I'm feeling a little guilty

I'm feeling a little guilty for labeling my first-born Corgi "difficult."  It's one thing for me to admit here to all of you (the legions and legions of you who follow my blog!) that I myself can be difficult, but to label my sweet dog-girl Darby as difficult may have forever changed your view of her.

Truth be told, there are some difficult aspects of life with Darby.  She definitely has a hard time with other dogs.  You may remember she even spent her birthday/second reunion with her mom hiding on the upstairs landing.   Some of this goes back to her puppy-hood when she was definitely the least happy-go-lucky pup in her puppy class; she is shy by nature.  But, mostly it is a result of Glenn and me not being the kind of people who take our dogs with us everywhere.  I'm hoping we'll do that when we retire, but for now, The Darbs just isn't exposed to a lot of other dogs.  The ones she knows, like Jackie the Jack Russell who lives next door, she likes just fine.

The Darbs can be very affectionate.  But, usually only on her terms.

She loves to nuzzle and be nuzzled, but DON'T rub her back against the grain of the hair, or you might get a cranky, soft growl.  It's something we continue to work on. 

Sometimes she barks a short, clipped bark and clicks her teeth together (clicks -- NOT snaps) when she wants attention.  She rarely does that with me but often does it with Glenn (which he does not appreciate) and she did it with Erika this past weekend, too.  It seems she reserves it for people she knows.  She never does it with strangers.  It's another something we continue to work on. 

I'm difficult, but you still love me, don't you, One Who Feeds Us? 

Darby seems to need me.  She is happiest when she is in the same room with me and often wants to come in from outside to be with me, even if Glenn and Pumpkin are still outside.   Darby seems to try to maneuver herself to be in the position closest to me whenever possible.

Darby is very motivated to do things -- chase balls, JUMP, TUNNEL, do the weave polls (although she isn't great at them yet.)  She seems to enjoy doing these things,  but, she goes at it with a difficult seriousness that sometimes seems to me like it might almost negate the joy.  She is an over-achiever and has a seriously good work ethic, but, unfortunately, she can be the Chief of the Fun Police sometimes.  She makes me think of Garrison Keillor's description of Lutherans on "The Prairie Home Companion", or Puritans who I've heard described as people who were motivated by the sneaking suspicion that someone, somewhere was having fun.  She doesn't play with me the way Pumpkin does, and when Pumpkin and I do play,  the Chief of the Fun Police comes out to put a stop to it!  (Thanks to Wendy from Maine for the title "Fun Police.")  

Even for all that, I still feel a little guilty for labeling my sweet Darby as "difficult," even as I am forced to admit it is true. 

She and I are both difficult, I guess, but I think I am the worst.

While The Darbs would probably never, ever consider doing this to ME,

she very patiently allowed me to do it to her!