[nagdu] Tami's back! was stress, how much is too much?

[Tami Jarvis]

Hey, you! I've missed all of you, too, except that I could keep in touch 
by reading all of your messages when I had time. So many new people, new 
dogs, new ideas or new takes on familiar subjects. Fun stuff!

Mitzi is 6 now, very ancient. She is so sedate and settled, I worry 
about her encroaching decrepitude... Well, but only when she's not 
running the puppy into the ground or whizzing me along at poodle speed 
or bouncing around just because she's happy or... /lol/ Yup, she's still 
going strong! I'm starting to think seriously about the acquisition of a 
replacement prospect, but don't plan to do anything for another couple 
of years, even if I end up going with baby puppy... DD's baby pup is now 
nearly 14 months, and has a superb temperament, so I'll probably do some 
practice training with her, once I figure out how to keep my arms 
attached because she is a power pup!

Yes, we sucked it up and took the plunge back in April. We'd been 
talking about it for a couple of years, had rings in the safe and all, 
just never got around to doing the deed... Hopeless Romantics, us! NOT!

Anyway, we finally got Dad settled into the retirement center and his 
house taken care of, so while we were at it, we bought a new house over 
here and then moved ourselves. We are clearly suckers for punishment! 
We're mostly settled in now, love the house and especially the bigger 
backyard where the dogs can run play and I can play with them. Also, 
away from the Road of Certain Doom, I can just pop out the door with my 
guide and go to town! Once I get used to the colder climate. /lol/ We've 
done some exploratory trips together, and I also need to explore new 
routes to downtown for the snow, since the most direct route takes us up 
and over a steep overpass. I picture myself being dragged up by my poor 
dog, then just skiing down the other side. /lol/

With all the hustle bustle and move and run around getting ever more 
obscure bits of paperwork for the mortgage, I've found your comments and 
questions about stress very timely. /lol/ We're still getting used to 
the idea that we're actually through it all and starting to remember 
what we do in our real lives. Whew!

Glad you and Monty are still doing well. I hope you figure out what is 
causing him stress and how to help him through it. You will, of course. 
I think that the positive training methods and reinforcement provides a 
lot of tools for problems that may crop up later on... I find it easy to 
forget that Mitzi still needs that cheering and reassurance and praise 
so get caught up in my expectations that she's just going to be all good 
all the time... Ooops! Then I find myself doing what little I know of 
Tellington touch, massage, other calming techniques like that we've 
worked out over the years. Also, simply taking time out to arrange some 
fun type of work, like a good brisk walk at poodle speed with a little 
variation or something, and setting her up for success where she can 
show me (and preferably an admiring audience!) how freaky clever she is 
can go a long way toward cheering her up so she can just be all good all 
the time... Or something close. /smile/

Cheers,

Tami (now Jarvis!)

On 11/14/2012 10:46 AM, Julie J. wrote:
> Heya!
>
> You're back!  I missed you.  Mitsy is still going strong I see.  How old
> is she now?  And you got married?  Congratulations!
>
> Julie
>
>
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