Today was the first day I brought Archie back to school with me. I like to take the first class to forewarn my professors and TA's that I'll be bringing a dog with me to class, and most are very nice about it. I assure them that he won't be a problem, and that if he becomes a distraction for some reason I will take him out of the classroom. Fortunately, everybody thought Archie was an angel, despite the occasional whines or scratching. I, on the other hand, realized that I can't expect to bring him back to class without keeping up with his "sitting still" training. His eye contact was lacking, he was fidgety, he liked to pretend he didn't know what "stay" meant...all of this I know is my fault, as much as I'd like to blame him for being a bad dog. We'll have to work between classes on better classroom etiquette, and have him sit in down-stays when I'm doing homework to practice.
I find myself wondering when he'll settle down? He has never fell asleep in class, even when we've had it for hours in a row. I know he's tired, because like a little kid rubs his eyes, Archie fidgets and whines. I'm going to look forward to the day when I can tell him to lay down for a while, and he falls asleep. He's also really jumpy, even if others start moving or I change positions in my seat he's ready to get up and go.
He also likes to rest his head on my feet though, which is adorable and makes me melt, even after he's thrown a tantrum because I put his gentle leader on. He also LOVES the CATA bus! I can't walk past one without him trying to hop on it! When our bus arrives he tries to beat me on it, and his reaction is hilarious because his tail starts wagging really fast and he's so happy to get on. He looks at me with really excited eyes, and of course tries to sit on the seats (which I can't really blame him for because he rides on the backseat in my car, so why should he know any different?).
With school starting, we'll be getting used to another new schedule. My other dogs have adjusted to this fine, but I'm pretty sure Archie needs about 2 months before he can start to anticipate what's going to happen...I think he was purposely given to me to teach me patience. If you're the kind of person who thinks you have lots of patience, I'll give you Archie for a few days and then we'll see what you think! He is a VERY good boy overall though, even if he pushes my buttons sometimes :)
All in all, it's been a pretty positive beginning to the semester. Books are bought, dog treats are ready to go in the bait bag, and his selection of leashes is hanging by the door so we can take a pick in the morning :)
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