Sometimes We Need Help Keeping Our Pozzie Pants Up!

Ever get back off the holibobs and feel ... well ... a little bit flat? We did. It didn't help that we had trusted a contractor to work in our absence on the house and came back to find a rather disappointing mess! We had eight smaller windows taken out and replaced with four lovely big picture windows. There was black tar like sealant from the old windows, walked all over the hardwood floor and spray foam had been trodden into the carpet. So I had to rush out and buy some solvent based remover to deal with that. When I got back, things had gone from bad to worse. The Hubster informed me that there was a half inch gap left under each windowsill on the outside and there were huge holes in the caulking so the weather would get in between the frames and the surround. To make matters even worse we had expressly instructed that the smaller windows be saved as we wanted to use them when we build the new workshop next spring. Not one window had been saved. Our neighbors informed us that no effort had been made to take them out with any care they had been torn out in bits! So, yes we both felt a bit glum.

On Thursday I needed to go into town. Lucky has been a total pain in the butt in the car lately. He's never been great, but lately he's been getting worse. Pacing, panting and whining ... tail wagging, a total ball of excitement in anticipation of a walk or something equally appealing. Today however, I had it covered. Armed with a blanket to throw over the crate in the hope that not being able to see trees etc. whizzing by we would travel the twenty-six kilometer journey in luxurious peace ... NOT! Oh no ... we whined and panted just as much as ever! One the way home I threw in a nice kong stuffed with mash potato and sardines in a delicious tomato sauce. Surely that would keep him quiet. Nope! More whining and panting. By now, after all the pent up frustration over the windows, and now this total utter failure of my cunning plan ... the tears finally began to flow.

In total desperation I made myself a coffee, sat down here on my laptop and checked in with my TA facebook academics and poured out my sorry tale of woe- minus the window saga. I totally love being part of that group! Within seconds several folk stepped up to offer suggestions and sympathy. My positive pants which I thought had blown right off the washing line never to be seen again were actually just hanging there by one peg. With the help of one particular person, Rebecca Porter, I was able to see that although I had got certain things right I simply hadn't thought them through properly. I needed to break them down, go right back to basics and take tiny steps. Even nicer, another friend Debbie Quinn tagged one of the course leaders for help and he (Tom Mitchell) added some more advice. Amazingly, before I even finished my coffee, I had a plan ... and a new found optimism.

After a bite to eat I calmly took The Boy out to the car armed with a pocket full of kibble. He leapt in his crate, tail wagging. "Oh little do you know," I thought. We drove a few yards to the top of the lane and parked up. I got in the back of the van with said kibble and we played 'feed the bed'. Every time he laid down I threw kibble down and whispered sweet soothing words like 'nice' and 'good boy'. He was totally taken off guard! At first he went into training mode. Sitting dutifully focusing on my hands ... waiting. Was this a new slant on Magic Hand? Ooooh High Five! she wants me to High Five! We tried offering a paw but I pretended to read. He laid down, hey presto mum gave me food! And she told me I was good! He got it. And so we passed a peaceful twenty minutes and then drove the short distance back to the house.

Friday we repeated the exercise ... this time he immediately sat down in the crate and not a pant or whine could be heard. We drove to the same spot and I got in the back. Miracle of miracles he laid down right away! I fed the bed, I massaged his ears. We did some impulse control putting treats on paws and waiting a second or two before being told he could take them. And, when all the treats were gone, and we were both feeling pretty chilled we set of back down the lane to go home!

So within twenty-four hours we had both gone from whining, panting, crying, bucket totally overflowing wrecks to calm, happy critters with their Pozzie Pants firmly hitched up over their butts! The rest of the day just got better and better! We played some successful games of Funder and Middle on the deck ... L.D. finally grasped the idea of going around my right leg for middle! At supper time he diligently snuffled his snuffle mat retrieving every single bit of kibble, found more kibble in his muffin and tennis ball tray and then the final bit stuffed in a kong on the deck. Total time for supper fifty minutes! For his Finale he voluntarily hopped up onto his raised bed, curled up and took a lovely snooze.

Now I am convinced, even more than before, that joining the Training Academy is the very best thing I have ever done, and I am especially grateful to be part of a group that rally round with advice and lots of supporting virtual hugs whenever they are needed! And for the record ... The Hubster and I fixed the windows ourselves today and felt much better on that score too!