Day One

Here goes the training journal. And if you have any questions, feel free!　

I woke up at 3:30 and finally got up at 4:00 to start the day. The previous night I had spent promising people to update them on what I would be up to, not knowing how difficult that would proove to be.

Anyhow, I cleaned up my apartment a little, had a really healthy breakfast, relaxed and checked my emails one final time. Then I threw the last items into my bag and left to wait for the taxi. As we arrived at the train station, the assistant was already waiting to take me to the right platform. I stopped anb bought some snacks for the road and then started the journey at around 7:30. I changed trains around two hours later, and around 1:00 pm I met Quito again after such a long time.

The trainer, whom I had talked to on the phone for quite a few times, aproached me, and when she was close enough, Quito came forward and sniffed my pants. I think she is shorter than Hapoo, both in height and in length. She has quite a layer of isolation material covering her bones, but that is justifiable, because she had spent most of her days outside. There is no stats file that anybody could read out for me, I will create it myself when I am home.

I knealt down to look at Quito thoroughly, and received two devoted kisses right away. No super bouncing energy, just a quiet little dog whose leash was unexcitedly handed over to me, while the trainer dragged the bag of mine. I considder that a nice exchange. In the car we did not hear a single noise from the back.

We first went to the trainer's home, where we were greeted by another dog, a very nice GSD named Vera. She charmed me equally, as she kept sitting down by my side for contact. We took a tour of the stables with the dog. There is a calf called Emily and four horses. Mara is shy, she did not like to be stroked too much. Shorty was as cuddly as a dog, I could have scratched him for hours. Sam always explores you with his lips, it's fun. Leon is shy, and Mis Santana is curious but not excited. The dogs know these animals and are very relaxed about it all.

I noticed that Quito is not at all a lively jumper. She did not play bouncing ball, and so far I have not heard her barkking. She reacts nicely to her name.

Inside the house there were quite a few cats, but again the dogs didn't care much about them, and fortunately they all left me alone. We had coffee, extremely delicious cake and a wonderful chat about everything, and then the trainer also showed me her birds. She has a well-equipped room only for her parots, but the dogs didn't join us in there.

After a quick look at the hotel room and the easy check in we went outside, let Quito run loose a little and then took her for the first walk in harness. Since she is shorter than what I am used to, we decided to expand the handle a little for the next time. Once she has gotten into the groove, Quito walks smoothly and with a nice pull, by far not as strong as that of Hapoo's when she was young. At times the coach had to walk behind us, which caused Quito to look back and wonder, but she walked ahead and reacted to my commands.

Of course, when I took her for her final break at night, she started testing her limits a little.

Overall she is different from Hapoo, not as lively and over the top, but equally alert and apparently very sensiitive. She does not race for her food but even has to be shown where it is until she starts eating. But she eats, which is most important. She is willing to lie under tables while I am eating, does not beg for food but also likes her own space.

So far her favourite game is licking me all over when she gets the chance, but we'll have to talk it throughh, maybe I can convince her of annother game. I have discovered that she sleeps with her head under the bed. And when I send her to her blanket she hesitates to go and stands on the blanket until I tell her to lie down. Her sit, however, is flawless, and I think we are going to have a good time.

Don't count the times I call her Hapoo, you would be very busy. One of my next tasks will be to cut the fur on her feet and legs, for it is a heavy lot to comb and would not be pleasant for her at this stage.

Oh yes, and the mobile connection is practically not available here. Maybe when we go to the city it will change and I take a moment to catch up on all my SMS activity. It is good to have a dog back, Chris:-)