Puppy Play-date

Yesterday was Bela's first puppy play-date--she LOVED it! A friend of mine who lives in a nearby town has a little Bull Terrier the same age as Bela. We've been trying to arrange a play-date since the two of them have had all their vaccinations and yesterday was finally the big day.

Everything I've read about having a puppy talks about the importance of socializing them with other dogs and puppies, not only because in the future they'll have less tendency to be aggressive toward other dogs, but because they learn manners from each other. Bela was too young to be taken from her mommy when we got her... but she was the last of the litter and the owners weren't going to hold onto her for us so we brought her home when she was just 35 days old. Usually they're at least two months old and in those two months they learn from their mom and their litter-mates about how to play, when a bite is too hard, etc. So it's especially important for a puppy like Bela to learn to play nicely with other dogs...and in theory it should save me some training in the nippy/biting area.

Mila, our little Bull Terrier friend is a tank! She weighs just a little more than Bela but she's pure muscle, super compact and really strong. Bela looked like a greyhound in comparison--long-legged and fine-boned. I must admit that I was a little nervous about our date because although Bull Terrier's are not listed as a dangerous breed, they are dogs bred for fighting; but in the end, there was no need to worry. Mila is a sweetie and from the very start they hit it off. And as it turned out, my floppy, fine-boned lab was able to hold her own in their rough and tumble around the patio. :) They played hard for about 30 min. while I had a coffee with our friends and then we decided to take them out for a walk.

On walks I don't tend to let Bela loose because she still isn't very good about coming when I call her. However, with a buddy around, I thought there'd be no harm. She didn't do badly...but it was pretty funny to walk these two dogs together because you could immediately tell the difference between the two breeds. Mila, being more protective and territorial stayed close, never wandering far off, and always circling back to us. Bela, on the other hand, was sniffing like mad running hither and thither with her nose glued to the ground. When we'd call them to catch up with us, little Mila would come running as fast as her squaty little legs could carry her and Bela would usually not listen at all. When she'd finally come running, she'd inevitably catch a whiff of something too interesting to resist and spin around to follow the scent! I guess I've got a hunter on my hands, but I need to teach her to ignore all that and pay attention to me. (Wish me luck!)

It turns out, however, that aside from both of them being extremely playful, they also share a love for sun-dried olives! The two of them were tapeando for the entire walk through the olive groves. An hour and a half later we got back to the house and our puppies were just a bit tired. ;) Bela was still up for some play time, but Mila was noticeably cansada. When our guests left, however, Bela was ready for bed. I did my best to keep my baby awake as I heated some water for a bath (she was all slobbery after such a fun date!), but she was nodding off in my arms. I think exhaustion is the key to a good bath experience: she didn't move a muscle, not even when I blew her dry! I brought the kennel inside so she wouldn't be cold and she passed out immediately for the rest of the evening.

At the moment she's asleep in her kennel. I think the magic of puppy play-time is still showing its effects. My friend and I both agreed that this is something we need to do at least once a week...if not for the dogs, then for our own sanity, because it's oh so nice to have a tired puppy!