Hidden Talents

What before was her cute little puppy sister is now a teenager. Bigger, heavier, maybe even stronger, than Tilde. And the teenager knows it too.

Their dynamics are constantly changing and evolving. Zerline's transformation from a puppy into a young Hovawart changes the game. Young at heart herself, Tilde is still the best play mate. But she is so much more than that.

The puppy was easy to play with. The youngster is testing her limits and probing boundaries constantly. It requires a great deal of patience from Tilde to withstand the urge not to give her a good whooping. She ain't shy of doing what is necessary though.

When the play gets too rough or the youngster gets all over-excited, it is Tilde who gently pulls the plug and prevents things to get out of hand. The youngster is still a handful though. After all, she learned every trick in the book from Tilde herself. Tilde isn't shy of a little rough play. I have seen her floor dogs three times her size and weight. The outcome of such play always seemed the same. Tilde landing on all four. The other dog, not so much. Until one day. We saw how Zerline got bigger and stronger. But smarter too. Every time Zerline wanted to play rough, she was inevitably floored by Tilde. She learned. She was perfecting her game, until it was Tilde's turn to bite the dust. That was a first. Tilde was literally swept off her feet for a couple of minutes. She never thought that could happen to her.

The youngster doesn't want to compete all of the time. Mostly they play some harmless wrestling or bity-face. Have a grooming session together. Run after the holy chuck-it ball. Chase seagulls. In general, they are just having a good time together.

Tilde is not protective of Zerline. But if it gets a little too overwhelming for the youngster she happily hides behind Tilde and let her face whatever it was she wasn't sure about so she can re-find her boldness from a safe place.

Tilde has no problems with all the changes in her life the youngster is bringing. She reveals a new side of herself I didn't know she possessed. A side which holds empathy, patience, nurture and gentleness. Tilde's hidden talents, they surprise me. For Zerline to grow, it was necessary for Tilde to grow too. Maybe she re-invented herself. Maybe she possessed these skills already, and she just needed an opportunity to show me.