From the first week I brought Porter home he has gone to my dog training classes with me and stayed in an ex-pen. Right off the bat he was great at relaxing in there and not being upset there were other puppies nearby who were being played with and fed yummy treats. He did the same at an agility trial we went to.
Then I changed jobs and stopped teaching those puppy classes. For two months Porter was required to be in an ex-pen near other dogs. Somewhere around this time I also began training him for K9 Nose Work. And for the first time, Porter started making a fuss in his ex-pen. Ugh. He was enjoying the hunt so much he was not happy to be put away again while other dogs ran.
When I started teaching Nose Work classes last week I brought Porter along. Unfortunately the other dogs are a bit vocal while waiting their turn as well (one is a scent hound with a mournful bay) and now Porter is making a huge fuss while it's not his turn. The sad part of this for me is that means I won't be bringing him to class anymore. I don't want him continuing that behavior and I can't work on it while I'm busy teaching class. Instead I'll need to find time to bring him to the training center outside of class and just work on him remaining happy and quiet in his crate.
Thankfully it has not disrupted his crate behavior at home or in the car. I think if I didn't do something to address it and just let him continue this behavior that it would bleed over to his other crate times and I would kick myself.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Found Another Lop in his Side
I've lamented a few times on Porter's lopsidedness. He heels much better on my left than my right due to the fact that I work that side a lot more often.
Today I discovered that in one situation his success flip flops and he's much better on the right than left.
This week in agility I noticed (again) that sometimes Porter will do everything he can to be glued to my side. This means that when we approach a jump standard he will squeeze his big gangly body between me and the standard instead of just running through the jump. He has to slow himself down and almost cut behind me (ack, no side changes behind my back!) in order to make it.
So today I brought out my jump and worked him at home. Hmmm, he was doing just fine and had no problem running right though the middle of the jump, not even hugging the standard closest to me. Maybe it's the change in location?
But then he finally did it again and glued himself to my side. I realized that when he's on my left he's trying to heel like we practice for rally and therefore he stays very close. On the right he feels more comfortable being a slight distance away if necessary. Any time we approached the jump with him on my right he was fine. On the left he crammed in next to me.
Now that I know more specifically what the issue is I can work on fixing it.
I'm wondering if I should refrain from rally practice until he understands the difference. I know that dogs can learn to discriminate and know when they are at agility, or rally, or obedience and change their behavior accordingly. I have no doubt that Porter will eventually be able to do this. But that's going to take some time and in the meantime it's slowly down our agility progress. Since agility is my priority I'd rather not hamper our efforts with the work I'm doing for other sports.
I'll need to think about this some more. In the meantime, I am going to get different collars and leads for each sport to help him discrimination the required tasks more easily.
Today I discovered that in one situation his success flip flops and he's much better on the right than left.
This week in agility I noticed (again) that sometimes Porter will do everything he can to be glued to my side. This means that when we approach a jump standard he will squeeze his big gangly body between me and the standard instead of just running through the jump. He has to slow himself down and almost cut behind me (ack, no side changes behind my back!) in order to make it.
So today I brought out my jump and worked him at home. Hmmm, he was doing just fine and had no problem running right though the middle of the jump, not even hugging the standard closest to me. Maybe it's the change in location?
But then he finally did it again and glued himself to my side. I realized that when he's on my left he's trying to heel like we practice for rally and therefore he stays very close. On the right he feels more comfortable being a slight distance away if necessary. Any time we approached the jump with him on my right he was fine. On the left he crammed in next to me.
Now that I know more specifically what the issue is I can work on fixing it.
I'm wondering if I should refrain from rally practice until he understands the difference. I know that dogs can learn to discriminate and know when they are at agility, or rally, or obedience and change their behavior accordingly. I have no doubt that Porter will eventually be able to do this. But that's going to take some time and in the meantime it's slowly down our agility progress. Since agility is my priority I'd rather not hamper our efforts with the work I'm doing for other sports.
I'll need to think about this some more. In the meantime, I am going to get different collars and leads for each sport to help him discrimination the required tasks more easily.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Lopsided Pup
Porter had a great start to the week. He was able to attend the K9 Nose Work class I taught on Monday and thoroughly enjoyed himself. He already has a lot of drive for the boxes despite only doing this 4 times. Tuesday morning was his agility class, which he equally loves. He's very enthusiastic about the ladder, wobble board, and ramps. Although his favorite thing...the one he pulls to the most of all any time we are within 10 feet...his crate. lol It's awesome, and a little annoying at times but it's a good thing to be annoyed at. So much better than a dog who hates the crate.
There are a few things we really need to work on though. I guess Porter can't be the star all the time. For one, he's lopsided, but I already knew this. I have worked him mostly on my left in preparation for rally and I knew this would make him being on the right weaker. There's a big difference in sides when we do our flatwork. It's nothing that cannot be overcome with just a tiny bit of work though.
His other issue is swinging his hips so his back feet come off the contact. This is my fault as well. I need to learn how to help position him better, with my own body stance and with the treat delivery and I can help him keep those back legs up there. He has no problem walking down the plank at least. All feet stay on, it's just when he's doing his 2 on 2 off and eating from the target plate that he rotates his head towards me and off come those gangly legs. We have a plank at home to wok with. I just need to lock Indi away so we can work without a distracting terrier.
I finally found a toy he will play with at agility. It's a glow in the dark whistle ball. A tad smaller than a tennis ball and a bit smushy. Maybe he loves it since it's not out with his other toys and he rarely sees it, but I'm just glad I have something that works besides food. He'll happily chase after it when he exits the tunnel or goes through the tire.
I don't know what it is about this field but Porter forages like nobody's business while we are there. I've decided that this behavior is probably made worse by the ladder and how we drop treats on the ground between the rungs as they walk through. This makes that whole area of the grass smell amazing and I think he often finds leftover treats from other dogs. So I've decided that instead of rewarding this way I will click him for what I want but feed out of my hand. I might even go last and move the ladder to a new area of the grass or go first to avoid leftovers distracting him.
There are a few things we really need to work on though. I guess Porter can't be the star all the time. For one, he's lopsided, but I already knew this. I have worked him mostly on my left in preparation for rally and I knew this would make him being on the right weaker. There's a big difference in sides when we do our flatwork. It's nothing that cannot be overcome with just a tiny bit of work though.
His other issue is swinging his hips so his back feet come off the contact. This is my fault as well. I need to learn how to help position him better, with my own body stance and with the treat delivery and I can help him keep those back legs up there. He has no problem walking down the plank at least. All feet stay on, it's just when he's doing his 2 on 2 off and eating from the target plate that he rotates his head towards me and off come those gangly legs. We have a plank at home to wok with. I just need to lock Indi away so we can work without a distracting terrier.
I finally found a toy he will play with at agility. It's a glow in the dark whistle ball. A tad smaller than a tennis ball and a bit smushy. Maybe he loves it since it's not out with his other toys and he rarely sees it, but I'm just glad I have something that works besides food. He'll happily chase after it when he exits the tunnel or goes through the tire.
I don't know what it is about this field but Porter forages like nobody's business while we are there. I've decided that this behavior is probably made worse by the ladder and how we drop treats on the ground between the rungs as they walk through. This makes that whole area of the grass smell amazing and I think he often finds leftover treats from other dogs. So I've decided that instead of rewarding this way I will click him for what I want but feed out of my hand. I might even go last and move the ladder to a new area of the grass or go first to avoid leftovers distracting him.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
I am Thankful for...
...Porter's first trip to grandma and grandpa's house going so well.
Even though the car ride was a little longer than he's used to, Porter stayed relaxed and down the entire ride. I wish I could say the same for Indigo. She hates the car but tolerates it. I think it's the noise most of all but sudden movements freak her out as well. If it's a smooth ride she will lie down and try to rest but that was shattered when someone swerved into our lane and we had to jerk our car out of the way. Indi uses a doggie seat belt so she didn't go anywhere, but her bed went flying out from under her (darn leather seats) and she refused to lie down the rest of the trip.
Here she is before the incident...not 100% happy, but if she's down that's a huge step for her.
This is what she looked like on the ride back home. She does not forgot scary events and refused to lie down even though she was tired. She tried her best to sleep with her neck craned up the entire time.
Since Porter is still young and mischievous and grandma is not a dog lover, Porter was mostly kept on leash. I was impressed how well he did when I tethered him in different parts of the house.
Bedtime went off without a hitch. He's so comfortable and familiar with his crate that I don't think he even noticed or cared it was in another house. He slept all night and woke up around the normal time.
Porter's favorite part of Thanksgiving was when his cousin Zeus, the Puggle, came over for the day. Zeus is a year old and the two got along swimmingly. Indi was not too thrilled to have Zeus around but it was manageable. If Zeus was off leash we put Indi behind a gate. When Zeus was held in someone's lap Indi was able to walk around freely. She didn't want any contact with him, much to his dismay, but it's all about babysteps.
Porter will get a reunion with Zeus at Christmas, during which time Indi will stay with her BFF Theo )the adorable Aussie) since another 1 year old cousin (Frenchie mix) will be there and two strange adolescent males will just be too much for Indi to handle. It wouldn't be fair to expect her to deal with that for several days. She'd be stressed and so would I.
Even though the car ride was a little longer than he's used to, Porter stayed relaxed and down the entire ride. I wish I could say the same for Indigo. She hates the car but tolerates it. I think it's the noise most of all but sudden movements freak her out as well. If it's a smooth ride she will lie down and try to rest but that was shattered when someone swerved into our lane and we had to jerk our car out of the way. Indi uses a doggie seat belt so she didn't go anywhere, but her bed went flying out from under her (darn leather seats) and she refused to lie down the rest of the trip.
Here she is before the incident...not 100% happy, but if she's down that's a huge step for her.
This is what she looked like on the ride back home. She does not forgot scary events and refused to lie down even though she was tired. She tried her best to sleep with her neck craned up the entire time.
Since Porter is still young and mischievous and grandma is not a dog lover, Porter was mostly kept on leash. I was impressed how well he did when I tethered him in different parts of the house.
Bedtime went off without a hitch. He's so comfortable and familiar with his crate that I don't think he even noticed or cared it was in another house. He slept all night and woke up around the normal time.
Porter's favorite part of Thanksgiving was when his cousin Zeus, the Puggle, came over for the day. Zeus is a year old and the two got along swimmingly. Indi was not too thrilled to have Zeus around but it was manageable. If Zeus was off leash we put Indi behind a gate. When Zeus was held in someone's lap Indi was able to walk around freely. She didn't want any contact with him, much to his dismay, but it's all about babysteps.
Porter will get a reunion with Zeus at Christmas, during which time Indi will stay with her BFF Theo )the adorable Aussie) since another 1 year old cousin (Frenchie mix) will be there and two strange adolescent males will just be too much for Indi to handle. It wouldn't be fair to expect her to deal with that for several days. She'd be stressed and so would I.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
What Puppy?
I have to confess that Porter is such a good puppy (most of the time) that on occasion I'll sit down at the computer to do something and suddenly 20 minutes have gone by and I realize that the thought of having a puppy completely skipped my mind. I look around only to find him either napping contently near me or else just chilling outside in the backyard. I am very spoiled by his awesomeness.
I love my pup.
I love my pup.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Mat Work
Despite not working on it much, Porter is really excelling at his mat work. I think we've only have a handful of session but he's driving for the mat and downing pretty quickly. In our last session I worked on walking about 10-12 feet, including turning my back on him. That was a little bit of the stretch and he broke a few times, so I made it easier and quickly yo-yo'ed back to him so he can get his reward.
Next I decided to change things up again and moved the mat to the stairway landing. Porter had no problem figuring out what I wanted, but the tricky part for him was when I walked down the stairs. He was fine at first, but once I turned the corner into the living room he wanted to follow. I also practiced knocking on the door and quickly rewarding him, since he wanted to stand up.
It's hard working Porter when Indi is around. Not only is she a distraction but she gets in the way since she wants to work as well. She's not used to being excluded (only-dog syndrome) so if I put her outside or in another room she throws a fit, which is stressful for her and me and distracting for Porter.
This afternoon I worked them both on Nose Work for a few minutes. I placed them both outside while I set things up and worked on them staying seated while I opened the door and only released one of them. This part was very tricky and they need a lot of work. Another difficult part was once the dog working found the hide s/he didn't want to leave the room and go back outside but tried to keep searching. I ended up luring that dog outside and rewarding him/her so there wouldn't be hesitation in the future. Porter did well waiting his turn outside, but after 3 reps Indi started barking wanting her turn right then and there.
I finally heard Porter's big boy bark this evening. He's barked before plenty. Any time Indi has something he wants, he barks at her. But tonight when he saw the neighbor's wandering cat outside he had the deepest big dog bark I've heard out of him. He'll be a good deterrent to robbers. I'm more than miffed though at the cat. Porter has always been curious about cats, but in a friendly and playful way, but tonight's bark was different. I really don't want this to become a habit but with the cat entering our yard on a random but consistent basis it's going to be hard to fix. I'll need to remember to grab a bag of cookies if I suspect the cat is outside as well as really work his recalls.
Next I decided to change things up again and moved the mat to the stairway landing. Porter had no problem figuring out what I wanted, but the tricky part for him was when I walked down the stairs. He was fine at first, but once I turned the corner into the living room he wanted to follow. I also practiced knocking on the door and quickly rewarding him, since he wanted to stand up.
It's hard working Porter when Indi is around. Not only is she a distraction but she gets in the way since she wants to work as well. She's not used to being excluded (only-dog syndrome) so if I put her outside or in another room she throws a fit, which is stressful for her and me and distracting for Porter.
This afternoon I worked them both on Nose Work for a few minutes. I placed them both outside while I set things up and worked on them staying seated while I opened the door and only released one of them. This part was very tricky and they need a lot of work. Another difficult part was once the dog working found the hide s/he didn't want to leave the room and go back outside but tried to keep searching. I ended up luring that dog outside and rewarding him/her so there wouldn't be hesitation in the future. Porter did well waiting his turn outside, but after 3 reps Indi started barking wanting her turn right then and there.
I finally heard Porter's big boy bark this evening. He's barked before plenty. Any time Indi has something he wants, he barks at her. But tonight when he saw the neighbor's wandering cat outside he had the deepest big dog bark I've heard out of him. He'll be a good deterrent to robbers. I'm more than miffed though at the cat. Porter has always been curious about cats, but in a friendly and playful way, but tonight's bark was different. I really don't want this to become a habit but with the cat entering our yard on a random but consistent basis it's going to be hard to fix. I'll need to remember to grab a bag of cookies if I suspect the cat is outside as well as really work his recalls.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Tired Pup
This week in agility we introduced the pups to the tire.
I had my instructor hold Porter since he doesn't have a wait in that context. He'll wait, and drool, to be released to go to his food bowl, but we've never tried it elsewhere. I like to torture him, I mean proof the behavior, by jumping around, singing, making sudden movements towards his bowl, and saying other words besides his release, which is "break". He does pretty well with most words, even if I use the same tone of voice, but other "b" words trick him sometimes . If I quick body block or make any sort of sound he will back off.
So my trainer was holding him, and he was struggling to get to me. This is great for restrained recalls but not so much for most other things. He was pushing forward right when she let him go and he stumbled and fell into the tire then shoved through the side to get to me. If this were Indi, she would write the tire off as her mortal enemy for attacking her unprovoked. But Porter didn't even notice and happily went through it properly right away. I love this goofy gun dog. Nothing phases him.
Case in point...my neighbor's are having their driveway ripped out and replaced. A small bobcat was tooling around the yard making a ton of racket while we were on a walk. Porter stopped to watch for for a few seconds but without any tension or nervousness and then he moved on and continued his walk. Again, Indi would have assumed the tractor was a hitman for hire to take her out and would have responded by launching a deadly counterattack.
Since he did so well with the tire I decided to try out hand at home. At first he went around it, but I set him up too far back. Within a few reps I was able to stand in a few different spots (right next to the tire, 2 feet in front, 5 feet in front) and change my speed (standing still or running forward with him). He also did amazing with his wait. A couple of time he broke his wait, so I just happily replaced him even if he did the tire beautifully. I do not want a horrible start line stay.
In class we also worked on walking the dogs down a length of plank. Porter only messed up when I dropped his treat and it rolled off the plank. To eat it out of the grass he turned his body and came off the plank. Otherwise he was in great control of his rear end. I have a 6 foot plank at home we'll start working on, in addition to his contact behavior.
This week he wasn't as focused as normal. For some reason at this new location he is obsessed with foraging on the ground. When it's time to work he does fine, but in the down times he's trying to yank me this way and that, and man, is he getting strong!!
I decided to try a new technique (taken from Denise Fenzi) and not let Porter interact with any dogs while in class. Denise doesn't let her pup meet or interact with other dogs while in a working environment so she will know it's times to focus on Denise. I'm not sure if I'm strong enough to hold to this, but I am going to give it a try. It makes a lot of sense. I want Porter to know that when we are at an agility trial it's about me and him. I don't want him searching for his BFFs and running out of the ring to play. I did let him play in the parking lot with two dogs though...that's probably a slippery slope.
Speaking of play, here are some goofy shots of the siblings.
I had my instructor hold Porter since he doesn't have a wait in that context. He'll wait, and drool, to be released to go to his food bowl, but we've never tried it elsewhere. I like to torture him, I mean proof the behavior, by jumping around, singing, making sudden movements towards his bowl, and saying other words besides his release, which is "break". He does pretty well with most words, even if I use the same tone of voice, but other "b" words trick him sometimes . If I quick body block or make any sort of sound he will back off.
So my trainer was holding him, and he was struggling to get to me. This is great for restrained recalls but not so much for most other things. He was pushing forward right when she let him go and he stumbled and fell into the tire then shoved through the side to get to me. If this were Indi, she would write the tire off as her mortal enemy for attacking her unprovoked. But Porter didn't even notice and happily went through it properly right away. I love this goofy gun dog. Nothing phases him.
Case in point...my neighbor's are having their driveway ripped out and replaced. A small bobcat was tooling around the yard making a ton of racket while we were on a walk. Porter stopped to watch for for a few seconds but without any tension or nervousness and then he moved on and continued his walk. Again, Indi would have assumed the tractor was a hitman for hire to take her out and would have responded by launching a deadly counterattack.
Since he did so well with the tire I decided to try out hand at home. At first he went around it, but I set him up too far back. Within a few reps I was able to stand in a few different spots (right next to the tire, 2 feet in front, 5 feet in front) and change my speed (standing still or running forward with him). He also did amazing with his wait. A couple of time he broke his wait, so I just happily replaced him even if he did the tire beautifully. I do not want a horrible start line stay.
In class we also worked on walking the dogs down a length of plank. Porter only messed up when I dropped his treat and it rolled off the plank. To eat it out of the grass he turned his body and came off the plank. Otherwise he was in great control of his rear end. I have a 6 foot plank at home we'll start working on, in addition to his contact behavior.
This week he wasn't as focused as normal. For some reason at this new location he is obsessed with foraging on the ground. When it's time to work he does fine, but in the down times he's trying to yank me this way and that, and man, is he getting strong!!
I decided to try a new technique (taken from Denise Fenzi) and not let Porter interact with any dogs while in class. Denise doesn't let her pup meet or interact with other dogs while in a working environment so she will know it's times to focus on Denise. I'm not sure if I'm strong enough to hold to this, but I am going to give it a try. It makes a lot of sense. I want Porter to know that when we are at an agility trial it's about me and him. I don't want him searching for his BFFs and running out of the ring to play. I did let him play in the parking lot with two dogs though...that's probably a slippery slope.
Speaking of play, here are some goofy shots of the siblings.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
The Plague
Porter came down with kennel cough, I assume he caught it at the dog park, and like a good sibling he shared it with his sister.
Before the diagnosis I was really worried since I felt two huge lumps under his jaw line and of course thought cancer!! I don't know if puppies this young come down with cancer, but since it's a problem in the breed and swollen lymph nodes can be a sign I wasn't a happy camper. He also had eye discharge but increased so I took him into the vet. No coughing, no lethargy and certainly no loss of appetite. The vet thought it could be his salivary glands and gave us eye drops for conjunctivitis. That very evening Porter comes down with a productive cough. Kennel cough first came to mind but I was also worried about distemper. Since he's still young I took him in the next day and the vet felt it was likely kennel cough and sent us home with antibiotics.
Three vet visits in one week (the first was his well puppy check up and of course he was perfectly healthy on that day). My pocketbook was crying but at least I wasn't freaking out about my baby's health anymore.
Indi started getting the same symptoms, the eye discharge and several days later the cough. Her cough more the typically kennel cough hacking. I refrained from taking her to the vet since she's a very healthy dog and kennel cough just needs to run it's course. If she was elderly or a young pup we would have see the vet.
Both are fine now, but it was a pain not being about to take Porter out anywhere. He missed visiting a few agility trials and romping around with his friends.
I don't vaccinate for kennel cough but this episode made me think twice about that decision. When Porter was at his worst (which was nothing really) I felt bad he was sick and though maybe I should start vaccinating him with Bortadella to spare him this misery. Now that the dogs are better and recovered very quickly I'm in a better frame of mind (not so reactionary) and still will refrain from that shot/spray. If I board Porter I might get it done or if he catches it again soon then I will. But this is Indi's first time being sick and she used to go out and about to dog parks and dog classes all the time. I know it's highly contagious, but I don't feel it's one to worry about with healthy dogs.
Speaking of shots, Porter gets his rabies vaccine tomorrow.
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| For some reason this reminds me of the American Gothic painting. I think it's Indi's serious expression. |
Before the diagnosis I was really worried since I felt two huge lumps under his jaw line and of course thought cancer!! I don't know if puppies this young come down with cancer, but since it's a problem in the breed and swollen lymph nodes can be a sign I wasn't a happy camper. He also had eye discharge but increased so I took him into the vet. No coughing, no lethargy and certainly no loss of appetite. The vet thought it could be his salivary glands and gave us eye drops for conjunctivitis. That very evening Porter comes down with a productive cough. Kennel cough first came to mind but I was also worried about distemper. Since he's still young I took him in the next day and the vet felt it was likely kennel cough and sent us home with antibiotics.
Three vet visits in one week (the first was his well puppy check up and of course he was perfectly healthy on that day). My pocketbook was crying but at least I wasn't freaking out about my baby's health anymore.
Indi started getting the same symptoms, the eye discharge and several days later the cough. Her cough more the typically kennel cough hacking. I refrained from taking her to the vet since she's a very healthy dog and kennel cough just needs to run it's course. If she was elderly or a young pup we would have see the vet.
Both are fine now, but it was a pain not being about to take Porter out anywhere. He missed visiting a few agility trials and romping around with his friends.
I don't vaccinate for kennel cough but this episode made me think twice about that decision. When Porter was at his worst (which was nothing really) I felt bad he was sick and though maybe I should start vaccinating him with Bortadella to spare him this misery. Now that the dogs are better and recovered very quickly I'm in a better frame of mind (not so reactionary) and still will refrain from that shot/spray. If I board Porter I might get it done or if he catches it again soon then I will. But this is Indi's first time being sick and she used to go out and about to dog parks and dog classes all the time. I know it's highly contagious, but I don't feel it's one to worry about with healthy dogs.
Speaking of shots, Porter gets his rabies vaccine tomorrow.
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| This is the trouble making neighbor's cat in action. |
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Porter finally took his first walk down to the school to pick my daughter up with me. It's a very short walk, but when he first came home it was too far for him. Since timing is critical and I didn't have the luxury of stopping every inch if Porter pulled I put on his new Freedom Harness. Normally he doesn't pull, but with all those kids around it was a much higher probability.
Since Porter did so well running up and down the banks at Fiesta Island I also decided to take him "the sneaky way" as my daughter calls it. There's a short cut through some trees and up a dirt hill where you can enter the school parking lot from the side instead of walking all the way around to the front entrance of the lot. It cuts off maybe 200 yards. Porter had no issues clambering up the bank, walking on a ventilation grate, and navigating a 10 inch wide concrete retaining wall. Don't worry, there's a classroom wall on one side and bushes on the other 6 inches down. So even if he slipped he was in no danger.
Porter met a few toddlers and did great. He was much calmer than I thought and even rested at my feet while we waited for my daughter.
Agility class is going great.
Despite not working on mat work yet, Porter is a champ! Last week we just dropped 10 treats or so when they touched the mat and repeated this 2-3 times. This week we started wit the same and Porter began offering a down. I raised the criteria and held out until he downed each time. When I called him off the mat I decided to stay where I was which was about 5-8 feet away and Porter instantly ran back to the mat and downed. We repeated this three times and each time he dove for the mat without any cue from me and still did amazing when I faced away from the mat.
I think what has helped him with this distance work and drive for the mat is his crate upstairs. Each time I crate him I throw cookies inside once he goes in. So now when I walk up the stairs he runs up first and into his crate to wait for me. He must have generalized this behavior to the mat. Yay!!!
We also have been working on hand targets and target plates. I can hold my hand almost anywhere (right, left, behind him, a foot about his head) and he will seek out my hand. He'll follow it as well if I move it away from him until he touches it, which is very helpful for rally.
Our flatwork needs work, on the right side at least. I've made him very one sided since I've done most of our work with him in heel position (to get ready for rally). I knew I needed to even him out but just haven't got around to it. Luckily he's doing a little better on the right now and his inside circles on both sides are slowly coming along.
The one thing that I really need to work on is his play drive. He'll play at home, even in the back yard but in class he's not playing anymore. He did in puppy kindergarten at first, but now in agility his nose hits the ground and he's foraging for food when it's play time. Indi is only food driven and will not work for toys so I was hoping Porter would be more balanced, but I think I'd screwing it up. I need to get on it and build that drive!!
Since Porter did so well running up and down the banks at Fiesta Island I also decided to take him "the sneaky way" as my daughter calls it. There's a short cut through some trees and up a dirt hill where you can enter the school parking lot from the side instead of walking all the way around to the front entrance of the lot. It cuts off maybe 200 yards. Porter had no issues clambering up the bank, walking on a ventilation grate, and navigating a 10 inch wide concrete retaining wall. Don't worry, there's a classroom wall on one side and bushes on the other 6 inches down. So even if he slipped he was in no danger.
Porter met a few toddlers and did great. He was much calmer than I thought and even rested at my feet while we waited for my daughter.
Agility class is going great.
Despite not working on mat work yet, Porter is a champ! Last week we just dropped 10 treats or so when they touched the mat and repeated this 2-3 times. This week we started wit the same and Porter began offering a down. I raised the criteria and held out until he downed each time. When I called him off the mat I decided to stay where I was which was about 5-8 feet away and Porter instantly ran back to the mat and downed. We repeated this three times and each time he dove for the mat without any cue from me and still did amazing when I faced away from the mat.
I think what has helped him with this distance work and drive for the mat is his crate upstairs. Each time I crate him I throw cookies inside once he goes in. So now when I walk up the stairs he runs up first and into his crate to wait for me. He must have generalized this behavior to the mat. Yay!!!
We also have been working on hand targets and target plates. I can hold my hand almost anywhere (right, left, behind him, a foot about his head) and he will seek out my hand. He'll follow it as well if I move it away from him until he touches it, which is very helpful for rally.
Our flatwork needs work, on the right side at least. I've made him very one sided since I've done most of our work with him in heel position (to get ready for rally). I knew I needed to even him out but just haven't got around to it. Luckily he's doing a little better on the right now and his inside circles on both sides are slowly coming along.
The one thing that I really need to work on is his play drive. He'll play at home, even in the back yard but in class he's not playing anymore. He did in puppy kindergarten at first, but now in agility his nose hits the ground and he's foraging for food when it's play time. Indi is only food driven and will not work for toys so I was hoping Porter would be more balanced, but I think I'd screwing it up. I need to get on it and build that drive!!
Perch Work and Wii Fit
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| Porter and Theo |
Perch work is really helpful to teach a dog how to move his hind end independently. Once a dog can pivot on a perch it makes teaching some Rally moves much easier. As the dog gains better awareness and control of his backside it also helps while he's navigating on the dog walk and teeter for agility, which are only 12 inches in width.
I haven't worked Porter that much on the perch yet in formal training sessions but I have introduced it casually in the bathroom. Any time I had to use the restroom Porter had to come with me so I could keep an eye on him. Instead of just petting and sweet talking to him for free I shaped him to put his front paws on my daughter's step stool. Once he was reliably perching on his own (no luring or cuing), I withheld the reward (pets and baby talk) until he clambered his whole lanky body up on to the tiny stool.
I didn't realize how strong this behavior had become or that it would generalize until I pulled out my Wii Fit balance board. Indi and Porter have their own dog Miis so I can keep track of their weight. It's easy with Indi since she's small and no problem to hold which is how the Wii Fit wants to weigh the dogs, in your arms after taring your weight.
I pulled out the balance board and was waiting for the program to load when Porter assumed I was waiting for him to interact with the board and he perched on it. Since I didn't want that behavior is ignored it, and like any good extinction burst the behaviors started to vary. When I continued to ignore him, Porter climbed completely on to the board and sat nice and still for me.
My husband knew I wouldn't be able to hold Porter for long to weigh him and he had already suggested that I create a human Mii for Porter and teach him to stand on the board by himself. Mission accomplished! Now the only thing I need to work on is him holding perfectly still since if you shift your weight too much it won't continue with the weigh in.
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| Porter is so wasteful. Indi never would have left all that yogurt on her nose. |
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| "I'm down, I'm down, now give me the cookie!" |
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| "I'm not looking. There is no cookie. I don't need any cookies anyhow." |
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Bath Time, House Training, and Freedom
Today seemed like a good day to give Porter a bath; his third one so far. The first two didn't go over so well, but I got the job done.
This time Porter was a little better. He voluntarily walked into the shower a few times to check it out as I was getting ready. Before I started I teased him with the water stream a little and got him to play with it a little like he does in the backyard. That was a huge success.
He only tried pawing at the glass door twice, but he still wasn't loving the experience.
After the bath was over I crated him so I could blow dry my hair and after a few minutes he began to fuss. Maybe he was cold? Or upset I was in the room and not letting him out? Perhaps the hairdryer was too loud? I wasn't quite sure what the problem was but waited until he was quiet and let him out. He was in no mood to stay in the bedroom and was pacing and whining at the door. Again, I figured he was just stir crazy and wanted to hang out down stairs where he is the most comfortable. I kept my eye on him while I got ready. He's not in the bedroom loose usually so I know that it was likely he'd get into something or pee on a rug.
When I finally took him downstairs he went right outback and peed and pooped. He went before the shower, but I guess all the excitement got everything stirring again. My wonderful puppy was trying his best not to eliminate in the house and I am lucky that his has good bladder and bowel control. I forget how young he is at times. He's only been with us for 8 weeks but it seems like so much longer, in a good way. He's a great pup but I need to remember that he's young still and is not ready for too much responsibility and freedom.
Despite being a dog trainer, I don't always follow the best advice. With some things I am very cautious and anal and reign my dogs in more than probably necessary. In other aspects I let a lot of things slip and allow certain behaviors or freedoms I would never recommend to clients.
Porter currently has free reign on the downstairs. It may seem like a lot of space for a puppy but really it's not. The front living room and dining room is where he started and where we usually are. The back of the house only contains the kitchen and family room; the latter which is completely empty except for his water bowl. So there's nothing much to get into if we are not back there with him. Still, I would tell clients not to do this.
Upstairs is mostly off limits. He comes up to our bedroom only to go to his crate for bedtime. I've allowed him to follow me into my daughter's bedroom and play room only a few times and only for a few seconds while I grabbed something. I have not taken him up there and played with him like I would suggest to clients. I will. One day.
This time Porter was a little better. He voluntarily walked into the shower a few times to check it out as I was getting ready. Before I started I teased him with the water stream a little and got him to play with it a little like he does in the backyard. That was a huge success.
He only tried pawing at the glass door twice, but he still wasn't loving the experience.
After the bath was over I crated him so I could blow dry my hair and after a few minutes he began to fuss. Maybe he was cold? Or upset I was in the room and not letting him out? Perhaps the hairdryer was too loud? I wasn't quite sure what the problem was but waited until he was quiet and let him out. He was in no mood to stay in the bedroom and was pacing and whining at the door. Again, I figured he was just stir crazy and wanted to hang out down stairs where he is the most comfortable. I kept my eye on him while I got ready. He's not in the bedroom loose usually so I know that it was likely he'd get into something or pee on a rug.
When I finally took him downstairs he went right outback and peed and pooped. He went before the shower, but I guess all the excitement got everything stirring again. My wonderful puppy was trying his best not to eliminate in the house and I am lucky that his has good bladder and bowel control. I forget how young he is at times. He's only been with us for 8 weeks but it seems like so much longer, in a good way. He's a great pup but I need to remember that he's young still and is not ready for too much responsibility and freedom.
Despite being a dog trainer, I don't always follow the best advice. With some things I am very cautious and anal and reign my dogs in more than probably necessary. In other aspects I let a lot of things slip and allow certain behaviors or freedoms I would never recommend to clients.
Porter currently has free reign on the downstairs. It may seem like a lot of space for a puppy but really it's not. The front living room and dining room is where he started and where we usually are. The back of the house only contains the kitchen and family room; the latter which is completely empty except for his water bowl. So there's nothing much to get into if we are not back there with him. Still, I would tell clients not to do this.
Upstairs is mostly off limits. He comes up to our bedroom only to go to his crate for bedtime. I've allowed him to follow me into my daughter's bedroom and play room only a few times and only for a few seconds while I grabbed something. I have not taken him up there and played with him like I would suggest to clients. I will. One day.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Porter and the Amazing (not so technicolor) Dreamcoat
One of the cons in my book to a FCR is their coat. I'm so used to Indi's really short and straight single coat. She doesn't require brushing, her fur doesn't get tangled, and if she gets muddy, she dries quickly and the mud brushes right off. I was spoiled by her wash and wear coat. I knew I had to get over it since not only was Porter going to get a lot more fluff than Indi but he's water dog and is going to be wet and dirty a lot more than I'm used to.
I keep telling everyone how Porter continues to amaze me and how he is "practically perfect in every way." His coat has not been an exception. The first time I bathed him I expected a wet, sloppy dog running through my house and soaking my couch. I had piles of towel waiting to do as much damage control as possible. Indi soaks through one towel and sometimes requires a second and while she's not dropping, her fur remains slightly damp. Once Porter leapt out of the shower (yes, leapt, my water dog hates taking a bath) I assulted him with a Shamwow. And let me just say, "wow!" Both Porter and the piles of towels were dry since one Shamwow was all I needed. And unlike Indi's cold damp fur, Porter felt completely dry.
Today his coat really showed off it's superpowers. We headed to Fiesta Island for the first time this morning. For those of you not familiar with San Diego, this is Fiesta Island. Dogs can be off leash anywhere on the island but there's also a large fenced in section. You can see if on the map in the lower left hand corner of the island. Everything southwest of the road is the fenced in dog park.
It was amazing! You can hike along the scrub or take your dog down to the beach to frolic in the water. Porter had a grand time running to and fro, grabbing bits of seaweed, biting at the water, and fraternizing with the other dogs. It was great to have him off leash but not need to worry. It's different at our normal dog parks since they are less the half an acre. Here, it's large enough that Porter can really taste freedom but not be in any danger. He was a great pup and would instantly rush over to me if I whistled. he also kept an eye on me and if I changed direction he quickly followed. He never got more than 50 feet from me. I was happy to see that without asking, he just followed me along the beach.
He didn't swim, which I was really hoping for, but he did end up wet and covered in sand from head to toe. To top it all off as we were walking back to the car a GSP female pup kept trying to wrestle with him so Porter was rolled in the dust many times which clung to his wet fur. He was so dirty he looked like a liver FCR.
Now here's the best part. We got back to the car two minutes later and he's almost completely dry. I ruffle his fur a bit and the sand, mud, and dust just shakes off. The only damp parts of his body were his ears, which dried on the car ride home. Even the foxtails flew out of his coat with ease.
Best dog ever (except for Indi of course).
I keep telling everyone how Porter continues to amaze me and how he is "practically perfect in every way." His coat has not been an exception. The first time I bathed him I expected a wet, sloppy dog running through my house and soaking my couch. I had piles of towel waiting to do as much damage control as possible. Indi soaks through one towel and sometimes requires a second and while she's not dropping, her fur remains slightly damp. Once Porter leapt out of the shower (yes, leapt, my water dog hates taking a bath) I assulted him with a Shamwow. And let me just say, "wow!" Both Porter and the piles of towels were dry since one Shamwow was all I needed. And unlike Indi's cold damp fur, Porter felt completely dry.
Today his coat really showed off it's superpowers. We headed to Fiesta Island for the first time this morning. For those of you not familiar with San Diego, this is Fiesta Island. Dogs can be off leash anywhere on the island but there's also a large fenced in section. You can see if on the map in the lower left hand corner of the island. Everything southwest of the road is the fenced in dog park.
It was amazing! You can hike along the scrub or take your dog down to the beach to frolic in the water. Porter had a grand time running to and fro, grabbing bits of seaweed, biting at the water, and fraternizing with the other dogs. It was great to have him off leash but not need to worry. It's different at our normal dog parks since they are less the half an acre. Here, it's large enough that Porter can really taste freedom but not be in any danger. He was a great pup and would instantly rush over to me if I whistled. he also kept an eye on me and if I changed direction he quickly followed. He never got more than 50 feet from me. I was happy to see that without asking, he just followed me along the beach.
He didn't swim, which I was really hoping for, but he did end up wet and covered in sand from head to toe. To top it all off as we were walking back to the car a GSP female pup kept trying to wrestle with him so Porter was rolled in the dust many times which clung to his wet fur. He was so dirty he looked like a liver FCR.
Now here's the best part. We got back to the car two minutes later and he's almost completely dry. I ruffle his fur a bit and the sand, mud, and dust just shakes off. The only damp parts of his body were his ears, which dried on the car ride home. Even the foxtails flew out of his coat with ease.
Best dog ever (except for Indi of course).
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
See Ya Later Alligator
Porter is losing his baby teeth and with that milestone comes an ever increasing need to bite. He's not just mouthing anymore, he's biting down hard and with his entire mouth. It's not a constant thing but happens when he's frustrated, bored, or hyper. I was hoping to bypass the whole alligator mouth phase, but it's hitting us hard now. Maybe it'll leave just as quickly.
Unfortunately bullysticks are not holding his interest. Maybe they are too tough for his sore gums? He'll chew them for a little while but quickly gives them up. I had to bring one on our walk last night since he was jumping up at me and trying to take out a chuck of my thigh. It really hurt! I don't care if he bites at the leash, but I'm a delicate flower.
At least he's getting better at kongs. He still leaves bits and pieces in them, which causes Indi to hover like a vulture, and he's able to stick with them much longer than before. I might buy some canned food so I can freeze it into a kong to really give his jaw a workout. I know he won't keep chewing until it's empty, but it might keep him happy longer.
Last night Porter started in a foundation agility class with my old boss and I finally got confirmation that he is on the list to start a puppy agility class with another trainer in November. I've been trying to get a hold of this trainer since before Porter came home but she's hard to nail down. She's well respected and very experienced (in additional to being an AKC judge) and uses the same training methods I do. And the bonus is she's least than 15 minutes away.
Saturday Porter and I headed to the annual FCR Fun Day. He saw his sister, Dinah, his mom, Hannah, half sister, Christy, and half brother, Honor as well as many other FCRs. There were a couple of other puppies there very close to his age and they all had a great time playing. We noticed that whichever dog was on top would grumble and growl while playing. It was all in fun but we broke up the wrestling when they got too loud to make sure everyone had fun and things didn't get out of hand.
Porter failed miserably at the hot dog recall game, but he was no worst than all but one of the dogs there. You toss a hot dog, send your dog to get it, and then call hem back and whoever has the most hot dog left wins. Most of the dogs sat down and ate the hot dog before returning :)
The next game was the wet t-shirt contest. It's a relay race and each member runs with their dog to the bucket, grabs a soaking wet t-shirt, puts it on the dog and rushes back. We lost, but Porter did amazing. He was such a good sport about it.
I was impressed that Porter managed to grab on apple in the apple bobbing game. After the game was over he went back for more and did very well. His prize was eating two apples.
Despite being a mouthy puppy, Porter was a perfect gentleman when I borrow a costume and dressed him up as the tin man (it was the smallest one they had and was still too big). So of course when I was at Old Navy today I bought him a costume for Halloween :) You'll get pictures of that one later.
Porter's shining moment was winning the puppy recall game.
The low of the day came when Porter started pullig toward his ex-pen and once inside became antsy and frantically started pawing at his face and rubbing his muzzle on the ground. The skin around his eyes looked puffy and as I asked around for Benadryl his whole muzzle started getting lumpy and swollen. In the short time it took to walk to the parking lot he looked like a Shar Pei.
He really had me worried and the only thing that kept me from rushing him to the ER vet (who knows where one was since we were very far from home) was that a fellow Flat-coat owner who was there is a vet tech. If Tracy Kerns acted concerned or was worried about him then I would have freaked out. It was nice to know that someone who knew what she was talking about could look at him and tell that he was breathing ok and wasn't going into anaphalactic shock.
The Benadryl did the trick and about 45 minutes later Porter was back to normal. His lips were just a tad swollen still and since I finally calmed down I took his picture. You can just barely see his mouth is a little puffier than normal. I wish a had a picture at his worst but I didn't want to waste time getting a picture in case he took a turn for the worse.
Last week Porter has his interview at Dog Days Ranch, which is a doggie daycare and boarding facility in town. The owner has been a client of my boss' for ages and the dogs are not kenneled. There are a few events that would keep us out of the house for longer than I want Porter crated so I thought this would be a good option.
We also had his first dog park visit last week. I meet a nice group of dog owners who were very welcoming. They come to the dog park everyday before lunch. I was surprised that Porter didn't play hard, but he did have fun sniffing everyone and playing mild games of bitey face with one dog. A 10 month old Rhodesian really wanted to wrestle but Porter only mildly agreed. He's not as nervous with his peers, but he still needs a little bit of time to warm up.
Our heeling work is coming along very nicely but on our casual walks Porter is starting to pull more. I think it's due to his legs getting so long and lanky. He's not frantically pulling, he just walks a lot faster than I do and eventually hits the end of the leash. One cute thing he does while on walks is if there's any water in the gutter, he puts his nose down and follows it like he's on a trail.
Since I've worked a lot on he heeling he's becomes a very one sided dog. Even on our walks he's on the left just due to the way I walk around the neighborhood. I tend to walk clockwise and he prefers to be closest to the grass and bushes. This is going to mess us up for agility so I need to even things out.
Unfortunately bullysticks are not holding his interest. Maybe they are too tough for his sore gums? He'll chew them for a little while but quickly gives them up. I had to bring one on our walk last night since he was jumping up at me and trying to take out a chuck of my thigh. It really hurt! I don't care if he bites at the leash, but I'm a delicate flower.
At least he's getting better at kongs. He still leaves bits and pieces in them, which causes Indi to hover like a vulture, and he's able to stick with them much longer than before. I might buy some canned food so I can freeze it into a kong to really give his jaw a workout. I know he won't keep chewing until it's empty, but it might keep him happy longer.
Last night Porter started in a foundation agility class with my old boss and I finally got confirmation that he is on the list to start a puppy agility class with another trainer in November. I've been trying to get a hold of this trainer since before Porter came home but she's hard to nail down. She's well respected and very experienced (in additional to being an AKC judge) and uses the same training methods I do. And the bonus is she's least than 15 minutes away.
Saturday Porter and I headed to the annual FCR Fun Day. He saw his sister, Dinah, his mom, Hannah, half sister, Christy, and half brother, Honor as well as many other FCRs. There were a couple of other puppies there very close to his age and they all had a great time playing. We noticed that whichever dog was on top would grumble and growl while playing. It was all in fun but we broke up the wrestling when they got too loud to make sure everyone had fun and things didn't get out of hand.
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| Porter's sister, Dinah |
Porter failed miserably at the hot dog recall game, but he was no worst than all but one of the dogs there. You toss a hot dog, send your dog to get it, and then call hem back and whoever has the most hot dog left wins. Most of the dogs sat down and ate the hot dog before returning :)
The next game was the wet t-shirt contest. It's a relay race and each member runs with their dog to the bucket, grabs a soaking wet t-shirt, puts it on the dog and rushes back. We lost, but Porter did amazing. He was such a good sport about it.
 |
| His t-shirt came off as we were waiting, so I draped it over him for the picture. |
I was impressed that Porter managed to grab on apple in the apple bobbing game. After the game was over he went back for more and did very well. His prize was eating two apples.
Despite being a mouthy puppy, Porter was a perfect gentleman when I borrow a costume and dressed him up as the tin man (it was the smallest one they had and was still too big). So of course when I was at Old Navy today I bought him a costume for Halloween :) You'll get pictures of that one later.
Porter's shining moment was winning the puppy recall game.
The low of the day came when Porter started pullig toward his ex-pen and once inside became antsy and frantically started pawing at his face and rubbing his muzzle on the ground. The skin around his eyes looked puffy and as I asked around for Benadryl his whole muzzle started getting lumpy and swollen. In the short time it took to walk to the parking lot he looked like a Shar Pei.
 |
| Pre-sting |
He really had me worried and the only thing that kept me from rushing him to the ER vet (who knows where one was since we were very far from home) was that a fellow Flat-coat owner who was there is a vet tech. If Tracy Kerns acted concerned or was worried about him then I would have freaked out. It was nice to know that someone who knew what she was talking about could look at him and tell that he was breathing ok and wasn't going into anaphalactic shock.
The Benadryl did the trick and about 45 minutes later Porter was back to normal. His lips were just a tad swollen still and since I finally calmed down I took his picture. You can just barely see his mouth is a little puffier than normal. I wish a had a picture at his worst but I didn't want to waste time getting a picture in case he took a turn for the worse.
 |
| Post-Benadryl |
We also had his first dog park visit last week. I meet a nice group of dog owners who were very welcoming. They come to the dog park everyday before lunch. I was surprised that Porter didn't play hard, but he did have fun sniffing everyone and playing mild games of bitey face with one dog. A 10 month old Rhodesian really wanted to wrestle but Porter only mildly agreed. He's not as nervous with his peers, but he still needs a little bit of time to warm up.
Our heeling work is coming along very nicely but on our casual walks Porter is starting to pull more. I think it's due to his legs getting so long and lanky. He's not frantically pulling, he just walks a lot faster than I do and eventually hits the end of the leash. One cute thing he does while on walks is if there's any water in the gutter, he puts his nose down and follows it like he's on a trail.
Since I've worked a lot on he heeling he's becomes a very one sided dog. Even on our walks he's on the left just due to the way I walk around the neighborhood. I tend to walk clockwise and he prefers to be closest to the grass and bushes. This is going to mess us up for agility so I need to even things out.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Every Rose has Its Thorn
I admit it. Porter is a dream puppy. He's exactly what I wanted and has integrated very well into our family.
But just so you all don't start to hate me and throw rotten tomatoes at my blog, let me share some of Porter's not so fine moments.
Half Goat
Like most puppies, Porter came home wanting to put anything and everything into his mouth. If we passed it on the sidewalk he was chomping away at it before I even knew what was going on. I considering walking in the middle of the street to avoid things on the sidewalk and lawns, but Porter also had an affinity for chewing on rocks and found plenty of bits of gravel on the asphalt.
Thankfully this has toned itself down a bit. But he still will do a drive by a rose bush and grab at a bud or rose hip for good measure. Rocks are left alone but any scrap of paper or trash is all his. His current favorites are clumps of compost dirt and palm tree bark that he has expertly harvested himself.
Newspaper Boy
Porter is obsessed with carrying newspapers and it's really darn cute. He'll grab ours and carry it all the way into the house (and then try to run out back with it). I need to get it on video. Now the only problem is he has generalized this really well to newspapers everywhere! He walks really nicely on leash for the most part, until we pass a driveway with a newspaper and then he pounces on it like a jungle cat. And Lord help us when we pass a driveway with *three* newspapers all piled up! It's like he's found puppy Nirvana.
Fine Diner
Ian and I have begun to appreciate the finer things in life and enjoy a nice meal when we have the time and babysitter to get out. Porter agrees and has a very adventurous palate. For late evening snacks he forages out back and kindly brings in a snail to munch on at our feet. Yum! Walking him after the rain is a bit stop and go. He'll grab a snail and trot along with it in his mouth and happy as a clam until it drops and then he's completely focused on finding it again.
I could solve this problem by restricting his access to the backyard unless supervised and train his leave it. But it's easier to just complain about it. :)
Tale of a Tail
Yes, I have that dog. The one who chases his tail and is surprised it dared show its face again and annoyed he's not fast enough to catch up to it.
Back Talker
No one like a sassy kid but Indi's dealing with her annoying younger brother quite well. They can both have the exact same item, like a bullystick, but Porter quickly bores of his and finds his sister's much more appealing. So like any good brother he pesters her and pesters her until she corrects him and not a split second after he's done yelping and running away he's giving her lip for daring to yell at him. All while maintaining a safe distance away.
The Nose Knows
This dog was bred for K9 Nose Work. Nothing gets past him, such as the time we were walking around the park waiting for class to start and he air scents a nasty pile of entrails the coyotes left about 10 feet away. He began channeling his inner husky and it was all I could do to keep him from having sloppy seconds.
I'm Melting!
Despite loving the baby pool, wading in ponds without a second thought, enjoying biting the stream of water from the hose, Porter acts like acid is coming out of the shower head when it's bath time. Thank goodness for strong shower doors.
So there you have it. My puppy has his flaws, but I love him. Just not when he's trying to kiss me after eating snails.
But just so you all don't start to hate me and throw rotten tomatoes at my blog, let me share some of Porter's not so fine moments.
Half Goat
Like most puppies, Porter came home wanting to put anything and everything into his mouth. If we passed it on the sidewalk he was chomping away at it before I even knew what was going on. I considering walking in the middle of the street to avoid things on the sidewalk and lawns, but Porter also had an affinity for chewing on rocks and found plenty of bits of gravel on the asphalt.
Thankfully this has toned itself down a bit. But he still will do a drive by a rose bush and grab at a bud or rose hip for good measure. Rocks are left alone but any scrap of paper or trash is all his. His current favorites are clumps of compost dirt and palm tree bark that he has expertly harvested himself.
Newspaper Boy
Porter is obsessed with carrying newspapers and it's really darn cute. He'll grab ours and carry it all the way into the house (and then try to run out back with it). I need to get it on video. Now the only problem is he has generalized this really well to newspapers everywhere! He walks really nicely on leash for the most part, until we pass a driveway with a newspaper and then he pounces on it like a jungle cat. And Lord help us when we pass a driveway with *three* newspapers all piled up! It's like he's found puppy Nirvana.
Fine Diner
Ian and I have begun to appreciate the finer things in life and enjoy a nice meal when we have the time and babysitter to get out. Porter agrees and has a very adventurous palate. For late evening snacks he forages out back and kindly brings in a snail to munch on at our feet. Yum! Walking him after the rain is a bit stop and go. He'll grab a snail and trot along with it in his mouth and happy as a clam until it drops and then he's completely focused on finding it again.
I could solve this problem by restricting his access to the backyard unless supervised and train his leave it. But it's easier to just complain about it. :)
Tale of a Tail
Yes, I have that dog. The one who chases his tail and is surprised it dared show its face again and annoyed he's not fast enough to catch up to it.
Back Talker
No one like a sassy kid but Indi's dealing with her annoying younger brother quite well. They can both have the exact same item, like a bullystick, but Porter quickly bores of his and finds his sister's much more appealing. So like any good brother he pesters her and pesters her until she corrects him and not a split second after he's done yelping and running away he's giving her lip for daring to yell at him. All while maintaining a safe distance away.
The Nose Knows
This dog was bred for K9 Nose Work. Nothing gets past him, such as the time we were walking around the park waiting for class to start and he air scents a nasty pile of entrails the coyotes left about 10 feet away. He began channeling his inner husky and it was all I could do to keep him from having sloppy seconds.
I'm Melting!
Despite loving the baby pool, wading in ponds without a second thought, enjoying biting the stream of water from the hose, Porter acts like acid is coming out of the shower head when it's bath time. Thank goodness for strong shower doors.
So there you have it. My puppy has his flaws, but I love him. Just not when he's trying to kiss me after eating snails.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
3 Months Old
Porter continues to amaze me. While we haven't worked a on a lot of "tricks" yet, his general training is coming along quite nicely. He walks in loose lead most of the time. When he occasionally pulls, I stop, and he has learned to release the tension by walking back towards me and then we continue forward. His pulling is typically caused by his quick pace. If I keep a very brisk walk then we are fine. His normal walking pace is much faster than mine though so I need to teach him to slow it down a bit especially once his legs grow even longer! I'll be jogging just to keep up on his walk.
When we are training his has great focus while heeling. He turned right very nicely, even doing 360's. I haven't worked on our lefts yet and I need to get on the perch work to help with those left pivots. He is really easy to maneuver into heel position and is learning to sit nice a straight. His preference is still to swing around to my front so I've been heavily rewarding him in heel position and he's doing better at staying there longer. He still stretches out to down so I need to work on teaching him to move his back feet inside so he's still in heel position. None of this is on cue yet.
I am most impressed with his behavior on Saturday. While the older dogs were in a big circle for basic obedience class (and there were over 10 dogs), Porter and I heeled around the outside of the circle and he was able to stay focuses on me (ok, really on my treats but I'll take it).
He also did much better playing with some puppies in class this week. Only once or twice he looked a little stiff. He played the most of a small JRT pup. Many he reminded him of Indigo. :) And as always he's doing great meeting older dogs, even if they are still puppies themselves, just a little older and a little larger.
He had a playdate with the Dalmatians, Kylie and Daisy this week. He has only seen Kylie on leash and even though she can be a pistol they all had a great time after our slow one on one off leash introductions. It was great seeing the three of them romp around together. After they had their fun we did a couple of rounds of Nose Work with them all.
I'm impressed at how quickly Porter picks up on things. He's waiting nicely for his dinner bowl now until I give him the release cue. I still am not waiting too long, but I can walk away a few feet and turn my back on him and he (typically) holds his stay.
His gross motor skills are improving every week. He's much better at walking down our hardwood floor stairs. I still walk in front of him in case he slips or tries to jump too many steps, but he rarely fumbles now. Most of the time he can make it up onto the couch but occasionally scrambles a bit. Jumping off was scary at first since he's take a flying leap and his feet would slip out from under him on the slick floor. I had visions of ACL tears and shoulder injuries dashing before my eyes as his agility career flies out the window. I'm not sure if he's able to control his body better now or if trimming the fur on his pads did the trick, but now he lands firmly. Probably a little bit of both.
I was surprised how well he did when I used the trimmers on his paws. Of course I has my daughter holding a peanut butter kong for him, but his was much more still then when I dremel his nails. He's also getting a little better when I brush him. He's prefer to chew the brush and I'm sure a stuffed kong would solve that but I always seem to decide to brush him at he last minute in between doing other things. I figure if I brush him frequently with the Furminator it will keep down on the fluff flying around the house. When Porter first came home nothing was coming out with the brush but now I do get some clumps of hair.
While he still takes hard naps his wakeful time is increasing. He has some crazy periods but they don't last long. All in all he's pretty chill and settles down very quickly. He's also become a real snuggle bug recently. Since he can jump up on the couch now he'll cuddle up and nap instead of chew on you. When he does try to mouth us, off the couch he goes. He learns quickly and either goes and plays with something else or jumps up and relaxes instead.
He's also, slowly, learning to not bother us if we are eating at the coffee table. Indigo is great with this and will not touch food on the coffee table even if left there for several hours with us out of the house. Porter will try to come up and sniff really close but we body block him and eventually he lays down and naps. Sometimes he gets frustrated and chews on the coffee table but stops if I put a drop or two of bitter apple
on it. I think it's mostly the smell that gets him, or at least he has learned that the smell means it will taste bad so he doesn't even chew it or lick it after Bitter Apple is applied.
Porter has decided he loves pears and harvests the fallen pears from our tree. I'll have to be better about picking them up because last night he threw up a pear stem.
On that note, crate training is going great! When he vomited the pear stem at 3am, I opened the crate to wipe it up and then went back to bed. Porter did the same. I was worried he would want to get out but he didn't. He even let me sleep in until past 6:30 this morning and he didn't ask for a middle of the night pee break! Today he was crated for just shy of 3 hours, his longest time yet, and he seemed just fine when I got home.
We finally finished his bag of kibble and he had his first meal of Honest Kitchen (dehydrated raw) tonight. This week I go buy meat to put him back on a regular raw diet. I need to figure out where to feed him since I was feeding him his raw meals in his crate since I can use clorox wipes there and he's separated from Indi. But now that crate is upstairs in the bedrooms and is just too big and bulky for me to carry up and down daily. I don't think feeding up upstairs will work well since I like to watch him eat just in case he has a problem and he takes while to finish. Downstairs I can get a few things done while watching him.
Porter has outgrown Indi, but he's still clumsy so she continues to get the better of him in their wresting matches.
When we are training his has great focus while heeling. He turned right very nicely, even doing 360's. I haven't worked on our lefts yet and I need to get on the perch work to help with those left pivots. He is really easy to maneuver into heel position and is learning to sit nice a straight. His preference is still to swing around to my front so I've been heavily rewarding him in heel position and he's doing better at staying there longer. He still stretches out to down so I need to work on teaching him to move his back feet inside so he's still in heel position. None of this is on cue yet.
I am most impressed with his behavior on Saturday. While the older dogs were in a big circle for basic obedience class (and there were over 10 dogs), Porter and I heeled around the outside of the circle and he was able to stay focuses on me (ok, really on my treats but I'll take it).
He also did much better playing with some puppies in class this week. Only once or twice he looked a little stiff. He played the most of a small JRT pup. Many he reminded him of Indigo. :) And as always he's doing great meeting older dogs, even if they are still puppies themselves, just a little older and a little larger.
He had a playdate with the Dalmatians, Kylie and Daisy this week. He has only seen Kylie on leash and even though she can be a pistol they all had a great time after our slow one on one off leash introductions. It was great seeing the three of them romp around together. After they had their fun we did a couple of rounds of Nose Work with them all.
I'm impressed at how quickly Porter picks up on things. He's waiting nicely for his dinner bowl now until I give him the release cue. I still am not waiting too long, but I can walk away a few feet and turn my back on him and he (typically) holds his stay.
His gross motor skills are improving every week. He's much better at walking down our hardwood floor stairs. I still walk in front of him in case he slips or tries to jump too many steps, but he rarely fumbles now. Most of the time he can make it up onto the couch but occasionally scrambles a bit. Jumping off was scary at first since he's take a flying leap and his feet would slip out from under him on the slick floor. I had visions of ACL tears and shoulder injuries dashing before my eyes as his agility career flies out the window. I'm not sure if he's able to control his body better now or if trimming the fur on his pads did the trick, but now he lands firmly. Probably a little bit of both.
I was surprised how well he did when I used the trimmers on his paws. Of course I has my daughter holding a peanut butter kong for him, but his was much more still then when I dremel his nails. He's also getting a little better when I brush him. He's prefer to chew the brush and I'm sure a stuffed kong would solve that but I always seem to decide to brush him at he last minute in between doing other things. I figure if I brush him frequently with the Furminator it will keep down on the fluff flying around the house. When Porter first came home nothing was coming out with the brush but now I do get some clumps of hair.
While he still takes hard naps his wakeful time is increasing. He has some crazy periods but they don't last long. All in all he's pretty chill and settles down very quickly. He's also become a real snuggle bug recently. Since he can jump up on the couch now he'll cuddle up and nap instead of chew on you. When he does try to mouth us, off the couch he goes. He learns quickly and either goes and plays with something else or jumps up and relaxes instead.
He's also, slowly, learning to not bother us if we are eating at the coffee table. Indigo is great with this and will not touch food on the coffee table even if left there for several hours with us out of the house. Porter will try to come up and sniff really close but we body block him and eventually he lays down and naps. Sometimes he gets frustrated and chews on the coffee table but stops if I put a drop or two of bitter apple
on it. I think it's mostly the smell that gets him, or at least he has learned that the smell means it will taste bad so he doesn't even chew it or lick it after Bitter Apple is applied.
Porter has decided he loves pears and harvests the fallen pears from our tree. I'll have to be better about picking them up because last night he threw up a pear stem.
On that note, crate training is going great! When he vomited the pear stem at 3am, I opened the crate to wipe it up and then went back to bed. Porter did the same. I was worried he would want to get out but he didn't. He even let me sleep in until past 6:30 this morning and he didn't ask for a middle of the night pee break! Today he was crated for just shy of 3 hours, his longest time yet, and he seemed just fine when I got home.
We finally finished his bag of kibble and he had his first meal of Honest Kitchen (dehydrated raw) tonight. This week I go buy meat to put him back on a regular raw diet. I need to figure out where to feed him since I was feeding him his raw meals in his crate since I can use clorox wipes there and he's separated from Indi. But now that crate is upstairs in the bedrooms and is just too big and bulky for me to carry up and down daily. I don't think feeding up upstairs will work well since I like to watch him eat just in case he has a problem and he takes while to finish. Downstairs I can get a few things done while watching him.
Porter has outgrown Indi, but he's still clumsy so she continues to get the better of him in their wresting matches.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Perfect Puppy
Porter is turning out to be the perfect puppy. He has his moments, but in general he's really well behaved and easy going.
Today Porter and I hung out with friends at a local agility trial. He was able to meet several adults dogs (and loved them) and just ate up all the loves given to him by the handlers. Best of all he was completely calm and relaxed in his ex-pen and wasn't anxious when I wasn't there.
Between watching runs and hanging out we took time to observe the ducks and geese.
Porter is recovering well from his tooth extraction. When I picked him up he was in good spirits and nice and calm while we checked him out. He was ready to play, tug, and eat rocks right when we got home and wasn't happy all his toys had to be put away.
Adult dogs continue to be amazing things in Porter's eyes and he's warming up to Harley, the Viszla puppy.
This week we'll be starting on K9 Nose Work training. I've already noticed what a great sense of smell Porter has so I think he'll do well in the sport. I also need to work more on his proprioception. His flatwork is coming along with the small amount of training we've done so far. I'm hoping to start him in a puppy agility class very soon so my training is more focused.
He is now heavier and maybe a tad taller than Indi, but still pretty clumsy so Indi alway has the upper hand.
Everyday I can see Porter's impulse control improving. He can now sit and wait after I put his food bowl down for about 10 seconds before I release him. And finally, he can empty his puppy kong. The large ones still pose a problem but he'll get there. This week he had a break through and finally realized he can bat at the kong with his paws to make the treats fall out.
More good news is that Porter isn't so anxious walking at night anymore. He does pull hard to get home, but still makes a small effort when we pass the house. He doesn't startle as easily and sometimes can let barking dogs roll off his back. At the trial today the barking dogs didn't phase him at all even though one was right next to him.
The cutest thing to watch is when both Indigo and Porter get the zoomies in the backyard. Porter can't keep up but he's getting better every week. He also in pretty interested in Indi's flirt pole and gives it a go in between her rounds.
Today Porter and I hung out with friends at a local agility trial. He was able to meet several adults dogs (and loved them) and just ate up all the loves given to him by the handlers. Best of all he was completely calm and relaxed in his ex-pen and wasn't anxious when I wasn't there.
Between watching runs and hanging out we took time to observe the ducks and geese.
Porter is recovering well from his tooth extraction. When I picked him up he was in good spirits and nice and calm while we checked him out. He was ready to play, tug, and eat rocks right when we got home and wasn't happy all his toys had to be put away.
Adult dogs continue to be amazing things in Porter's eyes and he's warming up to Harley, the Viszla puppy.
This week we'll be starting on K9 Nose Work training. I've already noticed what a great sense of smell Porter has so I think he'll do well in the sport. I also need to work more on his proprioception. His flatwork is coming along with the small amount of training we've done so far. I'm hoping to start him in a puppy agility class very soon so my training is more focused.
He is now heavier and maybe a tad taller than Indi, but still pretty clumsy so Indi alway has the upper hand.
Everyday I can see Porter's impulse control improving. He can now sit and wait after I put his food bowl down for about 10 seconds before I release him. And finally, he can empty his puppy kong. The large ones still pose a problem but he'll get there. This week he had a break through and finally realized he can bat at the kong with his paws to make the treats fall out.
More good news is that Porter isn't so anxious walking at night anymore. He does pull hard to get home, but still makes a small effort when we pass the house. He doesn't startle as easily and sometimes can let barking dogs roll off his back. At the trial today the barking dogs didn't phase him at all even though one was right next to him.
The cutest thing to watch is when both Indigo and Porter get the zoomies in the backyard. Porter can't keep up but he's getting better every week. He also in pretty interested in Indi's flirt pole and gives it a go in between her rounds.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Food for Thought
Porter is such a good boy. He'll eat anything I give him. He loves his raw food; he loves his kibble. He works hard for liver, cheese, or Charlie Bears without discriminating. It's nice to have dogs who are not picky and who can handle food changes. I'm lucky they roll with the punches because I cannot make up my mind what to feed Porter.
While he's outwardly loving the kibble I'm not so sure his insides are loving it. I'm spoiled with raw fed dog poops which are small, firm and have very little to no odor. Kibble poops? Nasty stuff. But Porter's now seem even more smelly than poop should be. There has to be a threshold there somewhere, right? He sometimes has horrendous gas as well. The smell is so bad I have to look down where he's napping because I would have sworn he just released his bowels on my floor. This makes me think that the food he is on is not the best for his body.
So now what? Do I pick a new kibble brand or do I go back to raw?
I think when this bag is finished I will put Porter back on raw. At least partially. I still want to be sure he's getting everything he needs to grow properly so I am considering doing premade raw partially or maybe raw with vitamins supplements. Another idea is to feed part raw and part kibble, not int he same meal, but alternating meals or alternatives weeks or months. Honest Kitchen has a variety which includes the fruits, veggies, vitamins (and love) and you add the protein source you want. So this might be an option. My friend, Madeline, gave be a little bit to try out.
No matter what he's eating, Porter is growing like a weed. At 9 weeks he was 15 pounds, at 10.5 weeks he was 17.8 pounds and now at 11.5 weeks he's 19.8 pounds. He gained 2 pounds in just 7 days! He is now the exact same weight as Indigo. His head a larger than hers but he's still just barely shorter than her at the shoulders.
On a sad note Porter goes under the knife on Tuesday. Actually I doubt a knife will be involved but he is having his two bottom canines extracted. Unfortunately his lower jaw is not growing fast enough and so he has a overshot bite. It's also a bit narrow so those bottom canines are touching and poking into the roof of his mouth and leaving indentations. By removing those canines we are hoping that he will allow his lower jaw to catch up (since it grows slower anyhow I was told) and maybe he'll grow into a normal bite. The good news is even if he keeps an overbite it won't affect him in the agility ring or with any of the other dog sports we will be doing.
Last week Porter went to puppy kindergarten again. He was interested in playing with Harley, the Vizsla, but was still a bit stiff and uncomfortable with Harley being so forward. With Harley on leash and Porter off, Porter chose to stay by me and work for cookies instead of interacting with the other pup. When he was introduced to a smaller dog he was much happier, but wanted to play too rough for the size difference. He continues to be great with adult dogs even if they are hyper and trying to wrestle with him. I need to work on his social skills with his peers. He stiffens up and then if they persist he gets snarky in a way that I do not like.
On Saturday he accompanied me to the puppy classes I teach but only has minimal interaction with those pups since they were the size he has problems with. I did not use him as a demo dog this week so he was in the ex-pen a majority of the time and ended up just taking a nap. Before and after my classes I walked him around the other classes going on and worked on his focus and relaxing near other dogs. I am very impressed with his focus. While he's interested in saying hi to the other dogs he doesn't dwell on it and can tune them out and focus on me.
Last night Porter met Madeline's family and her two dogs. Both are a bit older and just not ready to handle a young pup, so I tethered Porter to the furniture while we ate so the other dogs could have their space. He's such a great pup. He just relaxed and went to sleep under my chair for most of dinner. No chewing on the chair leg or the area rug. No peeing in the house. No barking to get up and go somewhere else. I'm really happy about his overall demeanor.
Today we meet up with a local clicker training group and Porter did fantastic. The majority of the time he was staring lovingly into my eyes. He's going to be a great working dog. I do wish he was more interested in the other dogs though. He really like Mira, the Golden. He really seems to gravitate towards Goldens and I wonder if their similar look to FCRs has to do with it. He wasn't all that into playing with Smoke, the 5 months old Kelpie, even though Smoke *really* wanted to play with him. After a bit Porter finally stated playing with him, but then became overwhelmed and growled. I was excited that Mickey, the malinois, was coming, since Mickey has such great doggie social skills, but again, Porter was more into me (my treats). I know I shouldn't complain, since I wanted a great working dog and a dog who wasn't on edge about the things in the environment like Indigo is, so I should just be happy and go with it.
Everyday Porter gets better at holding his down stay while I take a picture.
While he's outwardly loving the kibble I'm not so sure his insides are loving it. I'm spoiled with raw fed dog poops which are small, firm and have very little to no odor. Kibble poops? Nasty stuff. But Porter's now seem even more smelly than poop should be. There has to be a threshold there somewhere, right? He sometimes has horrendous gas as well. The smell is so bad I have to look down where he's napping because I would have sworn he just released his bowels on my floor. This makes me think that the food he is on is not the best for his body.
So now what? Do I pick a new kibble brand or do I go back to raw?
I think when this bag is finished I will put Porter back on raw. At least partially. I still want to be sure he's getting everything he needs to grow properly so I am considering doing premade raw partially or maybe raw with vitamins supplements. Another idea is to feed part raw and part kibble, not int he same meal, but alternating meals or alternatives weeks or months. Honest Kitchen has a variety which includes the fruits, veggies, vitamins (and love) and you add the protein source you want. So this might be an option. My friend, Madeline, gave be a little bit to try out.
No matter what he's eating, Porter is growing like a weed. At 9 weeks he was 15 pounds, at 10.5 weeks he was 17.8 pounds and now at 11.5 weeks he's 19.8 pounds. He gained 2 pounds in just 7 days! He is now the exact same weight as Indigo. His head a larger than hers but he's still just barely shorter than her at the shoulders.
On a sad note Porter goes under the knife on Tuesday. Actually I doubt a knife will be involved but he is having his two bottom canines extracted. Unfortunately his lower jaw is not growing fast enough and so he has a overshot bite. It's also a bit narrow so those bottom canines are touching and poking into the roof of his mouth and leaving indentations. By removing those canines we are hoping that he will allow his lower jaw to catch up (since it grows slower anyhow I was told) and maybe he'll grow into a normal bite. The good news is even if he keeps an overbite it won't affect him in the agility ring or with any of the other dog sports we will be doing.
Last week Porter went to puppy kindergarten again. He was interested in playing with Harley, the Vizsla, but was still a bit stiff and uncomfortable with Harley being so forward. With Harley on leash and Porter off, Porter chose to stay by me and work for cookies instead of interacting with the other pup. When he was introduced to a smaller dog he was much happier, but wanted to play too rough for the size difference. He continues to be great with adult dogs even if they are hyper and trying to wrestle with him. I need to work on his social skills with his peers. He stiffens up and then if they persist he gets snarky in a way that I do not like.
On Saturday he accompanied me to the puppy classes I teach but only has minimal interaction with those pups since they were the size he has problems with. I did not use him as a demo dog this week so he was in the ex-pen a majority of the time and ended up just taking a nap. Before and after my classes I walked him around the other classes going on and worked on his focus and relaxing near other dogs. I am very impressed with his focus. While he's interested in saying hi to the other dogs he doesn't dwell on it and can tune them out and focus on me.
Last night Porter met Madeline's family and her two dogs. Both are a bit older and just not ready to handle a young pup, so I tethered Porter to the furniture while we ate so the other dogs could have their space. He's such a great pup. He just relaxed and went to sleep under my chair for most of dinner. No chewing on the chair leg or the area rug. No peeing in the house. No barking to get up and go somewhere else. I'm really happy about his overall demeanor.
Today we meet up with a local clicker training group and Porter did fantastic. The majority of the time he was staring lovingly into my eyes. He's going to be a great working dog. I do wish he was more interested in the other dogs though. He really like Mira, the Golden. He really seems to gravitate towards Goldens and I wonder if their similar look to FCRs has to do with it. He wasn't all that into playing with Smoke, the 5 months old Kelpie, even though Smoke *really* wanted to play with him. After a bit Porter finally stated playing with him, but then became overwhelmed and growled. I was excited that Mickey, the malinois, was coming, since Mickey has such great doggie social skills, but again, Porter was more into me (my treats). I know I shouldn't complain, since I wanted a great working dog and a dog who wasn't on edge about the things in the environment like Indigo is, so I should just be happy and go with it.
Everyday Porter gets better at holding his down stay while I take a picture.
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