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!!

Perch Work and Wii Fit

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.

Porter is so wasteful. Indi never would have left all that yogurt on her nose.

"I'm down, I'm down, now give me the cookie!"

"I'm not looking. There is no cookie. I don't need any cookies anyhow."

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.

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).

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'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

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.