I have felt so much more relaxed over the past few days. Although I have been a bit crook............... with this thing I have, not going away and sometimes getting worse............. but, home life is pretty cool.
I have a little routine, which Zsa Zsa knows now. Home after work and let her inside. Change into my Puppy Park clothes (Gum boots, black pastic bike pants, black plastic raincoat, winter bike gloves & beanie). As soon as the jacket goes on she starts ramping up the excitement levels. We hop in the car, both put our seatbelts on and drive up to the park. She starts getting excited a little later in the trip than Ozkar does, but, she has only had a week of this routine, so in time, it will end up like Ozkar, where Bunnings is the signal we are close!!
She gets at least an hour to run around, sometimes more if she is feeling energetic and there are lots of friends for her to play with. She will come and sit next to me when she has had enough.
We drive home, I get out of my dirty park clothes and we go and get her dinner. She inhales that in microseconds!! Then watches me as I make dinner. She will then sit watching me eat, hoping for a morsel to come her way. But, she never gets fed off a plate or at the table. If there are left overs, I will leave it for a few minutes then pop it into her bowl. I don't like dogs hassling people for food. She knows if she sits quietly, she will most likely get something. But, she knows if she hassles me, it goes in the bin too!!
After dinner, I get a warm wet towel and Zsa Zsa lays down for her pommy shower
. It depends on the mud levels and the amounts of times she wrestles in it as to if she gets the warm towel, or a full bath. But she prefers the warm towel. Last night, I had to wake her up half way through she was so relaxed.
Then, I will usually jump online for half an hour while surfing tellie. Zsa Zsa will go and sit on her chair while I do this. Then, once I move myself to the lounge, she comes and lays next to me with her head on my lap copping ear and neck rubs and backs of fingers down her cheeks. All of which she adores and is soon snoring.
Not long after that, we hit the hay. She sits by the bed until I have my jim jams on and am under the covers and then she will hop up and lay next to me on top of the doonah. Thankfully, she is not a doonah creeper like Ozkar is. He slides under the covers and drags them off you at the same time. Zsa Zsa is a little gentler and just snuggles up next to you absorbiing the warmth coming off your body.
Usually, I wake up laying on my back, with Zsa Zsa's little chin sitting on my shoulder and her nose buried into my neck.
Once again, for those who arn't doggy people, you're most likely digusted, but for me, it's almost heaven on a stick......
She is not spoilt, but she does get a fair amount of exercise and attention. I walk her before I leave for work, I go home and walk her at lunch time most days and another walk or puppy park visit every night.
She is becoming more and more understanding of what I want from her. She responds well to training. The thing I like, is I can train with or without food reward as she is just as praise responsive as she is food responsive. So on our walks by ourself, it is food reward and at the puppy park, it's praise reward. I have her at a point now, where she can be in mid play up to 100 metres away from me and will recall immediately she hears me call her. Then, the look in her eyes and the speed at which she runs to you is just gobsmacking. She will sprint and then come to a dead stop in front of you. But, it goes from full speed to stop! There is no slowing down. And the look in her eyes as she does it, is one of immense pleasure as she knows how it pleases me.
I am a little concerned about some skitish behaviour over the past two days and am hoping that nobody else who has access to the house may have said/reacted/done something to cause her to behave this way, but I will keep an eye on it. It may just be her getting used to the daily routine, as she has only been with me for 13 days. But, there were some odd doggy paw prints in a certain pattern around the house, suggesting she was potentially locked out while others where allowed inside. WHich would naturally stress her. But, can't be sure, so won't point fingers....
Speaking of pointing, Zsa Zsa has some strong bird instinct. I watched her stalk a bird for 45 minutes on the weekend. She also tracks well. When we go walking, i will often take eratic paths along the way and on the way back, I get her to follow her nose. She literally sticks to the path like glue. Every twist and turn or double back I did on the way there, she will follow it all the way home. She seems to enjoy it, so perhaps it might be an activity I should investigate for her.
"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me" Hunter S. Thompson.
There are really only two questions in life. 1.Which way do i go? 2.What is the lap record?
With that name, it's certain she will be a good house-keeper
.............and there was a few 
She is laying on her mat next to me right now and I cannot see her ribs sticking through. That's a sure sign that she is eating too much. It sure isn't from lack of exercise. 
