Today in agility I threw a ball for Porter's reward after a short sequence. The ball continued to bounce off the field and Porter gave chase. He came up limping with a 6 inch stake stuck to the bottom of his foot. After pulling it out I noticed the nail which must have embedded itself into his pad. As soon as the nail was out Porter took off for his ball without a second thought and he happily trotted back to his crate with his reward.
I'm amazed at Porter's high pain tolerance. He never yelped and only limped when it was stuThankfuck in his foot.
I'm also impressed with his ability to hold still when I need to help him. Last week he stepped on a bee and was well behaved as I checked his paw and flicked the stinger out.
Thankfully another student is a vet and she didn't seem concerned about the injury and Porter didn't know what all the fuss was about. He's not favoring that foot or licking it. Now that we are home I can't even tell anything happened to his paw when I closely inspect it.
Despite being impervious to pain, Porter is a delicate flower when it comes to the heat. It was barely in the low 70's today but the heat was sucking Porter's energy away quickly. His crate is placed in the coolest spot with the most shade and he has his cool pet pad inside, but working in the sun for a few minutes at a time is almost too much still. I foresee skipping a lot of summer trials.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
11 Months Old
I cannot believe it's been over 2 months since I updated. I get behind a few days and then it seems overwhelming and I push off writing even longer. I just need to break the cycle and write something as well as dump some pictures I have taken with my phone.
Porter is now 11 months old! He weighs 63.5 pounds which is only a pound more than his dad. Everyone one kept saying how much he has grow so I assumed he was over 70. I don't know his height, but I am suspecting it's just over 24 inches.
Porter is doing amazing in K9 Nose Work. He's working on finding the first target odor (Birch) and has his Odor Recognition Test on June 22. For this test, he must find the one box which contains the odor out of 12 identical boxes. He'll have 3 minutes to do so, but at a recent ORT I helped with the dogs alerted on the correct box in under 30 seconds, some as quick as 6. I'm getting together with a few other local Nose Work trainers so we can practice for the test. I discovered that Porter had a much harder time finding someone else's birch tin so it's important we practice with others and in new locations.
I took his target odor with us on our walk last week and would randomly drop it along the way. Then I doubled back and positioned Porter the same way we do during a search. He instantly knew what to do and would find the tin within seconds. Then it was back to walking. I love how he was able to transition between the two activities seamlessly. I was pleased that he didn't try to mark either.
I still need to put his sit and down on stimulus control. He does well with these commands, but occasionally mixes them up or just opts for his default down. I haven't put in the time to really fine tune them.
I just bought a sheepherding whistle and plan on using Pam Dennison's Whistle Recall method with Porter. Man was it hard to get used to that whistle though! I love how you can make a variety of pitches and I hope to have some of Porter's behaviors on different whistle cues.
We still crate Porter at night. It's not to keep him (or our things) safe anymore, but mostly to keep Indi from being stepped on. Porter is still an ox when he climbs on to our bed although he's getting a little better. In the morning he's allowed up on the bed to snuggle as long as Indi is not hidden under the covers. I also want to keep his crate behavior strong so I can use it when needed. He's still great crated in the car and only so-so when crated in the lobby at work. He was crated in another room while I attended a training seminar at work and he did much better than expected. I had three kongs stuffed with peanut butter and chicken to keep him busy.
In our neighborhood Porter walks very nicely on leash, but new areas he's more inclined to pull. Which just means that I need to get him to new areas more often and work on it!
Agility is coming along nicely. He's doing better at noticing where I am and where my body is signaling him to go and making tight turns. He used to swing very wide. We still need to work on it but he's following my body cues nicely. His contacts are coming along, especially since I haven't worked them at home much. We are doing 2 on 2 off on the dog walk and teeter. He often sits or downs as well, which I am fine with. We mostly work on a plank, since I want his behavior strong, but this week I used the dog walk and he did even better. I think the steeper angle made it easier for him. With the plank barely off the ground he's more likely to hand a foot off the edge while he sits or downs. Hmmm, maybe sitting or downing isn't a good idea...
The heat really gets to Porter. I notice that if it's just slightly warm at agility his energy is sapped. I have a cool pet mat that fits perfectly in his crate and that helps. I also need to get a cool collar or coat.
I have not taken Porter to any conformation shows. There was a match nearby but the timing didn't work out with my daughter's school schedule (it was on a Friday afternoon). If I want Porter is the show ring I think our best chance will be to use a handler. At least maybe for the first time or so. I know he'll show better with me but using a handler will ease my nerves a bit (and I won't have to buy a whole new outfit!). I think Porter would do great in the ring. His brother and sister sure are!
 |
| Porter and Super Ted enjoying Fiesta Island. |
Porter is now 11 months old! He weighs 63.5 pounds which is only a pound more than his dad. Everyone one kept saying how much he has grow so I assumed he was over 70. I don't know his height, but I am suspecting it's just over 24 inches.
Porter is doing amazing in K9 Nose Work. He's working on finding the first target odor (Birch) and has his Odor Recognition Test on June 22. For this test, he must find the one box which contains the odor out of 12 identical boxes. He'll have 3 minutes to do so, but at a recent ORT I helped with the dogs alerted on the correct box in under 30 seconds, some as quick as 6. I'm getting together with a few other local Nose Work trainers so we can practice for the test. I discovered that Porter had a much harder time finding someone else's birch tin so it's important we practice with others and in new locations.
 |
| Silly Puppy decided to take a nap in the tub. |
I took his target odor with us on our walk last week and would randomly drop it along the way. Then I doubled back and positioned Porter the same way we do during a search. He instantly knew what to do and would find the tin within seconds. Then it was back to walking. I love how he was able to transition between the two activities seamlessly. I was pleased that he didn't try to mark either.
 |
| Porter is convinced that the laser eyed dog in the other room knows where the hide is located. |
I still need to put his sit and down on stimulus control. He does well with these commands, but occasionally mixes them up or just opts for his default down. I haven't put in the time to really fine tune them.
 |
| Learning how to be a little dog from his big sister. |
I just bought a sheepherding whistle and plan on using Pam Dennison's Whistle Recall method with Porter. Man was it hard to get used to that whistle though! I love how you can make a variety of pitches and I hope to have some of Porter's behaviors on different whistle cues.
 |
| Princess Indi doesn't care why I stacked everything on the couch just as long as her throne is soft and comfortable. |
We still crate Porter at night. It's not to keep him (or our things) safe anymore, but mostly to keep Indi from being stepped on. Porter is still an ox when he climbs on to our bed although he's getting a little better. In the morning he's allowed up on the bed to snuggle as long as Indi is not hidden under the covers. I also want to keep his crate behavior strong so I can use it when needed. He's still great crated in the car and only so-so when crated in the lobby at work. He was crated in another room while I attended a training seminar at work and he did much better than expected. I had three kongs stuffed with peanut butter and chicken to keep him busy.
In our neighborhood Porter walks very nicely on leash, but new areas he's more inclined to pull. Which just means that I need to get him to new areas more often and work on it!
 |
| At it again at grandma's house. |
Agility is coming along nicely. He's doing better at noticing where I am and where my body is signaling him to go and making tight turns. He used to swing very wide. We still need to work on it but he's following my body cues nicely. His contacts are coming along, especially since I haven't worked them at home much. We are doing 2 on 2 off on the dog walk and teeter. He often sits or downs as well, which I am fine with. We mostly work on a plank, since I want his behavior strong, but this week I used the dog walk and he did even better. I think the steeper angle made it easier for him. With the plank barely off the ground he's more likely to hand a foot off the edge while he sits or downs. Hmmm, maybe sitting or downing isn't a good idea...
 |
| Enjoying bullysticks |
The heat really gets to Porter. I notice that if it's just slightly warm at agility his energy is sapped. I have a cool pet mat that fits perfectly in his crate and that helps. I also need to get a cool collar or coat.
I have not taken Porter to any conformation shows. There was a match nearby but the timing didn't work out with my daughter's school schedule (it was on a Friday afternoon). If I want Porter is the show ring I think our best chance will be to use a handler. At least maybe for the first time or so. I know he'll show better with me but using a handler will ease my nerves a bit (and I won't have to buy a whole new outfit!). I think Porter would do great in the ring. His brother and sister sure are!
 |
| Nylabone pacifier |
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