Spooked

Last night I took Apple to a basketball game and a dance concert. She's been to several sporting events before (football, hockey, and basketball), and so the bouncing ball, lots of movement and loud noises were not a problem. She watched the game for a few minutes and then settled in for a nap. Content that the home team (go Beloit!) was well on the way to victory, we left the game at half time to cheer on dancers in their winter concert.

Of the two events, the dance recital was the one I was least worried about going in. Much to my surprise, shortly after the start of the first dance, Apple spooked. She sat up, heart racing, hackles up, and even let out a startled bark. I was thankful that a) I had a good handle on her leash, and b) the audience only paused for a short giggle before redirecting their attention back to the dancers. It took a few minutes, but Apple again settled down, and watched with intense focus, the remaining dances.

A day later, I'm still not sure what spooked my usually calm, collected pup. I think she was simply caught off-guard. Just another reminder of how important this socialization period is for our puppies as they continue to learn to expect and deal with the unexpected.