Wednesday 26 June 2024

Peppa is a very different dog from Penny

 Peppa and I go to play-and-train most Sunday mornings. It's great fun and a chance for Peppa to be around other dogs. 

In going there, I've definitely confirmed that Penny was a very different creature from Peppa. Penny was not afraid of anyone or anything, a calm presence and a confident explorer of new situations and people.

Peppa is timid. I'm not sure whether this is because she is a 'Covid baby' and spent the first months of her life in a quiet household in a basically silent neighbourhood. It has been said that we had 'the longest lockdown in the world.' Perhaps it wasn't the longest, but it did teach Peppa that there should be no sound out on the street after nine pm, and established that she should alert us to anyone out and about at night. We don't mind that, as she is a great watchdog.

However, I think it's probably just her temperament to be nervous in new situations. 

Today we tried out a new short tunnel, in the expectation that she would go through it, seeing she has been through longer and darker tunnels at dog play sessions.

But no. That red thing looked quite strange and threatening...


Eventually a piece of cheese tempted her to put her head into the tunnel. But no way was she going to step in.

So that's where we've left it so far. It's always 'baby steps' when introducing her to anything new.

3 comments:

Misadventures of Widowhood said...

How cool to go to play and train each week. Socialization with other dogs is a good thing to learn and I do think Covid Lock down did effect the development of young children who had to be isolated at a young age, so it makes sense that puppies would be affected the same.

Duke said...

Peppa is such a cutie! Would she go through if you were holding cheese in your hand to coax her through?
I understand about Peppa and Penny being different as Duke is as different as night and day to who Molly was.

parlance said...

Duke, I'm intending to try with the cheese further in and eventually me at the other side, but because she's nervous, we will, as they say, 'hasten slowly'.