Readers have been wondering what’s up with Buzz and why I haven’t written many dog columns lately.
Well, the short answer is – this pandemic, and the long answer is – this pandemic.
It put a lid on safely attending any dogs shows (and, yes, there have been some held.) Until I’m protected by the vaccine, I won’t be entering or showing in any. It’s just not worth the risk.
Instead, we took the needed time to adjust to Ryan’s passing in August and have slowly worked through what our new normal is. Buzz loves being an only dog and we took a break from formal training and spent time together doing many walkabouts around the property. For me, it was a time to step away from the laptop and clear my head. For Buzz, it was a magical time to investigate all the cool smells out in the wild while still getting slower tempo exercise.
Tollers like to do stuff and are much happier dogs if they’ve had a chance to either exercise their minds and bodies or at the very least, their noses.
Plus, we had some exciting construction taking place and it gave us a chance inspect the progress. As the summer progressed into fall, Buzz’s new outdoor training ring took shape.
Since up to this point, most of his training has taken place inside on flat, matted surfaces, moving outdoor to his new 100 by 100 fully fenced obedience ring has provided us with some new experiences.
And challenges. Mostly on my part.
Since the grass won’t be planted until the spring, we took to training on dirt and this added its own set of challenges for consistent footwork.
Add in wild creatures making noises; or making unexpected appearances and we had some surprise distractions to contend with as well.
Plus, there were neighbors walking or driving up and down their driveways, and the sounds of gunfire from the Chelsea Rod and Gun Club.
Through it all, we enjoyed this new experience, being outside in the fresh air and sharing special time together.
But with winter firmly in place, we are back inside the basement and playing in Rally obedience again. Buzz quickly flipped into Rally mode, while I had to go back to review how to properly perform the more than 100 signs that can be found in the mix of course designs the judges can use.
As I look out onto the snow-covered training area, I’m getting pretty good at picturing it lush with grass. And, yes, there’s that pesky additional time I’ll spend mowing it for optimum use.
I think I can speak for Buzz that we are really looking forward to all of our new adventures in 2021. We’ll keep you updated.
