Glimpses of Decibel’s puppyhood: August.

Decibel the great

Today Decibel came to town with us, and not only did the girl ride in the car without puking, but she was a remarkably wonderful dog.

We first went by work (on campus), and visited the secretaries, and then Harold's lab.  This meant walking up and down stairs, riding the elevator, and going down hallways and such, and she did it all without balking.

One of his students was leaving the lab, so we all went for ice cream.  K-State has a dairy herd, and its own ice cream store.  There are tables and seats outside, where I waited with Decibel.  She snacked on a few cicadas while we waited.

She did get to lick some of my ice cream.  (Lick not bite... I suppose it isn't the best for dogs, but a few licks won't ruin her either).

Then a swarm of little kids descended upon us.  They were all very polite and each asked to pet Decibel, and Decibel I am proud to report was phenomenal with those mini-humans.  She licked a few hands, but otherwise held still and let the kids pet and hug her.  I am very proud of her, because personally children are not on my list of favorite things, but dogs need to be able to get along with them, and not be biased by my opinions.

Decibel was very good walking on the leash, greeting people, and lying down when we were chatting or busy, and waiting for us to do something again.  After a water break, it was back in the car and ride to another place.  We went to Home Depot, but no pets allowed there, dumb store, so we waited outside, where Decibel drew a small crowd of admirers, while Harold bought the lawnmower belt he needed.  Load up again, another drive, then Harold dropped us off at Petco, and Decibel met two new dogs and scores of new people, and after that we finally went back home.  Decibel not only loaded up in the car very well, but she walked without pulling on the leash, although I only kept her in a heel when we were at the register at Petco, otherwise she only needed to walk at a reasonable pace with me.  She was really checking things out and acting far more comfortable with everything.

And best of all, no puking!

She was glad to be back home of course, and is sleeping now in the kitchen, on the cool tiles.

I was really happy with how much more confident she acted, and taking her 'brother' along to the fair yesterday seemed to actually help her, even today.

That's all the excitement from here,

Julie and the very beautiful (independent opinion's of total strangers can't be wrong in this case) Decibel

Decibel once more

well the days have gotten hotter (which is fine by me) and now the nights are that way too, which even I don't find necessary, so unless we are swimming, we stay in the AC.  Decibel now gets to come upstairs with me and run around on her own while I shower or put laundry away.  While I am there she won't do anything uncouth on the carpet, other than try and drill Skeeter into it.  Those two have too much energy and play all the time.

Decibel loves to run upstairs and jump on the bed, scratch the blankets into a pile and flop on top of them.  At night she pretends to be sleeping, so maybe we won't put her in the box?  Well, no, she still goes in her crate, but I guess we know where that girl will sleep when she is all grown up.  She doesn't seem to mind going in the crate, just getting up and off the bed that is soooo much work.

Some mornings we do an early pee run, and go back to bed, and wait for the sun to get up.  Then she is allowed to hang out with us, and snuggle (we don't actually get to sleep again, because all dogs want their loving then), and she is very good about it then.

Decibel loves to visit me in the shower (it is a walk in shower, with glass block, no curtain, so she really can't do any harm).  She finds water spray entertaining, and soapy people amusing.  I make sure she gets to check out closets and rarely used rooms, bit by bit.

It is so amazing to us how different Decibel is from Barley at that age.  Decibel is nimble, energetic, agile, and while not the most courageous, her curiosity gets the better of her.  Barley was so busy growing, he rarely was away from me (teaching him 'come' was entirely unnecessary) and when we went into a 'new' room, he would get these huge eyes, and check it out only after I encouraged him, very carefully, like, wow, where did THAT come from?  But he would not be curious about it and want to go back.  His brain was full, and he didn't need more information.  Decibel, she sees if she can go back to that new place, and check it out without mom watching her every move.  There is probably something cool in there...

Physically she moves a lot smoother and faster and enjoys racing at top speed... obviously she is not at my side then, because I don't move that fast.  She loves getting speed up and crashing into tall weeds or grass just to do it.

And you have heard lots about her swimming... Barley had to learn it twice... we had little water in the pond the year he came, so he didn't get to swim a whole lot his first year, and had to learn again the next wet season.  He loved to swim, though, and would go in the pond and swim laps in the middle, as if he had a preset number to do.  Decibel just splashes and paddles and wants to get to me or Harold so we have the privilege of holding her, and then races to shake on the clothes piles.  Her actual time swimming is very short.

She also challenges rules a lot more than Barley.  Not in a mean or determined way, but she just wants to know if it is the same today as it was yesterday, that kind of thing, like trying to de-fringe the rug.  It is as if she hopes there is one day of the week where that is allowed.  Barley, one no, and he was done trying that, and hoped his mom would still love him.

And she is far more independent.  She sleeps in the kitchen, even when the whole family is in the living room watching tv.  Barley either touched me or was close enough so I would only have to move a hand, just in case I needed to touch him.  Filling a stock tank, there was always that weight at the back of my legs, Barley leaning, in case I needed to pet a dog.  Decibel is in front, trying to bite the spray of the hose.  Or the hose.  Or hunts for poop.  Or something.

When Barley got scolded from our old bitch Sassy, he didn't go back.  Decibel gets grumped at by Ralph daily and learns exactly nothing.  She runs for cover, gets a hug from her human, and then goes right back and jumps on Ralph like he is her long lost brother.  Let's play!

But then she does do a lot of things I decided must be Briard customs:

She loves to walk behind people and goose them (sticks her nose right between the cheeks, if possible), she does the demand barking when we are too 'slow' getting her food ready, she puts one paw on her human's foot when she is not so sure about what is going on or waiting for the forward/heel command or just wants to be sure she is not missing something like you might get up and go to the kitchen, she uses her front paws like hands, and loves to very precisely poke a human's or dog's nose with them, she feels that when people come near her in prone position it is time for a belly rub, and she seems to be able to tell when I need her to listen, like working around the horses or cattle, she tends to be better than in class and that's without hotdogs.

Voiced disappointment is her harshest punishment.  I don't think we had to even do a neck shake, and certainly no severe physical correction (except the time in class when she didn't want to down, I did have to push her then and remind her by a quick tug on the collar that this wasn't up to her).

And scolding they take to heart.  Decibel and Barley both ran outside after peeing in the house and getting caught (we make a lot of noise and then it is 'outside', through the doggie door) and then they stayed out there, until I felt bad and had to go and get them.  I had to go and get them to come and pet them, because they seemed to think that they were in such big trouble that nobody loved them and they couldn't come back.  Ever.  In both cases that was the last time they messed in the house.

And she would probably stay home and never vary a routine, if she could.

Oh, she eats slowly now, which always cracked me up with Barley and Ralph, those two eat/ate like each kibble must be chewed.  And tasting new things, it is the same, they actually taste it!  (My other dogs swallow first, then decide whether they want seconds to find out what that was).

I can't tell you how happy Decibel makes both of us.  Instead of missing Barley, we delight in her new experiences, and we are way too busy to mope and be sad.  We get to remember our dog when he was a pup, not just the old guy he had become, and that helps so much.  
And Decibel is an experience all to itself.  She already has a fanclub.  Our hairdresser gets mad when we don't bring the girl, our neighbors' kids ask about her, and flock to her wherever she is, and at work she has plenty of people that we can't skip during a visit.  Now that I no longer work there, they have no reason to 'humor' me... they like Decibel!

There aren't words to thank you for her.