In order to meet my friend Rita at Evergreen Valley College/Montgomery Park in San Jose at 8:30, we got up at 5:00 am and were out the door by 6:00 am. Here is the look Mocha gave me at 5:00 am. (Me too Mocha! But it's time to get up and get going!)
Today she was going back to Karen. So we loaded her toys and goodies in van along with everything we would need for tracking, and off we went!
I laid track for Rita's Shetland Sheepdogs, Gina and Scout, both of whom did really nice work. Then it was Mocha's turn. The track was aged a bit more than before, but it was nice and cool so wasn't likely to be a problem.
Rita was kind enough to video tape our two training tracks with my digital camera. The links to the video are provided below.
At first, you'll see Mocha trying to get over to Scout's track we had just run (and I say "good boy" to Mocha? - old habits! I've only had boys for a long time.), I also manage to put the harness on upside down, and released her too quickly so she does a face-plant at the start of the track. Nothing like being filmed to make one more clumsy than usual! Then she zooms down the track. You can see when she makes a mistake by getting slightly off track, and then how she recovers with very clear body language.
When she gets to the end of the first track, and I'm playing with her and the article, she's actually trying to continue down the same place I walked to start the next track a little further up.
The second video starts with me "suitcasing" her up to the actual start of the second track. This track had a small curve to the left, and she did veer off the track at one point and have to work it out, but that's all part of the learning process and she tracked extremely well. I was especially happy to see her reaction to the article - stopped, wagged her tail, waited for me to catch up and was willing to "show me" by touching the article to get more treats. All VERY good things in a VERY novice dog!
After running Ethan's track, we went for a quick walk. Mocha liked touching noses with the Shelties, and they all accepted her and treated her with curiosity.
SAYING GOODBYE :-(
After we were done tracking (and lunch), it was time to take Mocha back to Karen. She was very excited to see Karen and all her siblings, but warmed my heart when, on one occasions, she didn't follow her sisters on a chase to the other side of the yard and wanted in the front yard with Ethan and me. I indulged her.
I'm so thankful to have had this experience. There's nothing like having a dog in your house for a couple of weeks to see what they are really like. Since there is quite a difference between sighthounds and herding breeds, I wanted more information to know whether or not this breed really might be in my future. If they're all like Mocha, it's easy to see why people say "They're like potato chips...you can't have just one."
Many people have read my daily "blogs" about Mocha and have asked me, "How can you give her up?". Given her enthusiasm for tracking especially, it was tempting to consider the possibility of asking about making her a permanent resident here.
BUT, I have to think about the bigger picture. I'm on the list for a Terv puppy in the spring, from the breeder who produced my dog Ethan, who is just a wonderful boy! She doesn't breed litters that often, and the timing is right for me to get a puppy since I now have only one dog.
Since Silken's aren't yet AKC registered, it would put me in an awkward position when attending AKC events with Ethan. I like to bring all my dogs with me and spend time with them. I would not want to leave my Silken home (or with friends) each time I attended an event. If I wait a few more years, they might be closer to registration. All I care about would be Foundation Stock Service status, since FSS dogs are allowed to participate.
So, right now I'm thinking that in perhaps three years or so, when Ethan will be 11 yrs, "new Terv puppy" age 3...and depending on Silken's AKC status, I might be able to get my Silken then. Having three dogs instead of two would be another big change for me, but I think I could manage two Tervs and a Silken more easily than three Tervs.
Meanwhile, though I know she's happy with Karen and clan, I have my fingers crossed that someone who has been considering a Silken might consider Mocha for their very own. Mocha's color makes her perhaps a little less "flashy" than her littermates, but she has a WONDERFUL personality!
For those of you out there thinking that five months is "too old" of a puppy, it's actually really a great age - at least it is for Mocha. She's old enough that you don't have to take her out to go potty every 10 minutes (in fact, when we weren't going out and about a lot, she did show me that she is housebroken as she acted restless, whined and went to the door asking to be let out), she's had all her vaccinations, so she's ready to go anywhere...and there's still a LOT of puppy in her.
MOCHA IS:
Sweet! (The most common comment by everyone who met her)
Affectionate
Stable temperament (noisy/busy environments don't bother her, no food guarding issues, handles change well)
Outgoing - friendly to dogs and people (including children) alike
Has wonderful dog sense - reads other dogs well,and isn't too pushy
Housebroken - will ask to go outside and go potty
Crate trained
Rides well in the car (she was crated in my van)
Plays with toys - fun! (Retrieved toys for me on several occasions just needs to be trained a little bit)
Is food motivated - which makes training of any sort easier
Appropriate with cats - offered submissive gestures to our cat as well as to the other adult dogs in the house. She could easily live in a home with a cat(s).
She enjoys learning new things and is just a FUN dog to have around!
On these videos, Tucker reacted VERY strongly to the voice of his Auntie Kyla! Try and explain to him that's it's a video and that you and Ethan are not hiding outside - sheesh!
Anyway, I'm glad you got this chance to foster and spend time with a breed of dog you are interested in for your future (kind of like a trial run, so to speak - grin!). I think Mocha has highly benefited from the time she's been with you, too. She's had the opportunity to learn so much and be exposed to so many different activities and people. Like a puppy vacation in a way. I just hope that whoever her forever owner turns out to be, they are appreciative of the many talents you've brought out in her. She seems to be a sweet little girl and I'm sure we all wish her the very best for her future!