Morning sun

Claire and Nobu snoozing on the sofa in the morning sun after a good walk in the park on the long lead, and a hearty breakfast. Nobunaga has been with us two months now, and Claire a whole six months, half a year! The changes in Nobu over these eight weeks have been pretty spectacular: he now waits patiently with Claire in the entrance without being restrained  on a leash until I wipe down his dirty paws and give him the okay to enter. He plays with toys instead of running away to hide- even Mum has become a toy, he jumps up and invites me to play now. He now chooses to be up on the sofa instead of secluded in the hallway on the cold hard floorboards. He has gained four to five kilos in weight and as his body has filled out he has gained healthy muscles and contours. He has begun to enjoy birds! (Two dogs straining on the leash after pigeons -help!) He no longer barks wildly at every passing dog inviting them to play, he's learned there are times and places to play, and that not all dogs are interested. He's learned not to eat everything he finds on walks including poops, and no longer goes wild over plastic bags he finds, happy to get treats and good food in our home. 

These first two months have been tiring, I guess for Nobu too, establishing routines and getting to know each other. I feel a little washed out, need to recharge my batteries, and some days I can't get up for an early morning walk, and the dogs get less exercise. Sometimes I see Nobu remembering frustrated patterns of being scolded from before, and he gets a devil may care attitude going wild as I race after him calling, so I never scold when I catch up with him. But I'm trying to get him to behave from the good of his heart because he wants to be loved and appreciated and fit in with the family. I've learned to crouch down on the floor curled up in a little ball if I don't want to play, and he gets the message to leave me alone.

I'm not saying it's going to be plain sailing from here, but I think things will be a little more easy...Claire is perfection, the most beautiful sweet lady, and Nobu will be her samurai, spectacular athletic body with a refined sense of self-control and excellent poise...I'm working on it! :P

Claire on the prowl

Claire has found pigeons

Nobu doing his butter wouldn't melt in my mouth face while taking Claire's spot on the sofa

Nobu deciding it's safe and settling in for a nap

Downtime

Four on the sofa

Playing with the kong

Euphoria

Researching music for my December chacha with Kent-sensei I bought an Enrique Iglesias CD, only to find that he's dedicated it to his dog, Grammy. Another dog-lover:
Euphoria to me is finding heaven on earth.
Taking joy in the great events and
smaller moments in your life...
NO matter where the road takes me.
no matter where I go, I will always cherish the
feeling of comin' home
Returning to my small corner of the world
to rest, and spend a perfect afternoon with my old
and loyal friend Grammy. Through thick and thin, highs and lows, roars
and whispers thank-you Grammy, for always running
down the drive when you hear the car pull up
and welcoming me back...to heaven on earth
This album is dedicated to Grammy
-someday we'll be together again
It's not really got any particularly good songs I'd like to dance to, although I quite like the monotony of the song Heartbeat...Meanwhile Claire ate my dance shoe today for some reason, she was near the table making busy chewing noises and I thought it was her pig's trotter, only it was my latin dance trotter - yikes. After a year of dancing it was all sweaty and smelly, so it must have been particularly delicious. My fault for abandoning the shoes on the kitchen floor instead of putting them away in their soft bag, but at least a good excuse to buy a new pair.

Nobu, down

Dodo sensei flashes a smile during training



Reaching for a treat-good Nobu!



Nobu has difficulty with down

Dodo sensei works his magic - good Nobu

Nobu seems a bit off color today

So were mum and Claire...taking it easy...

Windsor and Nobu

I've made some new friends in Kuraki park when I walk over in the evening, and Nobu gets a chance to play with his doggie pals. First we met a 1-year old shiba called Piccolo, who enjoyed playing tag with Nobu. Down in the hollow by the lake a group of dog mamas met up, and Nobu began to happily play with Windsor, taking turns going belly up and then jumping on top in a dominating hug.

Puppy Nobu

Nobu is so much a puppy, he just oozes enthusiasm and constantly wants to play. Lately when I go picking up poops in the garden he's jumping on me, which is not really something I want to encourage, even though I know it's purely in good heart ...He's jumping on a work of art, little does he know it! It's a Kasumi sweater! 

My efforts to get him interested in an old shoe are only half successful...he likes playing with the shoe, but he likes making Mummy squeal even more. He's been with us almost two months now, so I'm hoping he'll settle down as time goes by. Nobu's changing every day, putting on weight, filling out, gaining confidence, a little older, a little wiser.