Keiko's First Thunderstorm

Yesterday I went down to the World Series of Dog Shows in Houston, the last BIG dog show before Westminster. I had a great time! I was going to bring the puppy (usually you can't bring personal pets to dog shows) as this show made an exception but was told at the last minute that they weren't allowing personal pets. That bit of information turned out to be false so I was a little bummed that I hadn't brought the puppy along but by the same token I was kind of glad that I got to experience the show without having to worry about what my puppy was doing. I bought some more Zuke's Natural Minis (this time the peanut butter flavor) and a tan british slip lead (like this: http://leerburg.com/mendota.htm#883) I like the tan color...it's perfect for my little red stockdog. :) I also got some sample packets of THK (The Honest Kitchen Dog Food) which means I will probably start feeding that in the next month or so. /grin/ I'm not sure if I've mentioned it in a previous post, but I'm considering the prospect of moving to feeding a raw diet along with the natural kibble Keiko is on or feeding THK along with a raw diet. While feeding raw is comparable to what I pay for Innova, I think as a college student there may be times when I forget or run out of time to always have the proper ingredients stocked in the fridge. So for now I will feed a combination that offers me a little more flexibility. I'll update with the research as I get on with it.

So I originally started this post to talk about the progress Keiko is made and to point out how pleased I am with her. But then a thunderstorm started (whoop for the first serious rain in this area all summer!!) as I began typing so I got distracted. It is raining pretty hard and thundering fairly loud too. Herding breeds (like the Collie, BC, and Aussie) tend to be a little more sensitive to loud noises than your average dog. I don't think Aussies are as bad as BCs but I think they are a little more sensitive than others. Keiko looked a little bewildered but I ignored her behavior (as opposed to petting and "comforting" her which would actually enable the fear) and made her wire crate more "den-like". I covered the side of it with a thick, large bathroom rug which she usually lays on and put the box it came in over the top of it. That will help it seem more enclosed and also helps block some of the sound. However, I didn't lock her inside of it. I left the door open for her to retreat and come out as she pleases. I also set up a little comfort spot in the closet for her to check out in case that made her feel more comfortable. Right now she is laying down on the floor in front of my bed, checking out her rawhide bone. She seems to be a bit more at ease. Looks like all is going well during our first thunderstorm. :)

Update: Keiko is now laying down on the floor beside my bed (now next to me) and is not looking up when the thunder sounds. Yay!