Beach day

I was never a big beach person, I like to go to the beach but I don't swim in the ocean because I am afraid of the current, I got drown once when I was 8 years old, since then I swim in swimming pool only. Don't get me wrong that I do not know how to swim, I actually learnt and good at free style, breast stroke, butterfly at age 21then Victor taught me back stroke which I like to use most of the time now, consume the least amount of energy to swim the same distance.

Since living here in South Florida from 2003, we visit the beach perhaps 3 times a year. Not until we got a dog, then we go to the beach every weekend. I personally do not think Samson (the dog) was brought to the beach in its 4 years of life before we adopted him. The first beach we took Samson was the quiet beach on Jupiter Island, there weren't many people, only a few fishermen around us, we saw other people with their dogs at a distance about 500 yards away. Samson was jumpy, barking at people who walk pass the shore way ahead of us, of course I kept him on the leash at all time, did not want any trouble if Samson was not calm and relax.

It's either the ocean's effect or Samson's learning ability, he started to become very calm when we take him to the beach, the second time we took him to a beach that openly allow dogs unleashed, where is one beach north of Juno Beach. Samson was allowed to walk around freely without a leash, he greeted people and dogs who walked down the stairs onto the beach.

He pees a few drop at a time in a 50 yards circle where we are sitting, which I think it's an action of marking his territory, so Victor and I were protected. ^_^ I noticed his posture when Samson meet and greet with other dogs, he held his head way up high, arch his back and never back down to any dogs regardless of their sizes. He was able to show that "Hey I am small, but I am confident and strong!" message to a chiwahwah or a great dane.

Occasionally Samson sees a dog he wants to play with, usually small dog looks similar to him such as a toy poodle or another cockapoo, then he would run around and play a little bit, but most of the time he just spend his time sniffing and thinking and peeing. He is social if he wants to, he prefers to do his own thing if he wishes.

We are going into the 10 weeks of having Samson, he is definitely improving and starting to trust us, he sleeps more and deeper versus than being alert or insecure that something is going to happen to him at any minutes. Last night was the first night Victor walks Samson by himself after the biting event happened at the beginning of January, Victor said it was a very pleasant walk, they walked at a faster pace than I do, about 40 minutes round trip to the next neighborhood.

Victor does not understand why he got bit by Samson before while he sees Samson now is such a nice mellow dog, I told him you really can't push an animal, it does not react to your agenda of time. Victor is naturally a pushy person, I told him he was asking too much from this dog in a very small amount of time given, and it was also my fault that I did not take the sole responsibility to train the dog well first, then introduce you into the pack. I kind of let things happen naturally which was not correct. Now I understand we have to give time --- time.