I hardly blogged at all during the fall. Instead, I have dedicated myself to recovery, above all – actually, after the burnout I suffered after all the cancer treatments. I've been burned out before and am ridiculously sensitive to stress, so I'm not surprised. However, it is more than enough.
Men – Boyo has managed to turn four, so I thought I'd tell you a little about my cuckoo for a dog (because of course you've never heard of him before 😀 ).
If you have read about Boyo before, so you may remember that I experienced him as extremely unfocused and easily distracted. Well – he still is. Especially outdoors. He is also quite quirky to the extent that he divides his attention between smell and sight. As an unneutered male dog, he likes to stick his nose in the hill when we are out, which I can perceive as petty because we never get anywhere. The walks with him take an extremely long time compared to Ella. But he is also very curious about sound, and that he to be. He can get stuck and stare at something for a good while before he is done and can think of moving on. Oh my God, I'm just saying – that's a real #facepalm on that.
He's right many bad sides, actually, my dog. He is quite big, clumsy, totally unaware of its size, he is clumsy and quite close-minded in his expressions of love. He likes to climb/jump on whoever he greets, and so he prefers to stand and hang with his front legs over your arm. New perspectives on the world, it's like Boyo's thing. #anotherfacepalm Like the German Shepherd he is, he is also very easily excited and can be hard to bring down in energy once he gets into an upward spiral. Ella was much worse – I give him that. But still. He can also be whiny and generally goofy at times – and he is extremely motherly (although it has actually gotten better).
Then he has sides that are both good and bad, depending a little on how you look at it. 😀
He has to example an attitude to life that EVERYTHING is fantastic. Everyone he meets naturally loves him as much as he loves them. In his world, it doesn't exist, the thing about someone being mean. He only expects good things, and behaves accordingly. He takes liberties without even thinking sometimes, which for some is charming while for others it is extremely disturbing.
Regarding he is generally very good with other dogs, actually. He is a happy-go-lucky dog, and mostly want to have fun. Then there is the fact that he is very forward and go-getter, which can be perceived by some dogs as cage dust and ill-mannered. However, he has spent his entire life with various dogs on a more or less daily basis, so he's pretty good at that dog language thing, After all. He is especially good with dogs that are a bit cautious and shy – he shows that life is not scary at all, and drags them along with just the momentum.
Then it is Boyo not very racially typical in terms of outlet for energy, can I think. Last winter was not a bit of fun for any of us, considering how exhausted I was from chemo. Our walks were mostly to rest him, and usually got no further than around the block. I felt quite sorry for him, but he never became as rough as you think a dog can get from a little physical movement. In addition, he was super good when we went up the stairs (I live on the third floor) because it was so slow.
He actually is a real couch potato, although of course he appreciates going for a good walk. Now during the autumn I have had problems with a torn hamstring, so instead of going for such long walks as I planned, Boyo has had to go with a hoof bag with weight to get a little extra out of the walks. Now the heel is finally starting to feel better, so hopefully we'll be able to go further in some sort of relatively near future – until it starts to get hot. And before I forget; the hoof bag has yielded results. Boyo has started to get a little rougher – finally, to my great joy.
Is Boyo what I hoped he would be?
Yes and no.
I had enough expected him to be more like Ella – above all in terms of concentration and focus. They are very similar in many ways, especially in the very fact that they are both shepherds. As individuals, however, they are very different. Ella was driven, Boyo is very layback. Ella always wanted to move forward, Boyo enjoys the here and now more. Ella learned what you wanted before you had time to teach it. Boyo is significantly slower and slower than her.
Boyo is though significantly more manageable than Ella ever was. Although he can be quite when he gets stubborn, then he is easier to take down. He is also not in the same mental rush as Ella, which is actually quite grateful as a private person. He is an extremely nice dog, despite his clumsiness and outdated way of showing love.
My dog is far from perfect. There are probably a lot of people who think he is rough around the edges and ill-mannered – and of course one can think so. But for me – for oss, does he work. Together we have found a way to have our relationship that I personally appreciate immensely.
So my big, clumsy, awkward muppets – congratulations on the 4th anniversary, mattes to the prince! ♥