He's Impulsive, I'm Impulsive.

I thought I would get a little bit real today and talk a little bit about myself.

I can be a very impulsive person, I'm also really impatient. Generally speaking when I want to do something I want to do it now, and get it done now.

A friend of mine is planning a breeding for September of this year. Her dog is the #1 apbt bitch in the country, #4 in UKC. I contacted her and started to get the ball rolling on placing a deposit.

I talked to my dad about it a little bit, and in not so many words he did not seem nearly as excited as I was about it. He said he would think about it.

I convinced myself that this was a good idea. I had it all thought out in my head, I mean, the puppy would not come home until early 2016, so there is a lot of time to get things done.

Things I thought up:
-Seth and Seppel will be 7yrs old this year, so they are both getting older.
-I can get Seppel's BH this year, as well as his IPO 1, and if we didn't get the IPO 1 we could just get protection titles.
-I could start the puppy next year and start it the right way for IPO and OB.
-One more dog would not be that much work, nor would it cost me that much extra.

It all sounds well and good, but I came home to talk about it more with my dad. He didn't REALLY say no, but the way he went about it, I knew it would not be a good idea to pursue it. He brought up a good point - we need to get two of the rooms in our house organized and go through some of my mom's things before I think about taking on another dog.

Also, after really thinking about it, getting another dog right now would not be fair to the dogs that I have. I have spent the last two years investing time and training into Seppel. If I got another dog for IPO, a lot of the focus on Seppel would be taken away. Let us also not forget Seth and LiLo. Seth could go for another OB title, I have also been working on some obedience with LiLo and it's something that she could potentially do a little bit of. As it is, working full time, especially when the weather is crappy can make it hard to get my dogs out for exercise. I do have the slat mill but nothing compares to a good game of ball. If I added a 4th dog to the mix that be just one more dog that would need exercise and mental stimulation.

I realize now that it was incredibly selfish of me to think that getting a puppy was a good idea. I have three dogs that I can do things with. The biggest kick for me was that it was going to be an awesome breeding, with health testing, and I would probably get a really fabulous dog out of the deal.

This is a great lesson in patience for me. I know that when the time is right, I will get my next dog. I shouldn't be in a rush, Seppel sure isn't slowing down any time soon. It's important to be realistic about your lifestyle, your time, and your goals.

Here are a few pictures from training today: