Taming a Hurricane: Life with My Dream Puppy

Ten months ago I was faced with a dilemma...

My dream puppy became available at the worst possible time

In late February of last year I had just quit a fabulous job with a company that I loved. I'd been there 13 years, I gave everything to that company. But it was time to move on. I wanted to move back to my home town and there just wasn't a way for me to have both. So we were going through some lay offs and I volunteered myself. I was a little lost. No plan, I was just packing my car and heading west. No plan, no job and no place to live.

If you've been around my blog you know I train and compete with my dog Quinn. You can read about it here It's been one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. In October of 2015 at the Siberian Husky Nationals I met a great woman named Barrie that owned and trained some of the top Siberians in the country. I was somewhat of a no-name at the national since I don't compete in conformation (the breed ring stuff you see on tv, Westminster and the like). So here I come with Quinn and they're all like 'who the heck is this chick'? Well Quinn and I won everything we entered that week, and I caught the attention of Barrie.

In March, Barrie's puppies were born. She is a big Rocky and Bullwinkle fan, so she named the pups after the show. From left to right; Dudley, Moose, Natasha, Whip and Squirrel. So I see the photos on FB and of course I'm giving likes like they're going out of style. I mean, just look! Next thing I know I get a private message that I will never forget. "April, I have a puppy for you if you're interested"

HOLY SHIT

There was really no other reaction I could had. Somebody like Barrie does not offer one of her puppies to somebody like me. The grandpa of this litter is the most titled ever Siberian Husky. EVER. In the history of the world, no other dog of this breed has earned more titles than the granddaddy of these beauties. Their mother is the #4 obedience and #2 agility dog in the country. Their father has a breed championship and a high level obedience title. This was an honor. And this is definitely my dream dog. Siberians that have been bred for, and have strong lineage in, performance events (particularly obedience) are incredibly hard to come by. And here I am being offered the chance of a puppy from the cream of the crop. 6 months ago they didn't even know who I was.

So where exactly are me and my current dog & cat and the puppy going to live?

I was going to stay with my brother until I found a job and a house. But with three small children, a pet bunny, and my two furries I was bringing into the house, they drew the line at another puppy. But I wasn't missing out on this (her last litter) so I said YES and took a chance on things just working out. I had a bit of time before she was ready to take home, so I'd figure it out. I moved to Las Vegas on April 14th, started my new job on April 17th. I moved into my house April 27th and took a midnight flight that night to Minneapolis to pick up the puppy. Minutes to spare, but it did work out.

She was a really good girl on the flight home

She was Squirrel in the liter, but I named her Aspen. Her AKC registered name is Frostbyte's Squirrel Shakes Her Aspen. Yeah, us crazy dog showing people have stupid long make-no-sense names for our dogs. Frostbyte is the kennel name of her breeder, I wanted to keep Squirrel to honor her roots (plus that's who she was when I fell in love with her) and Shakes Her Aspen is just fun for an agility dog. So that's the story of how she got here. Here's a photo of her with her Squirrel toy

But how's it going now that she's here?

Well let's just start with some of the cons about having an incredibly smart and well-bred dog. Huskies are fiercely independent dogs and they're amazing problem solvers. So when you have the smartest of the smart and the cleverist of the clever, you get NAUGHTY These dogs are thinkers with great physical endurance. And although it's wonderful combination, you have to be ready for what you're getting. Aspen has been nothing less than what was expected. There is no other name to call her besides her well earned nickname "Hurricane". She is fierce, she is powerful, she's fast and unstoppable. If left ignored it can be devastating.

What a lot of people don't realize is that a dog like this (most known for sled work) also needs brain work to keep them happy (and tired, which means less naughty). So the training really comes in handy here. In fact Barrie told me pretty recently that Aspen is "a lot of dog" and that most anyone else would have returned her by now. Thoughts crossed my mind once or twice lol

What have we accomplished so far?

Well, she was valedictorian of her puppy class. Ok, there's no such thing as valedictorian in puppy class. But she was awesome and clearly the best ;) She knows sit, down, stay, come, leave it, heel, turn, and a dozen or so competition obedience terms. In agility she knows proper jump form, she tunnels like a champ, she can do the tire and the teeter. We are working through some issues with the A-Frame and dog walk, but she knows how. She can read some agility body language moves like a front cross and some basic hand signals.

Every thing we learn is a struggle

Aspen learns on her own terms. She fights things she doesn't like. She doesn't focus long. She bites, she jumps and she is full of piss and vinegar at all hours of the day. This little hurricane is going to be my biggest challenge. Her independence makes training tricky. I can't train her like you would a golden retriever, or even like I would my other Siberian. She is tough, she is sassy and she is beautiful and loads of fun. I need to be diligent. So many days I'm frustrated with her. What it takes some dogs a day to learn it takes us 2 weeks. But here she is demonstrating a skill not easily accomplished with a dog her age. Those are treats on her feet. She is in a down stay with a leave it.

What she's taught me so far and what's next for us?

Look, you don't just simply tame a Hurricane. You learn to live together, you adjust to minimize the damage. She has taught me patience and will power. What's next is simple. We continue on the path we're on. We will continue agility classes and work AKC novice obedience on our own. We'll set some date goals to be ready to show and hopefully by this time next year I'm posting show brags about how well we did.

Gratuitous puppy photos for those who want to see