I’ve called a moratorium on the dog park, hoping to rein in Rowdy’s exuberant insistence that every other dog is a potential tag-team partner, chew toy and/or running buddy. He is Very social, which bodes well for future therapy work, but not so much for present obedience training.

When you’re Rowdy, obedience school translates to indoor-dog-park-on-a-leash, but fortunately (when you’re me) hot dogs and string cheese still prevail over All Star Puppy Wrestling.

Rowdy’s brother Deacon is in our Beginner Obedience class. Interestingly, they initially showed little interest in each other, but now engage with gusto whenever they’re within range of their 8 foot leashes. Hence, the blurry action shot…

They’re the group’s youngest, and closest in size, which makes Deacon the favorite sparring partner, but Rowdy is ready to rumble with any of his classmates. Turns out that most of them are more serious students though, so I try to keep my class clown focused on his studies. Given all the hot dogs and string cheese required, I’m grateful that he’s young and active, and that the session was only 8 weeks long, or my little golden may have morphed into a rotund retriever by graduation day.

In lieu of the fenced-in freedom of the dog park, we’ve been walking on the paved trails that wind through the pine trees and past the river, at a local park.  The blacktop allows for all-weather walking and the leash requirement motivates manners practice. With movement.

Rowdy still tests the length and strength of our leather lead (and maybe just a tiny bit of my patience) as he zigzags across the path, discovering the wonders of pinecones, puddles, sticks, strangers, toddlers and tree trunks. But he’s learning. A little.  Other dogs, walkers with umbrellas, and children on the playground continue to challenge his attention to the task at hand, but most are conquered with a dose of the day’s edible distraction.

Someday I will reflect fondly, maybe even wistfully, on these days of puppyhood – the everlasting supply of energy, the delighted fascination of everyday discoveries, the simple joy of being Rowdy. So my focus is to always appreciate this lively, loving little dog who makes me laugh.

And to make sure I have enough treats in my pocket to get us to the parking lot.