Adelaide is Queen Bee
Adelaide’s journey with socialization has been quite an adventure for dog mom and dad! We have heard that iggys can sometimes be little balls of anxiety, so when we brought Adelaide home we hit the ground running! We scheduled our first puppy socialization class that week and have been slowly introducing her to this whole new world - city living. This post is basically a love letter to our fur baby for giving us the excuse to meet so many amazing puppies, dogs, and dog owners. We’ve brought her to puppy school, met hundreds of dogs on the streets of downtown Toronto, visited a dog cafe (which has sadly recently closed), visited a dog-friendly brewery, and even had an exciting trip to the fall Canadian Pet Expo! While iggys have been known to be shy, Adelaide fights that stereotype one joyful jump at a time.
Firstly, let’s discuss puppy socialization! As we’ve mentioned before, we brought Adelaide to When Hounds Fly, a school dedicated to positive reinforcement. We’ve done a ton of research on the subject and it just seems to be the most effective way to create a loving relationship with your pup and teach them how to be the best dog they can be. The program consists of 5 modules (classes) that you can complete in any order. They will teach basic skills as well as provide your pup with a chance to play off-leash with similarly experienced puppies.
Funny enough, we got off schedule with our 5th class so we have one last module left to complete this week. The next step will be foundations training. Adelaide’s first week was her most timid. Looking back, this might be the only time she wasn’t dominant over every other puppy in her group. She was adventurous during off-leash play time however sometimes parked herself between a human’s legs with a little shake. This is where she decided whether or not she was brave enough to play with a Husky puppy. We helped encourage her and she played with some of the smallest pups. While she was a little cautious we didn’t find her paralyzed with fear. She was able to shake it off and try again. We love that about you, Adelaide! You are resilient! Since the first week, Adelaide gained so much courage we started to have a different problem - Adelaide was Queen Bee wherever she went! What a transformation! This became a consistent theme from then until now (and for the foreseeable future).
Adelaide is Queen Bee. Since puppy school, Adelaide has been vaccinated and is starting to mix with all kinds of dogs. We’ve brought her to outdoor movies (Christie Pitts summer film festival, open roof film festival) and she tired herself out pretty quickly. She wants everyone to be her best friend. A fun activity both pup and human enjoyed was going to Dogs and Coffee. Unfortunately this dog-friendly coffee shop just went out of business last month but we got the chance to say goodbye on their closing day. You can check out the farewell video on Instagram, @iggyadelaide. Just this weekend we also tried out Black Lab Brewery, a bar dedicated to dogs and beer. It was a busy place filled with happy dogs and happy dog parents sipping on brews.
One of our favorite experiences to date is the day we attended the Fall Canadian Pet Expo! Adelaide probably met over 50 dogs and so many lovely humans. Big or small, Adelaide is fearless. One thing we are working on is trying to tame our little wild lady. She is extremely outgoing which is wonderful, especially since iggys tend to be shy. The only problem is that when she is so playful, she doesn’t know that other dogs aren’t always willing or interested in playing too. Luckily every dog (and dog owner) we’ve interacted with has been understanding and happy to test the waters with our adventurous little girl. Adelaide shows no fear whether big or small. She met tiny chihuahuas and 200lbs Great Danes. When we come across dogs that don’t want to mix, we try our best to coax her away with a treat and the “touch” trick (when she puts her nose to the palm of your hand). We’re currently maybe 50% successful with this tactic but we hope to learn even more tools during dog training.
This weekend, we have a visitor - Jess’s old roommate’s dog is staying with us for a couple days. Another chance for socialization! For the very first time, Adelaide has to share her space. Maizie is here with us as I write this, resting on the couch while Adelaide cautiously sniffs her and figures out when they’ll get to play. (Spoiler Alert: Maizie doesn’t like to play at all!) Adelaide seems to be mellowing to match Maizie’s chill level and it’s so exciting to see. They are both around 6lbs but Maizie is a 6 year old toy poodle who doesn’t put up with puppy none sense. I’m sure we’ll have many more stories in the future to share, but til then, Adelaide will be sniffing and creeping her way into Maizie’s heart.