Tuesday, January 20, 2015

JOURNAL (DIARY) ENTRY: TRAINING the PET OWNER with YORKIE CHARLES

Gripping the door frame, while a small black fur ball runs his gray dragon squeaky toy back and forth to me, I think about new ways for us to expand on his training. The fur ball runs again this time searching for the toy. It's close to his hind feet, but he doesn't notice it. Sometimes Charles doesn't see the toy land and has a hard time finding it. So we play a game of left/right. If that doesn't work, sometimes I have to point in the direction he should be headed. He always understands pointing.

I worry that I'll never quite get this training thing right. He clearly adores me. Placing his little paw at my feet, after finding his toy, he silently begs for me to rub his little tummy. I smile at the cute gesture and reward him for good behavior. After he drops the toy in the palm of my hand, Charles immediately rolls over and smiles while I pet his belly.

Charlie is a precious part of my life. When I stop petting him, his whimper scratches at my ears. I focus on him. My heart swelling with pride at how far we've come over the years. I let out a heavy sigh at how much further we need to go. Every now and again he runs from me or ignores my queues. This is always the hardest to handle. Yorkies are a prideful breed. He has the capacity to learn words and gestures quickly but ignores them when it suits him. Unless treats are involved, if you have a handful of treats he will practically move mountains to impress you.

We play until either he wears out or gets moody. His indigent mood spoils the moment, but it also presents me with an opportunity to show compassion while taking control of the situation.

This is how our daily play time rolls on, day after day. A mixture of laughter, barking, running, and games. Charlie is probably training me as much as I'm teaching him new tricks. Next month is our birthday and the little man will be three.

This is my furry friend: