Anyway, the night that Ryan got here Frodo and I also had our first night of tricks class. I had to do dog swims first, and then race home and get the little brat right before class started, which worried me a bit as it meant we would get there and all of the other dogs would already be there! Something I try and avoid as I like to be there first and treat as the other dogs show up.

Not this night. We walked in the building and all the other dogs for class are already there. Plus I was a little frazzled with Ryan being there (I'm like my dog, little changes in the environment throw us off!), but I was very very pleasantly surprised.

We had NO REACTIONS the whole class! NONE! Even when another dog in class had a reaction and had to be moved into a different area! Even when my trainer's dog was staring at Frodo from her crate! He was a perfect little gentleman!

I was so proud of him! He was also a champ at the stuff we worked on, though he knew most of the tricks before we went to class, so we did have an advantage over some of the others in class. One we had never worked on and that I thought would give him trouble was the little tunnel we set up. I was worried about him being scared by the way it moved and how it was enclosed. Boy did he make a liar out of me!

I think it was probably his favorite of the night. On one go-through Ryan accidentally threw the treat too far so it went through the tunnel and way across the room, way close to a Wheaten Terrier in class that Frodo has never met before. Of course my heart was in my throat and my eyes were probably as big as saucers, but my little man ran, got the treat from less than 2 feet away from the dog, turned and ran right back to me! Didn't even give the dog a second glance.

I was beaming at the end of the night. I hope that he continues to do so well, both in class and on the dog walks. I just wish we could get amazing results like this out on regular walks.

Anyway, we have our second class tonight and here's to hoping it goes as well!

P.S. (remember writing that on notes in elementary school? :p) Should I be using the treat that I *only* use for desensitization out on walks while on the dog walk and at class? I feel like they are two totally different things altogether. He doesn't/rarely has reactions in class/on the walks, but he still most of the time has reactions on regular walks. Should I treat him the the desensitizing treat while we walk into the training building, and then switch to regular treats? I don't want to tarnish the desensitization treat by using it as a reward for tricks that we are working on in class...

Any comments/help on that front would be greatly appreciated. :)

This post, more than anything, is meant as something I can look back to every time I get the puppy wants again during the next 3 years or so, because I DO NOT NEED ANOTHER DOG RIGHT NOW.

Reasons I shouldn't get another dog:

-I am going back to school next semester, working full time, busy with dog stuff, and I really just don't have hours upon hours to spend training another dog.

-Ryan wants to be part of raising/training the next dog, and *I* want him to be part of this as well. He said that he doesn't mind if I get another dog, because it would make me happy, but I know that he really wants to share the experience with me and denying him that is unfair.

-We don't know 100% how Ryan's allergies are going to be when he is living with Frodo, and I don't want to get in over my head and make him more uncomfortable by living with 2 dogs if he hasn't adjusted to one yet.

-My mom may be selling the house which means I will either be living with my grandparents or going with my mom. Going with my mom puts me over an hour away from school/work/training and going with my grandparents means I have to have trained dogs, and a puppy/shelter dog isn't going to be.

-It is going to be easier to find a place to live with one 30 pound dog than with 2 dogs and one of them weighing over 50 lbs.

-My mom isn't a dog person. She's really not. She does well with Frodo and takes care of him for me when I need her to, but she isn't thrilled with dogs in general, and I don't think it's quite fair, even if she says it's okay, to bring another dog in the house. It would also add more stress because I would be stressed about the new dog bothering her.

-I'm going to be traveling a lot these next few years. Ryan and I are trying to see each other at least every other month, which means I will be spending a lot of time away in Minnesota and during this time my mom will have to care for Frodo, and I don't think adding another dog to her responsibilities is fair or a good idea.

-Consistency in training is not going to happen while I am living with my mom and little sister. It's just not.

-I need to focus on paying off my car and my student loans, not dumping a ton of money into a dog and then more money into training, vet bills, possibly trialing, etc.

-Frodo still has so long to go in his training. It's not like I would be able to walk both Frodo and another dog (plus there is still Mollie who I have to worry about!) at the same time, Frodo still has reactions sometimes when we are out on walks and the last thing I need is another dog to think that is acceptable!

-I'm already paying for food, treats, grooming, etc. for Mollie ("family dog"), Frodo, and Inky ("family cat"), and that is enough for me at this point if I still want the freedom to do fun stuff on my own.

-Life is pretty easy right now. I know what to expect from the dogs, they know what to expect from me, life goes on. Adding a new dog would bring loads of stress and I'm quite capable of getting my daily dose of stress all on my own.

Reasons I *should* get another dog:

-I WANT ONE!!

-I have access to doggy daycare that I may not have in the future.

-I want to trial and I don't know that Frodo will ever be able to trial.

So in the end, when I'm thinking rationally and not sifting through Petfinder and breeder websites, the truth is that adding another dog right now is just *not* the best option, any way you look at it.

So for now I will focus on Frodo and school and getting debt free, and I am going to start working with a trainer in agility and rally (unless something stops us from those) as soon as I pay off my car, and I'll keep telling myself that even if we can't ever compete we can still have fun learning!

The End.