Presentation

I introduced Thor to my family and friends this past weekend.  On Saturday, my mother and two sisters came to take me out to lunch.  I exercised the dogs in the backyard prior to my family's arrival and crated them with stuffed kongs.  I wanted Thor to make a good impression, not be jumping all over them!  I think my mother was surprised at how big he already is.  At lunch, she said she felt a little guilty because she had encouraged me to take him in.  Which, of course, is nonsense.  I took him only because I like him!  And because I see potential in him.  And I've always had in the back of my mind that if he proves to be too much for me (because of my limitations), that I can provide him with basic training and then place him.  But it is fully my intention to keep him.

On Sunday, Glitter and I were scheduled to attend agility run-throughs at Sugar Bush Farm.  I brought Thor along in order to have him fitted with a front-clip harness after verifying that the New England Border Collie Rescue rep would be there.  I left Thor in a crate in the car for the first part of the day to focus on Glitter.  She was not running well, very slow with lots of sniffing.  I think she is sore from all her roughhousing with Thor!

When I brought Thor into the building, Barb fitted the harness very quickly.  My friend Jody (who has papillions, see photo) was especially taken with my boy, snatching the leash and taking him out for a walk!  The harness worked great!  Jody suggested keeping a short hold on the leash as Thor wanted to walk out in front of her rather than beside her.  Barb showed me a leash with an extra handle up by the collar.  Good idea.

Other people were interested in meeting Thor and hearing his story.  One woman, in particular, had some helpful advice for me.  She said he looked "well-bred" which was nice to hear.  She also advised me to keep his nails clipped short so that his feet would stay "nice and tight."  She agreed with previous opinions I'd heard about male weimaraners being slow to mature, slow to housetrain.  Thor had carried a cloth ball into the building but dropped it once inside.  Someone (very smart) said he'd lost interest in it due to stress.  I commented that he liked to carry things but that he had not chewed anything up.  I thought this unusual for a puppy.  I wondered if this might be something that would kick in later in a slow-to-grow-up pup.  My friends suggested that it would, indeed, crop up later.  A late puppyhood phase.  Great.

Home again, I walked the dogs, then crated Thor.  I left the harness on him thinking I'd want to walk him one more time and not sure I'd be able to get it on again easily.   Thor was unusually quiet in his crate.  When I went to get him for one more "practice" walk, I discovered he had chewed the harness!  Only the second thing he has chewed, the first was a new camera bag I'd bought and left atop his crate.  Destructive phase is kicking in.  But both these were my silly mistakes.  Second time around, lesson learned.  Maybe.

So I'll be picking up another new harness at the farm next weekend.  All to benefit New England Border Collie Rescue.  Thor knew what he was doing!