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.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
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.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Puppy Push Ups
Since switching to kibble I've been able to squeeze more training time into our schedule. Before each meal we do some sits and downs for kibble. He came to me with a default sit, but now he's connecting the verbal cue to his behavior. The casual observer might think he also knows the verbal cue down down, but he doesn't. He's guessing. I'm ok with that though :) We've done a lot of puppy push ups (sit, down, sit, down, sit, down, etc.), so when he's sitting, if some noise comes out of my mouth and no treats are delivered Porter knows to try something else and at the moment that something else is a down. I could be saying "pickles" and he would still lie down. But what I like is he's thinking, he's trying to figure out how to get his reward, and since he's predictable, I can give him the verbal cue right before he does the behavior and help make that association. No luring needed in this situation, but I will still lure at other times, like when he's distracted.
Last Wednesday I took Porter to my boss's puppy kindergarten class. Although he's come to the puppy k classes I teach twice already, this was the first time where I was able to give him all of my attention. He did a wonderful job, especially with tugging with me close to the other puppies. He was very fond of Chloe, a Golden Retriever.
On Saturday Porter had another fun day with me at work. Before my puppy kindergarten classes started we walked around and hung out with the beginning agility class. Most of these are young dogs so I practiced standing in class near them with Porter relaxing by me. I was impressed that he would lie down and settle even when the other dogs were eager to say hi.
During my classes I took him out of his ex-pen several times to be the demo dog. He loved coming out to work but also had no problem going back in his pen so I could give individual puppies more attention. During the first playtime he was a little stiff but more relaxed than last week. For the second playtime he corrected another pup would was too much in his face. I think at this point he was getting overtired since he was awake for most of the morning (last week he slept through the majority of both classes). I might need to just skip his playtime during the second class if it's going to be too much for him. I don't want him developing bad habits.
He also had a chance to meet a lot of adult dogs who are in our more advanced classes. He really loved Sandy's Dalmatian, Kylie, who's still young herself and quite a pistol. I thought he'd be nervous, and he was a little, but quickly warmed up to her. Once he gets more size he'll love romping around and wrestling together. All of the adult dogs he meet that afternoon were very nice to him and he was completely comfortable around them.
Before we left Gabriella took us over to the tunnel to try him out. we shortened it and he went through without a problem so little by little she made it longer. Pretty much instantly he would grab his treat and then turn around and go through the other way. I loved that he was offering the behavior on his own without me
making any gestures or movements towards the tunnel.
On Sunday we had a BBQ which Porter pretty much just slept through :) When he was awake he was given a lot of attention by our guests and their children.
One thing I've noticed that I need to keep an eye on is he seems a bit fearful when out walking at night. He often pauses and looks around before quickly walking forward again. His ears look like they are held back, too. On the way home he tries to run and pull the whole way, but if you know me you'll guess I don't let this happen. He's such a quick learner and has already figured out that when I stop he needs to walk back towards me before we can move forward again. Last night he started pulling again, but then tromped through from plants, peed, and was a lot less anxious. So I think it might be two fold...he is probably nervous in the darkness and with the noises (esp. the barking dogs) and he might not know where he can pee and needs to get home to go. He has no problem pooping while on walks though. During the day he is much more at ease but still doesn't see quite relaxed when walking outside of our cul-de-sac. He's perfectly fine at the two parks we've been to. I just need to get him out and about even more but not push him.
Last Wednesday I took Porter to my boss's puppy kindergarten class. Although he's come to the puppy k classes I teach twice already, this was the first time where I was able to give him all of my attention. He did a wonderful job, especially with tugging with me close to the other puppies. He was very fond of Chloe, a Golden Retriever.
On Saturday Porter had another fun day with me at work. Before my puppy kindergarten classes started we walked around and hung out with the beginning agility class. Most of these are young dogs so I practiced standing in class near them with Porter relaxing by me. I was impressed that he would lie down and settle even when the other dogs were eager to say hi.
During my classes I took him out of his ex-pen several times to be the demo dog. He loved coming out to work but also had no problem going back in his pen so I could give individual puppies more attention. During the first playtime he was a little stiff but more relaxed than last week. For the second playtime he corrected another pup would was too much in his face. I think at this point he was getting overtired since he was awake for most of the morning (last week he slept through the majority of both classes). I might need to just skip his playtime during the second class if it's going to be too much for him. I don't want him developing bad habits.
He also had a chance to meet a lot of adult dogs who are in our more advanced classes. He really loved Sandy's Dalmatian, Kylie, who's still young herself and quite a pistol. I thought he'd be nervous, and he was a little, but quickly warmed up to her. Once he gets more size he'll love romping around and wrestling together. All of the adult dogs he meet that afternoon were very nice to him and he was completely comfortable around them.
Before we left Gabriella took us over to the tunnel to try him out. we shortened it and he went through without a problem so little by little she made it longer. Pretty much instantly he would grab his treat and then turn around and go through the other way. I loved that he was offering the behavior on his own without me
making any gestures or movements towards the tunnel.
On Sunday we had a BBQ which Porter pretty much just slept through :) When he was awake he was given a lot of attention by our guests and their children.
One thing I've noticed that I need to keep an eye on is he seems a bit fearful when out walking at night. He often pauses and looks around before quickly walking forward again. His ears look like they are held back, too. On the way home he tries to run and pull the whole way, but if you know me you'll guess I don't let this happen. He's such a quick learner and has already figured out that when I stop he needs to walk back towards me before we can move forward again. Last night he started pulling again, but then tromped through from plants, peed, and was a lot less anxious. So I think it might be two fold...he is probably nervous in the darkness and with the noises (esp. the barking dogs) and he might not know where he can pee and needs to get home to go. He has no problem pooping while on walks though. During the day he is much more at ease but still doesn't see quite relaxed when walking outside of our cul-de-sac. He's perfectly fine at the two parks we've been to. I just need to get him out and about even more but not push him.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Getting his Feet Wet
Crate training is coming along fabulously! Porter rarely makes a fuss when put in his crate. Half of the time I carry and set him in since he's passed out, but when he is awake I set him down in front of the door and wait. He can't go anywhere else since I'm right behind him so he makes the choice to walk into the crate. I haven't built enough motivation for it yet where he'll drive to it from across the room. He's not that drivey yet...he's kind of a lumbering along kind of guy.
I no longer worry about crating him for the half hour it takes for me to pick QM up from school. He's quiet and content when we get home. The longest he has been crated has been for an hour and a half while QM was at gymnastics. Again, when we returned home he was nicely settled and usually takes his sweet time coming out once the crate door is opened. It's been great that he's so comfortable in there since I can now to run errands without stressing.
This morning I went to the grocery store and when I got back I took Porter on his first trip to Lake Miramar. Once he's older it'll be a nice place for a walk but today we just explored the dirt area and watched the ducks from the bridge. He was able to meet a few men, including the guy who's in charge of the lake, who showed me a picture of his JRT. Porter seems very eager to approach people but not over the top and if I don't allow him to get closer he moves on and does something else. We only saw one other dog there (I was hoping for more) and Porter was very interested in getting closer but we kept a polite distance.
As we drove away I decided to stop by a nearby pond for more exploration and duck sightings. There was more shade here and only a couple of other people so Porter was much more at ease than with the hustle and bustle of Lake Miramar. He felt comfortable getting two paws up on a tree stump (with the help of a cookie) but was unable to get all four feet on due to the angle and slickness. He was again fascinated by the ducks but did not continue to pull towards them constantly. Just behind this pond I found a huge open field which might be great for working with a long line.
I didn't see any "no dogs in the water" signs and this pond isn't a water reservoir like Lake Miramar so I let Porter approach the water. I thought he would hesitant but he waded right in and didn't look worried. He was up to his belly in no time but I didn't let him go in farther since it became deeper fast and he has never been swimming before. Plus I had no towels! Next time I might give him more leash, but I think I'll switch back to his regular collar and not the martingale just in case he gets in over his head, so to speak. Tomorrow we will explore other hidden pond in the area ad see if it'll make a good swimming hole for Porter. Typically in San Diego the only water for dogs to play in are the dog beaches. I want to wait for another round of shots before we hit the sand.
Taking family portraits with Porter and Indi is really difficult. Porter does well when he's sitting all alone for the camera, but if I place Indi near him he can hardly resist playing with her. Indi is not amused since if there's food in the picture that's all she wants.
Getting a picture of them lying down is even worse. Porter has no stay yet. He will down easily, but when I an eye level with the camera he wants to come investigate and either slob on the lens or munch on the cookies I have.
How could I have forgotten to mention how darn smart the little guy is. Porter had not even been home 5 days and he figured out the doggie door. Over the last week he's used it here and there but now he's really gotten the hang of it. At first he would get stuck half way through and I worried he's scrap his belly and boy bits right off! Indi is small enough that she takes the doggie door at warp speed and unfortunately Porter followed her last night. He's her size, but doesn't have her grace and ended up bashing his shoulder into the frame and not making it through. Little cartoon birds flew in circles over his head. Sadly, I don't think that is going to be the last time he tries that.
Doggie door + doggie pool = sad wood floors
The next door neighbor's cat was hanging out on our fence again. It was neat to see the dogs pick up the scent on the air and follow it back to the source. Porter was interested in seeing more of the cat, but I think she'd kick his butt so we kept our distance.
I no longer worry about crating him for the half hour it takes for me to pick QM up from school. He's quiet and content when we get home. The longest he has been crated has been for an hour and a half while QM was at gymnastics. Again, when we returned home he was nicely settled and usually takes his sweet time coming out once the crate door is opened. It's been great that he's so comfortable in there since I can now to run errands without stressing.
This morning I went to the grocery store and when I got back I took Porter on his first trip to Lake Miramar. Once he's older it'll be a nice place for a walk but today we just explored the dirt area and watched the ducks from the bridge. He was able to meet a few men, including the guy who's in charge of the lake, who showed me a picture of his JRT. Porter seems very eager to approach people but not over the top and if I don't allow him to get closer he moves on and does something else. We only saw one other dog there (I was hoping for more) and Porter was very interested in getting closer but we kept a polite distance.
As we drove away I decided to stop by a nearby pond for more exploration and duck sightings. There was more shade here and only a couple of other people so Porter was much more at ease than with the hustle and bustle of Lake Miramar. He felt comfortable getting two paws up on a tree stump (with the help of a cookie) but was unable to get all four feet on due to the angle and slickness. He was again fascinated by the ducks but did not continue to pull towards them constantly. Just behind this pond I found a huge open field which might be great for working with a long line.
I didn't see any "no dogs in the water" signs and this pond isn't a water reservoir like Lake Miramar so I let Porter approach the water. I thought he would hesitant but he waded right in and didn't look worried. He was up to his belly in no time but I didn't let him go in farther since it became deeper fast and he has never been swimming before. Plus I had no towels! Next time I might give him more leash, but I think I'll switch back to his regular collar and not the martingale just in case he gets in over his head, so to speak. Tomorrow we will explore other hidden pond in the area ad see if it'll make a good swimming hole for Porter. Typically in San Diego the only water for dogs to play in are the dog beaches. I want to wait for another round of shots before we hit the sand.
Taking family portraits with Porter and Indi is really difficult. Porter does well when he's sitting all alone for the camera, but if I place Indi near him he can hardly resist playing with her. Indi is not amused since if there's food in the picture that's all she wants.
 |
| Out Take |
 |
| Getting Better |
Getting a picture of them lying down is even worse. Porter has no stay yet. He will down easily, but when I an eye level with the camera he wants to come investigate and either slob on the lens or munch on the cookies I have.
 | |
| The best I can get right now |
How could I have forgotten to mention how darn smart the little guy is. Porter had not even been home 5 days and he figured out the doggie door. Over the last week he's used it here and there but now he's really gotten the hang of it. At first he would get stuck half way through and I worried he's scrap his belly and boy bits right off! Indi is small enough that she takes the doggie door at warp speed and unfortunately Porter followed her last night. He's her size, but doesn't have her grace and ended up bashing his shoulder into the frame and not making it through. Little cartoon birds flew in circles over his head. Sadly, I don't think that is going to be the last time he tries that.
Doggie door + doggie pool = sad wood floors
 |
| Indi's arch nemesis |
The next door neighbor's cat was hanging out on our fence again. It was neat to see the dogs pick up the scent on the air and follow it back to the source. Porter was interested in seeing more of the cat, but I think she'd kick his butt so we kept our distance.
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