The Bulldog Powerhouse

I haven't done a Ruthie specific update and I think it's about time. In a nut shell, the little bulldog has impressed me. I went into frenchie ownership with the thought that it would be fun to try some performance events with her, but really, a dog that would be happy to just hang around the house with Adam when I was off with the danes would be really great as well. I had been warned about their legendary stubbornness. I had been warned that they were not exactly designed to be a performance dog. I had also been warned that frenchies are not danes and do not require the kind of exercise that my danes are used to getting. With all that in mind, this little midget dog has been quite the pleasant surprise. She's a little powerhouse!

This dog LOVES to train! Really, she loves to do anything. While she can be happy to chill with you on the couch, she's also just as happy to be out for a walk or out training wherever. Once she figures something out, she's got it. It's all about teaching it to her in a way that makes sense to HER. Then again, that's what all dog training is about. It's just that teaching her things is a fair bit different than teaching the danes things.

I've been gradually building up her conditioning routine and she's now this happy, energetic, bouncy little thing too! She's doing almost exactly the same core conditioning exercises that the danes are doing, I just have to alter things according to her size to make them a little more challenging. On our casual walks, she loves to go bounding ahead of me. 20 min. is almost no effort for her any more. She's actually to the point where I occasionally take her out on light hikes off leash with the danes; weather dependent. And if you can hold back your amazement, tonight she went on a one hour light hike with us and she was strong to the finish and still doesn't seem very phased by her outing.

She just continues to amaze me (in good ways!) and I'm very definitely looking forward to what's in store in the future!