I realized recently that sometimes I expect too much of Ronon without giving him enough of what he needs.
We have a lot of therapy dog commitments now (Covenant House, Fox Chase Library, Philadelphia International Airport, and Caley Elementary) all of which require him to be calm and polite and on his best behavior. Granted HE led us into therapy dog work to begin with, but that only means that he has the temperament for it, not that it’s the only enrichment he needs.
Saturday, I took him for a walk around Manayunk and he was TERRIBLE – pulling me this way and that, not listening to me at all. I was so frustrated and upset. I came home in a foul mood, feeling like our day had been ruined, but it made me think about something that has been bugging me lately. He goes to daycare a couple times a week. He gets long walks and enrichment toys at home, but he doesn’t get enough chances to just RUN – to stretch his legs and GO FULL SPEED. This dog is like a controlled explosion… I can’t keep asking him to be calm and walk nice if he never gets a chance to just do his thing.
Living in a city apartment with no yard means going to dog parks or driving to the suburbs, so yesterday, I drove to a Sniffspot in suburban NJ and let him run. I didn’t catch the big zoomies on video, but they were awesome. He also spent some time basking in the sun next to me and just wandering around sniffing. It made my heart so happy. It was even worth having to drive through Center City traffic to get there and back.
