Introducing Parker

Parker is a ten month old Standard Poodle. His breeder calls him blue. My vet calls him black.

I call him mine.

Parker came to us October 31st. Unsocialized, untrained, uncut. Mike and I set three goals for keeping him. (1) He had to get along with our other two dogs. (2) He had to pass a vet’s exam for healthy. (3) He had to get along well with the grankids.

(1) No problem. Mike brought Parker into the backyard where the other two dogs were waiting. Emmy, the little Papillon, went up for a good sniff. Parker stood still without reacting. Then Emmy walked away and hasn’t wanted to have anything to do with him since. Tilly sniffed as well and then did a play bow. Parker returned it, so we let him off the leash and the two of them had a wild time chasing each other around the yard. It almost looked like a game of tag as they switched off who chased whom.

That turned out to be a mistake, though, as we finally had to call his breeder to come over because Parker refused to come to us or enter the house.

(2) The vet’s exam wasn’t as easy a test to pass as Parker was ‘loaded with worms.’ Three days of deworming seemed to do the trick, although it set back any chance of getting social. Didn’t want him out and about, spreading it elsewhere. And yesterday was the real heart stopper as we had him tested for heartworms.

He passed!

(3) After two weeks, Mike and I are agreed. If he doesn’t get along with the grandchildren, we’ll keep the dog and send the kids home.

So today, training began in earnest.