About Quito and the team

It's Chris this time, occupying Quito's space.

Yesterday, before I went to work, I had the idea to review the training
journal I had posted two years ago. It occured that I had forgotten
quite a few details about the beginniing of the team. But thanks to the
weblog, I could revisit the starting stages and compare them to where
Quito and I are now.

In 2008, when Quito was just over two months old, that lively wiggly
furball charmed just about everybody who came her way. Soft fluff on
huge paws, she romped through the service center, gently shown
boundaries by lady Hapoo, her first raiser and the first trainer. Her
eyes and teeth and paws must have thought the world to be a major,
immensely versatile playground filled with new adventures every minute.
Back then she already possessed the coolness of sleeping in the middle
of the peaktime in the noisy cafeteria around lunch.

Two years later I was handed the leash that connected me to a jolly
trooper - a very playful dog on constant alert with a very explorative mind.

when I received Quito, she was uncertain whether I had the ability to
protect her from danger and to lead the pack. She had clear views about
who she liked, and who she did not. Growling was an issue, and she was
highly suspicious about things that were not part of the daily routines.
I remember her jumping back and barking at the sight of the open door of
the food vending machine, and she did not like people on the other side
of the street when they hadn't been there at that spot before.

Things have changed for the most wonderful. Quito has decided that she
is responsible for me in a way, but that I can be trusted to make sure
she is not put in danger. She loves to relax and play with people she
loves, she jumps up and down like a squash ball and displays
extraordinary jumping abilities. She can jump as high as my sister's
head, about 1.82 meters high. She has learnt to fetch the sticks, to
swim, to bark on command and to offer a paw. She will not open doors,
which I am quite happy about.

At the beginning, Quito was not a good eater. This has changed, and I
have to admit I have fallen back to feeding her kibble only, enriched by
the very occasional piece of saussage, and the more frequent chewing snack.

Growling is still an issue. When she cannot identify something or
somebody, she will let out a silent, warning growl. The same happens
when she absolutely doesn't like somebody who insists on wanting to pet.
However, she would rather jump back from danger than attack it, which
makes handling her easy.

Escalators aren't Quito's favourite, but she will travel them when
needed. She loves to chase things that fly low, e.g. balls or sticks or
her food bag. She learns very quickly, she flawlessly brings her
equipment when we go out. New routes mean new adventures and are always
great to explore.

Quito has also found that there are no invisible doors or gaps that I
might disappear through, so she will remain on her dog bed when I run
around the apartment. She has also accepted that I occasionally go
outside the apartment door without her. She will not call for me, but it
might be that she collects all her items and puts them by her dog bed.
She will race to the door at the sound of the bell, but when I arrive to
take controll, she hurries back to her place. She will also make sure
she is out of the way when the mobile or stationary phone rings.
She is not an early morning dog. So when I want to travel and get up
early, I have to turn on the light or do something else to wake her up.
she likes trains and cars and doesn't mind planes, but she does not like
to be left at the seat.

Yesterday at work we had a seven-year-old girl visiting. Helen is a very
calm little person. She quietly made friends with Quito and asked if she
could show the dog to her mom. I told her we could try, told her how she
could encourage Quito to follow her, and off they went, girl and dog.
When they returned they did so quietly, Quito first but not dragging
Helen too much. That basically describes her character and attitude:
There is time for everything: work, rest, exuberant play, and
exploration. Quito is a well-balanced, friendly and very charming jolly
dog, she continues to really charm almost everybody on her way, myself,
naturally, included. So here's hoping for many more years together,
cheers, Chris:-)