Argos leads a busy life, with lots of naps in between. Yesterday morning he had his first group class of Beginner Training (same curriculum as puppy kindergarten, but all the other dogs are at least 6 months old). It was quite exciting and demanding – there are 7 dogs in the class so there is constant distraction. Argos did get to meet all the other dogs (they took turns walking around the room (on short leash) to get to sniff each other). He is definitely the bounciest dog of all. He is quite good at focusing on what he’s supposed to be doing (sit, down, walking, sitting when we stop walking) when he knows there’s a treat coming. That’s quite impressive when you realize other dogs are just a few feet away. We also practiced leash walking in the store and there were quite a few other dogs there – some who wanted to be left alone, others who wanted to say hi, and one who seemed about as bouncy as Argos.
After class we returned home for lunch and a nap, and then Dad took Argos to Vienna for a walk (lots of people and other dogs to meet). After another nap and dinner, we headed back to Reston for the final outdoor concert of the season. We don’t care about the music, but there are hundreds of people and lots of dogs. It’s great socialization and Argos seems to enjoy it. By the time we left (after maybe an hour), he was exhausted and slept on my lap the whole drive home. He was in his crate for the night by 9:30 since he was so tired.
We ran the vacuum a few days ago. Argos was not at all bothered by the sound, and thought trying to attack it was a good game. He was a little perturbed when the hose brushed against him, but after jumping away from it, he decided it must be part of the game.
We’ve been playing frisbee outside. Argos does not try to catch the frisbee, but runs after it. When he picks it up, he now carries it easily and does not trip on it. Unfortunately, he also does not return it to me so that I can throw it again. He likes to carry it partway back to me and then lie down to chew it. But what he actually likes to do is to rip up the grass right by the frisbee. At first I thought he was just trying to grab the frisbee and was getting the grass instead. But now I am convinced that he is actually trying to get the grass.
We took Argos and Grandma to Pete’s Pizza for lunch today. We were smart and fed Argos before we went (and Dad took him for a walk as well so that he would be ready for a nap). He lay on my lap in the car and then sat/lay quietly under the table during the entire meal. It turned out to be a good place to bring a dog. Now that we’re home, he’s napping again.
Argos 