she has no common sense when it comes to her body. This special trait comes from her mother, Cabe, who tried to run through a partially closed sliding glass door as a young dog. Fortunately the glass did not break and Cabe's injuries were minor. Breeze's version of this was trying to run through the screen portion of my sliding door. That experience has made her much more respectful of closed doors that you can see through!
Breeze's "skunk stripe" is coming in nicely, as well. This is the darker, more adult-like coat that first develops down the back of the Belgians and then slowly spreads over the rest of the dog. It's quite a contrast with the puppy fuzz that still covers the rest of her body. The way hers is coming in, she almost looks like a Ridgeback at times!
So for now, I'll refer to her as my Border Terv Ridgeback.
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