Living on the Edge

How do I still not put two and two together when Girlie’s edgy, mouthy, bordering-on-belligerent behavior is manifesting the evening before a trip or event?  As the afternoon passes into evening, it’s as if Girlie is watching for Boyo to put a toe out of line; she chastises, lectures, and nags at him – and us!  Dearest and I were talking about plans for the next day, which happens to be a Puppy Raisers event for Girlie and The Pup two hours away, and getting driving directions and phone numbers written down.  All the while, Girlie is criticizing her brother (who thankfully just got home from a late rehearsal and is in a pretty relaxed and tolerant mood!).  After several reminders that she is working herself up to trouble, I finally just left the room, and it hit me (again): she is acting on nerves!

Girlie is doing very well with raising and training this pup for Guide Dogs of America.  She has been going to monthly training events, all of which have been out of town, and had several weeks of obedience training with him.  Girlie is aware that The Pup is leaving, most likely in April, and she does get sad and occasionally weepy when she thinks about it.  The bigger issue, here, is that the event tomorrow involves a long drive in a lot of traffic and it’s way out of her routine and comfort zone.  Would I deal with it any differently if I realized it sooner?  No, in fact, I think the only difference would be that I wouldn’t get so annoyed, but I still wouldn’t let her talk to anyone else the way she was.  

We had a little conversation about anticipation and feeling nervous, and how that can sometimes affect our behavior in negative ways.  Then I complimented her on the manicure she’d given herself (Surprise! Right out of the blue!) because a little bit of ‘girl talk’ can be just the thing to take the edge off.   :-)

The Pup - Labrador Retriever / Golden Retriever cross, 8 months.

Here is The Pup last August - he has a knitted, felted squeaker toy in this mouth.  It was fun for a (very short) while, but he was at the 'grind-y' stage of teething and apparently that thick wool toy was just the thing to take the edge off.  :-)