| Panama and I are kindred spirits. Aside from being a gorgeous dog from
champion bloodlines he is my great friend and constant companion. Panama is not one of my dogs.
The other dogs are mine and Panama's.
As a pup he had to learn to be gentle with other small animals (we've had
sugar gliders, birds and ferrets). I am guessing that this is where his
protective instincts were honed to what they are today. He oversees all
interaction between other animals and keeps everyone in line. He will
immediately step in to protect any animal that he thinks is being
treated too roughly - and his standards are even stricter than mine.
He will also go out and bring one of the young dogs in from the yard. I
don't know how he knows to do that but he seemed to understand what I wanted
when I'd call the lagging one and off he'd go to herd her in.
Although he's lots of fun, Panama is a very serious dog. He trains
seriously and plays seriously. No one I know has a longer attention span
than Panama. He will focus entirely on the task at hand whether it's
fetching a tennis ball or learning a new trick (unless he's with one of the
girls in heat in which case he's focused but not on tricks or tennis balls).
Panama is very tolerant of all the other dogs (who have all come after
him) but he has rules. Only he sleeps under my chin. No one else may take
that spot. Only he sits on the back of my chair (although he may allow
another to join him if they can fit and don't get pushy) and he picks his
spot near me on the sofa - depending on my position - where he'll sit before
anyone else gets to sit. His number one rule is that no other dog may
- ever - fetch a tennis ball. I suppose I could have broken him of
this but I haven't. He's been good enough with all the other dogs and
puppies that I'm willing to allow him sole dominion over tennis balls.
In spite of our great affection for and dedication to each other, Panama
is not a one-person dog. He is always happy to see other family members and
friends and even strangers. I believe this is largely due to the fact that
as a pup he accompanied me everywhere from local outings to cross country
trips. As a result he was exposed to a wide variety of people (who all made
a fuss over him).
On our travels he has done a lot to dispel the image of poodles as being
fru-fru dogs. (The fact that he wouldn't be caught dead with a topknot
didn't hurt either. People didn't always realize he was a poodle.)
I have never known a smarter animal (and I've known a lot of people who
don't seem this smart) or a better companion.
It is from Panama that I've learned the depth of communication that is possible with a dog.
He also makes great babies. |
