Lady Patricia Learns

Okay.  You all know that I really love this little creature who came to live with me in March.  I promise not to make every article about her.  But, there are some things that I can’t resist telling you about.  You also know that she is four years old. A four-year-old … puppy!  Her previous living situation did not allow for socializing, but she was a mom twice.

And, now, she lives in a home with no babies.  No collection of other schnauzers.  She doesn’t know how to chase a ball, fetch a stick, eat meals on a set schedule, or always “take care of business” outside.  She is definitely a four-year-old puppy.

Her English vocabulary is improving.  She knows her new name – Lady (changed from Laci).  She understands “no, come, outside.”  One day, in our large back yard, I tested her.  I allowed her to be completely across the yard and called her.  To my pleasant surprise, she came immediately to where I was sitting.  So, I figured, “Come” was embedded in her vocabulary.

Stairs frighten Lady.  I knew that she needed to learn to deal with them.  There are exactly twelve stairs leading to my basement.  Carrying her down the steps the first time, it was clear that she was really afraid.  I could feel her heart beating hard against her ribs.  And, when it came time to climb the stairs, she didn’t want to.  I had to pick her up and put her one step at a time to the top.  The next time wasn’t so terrifying for her.  Descending the stairs, her heart still hammered.  But, going up, she tackled those twelve stairs like a trooper and never looked back.  Since then, she’s climbed the stairs every time, going up, but hasn’t tried going down by herself.

There is a ten-inch, flat threshold the leads from the main part of the house to the room we call The Big Room.  It is the 500-square-foot room that Larry built for me as a studio.  She has no problem going from the house into the Big Room, but returning to the main part of the house seems to be a frightening experience.  It took much encouragement from me to get her to cross that threshold.  To do that, she takes a run from about six feet in the Big Room, jumps across the threshold, and tears into the hallway onto the rug.  Success.

I’ve never had a dog who liked to sit with me while using my computer.  But, she does.  Both of them – the laptop and the desktop.  Draped across my lap and arms, she does interfere somewhat with my use of the computers.

Believe it or not … I think she recognizes that it is a dog in the hall mirror.  She will be trotting down the hall and come to a stop at the mirror, looking into it with some kind of recognition.  She also watches television when dogs are shown.  So, I’ve recorded a dog competition show, and we sit and watch the dogs perform.  Yes, we do!  Emily, another miniature schnauzer, also watched the TV dog shows, as well as recognizing a dog in the mirror.  All of the others simply ignored both; except Lisa Jane (another retired breeder) who would come tearing into the TV room when she heard the sounds of new puppies on the television set.  She must have been a terrific mom for her babies.

I thought it was only goats that ate paper.  Wrong!  Lady’s bed is on the settee in the TV room.  In the beginning, she stayed in her bed.  Lately, she has ventured out of the bed onto the couch.  Sometimes, I put papers next to her bed on the couch.  It’s not long before I hear paper crunching – a clear sign that she is not happy and wants her space back.

One of the animals we had in our home was a prairie dog.  The federal center in Denver had prairie dogs that could be taken home as pets.  We called ours Wilhelmina, or Willie for short.  We learned that prairie dogs identified people by their breath print.  When a new person came into the house, Willie would climb up onto the sofa, up onto the person’s chest, and smell their breath.  Then, she would run down and take off for another part of the house.  This  seems to be how Lady assures herself that that I am me.  When I pick her up, the first thing she does is identify me by breath print.  Every time.

Larry taught all of the other schnauzers to have their feet cleaned when they had been out in snow or rain from the dog run.  When Lady has been in the dog run and comes back into the house, she always stops (of her own accord) to have her feet cleaned with a paper towel.  She learned this in about three days.  I think she is a really intelligent little thing.

Lady still has a lot to learn.  I’m hoping that the class we are taking together will help with some of that.  So far, I think that if I had made a list of all of the qualities I wanted her to have, I could not have made a more inclusive list than what she shows every day.

Now – I promise … you won’t have a litany of her accomplishments on a regular basis

Be safe and well.

The Cranky Crone

If you have thoughtful feedback or questions, please let me know with a comment below.