Daisy, the Dalamatian, came over today for a play date with Porter and so we could work on Indi getting to know her and hopefully like her one day.
We did this maybe a year ago and it went well but not perfect. I think I pushed it too fast so today I too it very slowly.
I had Indi locked in the bedroom upstairs so Porter and Daisy (mostly Porter) could get his crazies out first. Indi is much more hyped up and likely to be reactive if the other dogs are worked up. Poor Daisy though...she likes Porter, and will play with him, but usually he's watered down a bit since Kylie is there, too. But today Porter's full focus was on Daisy...and she really just wanted some peace and quiet to sniff the new to her yard.
Once Porter chilled out a bit I put an ex pen around the doggie door so Indi could come outside a little but not make contact with Daisy. When I let her out of the bedroom she came tearing down the stairs and to the back door. The doggie door was closed at this time since I wanted her to see Daisy through the sliding glass door first to gauge her reaction. Indi was yiping, but in an excited, not reactive way.
We spend part of the time tossing Indi treats, especially when we brought Daisy closer and the other part just hanging out with the dogs in the grass. Indi was mostly concerned with where her next treat was coming from. The only time I saw her the smallest bit upset when she was in the ex-pen was when she was getting treats and Daisy was really close. But she's like this sometimes even with her friends.
In the end we put both girls on leash and walked them around the yard. Daisy eventually came off leash since she wasn't interested in Indi at all. Indi stole a few butt sniffs while walking behind Daisy. She did react once...the girls were close and I was getting Indi's legs untangled from her legs. Porter stepped between the girls and Indi freaked out, but it was over in a split second.
I think if we do this more often Indi will be fine around Daisy. Not sure about Kylie though. Daisy is like Porter and things roll off her back. Kylie is more like Indi and likely to get all riled up, so the two might not make a good combo. On leash with some space they are fine...so we'll see if we get to the point we want to work on them being friends.
Showing posts with label socialization. Show all posts
Showing posts with label socialization. Show all posts
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Under Siege
Porter and I had an ordeal this morning. In the end we both came out unharmed but I wasn't sure that was going to be the case in the moment.
They say you shouldn't get between dogs when they are fighting and I have and would give the same advice to clients if they wanted to know what the safest thing for them to do it would be. But frankly, when something goes down, I have always jumped in to protect my dogs even if it put me in harm's way. And thankfully, I have never been bit.
Today I wasn't worried about being bitten myself, but I was fearful that Porter was going to get into a very nasty fight with a very powerful dog.
A neighbor wanted to go on walks with other dogs and owners to get her dog more socialized. It sounded simple enough, but part of me was a little hesitant. But it's only a walk, not an off leash romp. Her dogs gets a bit worked up and excited near other dogs and she'd like him to walk calmly past them on the streets. One could say the same about Porter at times. So we agreed to meet and to keep our first walk with some distance between the dogs, especially since they are both intact young males.
We stopped about 30 or so feet from each other and both dogs were highly interested in each other. Porter was being horrible about giving me attention even though I brought yummy hot dogs so I did a quick whistle (his recall cue) and he turned and jogged the foot or so to me.
I guess that quick movement, or maybe the whistle, set the other dog off and he broke free of his head halter and suddenly a 120 pound dog was growling and charging straight for us. So I did what everyone tells you not to do. I stepped in front of Porter and held him behind me. As the charging dog circled around me to get to Porter I kept rotating and tried to prevent him from making contact.
What was Porter doing this whole time? He wasn't cowering and trying to run away. He was mostly trying to keep his eye on the other dog and face forward. I tried to prevent that. When the other dog lunged close to Porter's face, Porter growled right back at him. I could see a true fight happening if they got close enough and actually made physical contact with each other. Yet when I kept Porter's back tot he other dog I was worried that dog would jump on Porter's back or take a chunk of of Porter's thigh. Some dogs are more brave when attacking from the rear. There's wasn't a good solution to come up with in the spur of the moment.
The other owner wasn't just standing there like an idiot. To her defense, she was trying her hardest to grab her dog and did a good job keeping herself between us and her dog part of the time.
Oh and did I mention how I was tossing hot dog pieces at the dog's face to try and distract him? Yeah, that was about as effective as throwing cotton balls at a charging lion. But I tried it several times, since it was all I could do while circling and keeping Porter safe. I thought it seemed like a good idea at the time.
At one point I think I slipped and either let go or almost let go of Porter's harness and I thought, "Oh shit, we're done for." Thankfully at that moment the other dog had swung wide so I was able to scramble up before the two engaged.
When the other dog was caught and moved away I realized the leash and head halter was not within her reach. Do I toss it to her, and chance the movement freaks her dog out? Do I trust she has a good hold of his collar and walk it up to her? Or do I move away and trust she can hold on to him tightly while walking him over to it? I didn't consider just walking away since if the dog got loose again he could easily catch up to us. I choose the former and it all worked out fine. I moved off slightly as she was getting him back in the head halter. Hoping to be out of his line of sight if he broke free and maybe use the bushes or cars as a wall so he couldn't circle behind me to get to Porter.
But once he was outfitted things went well. I treated Porter heavily in case he was worked up and anxious but he looked normal. He sat and then laid down in the grass for more treats. He didn't look over and growl at the other dog or eyeball him, which I what I would expect after such an incident. I would have thought that he would view the other dog as a threat now, but Porter seemed unfazed.
We kept our distance for 10 minutes or so while we talked and I assessed in my head if Porter was ok and if her dog was still a threat. All seemed well. I was very impressed with Porter's bounce back. So we went on our walk and the boys did fine. We didn't let them get close enough to have a problem, but after what happened they did amazing.
I know her dog didn't actually intend to shed blood or it would have happened. But it was still extremely scary. I'm glad Porter's temperament is stable and I hope she takes my advice to get some private training to work on this issue.
We're going to meet again for a walk. I don't feel this will happen again. She walks him often and I think this was a just a horrible equipment malfunction coupled with a reactive dog, but now she knows to clip the leash to the collar as well for back up.
I look back on this and think how different my two dogs are. Indi would hate this dog for life after this. Porter let it roll off his back. But I do need to make sure there are no side effects that crop up in the next few days...weeks maybe? I'll need to keep a close eye on him to be sure he came out unscathed.
They say you shouldn't get between dogs when they are fighting and I have and would give the same advice to clients if they wanted to know what the safest thing for them to do it would be. But frankly, when something goes down, I have always jumped in to protect my dogs even if it put me in harm's way. And thankfully, I have never been bit.
Today I wasn't worried about being bitten myself, but I was fearful that Porter was going to get into a very nasty fight with a very powerful dog.
A neighbor wanted to go on walks with other dogs and owners to get her dog more socialized. It sounded simple enough, but part of me was a little hesitant. But it's only a walk, not an off leash romp. Her dogs gets a bit worked up and excited near other dogs and she'd like him to walk calmly past them on the streets. One could say the same about Porter at times. So we agreed to meet and to keep our first walk with some distance between the dogs, especially since they are both intact young males.
We stopped about 30 or so feet from each other and both dogs were highly interested in each other. Porter was being horrible about giving me attention even though I brought yummy hot dogs so I did a quick whistle (his recall cue) and he turned and jogged the foot or so to me.
I guess that quick movement, or maybe the whistle, set the other dog off and he broke free of his head halter and suddenly a 120 pound dog was growling and charging straight for us. So I did what everyone tells you not to do. I stepped in front of Porter and held him behind me. As the charging dog circled around me to get to Porter I kept rotating and tried to prevent him from making contact.
What was Porter doing this whole time? He wasn't cowering and trying to run away. He was mostly trying to keep his eye on the other dog and face forward. I tried to prevent that. When the other dog lunged close to Porter's face, Porter growled right back at him. I could see a true fight happening if they got close enough and actually made physical contact with each other. Yet when I kept Porter's back tot he other dog I was worried that dog would jump on Porter's back or take a chunk of of Porter's thigh. Some dogs are more brave when attacking from the rear. There's wasn't a good solution to come up with in the spur of the moment.
The other owner wasn't just standing there like an idiot. To her defense, she was trying her hardest to grab her dog and did a good job keeping herself between us and her dog part of the time.
Oh and did I mention how I was tossing hot dog pieces at the dog's face to try and distract him? Yeah, that was about as effective as throwing cotton balls at a charging lion. But I tried it several times, since it was all I could do while circling and keeping Porter safe. I thought it seemed like a good idea at the time.
At one point I think I slipped and either let go or almost let go of Porter's harness and I thought, "Oh shit, we're done for." Thankfully at that moment the other dog had swung wide so I was able to scramble up before the two engaged.
When the other dog was caught and moved away I realized the leash and head halter was not within her reach. Do I toss it to her, and chance the movement freaks her dog out? Do I trust she has a good hold of his collar and walk it up to her? Or do I move away and trust she can hold on to him tightly while walking him over to it? I didn't consider just walking away since if the dog got loose again he could easily catch up to us. I choose the former and it all worked out fine. I moved off slightly as she was getting him back in the head halter. Hoping to be out of his line of sight if he broke free and maybe use the bushes or cars as a wall so he couldn't circle behind me to get to Porter.
But once he was outfitted things went well. I treated Porter heavily in case he was worked up and anxious but he looked normal. He sat and then laid down in the grass for more treats. He didn't look over and growl at the other dog or eyeball him, which I what I would expect after such an incident. I would have thought that he would view the other dog as a threat now, but Porter seemed unfazed.
We kept our distance for 10 minutes or so while we talked and I assessed in my head if Porter was ok and if her dog was still a threat. All seemed well. I was very impressed with Porter's bounce back. So we went on our walk and the boys did fine. We didn't let them get close enough to have a problem, but after what happened they did amazing.
I know her dog didn't actually intend to shed blood or it would have happened. But it was still extremely scary. I'm glad Porter's temperament is stable and I hope she takes my advice to get some private training to work on this issue.
We're going to meet again for a walk. I don't feel this will happen again. She walks him often and I think this was a just a horrible equipment malfunction coupled with a reactive dog, but now she knows to clip the leash to the collar as well for back up.
I look back on this and think how different my two dogs are. Indi would hate this dog for life after this. Porter let it roll off his back. But I do need to make sure there are no side effects that crop up in the next few days...weeks maybe? I'll need to keep a close eye on him to be sure he came out unscathed.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
8 Months Old
My puppy is now 8 months old. I cannot believe how fast the time goes.
Porter has come a long way in the 6 months he has lived with us.
I never worry about him having an accident in the house (and haven't for a couple of months or more). Although I do need to carefully supervise Indi when she poops outside since he's still obsessed with eating it. Luckily he doesn't care about his own anymore. I wonder if it has to do with his hormones since he also stalks her when she pees and does the male thing of licking it up. Ewwww.
He no longer trying to eat my hands when I just want to pet and snuggle. That first month he was such an alligator and all I wanted to do was pet him. The mouthing has mostly stopped. If he's super excited it will start up and for some reason, when I'm on the phone, he bites my arms and clothes pretty hard. Thankfully I have bags of treats easily accessible, so while I'm talking, Porter and Indi get tossed treats every few seconds.
He does amazing in his crate despite having the worst time the first week and a half. He does so well that he will run to his crate from half way across the agility field. He's happy crated in the car unless he can hear me playing/training other dogs and desperately wants a turn. He hasn't learned to sleep in yet, but I'm still holding out it will happen. I also realized that other day that he's only a month away from being the same age Indi was when we stopped crating her at night. Porter will not get that freedom at 9 months. Not because I don't trust him but since he's so big and clumsy he'll smash Indi if he tries to sleep on the bed with us all.
He's coming along in his agility training. We had a great class this week. He had no problems driving through two obstacles and towards the throw toy reward. He wasn't clingy at all :) He also did great on the dog walk. We need to work the contact more, but he did very well considering we haven't worked on it in months. He's building a lot of motivation for the obstacles. He knows that if one is near it's very rewarding to take it. Which means I need to be careful when listening to instructions in class while he's on leash with me. Sometimes he'll decide he should get himself over to the tunnel nearby. I also need to pay attention when walking to a new part of the field so he doesn't try to take the obstacles we pass.
We're going over some of the behaviors needed for the NADAC Beginner Agility Test. Porter cannot take it until he's a year old, so there's plenty of time, but so far he's right on track. It'll be great to have a small title soon and get those ring nerves over and done with before getting on a full course. I think it's smart of NADAC, too, since it will draw more people in and early and then hook them to these venue.
We have made a break through with his flirt pole tugging. It was impossible to get it from him once he caught the bag but I discovered a way to do it and it's working well. Treats were not working at first and I couldn't bring them close to him to let him see how awesome they were since he would just start playing keep away and would run off. So now I toss hunks of string cheese right near his nose when he's looking down. At first this did nothing. Then he started letting the bag go, gobbling the cheese, and quickly grabbing the bag again. So I was patient. I just threw more and never made a move for the bag. Then I started tossing some farther away and so on. Now after the initial toss he'll drop the bag and sit and wait for his treat. He's not afraid I'll steal the bag anymore. He'll even sit and stare at the bag in anticipation of me making it move again. It's like when the dogs wait by the hunter to be told to go get the ducks they just watched fall. He's waiting...tense...but controlling himself. I think he really likes this part since sometimes he wags his tail. It's great for his impulse control.
He doesn't counter surf, but he has tried to put his paws up there a few times, not so much in the recent past. My counters are not free and clear of things like they should be, but I do keep tempting food items pushed farther back.
His stays are looking great, especially his start line stay for agility. We are adding a hand signal for down. I have not worked his drop it and leave it has only been situational default work (like food on the coffee table or his dinner being set down). I haven't taught him any "tricks". So much to do!!
He will now retrieve the toy, kind of. I finally did what I do for Indi. Every time he brings the toy back I reward him with a treat. I didn't think I'd need to for a retriever but I must have messed something up, probably playing chase with him. But now he'll happily bring it back most if not all of the way when we play in the backyard.
His coat is fluffier but not too crazy at all. Only a tiny bit of feathering. Most of the lays nice and flat with only his neck being a bit plumped out. I really like this length and would love for it to stay this way, but we'll see what happens as he matures.
One lone canine has still refused to move into the proper position. It doesn't affect his eating or tugging, but it does hit the roof of his mouth. The rest of the teeth look great and where they should be so I'm thinking this might be it. If so, it would keep him out of the show ring. While I'm not really a conformation person, he's such a lovely dog, both in his attitude and personality and in looks that it would be a shame not to title him. I will still be working on getting him ready for the ring just in case his jaw keeps growing, which I heard it can do up to about a year. His brother, Tatum, is like his twin in every way (except he has perfect teeth), so at least he can pass on these great genes for the litter one day.
On two occasions Porter seemed to have an issue with another unaltered male pup just about his age. The first time was with his Vizsla friend, Harley. They haven't played together in a few months and after class I lete them interact (which I normally do not do). They were wrestling a bit and I'm not sure what went down. Maybe Porter felt tangled or got stepped on, but he took offense to something and let Harley know. Only he didn't back off. Once the growl came out I stepped in and separated them and had Porter's collar but he was still growling and pulling to get to Harley. I'm not happy that he held on to the grudge after it was all over. They've seen each other since but have not played and wrestled so I don't know what to make of it. The second time was a week later. He wanted to play really bad with Finnly (a golden). Way back in my puppy kindergarten class when they pups were 3 or so months old, they had some play time. Porter would posture and make this growling sound while trying to stand tall over Finnly. I would quickly redirect Porter and then move him elsewhere. He hasn't interacted with Finnly in ages until last week. He saw Finnly wrestling with another dog so I let Porter say hi when he suddenly growled. Things I did wrong...they were all on leash. Porter was excited to greet and probably frustrated since I was holding him back. When I did bring him over the leash was still tight since he was was straining to make contact.
So now I need to figure out...does he has issues with other intact males, does he have issues greeting on leash, is be becoming dog selective? He hasn't been to a dog park in a month or so. All the dogs he's been interacting with the last month have been the same ones and most of those are females (one being an altered male). Does he just have an issue with Finnly, since he seemed to have problems with him from the start and maybe the deal with Harley was a fluke?? Ugh.
Porter has come a long way in the 6 months he has lived with us.
I never worry about him having an accident in the house (and haven't for a couple of months or more). Although I do need to carefully supervise Indi when she poops outside since he's still obsessed with eating it. Luckily he doesn't care about his own anymore. I wonder if it has to do with his hormones since he also stalks her when she pees and does the male thing of licking it up. Ewwww.
He no longer trying to eat my hands when I just want to pet and snuggle. That first month he was such an alligator and all I wanted to do was pet him. The mouthing has mostly stopped. If he's super excited it will start up and for some reason, when I'm on the phone, he bites my arms and clothes pretty hard. Thankfully I have bags of treats easily accessible, so while I'm talking, Porter and Indi get tossed treats every few seconds.
He does amazing in his crate despite having the worst time the first week and a half. He does so well that he will run to his crate from half way across the agility field. He's happy crated in the car unless he can hear me playing/training other dogs and desperately wants a turn. He hasn't learned to sleep in yet, but I'm still holding out it will happen. I also realized that other day that he's only a month away from being the same age Indi was when we stopped crating her at night. Porter will not get that freedom at 9 months. Not because I don't trust him but since he's so big and clumsy he'll smash Indi if he tries to sleep on the bed with us all.
He's coming along in his agility training. We had a great class this week. He had no problems driving through two obstacles and towards the throw toy reward. He wasn't clingy at all :) He also did great on the dog walk. We need to work the contact more, but he did very well considering we haven't worked on it in months. He's building a lot of motivation for the obstacles. He knows that if one is near it's very rewarding to take it. Which means I need to be careful when listening to instructions in class while he's on leash with me. Sometimes he'll decide he should get himself over to the tunnel nearby. I also need to pay attention when walking to a new part of the field so he doesn't try to take the obstacles we pass.
We're going over some of the behaviors needed for the NADAC Beginner Agility Test. Porter cannot take it until he's a year old, so there's plenty of time, but so far he's right on track. It'll be great to have a small title soon and get those ring nerves over and done with before getting on a full course. I think it's smart of NADAC, too, since it will draw more people in and early and then hook them to these venue.
We have made a break through with his flirt pole tugging. It was impossible to get it from him once he caught the bag but I discovered a way to do it and it's working well. Treats were not working at first and I couldn't bring them close to him to let him see how awesome they were since he would just start playing keep away and would run off. So now I toss hunks of string cheese right near his nose when he's looking down. At first this did nothing. Then he started letting the bag go, gobbling the cheese, and quickly grabbing the bag again. So I was patient. I just threw more and never made a move for the bag. Then I started tossing some farther away and so on. Now after the initial toss he'll drop the bag and sit and wait for his treat. He's not afraid I'll steal the bag anymore. He'll even sit and stare at the bag in anticipation of me making it move again. It's like when the dogs wait by the hunter to be told to go get the ducks they just watched fall. He's waiting...tense...but controlling himself. I think he really likes this part since sometimes he wags his tail. It's great for his impulse control.
He doesn't counter surf, but he has tried to put his paws up there a few times, not so much in the recent past. My counters are not free and clear of things like they should be, but I do keep tempting food items pushed farther back.
His stays are looking great, especially his start line stay for agility. We are adding a hand signal for down. I have not worked his drop it and leave it has only been situational default work (like food on the coffee table or his dinner being set down). I haven't taught him any "tricks". So much to do!!
He will now retrieve the toy, kind of. I finally did what I do for Indi. Every time he brings the toy back I reward him with a treat. I didn't think I'd need to for a retriever but I must have messed something up, probably playing chase with him. But now he'll happily bring it back most if not all of the way when we play in the backyard.
His coat is fluffier but not too crazy at all. Only a tiny bit of feathering. Most of the lays nice and flat with only his neck being a bit plumped out. I really like this length and would love for it to stay this way, but we'll see what happens as he matures.
One lone canine has still refused to move into the proper position. It doesn't affect his eating or tugging, but it does hit the roof of his mouth. The rest of the teeth look great and where they should be so I'm thinking this might be it. If so, it would keep him out of the show ring. While I'm not really a conformation person, he's such a lovely dog, both in his attitude and personality and in looks that it would be a shame not to title him. I will still be working on getting him ready for the ring just in case his jaw keeps growing, which I heard it can do up to about a year. His brother, Tatum, is like his twin in every way (except he has perfect teeth), so at least he can pass on these great genes for the litter one day.
On two occasions Porter seemed to have an issue with another unaltered male pup just about his age. The first time was with his Vizsla friend, Harley. They haven't played together in a few months and after class I lete them interact (which I normally do not do). They were wrestling a bit and I'm not sure what went down. Maybe Porter felt tangled or got stepped on, but he took offense to something and let Harley know. Only he didn't back off. Once the growl came out I stepped in and separated them and had Porter's collar but he was still growling and pulling to get to Harley. I'm not happy that he held on to the grudge after it was all over. They've seen each other since but have not played and wrestled so I don't know what to make of it. The second time was a week later. He wanted to play really bad with Finnly (a golden). Way back in my puppy kindergarten class when they pups were 3 or so months old, they had some play time. Porter would posture and make this growling sound while trying to stand tall over Finnly. I would quickly redirect Porter and then move him elsewhere. He hasn't interacted with Finnly in ages until last week. He saw Finnly wrestling with another dog so I let Porter say hi when he suddenly growled. Things I did wrong...they were all on leash. Porter was excited to greet and probably frustrated since I was holding him back. When I did bring him over the leash was still tight since he was was straining to make contact.
So now I need to figure out...does he has issues with other intact males, does he have issues greeting on leash, is be becoming dog selective? He hasn't been to a dog park in a month or so. All the dogs he's been interacting with the last month have been the same ones and most of those are females (one being an altered male). Does he just have an issue with Finnly, since he seemed to have problems with him from the start and maybe the deal with Harley was a fluke?? Ugh.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Crates from Heaven
A couple of months ago, just as I was thinking I needed to buy larger crates for Porter (he is using Indi's 30 in. crates in the car and bedroom) I was given a free 42 inch crate. It's perfect for the bedroom. There's a ton of room for him to sprawl out at night.
I still needed to upgrade the car crate and have been hemming and hawing about which size to get. I finally decided on a 36 in. crate and was waiting for a good coupon through Pet Edge. I kept procrastinating and missing the 10% off sales, and luckily, too, since this afternoon my neighbor gave me a free 36 in. crate! As luck would have it, it fits in the car just barely front to back like I was hoping.
It was a fluke we were outside speaking with the neighbor in the first place. Porter and I were on the couch watching tv when he looked out the window and spied the neighbor working in his garage. For some reason this upset Porter and he sat up, growled and began alarm barking while staring outside. I quickly gathered him up, grabbed some cheese, and headed outside to counter condition him to whatever he saw that upset him.
Once outside he was fine, but I still stood in front of my neighbor's driveway and fed Porter cheese. Which led to chatting with the neighbor and then being given the crate they were going to put in their garage sale.
I still don't know what alarmed Porter. Normally he can't see out that window since I keep it covered so Indi doesn't bark at things going by. So maybe he just wasn't used to seeing people out front while he's inside. It's something I need to work on since one small dog barking her fool head off at the window is plenty! I don't need a huge dog adding to the noise.
I still needed to upgrade the car crate and have been hemming and hawing about which size to get. I finally decided on a 36 in. crate and was waiting for a good coupon through Pet Edge. I kept procrastinating and missing the 10% off sales, and luckily, too, since this afternoon my neighbor gave me a free 36 in. crate! As luck would have it, it fits in the car just barely front to back like I was hoping.
It was a fluke we were outside speaking with the neighbor in the first place. Porter and I were on the couch watching tv when he looked out the window and spied the neighbor working in his garage. For some reason this upset Porter and he sat up, growled and began alarm barking while staring outside. I quickly gathered him up, grabbed some cheese, and headed outside to counter condition him to whatever he saw that upset him.
Once outside he was fine, but I still stood in front of my neighbor's driveway and fed Porter cheese. Which led to chatting with the neighbor and then being given the crate they were going to put in their garage sale.
I still don't know what alarmed Porter. Normally he can't see out that window since I keep it covered so Indi doesn't bark at things going by. So maybe he just wasn't used to seeing people out front while he's inside. It's something I need to work on since one small dog barking her fool head off at the window is plenty! I don't need a huge dog adding to the noise.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Training with Distraction & K9 Nose Work
This weekend Porter and I meet up with two other dog friends to do some training together. I used Google maps to pick a grassy location between our homes. Little did I know that this spot is an unofficial off-leash dog park for the neighborhood. Thankfully I had Porter with me and not my reactive terrier. Our plan was to work on a rally course and some obedience exercises. I was hoping to also do some CGC work.
I previously mentioned how I was trying to keep play and training areas separate to help with Porter's focus. Well this had to be thrown out the window on Sunday since the off leash dogs were not going to leave us alone. So I let Porter go run amok off leash and much to my surprise he still very much wanted to work!! He did play, but quickly came back when I called and did pretty well on his heeling and some rally moves. Very impressive for a 6 month old pup to be able to focus like that when there are young off leash dogs frolicking next to us.
Once the park settled down and we were mostly alone I set up a rally course to work on. By the time it was ready Porter was pooped. I still took him through it and he did ok, but he lagged quite a bit. Bad trainer! I should have just scrapped the idea or only done one or two signs with enthusiasm and end it on a good note. I don't think it will slow his training down but I should know better and no matter what I had planned or how much work setting the course is I need to respect what I am reading form Porter. He still had fun, but I don't want to encourage slow responses or make him think rally is tiring.
This was also his first time off leash in an area that is not fenced in. The Fiesta Island dog park is mostly fenced. There are a two gaps where the surf meets the turf but those can easily be avoided. At first I wasn't sure about letting Porter off leash at this new park, but it's pretty isolated and I felt he would stick near his friend, Mira. He never went far at all, so I had nothing to worry about (this time?). I will keep working on his recall so he can enjoy more experiences like this but I won't just willy nilly let him off leash. Having one reactive dog I fully understand the damage a "friendly" off leash dog can do when he comes galloping up to a reactive dog on leash.
Today I taught another session of Nose Work and I almost left Porter at home. As I mentioned before, while being crated in the lobby with the other two dogs he's been whining and barking. I think it is in part due to the fact that the other dogs make a fuss, but also because he can hear me talking and praising the working dog but he can't see me. Instead of leaving him behind I decided to crate him in another room we sometimes have access to. This set up worked much better! He did bark a few times but over all he was pretty quiet.
He was able to do a few searches during class and when my clients left he did a couple more. I have to say he really has a nose on him.
One hide was on a couch but behind a throw pillow. He instantly narrowed down the search area to that corner of the room but he couldn't quite find it. I think the scent was moving up over the pillow and couch since as he would get closer he would lift his head and nose as high into the air as he could. He continued to search back and forth, going a little farther away and quickly u-turning when he realized he was getting farther away from the source. You could see his brain and nose working. In the end he found it and it was fascinating to watch. I wish I had this search on video.
The rest of the searches went well, too. He's not just sticking his head in boxes or other items anymore but really scenting the area and honing in on the source. As our training went on you could see how tiring this sport is. ow at home, Porter is completely wiped out.
It's really fun to watch him hunt and you can tell he loves it! He prances and darts around the room. Today he even began drooling during this first search!
I think it's time to make things harder with him, either add exterior searches or begin odor indoors. I can't decide which to do first and either way is acceptable from what I understand.
I previously mentioned how I was trying to keep play and training areas separate to help with Porter's focus. Well this had to be thrown out the window on Sunday since the off leash dogs were not going to leave us alone. So I let Porter go run amok off leash and much to my surprise he still very much wanted to work!! He did play, but quickly came back when I called and did pretty well on his heeling and some rally moves. Very impressive for a 6 month old pup to be able to focus like that when there are young off leash dogs frolicking next to us.
Once the park settled down and we were mostly alone I set up a rally course to work on. By the time it was ready Porter was pooped. I still took him through it and he did ok, but he lagged quite a bit. Bad trainer! I should have just scrapped the idea or only done one or two signs with enthusiasm and end it on a good note. I don't think it will slow his training down but I should know better and no matter what I had planned or how much work setting the course is I need to respect what I am reading form Porter. He still had fun, but I don't want to encourage slow responses or make him think rally is tiring.
This was also his first time off leash in an area that is not fenced in. The Fiesta Island dog park is mostly fenced. There are a two gaps where the surf meets the turf but those can easily be avoided. At first I wasn't sure about letting Porter off leash at this new park, but it's pretty isolated and I felt he would stick near his friend, Mira. He never went far at all, so I had nothing to worry about (this time?). I will keep working on his recall so he can enjoy more experiences like this but I won't just willy nilly let him off leash. Having one reactive dog I fully understand the damage a "friendly" off leash dog can do when he comes galloping up to a reactive dog on leash.
Today I taught another session of Nose Work and I almost left Porter at home. As I mentioned before, while being crated in the lobby with the other two dogs he's been whining and barking. I think it is in part due to the fact that the other dogs make a fuss, but also because he can hear me talking and praising the working dog but he can't see me. Instead of leaving him behind I decided to crate him in another room we sometimes have access to. This set up worked much better! He did bark a few times but over all he was pretty quiet.
He was able to do a few searches during class and when my clients left he did a couple more. I have to say he really has a nose on him.
One hide was on a couch but behind a throw pillow. He instantly narrowed down the search area to that corner of the room but he couldn't quite find it. I think the scent was moving up over the pillow and couch since as he would get closer he would lift his head and nose as high into the air as he could. He continued to search back and forth, going a little farther away and quickly u-turning when he realized he was getting farther away from the source. You could see his brain and nose working. In the end he found it and it was fascinating to watch. I wish I had this search on video.
The rest of the searches went well, too. He's not just sticking his head in boxes or other items anymore but really scenting the area and honing in on the source. As our training went on you could see how tiring this sport is. ow at home, Porter is completely wiped out.
It's really fun to watch him hunt and you can tell he loves it! He prances and darts around the room. Today he even began drooling during this first search!
I think it's time to make things harder with him, either add exterior searches or begin odor indoors. I can't decide which to do first and either way is acceptable from what I understand.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
6 Months Old!
Porter turned 6 months old right before Christmas. I'm amazed how much he has grown and how fast the time as flown. It seemed like ages when I was waiting for him to be born and then old enough to come home. My husband remarked the other day how Porter is exactly what we were expecting and hoping for, based on the things we heard about the breed.
I also realized that he is now old enough to compete in Rally (or traditional obedience) but he's no where ready! This gave me a wake up call. I should have been working him more on rally. Not that I expected us to enter a ring this early, but he should be closer to being ready than he is. My main focus is on agility, but dogs cannot compete until 18 months, so I shouldn't put rally on hold in the meantime. Plus I can easily throw in a few rally moves here and there in the house whenever I want and it won't get in the way of his agility training time.
I started working with more of a purpose on his rally moves and was pleasantly surprised at how well he did. He's still in the very early stages and I am rewarding him quite a bit, but he readily completely the moves and stays focused on me. I think all my heeling work as paid off.
So my goal this year for Porter is to get him ready to trial in rally. We will also be working on Nose Work and working towards getting him on birch so we can do his ORT. He needs to be a year old at least, IRRC, so we have some time.
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| I love the shadow of his tail here with all the feathering |
Another goal that has recently come up is to get Porter in the show ring. His overshot is almost gone and I am hoping that by the end of February his teeth will be perfect and he can compete in the Silver Bay Kennel Club show here in San Diego. I don't feel comfortable handling him myself. Who really wants both parts of the team green? Yikes! Right now the plan that we are working on is for his breeder to handle him on Saturday and another local breeder/handler to show him on Sunday. We'll be practicing with his breeder next week since I really haven't worked with him on her stacking or gaiting.
Since the weather has really warmed up in San Diego this week we hit the beach a few times. During our first trip Porter finally swam! He didn't mean to but ended up a little farther than expected while retrieving a stick. He turned around and realized he could touch so he swam back to shore. After that he was smart/stubborn and refused to go past a certain spot and would just level the stick out in the water. Some retriever! :) In this picture he is turning back and was about 2 feet shy of the stick. You can see the tiny ripple the stick is making just past him but he wasn't having any of it. He still happily ran in the water the rest of the trip...just not too deep.
On a fun note, Ian surprised me with a Gopro Hero HD camera which is used to take videos of sports from the first person perspective. You can mount the camera on a helmet, your chest, your surfboard, etc. I *love* gadgets. I love dogs even more and when the two collide I'm in hog heaven. Yesterday I mounted the camera to Porter's collar and we headed to Fiesta Island Dog Beach. Here are two quick clips of his day.
This first video just shows him fetching a stick we found.
This clip show off his recall. It's still in the works, but I was very happy that he left the large group of new dogs and came to be from so far away.
Be prepared for many more videos! My vision is to video tape him doing agility :) I need to monkey with the mount a little since parts of the video (like when he was running full force) are too bouncy and hard to watch. I'd like the camera to be more steady so we'll see what I can come up with.
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.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Fire Trucks, Veterinarians, and Theo, Oh, My!
Porter is still not sleeping through the night. Any time he makes the slightly noise I wake up and take him out to potty. Most of the time he doesn't need to go that bad but just wants to go outside and sleep in the grass. I have to keep standing him up and most of the time he eventually goes. I should probably cut down on the potty trips but I didn't want him having any accidents in the crate. I worry that being too on top of his house training is going to train him that he can get out of the crate at any hour any time he wishes. I'm also a sucker and don't want him upset in the crate. Yes, I'm still sleeping on the couch. It's so much easier to take him out than going up and down the stairs. If I cut down on his breaks it will help though.
He's enjoying his toddler pool with only a few inches of water. He's not playing in it but likes to get his feet wet and yesterday even tried taking a nap in the water. It didn't work out so well since his nose was under water, but he tried!
He met Indi's BFF, Theo, the Aussie, yesterday. Theo have a very loud, booming bark when he's excited and Porter is very concerned when he hears dogs barking. He's now used to Indi's bark, but when it's from a new dog he's ear go back slightly and he sits and looks for the source. Sometimes he comes over and sits right next to me for comfort. Yesterday he sat under my chair when Theo made him nervous. The good thing is Porter was much more relaxed when Theo was quiet. I'm not too concerned, since Theo's bark even rattles my brain.
His play with Indigo is getting more intense. It's really nice to have a big sister for him so when he's wild and crazy he can take it out on her and she can burn off his puppy energy. Indi initiates play a lot with him but can easily leave the room if she needs a break.
This morning he had his first vet appointment. He was such a good dog! We had to wait for a bit and he eventually settled down and relaxed (after trying to sniff all the Science Diet bags). He was friendly with the people waiting but not overly "OMG, I must go see you and cannot control myself!" He also saw and said hi to a corgi pup and again he was happy to meet him and wanted to play but not out of control and lunging to make contact.
He did very well in the exam room and nibbled on chicken while on the table and getting his temperature taken. Since we have to wait again for the vet to come in, Porter decided to take a nap on the table. I love how relaxed he is in new places.
The vet wants to watch his bite since right now he has a slight overbite, but he said the lower jaw grows slower at this stage, so maybe that means it will catch up? He also couldn't find his testicles at first and said sometimes they can be all the way up near the kidneys. He managed to find one but said it was in front on his scrotum, whatever that means, and a few minutes later felt both.
Porter had no problems with his shot and we are really lucky to have a vet who is willing to work with us and administer just a parvo and disptemper shot instead of the typical DHPP. He only carries the later but was fine with me ordering the one I wanted and having it shipped to him. The vet is also very accommodating and will have the shots administered in front of me in the exam room instead of taking the pup into the back where shots are normally given. I prefer to stay with my pets at all times. I went ahead and had him wormed even though the breeder checked their stools and found no evidence of worms. I was going to skip it but the vet said that some dogs can be infected but the sample come back negative.
While waiting to be check out he completely passed out on the waiting room floor.
Later that afternoon he stayed in his crate while I left the house for the first time. I gave him a peanut butter and Charlie Bear stuffed kong and left for 20-30 minutes to pick QM up from kindergarten. I was really nervous and as we approached the house heard a ruckus only to find out it was Indi barking like mad at something outside the window. Porter was quiet when we came in, but I don't know if that was the case the whole time or if Indi's outburst interrupted any protest on his part. We will try again tomorrow. One day I'd like to walk him to school, but I think it's too far for him right now, and hot, and I'd have to carry him the whole way. Plus this short time out of the house is good practice so one day I can actually go grocery shopping.
Next we headed to gymnastics where Porter met some more children and their parents. A fire engine and ambulance, both with sirens going, pulled up near us, but the noise did not seem to phase him. One fire fighter was not busy so I introduced Porter to him. We did practice being in the car crated in the parking lot but Porter was not as calm as before. He much preferred to nap on the flower beds just outside of gymnastics.
Porter has been sleeping most of the day, due to his shots I believe, so the poor guy missed lunch. I didn't want to wake him to eat since it seems like his body needs to rest.
Oops! I was just getting his dinner ready and a fork dropped from on top of Porter's crate on to the plastic tray and right next to his head and he didn't even flinch. Indi, who was 3 feet back did!
He's enjoying his toddler pool with only a few inches of water. He's not playing in it but likes to get his feet wet and yesterday even tried taking a nap in the water. It didn't work out so well since his nose was under water, but he tried!
He met Indi's BFF, Theo, the Aussie, yesterday. Theo have a very loud, booming bark when he's excited and Porter is very concerned when he hears dogs barking. He's now used to Indi's bark, but when it's from a new dog he's ear go back slightly and he sits and looks for the source. Sometimes he comes over and sits right next to me for comfort. Yesterday he sat under my chair when Theo made him nervous. The good thing is Porter was much more relaxed when Theo was quiet. I'm not too concerned, since Theo's bark even rattles my brain.
His play with Indigo is getting more intense. It's really nice to have a big sister for him so when he's wild and crazy he can take it out on her and she can burn off his puppy energy. Indi initiates play a lot with him but can easily leave the room if she needs a break.
This morning he had his first vet appointment. He was such a good dog! We had to wait for a bit and he eventually settled down and relaxed (after trying to sniff all the Science Diet bags). He was friendly with the people waiting but not overly "OMG, I must go see you and cannot control myself!" He also saw and said hi to a corgi pup and again he was happy to meet him and wanted to play but not out of control and lunging to make contact.
He did very well in the exam room and nibbled on chicken while on the table and getting his temperature taken. Since we have to wait again for the vet to come in, Porter decided to take a nap on the table. I love how relaxed he is in new places.
The vet wants to watch his bite since right now he has a slight overbite, but he said the lower jaw grows slower at this stage, so maybe that means it will catch up? He also couldn't find his testicles at first and said sometimes they can be all the way up near the kidneys. He managed to find one but said it was in front on his scrotum, whatever that means, and a few minutes later felt both.
Porter had no problems with his shot and we are really lucky to have a vet who is willing to work with us and administer just a parvo and disptemper shot instead of the typical DHPP. He only carries the later but was fine with me ordering the one I wanted and having it shipped to him. The vet is also very accommodating and will have the shots administered in front of me in the exam room instead of taking the pup into the back where shots are normally given. I prefer to stay with my pets at all times. I went ahead and had him wormed even though the breeder checked their stools and found no evidence of worms. I was going to skip it but the vet said that some dogs can be infected but the sample come back negative.
While waiting to be check out he completely passed out on the waiting room floor.
Later that afternoon he stayed in his crate while I left the house for the first time. I gave him a peanut butter and Charlie Bear stuffed kong and left for 20-30 minutes to pick QM up from kindergarten. I was really nervous and as we approached the house heard a ruckus only to find out it was Indi barking like mad at something outside the window. Porter was quiet when we came in, but I don't know if that was the case the whole time or if Indi's outburst interrupted any protest on his part. We will try again tomorrow. One day I'd like to walk him to school, but I think it's too far for him right now, and hot, and I'd have to carry him the whole way. Plus this short time out of the house is good practice so one day I can actually go grocery shopping.
Next we headed to gymnastics where Porter met some more children and their parents. A fire engine and ambulance, both with sirens going, pulled up near us, but the noise did not seem to phase him. One fire fighter was not busy so I introduced Porter to him. We did practice being in the car crated in the parking lot but Porter was not as calm as before. He much preferred to nap on the flower beds just outside of gymnastics.
Porter has been sleeping most of the day, due to his shots I believe, so the poor guy missed lunch. I didn't want to wake him to eat since it seems like his body needs to rest.
Oops! I was just getting his dinner ready and a fork dropped from on top of Porter's crate on to the plastic tray and right next to his head and he didn't even flinch. Indi, who was 3 feet back did!
Monday, August 22, 2011
Relaxing in the Car
Three different children came over to play with Porter today. The funny thing is, while a lot of the children have been excited to see him they all lose interest so quickly! Maybe it's because he's only playful in short bursts and then takes a nap, but I'm surprised they are more interested in playing in the yard or with QM's toys. However it's a good thing as well so Porter gets introduced to kids but not mauled by them.
QM has gymnastics today so Porter came along for the ride. He's not ready to stay home alone in his crate for the hour and a half I would be gone. The ride over was only 5 minutes but I'm still impressed how much better he's doing in the car. He occasionally gets on his hind legs to see over the seat to the front but he doesn't howl or carry on. While QM was in class we sat outside the building for a short while and after trying to attack some plants (but having the leash prevent such an assault) Porter lay* down. This is so different from Indi who cannot relax out in public and would never dream of lying down on a hard surface. He even was able to meet two new children so that brings our kid total to 5 today.
* I am horrible with the whole lay/lie thing, so I looked it up to be sure but, man, the past tense is so screwed up. I don't think I've ever said that properly since it sounds so weird to me.
After a few minutes I put him in his car crate and sat next to him in the back cargo area. He was a little anxious (panting, a small whine here and there, restless), but several times he lay down and chewed his bullystick even though cars were coming and going all around us.
I purchased one of those water bottles for dogs with the tray attached that they can drink out of. Apparently you need to teach some puppies how to drink from it since he was a bit confused. At first he just sniffed and snorted it and then tried to chew the tray. Finally he saw some water trickling down the tray and figured out to lick it but he still had problems lapping from the pool at the bottom.
Despite being in the crate for 30 minutes or more he was very quiet and calm on the drive home. We still need more practice but I was happy with his behavior so far.
Once home, Porter and Indi had several very intense rounds of wrestling. Porter is really getting into it now and giving Indi a run for her money. At one point tonight Indi was done so she lay down on the couch and Porter kept launching himself at her to try to get her to come down. Indi was not amused. He's been napping for well over 2 hours now after that last bout. Why their huge play session can't happen at 10pm is beyond me. It would make my night much easily.
He still continues to love sleeping with his head only under the couch. when he gets bigger he's going to be so sad he doesn't fit!
QM has gymnastics today so Porter came along for the ride. He's not ready to stay home alone in his crate for the hour and a half I would be gone. The ride over was only 5 minutes but I'm still impressed how much better he's doing in the car. He occasionally gets on his hind legs to see over the seat to the front but he doesn't howl or carry on. While QM was in class we sat outside the building for a short while and after trying to attack some plants (but having the leash prevent such an assault) Porter lay* down. This is so different from Indi who cannot relax out in public and would never dream of lying down on a hard surface. He even was able to meet two new children so that brings our kid total to 5 today.
* I am horrible with the whole lay/lie thing, so I looked it up to be sure but, man, the past tense is so screwed up. I don't think I've ever said that properly since it sounds so weird to me.
After a few minutes I put him in his car crate and sat next to him in the back cargo area. He was a little anxious (panting, a small whine here and there, restless), but several times he lay down and chewed his bullystick even though cars were coming and going all around us.
I purchased one of those water bottles for dogs with the tray attached that they can drink out of. Apparently you need to teach some puppies how to drink from it since he was a bit confused. At first he just sniffed and snorted it and then tried to chew the tray. Finally he saw some water trickling down the tray and figured out to lick it but he still had problems lapping from the pool at the bottom.
Despite being in the crate for 30 minutes or more he was very quiet and calm on the drive home. We still need more practice but I was happy with his behavior so far.
Once home, Porter and Indi had several very intense rounds of wrestling. Porter is really getting into it now and giving Indi a run for her money. At one point tonight Indi was done so she lay down on the couch and Porter kept launching himself at her to try to get her to come down. Indi was not amused. He's been napping for well over 2 hours now after that last bout. Why their huge play session can't happen at 10pm is beyond me. It would make my night much easily.
He still continues to love sleeping with his head only under the couch. when he gets bigger he's going to be so sad he doesn't fit!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
These Paws are Made for Walking...
Porter is coming out of his shell. He's getting more frisky instead of wanting to sleep all the time and play session with Indi are increasing in frequency. He finally got off his back yesterday while playing and started playing bitey face back. Indi took it all in stride even when the alligator mouth with sharp puppy teeth clamped on to her cheek. She's being a great big sister!
His confidence is growing as evident by our successful walk around the cul-de-sac today. Just two days ago he didn't want to leave the front yard much, but yesterday he happily trotted along meeting neighbors and grabbing rocks on the go. Pretty soon he'll be ready to make field trips around town. He walked well on leash but I know that is only a stage. I'll need to bring my clicker and treats and reward him for staying close.
Last night was a huge success. I was worried since Porter started napping before 9pm. Around 11pm I took him out for his last potty break and then started playing with him inside to burn up some energy. I didn't have ti play for long since Indi jumped into the mix and then two wrestled and tugged. They are both getting more exercise and fun than they would being only dogs. I know we'll hit bumpy roads but right now bringing Porter home has been wonderful for Indi.
Finally it was time for me to go to bed so I crated Porter up using a treat for him to follow since I have not trained him to go into his crate on his own yet. Ian was still watching tv at first so Porter wouldn't settle but once the lights were off he went right to bed. Despite being woken up several times by him repositioning himself he only looked like he wanted out once in the night. The second he sat up I took him out since I don't want to reinforce him pawing or barking in the crate and him getting out. He promptly peed and then back into the crate he went. At 6:30am I got up to feed him though I was tempted to sleep longer and see how far I could push it. But he had been so great sleeping in that I didn't want to ruin it.
He's still loving his raw diet but does get frustrated when he can;t chew a piece off, so part of the time he's whining at the chicken. If he gives up but hasn't eaten a lot I'll hold the chicken down with a fork and he quickly digs in and rips pieces off. Once we get outside he cleans his face off by rubbing in the grass but I discovered this morning that if I am not quick enough he'll just rub his face on the area rugs. Yuck!
Due to our success last night and the fact that house guests will be here, tonight I will attempt to sleep upstairs with him in his crate. What I need to do is bring this crate upstairs today and have him nap in it and play crate games.
Today he meets grandma and grandpa (the human ones) but other then that there's no other people socialization planned. The four other people coming over had to cancel which also means he doesn't get to meet his future BFF, Chase the Aussie. I'll probably walk him future around the neighborhood. Last night was so nice to walk him around and not be on edge and looking for things that might set him off (like I need to do with Indi). And so far he's not upset to go some where without her.
His confidence is growing as evident by our successful walk around the cul-de-sac today. Just two days ago he didn't want to leave the front yard much, but yesterday he happily trotted along meeting neighbors and grabbing rocks on the go. Pretty soon he'll be ready to make field trips around town. He walked well on leash but I know that is only a stage. I'll need to bring my clicker and treats and reward him for staying close.
Last night was a huge success. I was worried since Porter started napping before 9pm. Around 11pm I took him out for his last potty break and then started playing with him inside to burn up some energy. I didn't have ti play for long since Indi jumped into the mix and then two wrestled and tugged. They are both getting more exercise and fun than they would being only dogs. I know we'll hit bumpy roads but right now bringing Porter home has been wonderful for Indi.
Finally it was time for me to go to bed so I crated Porter up using a treat for him to follow since I have not trained him to go into his crate on his own yet. Ian was still watching tv at first so Porter wouldn't settle but once the lights were off he went right to bed. Despite being woken up several times by him repositioning himself he only looked like he wanted out once in the night. The second he sat up I took him out since I don't want to reinforce him pawing or barking in the crate and him getting out. He promptly peed and then back into the crate he went. At 6:30am I got up to feed him though I was tempted to sleep longer and see how far I could push it. But he had been so great sleeping in that I didn't want to ruin it.
He's still loving his raw diet but does get frustrated when he can;t chew a piece off, so part of the time he's whining at the chicken. If he gives up but hasn't eaten a lot I'll hold the chicken down with a fork and he quickly digs in and rips pieces off. Once we get outside he cleans his face off by rubbing in the grass but I discovered this morning that if I am not quick enough he'll just rub his face on the area rugs. Yuck!
Due to our success last night and the fact that house guests will be here, tonight I will attempt to sleep upstairs with him in his crate. What I need to do is bring this crate upstairs today and have him nap in it and play crate games.
Today he meets grandma and grandpa (the human ones) but other then that there's no other people socialization planned. The four other people coming over had to cancel which also means he doesn't get to meet his future BFF, Chase the Aussie. I'll probably walk him future around the neighborhood. Last night was so nice to walk him around and not be on edge and looking for things that might set him off (like I need to do with Indi). And so far he's not upset to go some where without her.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Pool Party
Yesterday Porter hung out and chewed his bullystick while I watched my daughter and some neighborhood kids swim. He even got a chance to get his feet wet and did great. It must have worn him out since he fell asleep chewing his bullystick. I know he's still really sleepy from being so young, but it was so nice to have a dog in a new and exciting environment with kids screaming and playing and the dog doesn't mind and can relax at my feet. I'm hoping this continues and next week will start working on his mat work to make sure this becomes a habit.
The highlight of the day was seeing Indigo and Porter really play. Indi has been trying to get him to play all along but she's a bit overwhelming for him so it mostly ends up being her bouncing around and pawing at him while he rolls over and wonders what is going on and occasionally squeals and seeks my comfort. But last night he was finally feeling frisky and started mouthing her back and played a good game of tug. Indi really needs to learn to be more gentle with the poor guy. He's going to have shaken puppy syndrome! It was wonderful to watch Indi trying to engage him in play and to see her so happy.
Each time he took a nap yesterday I placed him in his crate and more often then not he just settled down and went to sleep. Any protest on his part was just a half hearted whine before curling up.
Last night I slept downstairs again but a little farther from his play area. He settled down quickly and slept for longer stretches but still stirred several times during the night to which I responded with a quick potty break. Unfortunately once outside he prefers to settled down on the soft grass and go to sleep! At one point he did pee once in his play area so after that I put him in the crateinstead. Surprisingly he was ok with it and spend the rest of the night in just the crate. After his 4:30 am potty break I tried putting him back to bed instead of getting up for the day and he complied! Since I had to go to work this morning I fed him around 6:30, but I was impressed he remained quiet until then.
He hardly made a fuss on the drive over to work and settled down in his crate nicely. I was pleasantly surprised when I returned to the car from unloading my gear that he was still settled and not panicked that I left him. He was such a good boy while I was teaching my puppy classes and mostly chewed his bullystick or her floppy water bowl (must remember to bring a normal one next time). He asked to get out once so I brought him out to demo for the class and put him right back in his ex-pen.
His favorite part was getting cuddles from my friend Sandy and 4 girls who has puppies in class. After classes were over and the girls left he promptly fell fast asleep and did not make a peep on the drive home.
His people socialization totals are looking good. He's only been home just over 3 days and has already met 33 different people. Tomorrow he will meet 6 more plus another puppy! His soon to be BFF Chase the Aussie is coming over. Chase is only 3 or 4 days older than Porter and his mommy is a trainer as well. We are going to keep each other on track with our training and work through Sue Ailsby's Training Levels together.
My goal for tonight is for Porter to sleep completely in the crate downstairs (no access to his play area) with me on the couch. If that is successful I will take the crate upstairs tomorrow to replace the plastic one up there that he does not like.
The highlight of the day was seeing Indigo and Porter really play. Indi has been trying to get him to play all along but she's a bit overwhelming for him so it mostly ends up being her bouncing around and pawing at him while he rolls over and wonders what is going on and occasionally squeals and seeks my comfort. But last night he was finally feeling frisky and started mouthing her back and played a good game of tug. Indi really needs to learn to be more gentle with the poor guy. He's going to have shaken puppy syndrome! It was wonderful to watch Indi trying to engage him in play and to see her so happy.
Each time he took a nap yesterday I placed him in his crate and more often then not he just settled down and went to sleep. Any protest on his part was just a half hearted whine before curling up.
Last night I slept downstairs again but a little farther from his play area. He settled down quickly and slept for longer stretches but still stirred several times during the night to which I responded with a quick potty break. Unfortunately once outside he prefers to settled down on the soft grass and go to sleep! At one point he did pee once in his play area so after that I put him in the crateinstead. Surprisingly he was ok with it and spend the rest of the night in just the crate. After his 4:30 am potty break I tried putting him back to bed instead of getting up for the day and he complied! Since I had to go to work this morning I fed him around 6:30, but I was impressed he remained quiet until then.
He hardly made a fuss on the drive over to work and settled down in his crate nicely. I was pleasantly surprised when I returned to the car from unloading my gear that he was still settled and not panicked that I left him. He was such a good boy while I was teaching my puppy classes and mostly chewed his bullystick or her floppy water bowl (must remember to bring a normal one next time). He asked to get out once so I brought him out to demo for the class and put him right back in his ex-pen.
His favorite part was getting cuddles from my friend Sandy and 4 girls who has puppies in class. After classes were over and the girls left he promptly fell fast asleep and did not make a peep on the drive home.
His people socialization totals are looking good. He's only been home just over 3 days and has already met 33 different people. Tomorrow he will meet 6 more plus another puppy! His soon to be BFF Chase the Aussie is coming over. Chase is only 3 or 4 days older than Porter and his mommy is a trainer as well. We are going to keep each other on track with our training and work through Sue Ailsby's Training Levels together.
My goal for tonight is for Porter to sleep completely in the crate downstairs (no access to his play area) with me on the couch. If that is successful I will take the crate upstairs tomorrow to replace the plastic one up there that he does not like.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Vets & Mail Carriers
Porter met two new kids and 2 new adult women today and did his usually routine of falling into a deep sleep shortly after they arrive. I'd think it was a defense mechanism but he is sleeping a lot all day long. He's not lethargic and he promptly perks up for food and short bouts of fun, so he must either be catching up still from his first day here or his body is hard at work growing and processing all these new things.
One of his favorite activities in the backyard now is to eat wood chips and spiderwebs. He's constantly foraging which means that the majority of his potty trips are now on leash. He's also quite fond of curling up right next to the outside water dish and napping but not before dunking his whole muzzle in the water, blowing bubbles and dribbling his entire mouth contents all over the place.
It might be a fluke, but if I pause he sits before I open the crate. It's also the angle of his head since he looks up at me. I don't think he's 100% connected it yet, but it's a start.
After meeting his new friends we loaded up in the car and drove to the vet for a quick visit. His appointment and shots are not until next week but I wanted him to visit and get loves and cookies before anything unpleasant takes place there. I didn't let him down on the floor since I'm more worried about germs on the vet's office floor than I am about germs at a park. But then that all went out the window when the office manager asked me if I wanted to go into an exam room. I placed him on the table and fed him liver treats as the Office Manager massaged his ears and touched his paws. I didn't stay long since I didn't have many treats but I also wanted to keep it short and sweet. He also saw the office cat.
He was much better on this ride than the one bringing him home. He fussed very slightly and despite just having had a huge nap he even relaxed in a down and was quiet for a good portion of the trip.
We were in luck when we got home because the mail carrier was making his rounds. He was nice enough to stop for a minute when I asked if he could meet Porter. More liver treats flowed as he was pet.
And once again, he is napping in his crate. He prefers the wood floors right next to the couch and my laptop (or next to the outside water dish) but I convinced him to stay in the crate. He also does the cutest thing on hard floor surfaces; when he lies down he just slowly slides his back end out until he's all the way down.
So far his people socialization count is:
Men: 3
Women: 6
People in uniform: 3 (mail carrier and 2 vet techs)
School aged children: 5
Preschool children: 2
Toddlers: 1
One of his favorite activities in the backyard now is to eat wood chips and spiderwebs. He's constantly foraging which means that the majority of his potty trips are now on leash. He's also quite fond of curling up right next to the outside water dish and napping but not before dunking his whole muzzle in the water, blowing bubbles and dribbling his entire mouth contents all over the place.
It might be a fluke, but if I pause he sits before I open the crate. It's also the angle of his head since he looks up at me. I don't think he's 100% connected it yet, but it's a start.
After meeting his new friends we loaded up in the car and drove to the vet for a quick visit. His appointment and shots are not until next week but I wanted him to visit and get loves and cookies before anything unpleasant takes place there. I didn't let him down on the floor since I'm more worried about germs on the vet's office floor than I am about germs at a park. But then that all went out the window when the office manager asked me if I wanted to go into an exam room. I placed him on the table and fed him liver treats as the Office Manager massaged his ears and touched his paws. I didn't stay long since I didn't have many treats but I also wanted to keep it short and sweet. He also saw the office cat.
He was much better on this ride than the one bringing him home. He fussed very slightly and despite just having had a huge nap he even relaxed in a down and was quiet for a good portion of the trip.
We were in luck when we got home because the mail carrier was making his rounds. He was nice enough to stop for a minute when I asked if he could meet Porter. More liver treats flowed as he was pet.
And once again, he is napping in his crate. He prefers the wood floors right next to the couch and my laptop (or next to the outside water dish) but I convinced him to stay in the crate. He also does the cutest thing on hard floor surfaces; when he lies down he just slowly slides his back end out until he's all the way down.
So far his people socialization count is:
Men: 3
Women: 6
People in uniform: 3 (mail carrier and 2 vet techs)
School aged children: 5
Preschool children: 2
Toddlers: 1
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Flipper
Porter (yes, I finally decided) had a big day yesterday. Homecoming is always stressful and exhausting for a pup and then add a crazy terrier and hyper 4.5 year old into the mix and it makes for a rough day.
Indi tried a few more times to play with Porter and he started warming up a bit, until he flopped over and knocked his head on the wood floors.
Last night was rough. He was hesitant to go up the stairs, even the set of two leading from the living room to entryway, so I carried him up to bed. This was his first venture upstairs which was no smart on my part. He had also been sleeping on and off for an hour or so already, but did I take him outside to tire him out? Nope. I was hoping he was still tired and would just go right back to bed. But with the new location and new crate, Porter wasn't having any of it.
I have the crate elevated next to the bed so his face is right next to mine and I can easily stick my fingers through the bars. None of this helped. He made such a racket that Indi started whining and howling out of sympathy. He carried on for 30-45 minutes and then settled down. Maybe an hour later or so woke up again, so we went out to potty and came back. He fussed for 30 minutes. This repeats itself every 30-60 minutes. Each time he settled down sooner, but he didn't sleep long in between. At one point his paws were wet so he either peed or vomited water. Around 4:30 I heard him vomit (all water), so we got up for good and had breakfast. His stomach might not be used to how fast raw meat digest compared to kibble and I bet his fussing upset his stomach even more.
After breakfast and a few minutes of play he settled down and took a nap. I tried napping on the couch but slept too lightly since I was afraid he'd getup and get into trouble.
When princess Indi got out of bed closer to 6:30 she wanted nothing to do with him. I guess she wasn't awake yet.
At 9am we set ourselves up out front. I put an ex-pen in the grass and used my puppy cool shade over half of it. QM's friend arrived with her sister and toddler brother. They all were great and gentle with Porter who was mostly interested in eating their chalk. Surprisingly he settled down in the ex-pen really well even when I walked away. After maybe 20 minutes he passed out just before another friend and little brother arrived and Porter was gone to the world the rest of the morning. Nothing was waking him up.
Black dogs are so hard to photograph so I brought in a pro.
When everyone packed it up around 11:30 we brought Porter inside for lunch. He has a hard time chewing through the skin and grunts and whines. If I hold the chicken down with a fork he can yank and rip it off and is a very happy pup.
I thought he'd be up and ready to go but he's passed out yet again. This time I was smart and moved him into the crate so he gets used to being closed inside. He's barely conscious of it, but it's a start.
So it seems he's like a newborn and has his days and nights flipped. Tonight I work on keeping him from napping too late. With Indi we had to tickle her toes to keep her up. I'll also try to run him around right before bedtime and see if that helps tire him out.
Hopefully he'll be awake when the next friend comes over after lunch.
All the kids were great today. They were so gentle with him and (when he was awake) he didn't seem nervous or hesitant at all. Given his breed it's more likely he's going to love people, but I just want to be sure. As he grows I'll have to channel that love into a calm behavior so he's not leaping and knocking kids down.
Indi tried a few more times to play with Porter and he started warming up a bit, until he flopped over and knocked his head on the wood floors.
Last night was rough. He was hesitant to go up the stairs, even the set of two leading from the living room to entryway, so I carried him up to bed. This was his first venture upstairs which was no smart on my part. He had also been sleeping on and off for an hour or so already, but did I take him outside to tire him out? Nope. I was hoping he was still tired and would just go right back to bed. But with the new location and new crate, Porter wasn't having any of it.
I have the crate elevated next to the bed so his face is right next to mine and I can easily stick my fingers through the bars. None of this helped. He made such a racket that Indi started whining and howling out of sympathy. He carried on for 30-45 minutes and then settled down. Maybe an hour later or so woke up again, so we went out to potty and came back. He fussed for 30 minutes. This repeats itself every 30-60 minutes. Each time he settled down sooner, but he didn't sleep long in between. At one point his paws were wet so he either peed or vomited water. Around 4:30 I heard him vomit (all water), so we got up for good and had breakfast. His stomach might not be used to how fast raw meat digest compared to kibble and I bet his fussing upset his stomach even more.
After breakfast and a few minutes of play he settled down and took a nap. I tried napping on the couch but slept too lightly since I was afraid he'd getup and get into trouble.
When princess Indi got out of bed closer to 6:30 she wanted nothing to do with him. I guess she wasn't awake yet.
At 9am we set ourselves up out front. I put an ex-pen in the grass and used my puppy cool shade over half of it. QM's friend arrived with her sister and toddler brother. They all were great and gentle with Porter who was mostly interested in eating their chalk. Surprisingly he settled down in the ex-pen really well even when I walked away. After maybe 20 minutes he passed out just before another friend and little brother arrived and Porter was gone to the world the rest of the morning. Nothing was waking him up.
Black dogs are so hard to photograph so I brought in a pro.
 |
| Take by Jen Bentley |
When everyone packed it up around 11:30 we brought Porter inside for lunch. He has a hard time chewing through the skin and grunts and whines. If I hold the chicken down with a fork he can yank and rip it off and is a very happy pup.
I thought he'd be up and ready to go but he's passed out yet again. This time I was smart and moved him into the crate so he gets used to being closed inside. He's barely conscious of it, but it's a start.
So it seems he's like a newborn and has his days and nights flipped. Tonight I work on keeping him from napping too late. With Indi we had to tickle her toes to keep her up. I'll also try to run him around right before bedtime and see if that helps tire him out.
Hopefully he'll be awake when the next friend comes over after lunch.
All the kids were great today. They were so gentle with him and (when he was awake) he didn't seem nervous or hesitant at all. Given his breed it's more likely he's going to love people, but I just want to be sure. As he grows I'll have to channel that love into a calm behavior so he's not leaping and knocking kids down.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Training Plan
In addition to my socialization plan I need to have a clear training plan for my puppy.
In terms of just general training I think I will start with Sue Ailsby's Training Level program. It's nicely laid out, spiraling into more difficult commands and proofing. While I *love* clicker training, I've done a lot more luring with Indigo than shaping. In the beginning I didn't click with Indi at all, so luring is second nature. Sue's instructions are geared for clicker trainers and I'd like to see the results of clicker training a pup from day 1. I don't think I need to be a clicker purist. Luring has it's place and can be very useful but I will try to capture and free shape more commands this time around. Sue's Level program contains all the commands needed for a nice family dog and the higher levels are perfect for a performance dog.
In terms of just general training I think I will start with Sue Ailsby's Training Level program. It's nicely laid out, spiraling into more difficult commands and proofing. While I *love* clicker training, I've done a lot more luring with Indigo than shaping. In the beginning I didn't click with Indi at all, so luring is second nature. Sue's instructions are geared for clicker trainers and I'd like to see the results of clicker training a pup from day 1. I don't think I need to be a clicker purist. Luring has it's place and can be very useful but I will try to capture and free shape more commands this time around. Sue's Level program contains all the commands needed for a nice family dog and the higher levels are perfect for a performance dog.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Pet Edge & Puppy Peaks
Today I placed my order with Pet Edge. I tried buying some things a month ago but several items were back ordered and you can't order them unless you buy at least $15 worth of that one item. Finally the main thing I wanted to get was in (the cooling adapter for the crate fan).
In addition to the crate fan, another ex-pen and an elevated cool bed I purchased a variety of puppy items (kongs, nylabones, teething toys, stuffed toys, toys for Indi, and so on). There's still some things I need to get, like the Nature's Miracle made for wood floors and a trimmer for clipping the fur between the puppy's toes, but I should have most of my puppy gear now, plus some.
My friend is giving me an extra wire crate so I now have one for the bedroom for sleeping, one for downstairs in the puppy play pen, and one dedicated for the car. It will be nice to not have to fold and lug crates up and down the stairs and in and out of the car.
I still have to catch up on the puppy pictures since we were out of town for a week. We'll also be seeing them on Saturday and I'll try to take some video is they are in a playful mood.
On Saturday I'd like to bring over some items for the puppies to explore. Candy has already introduced them to some things. he husband made an agility ramp and an agility friend came over to help introduce the pups to it. I need to find a tiny wobbly surface for them. Indi's wobble board is 4 feet x 4 feet, so that will not work and her agility ramp is 6 feet long. I do have a play tunnel at least. Bubble wrap should be easy to bring over and I need some noise making toy.
Speaking of preparing a puppy for agility, Susan Garret recently started a new program called Puppy Peaks. It's a series of videos showing the training she did with her new pup Swagger. Every week for a year several new videos are posted. This is perfect timing! Her dogs are amazing, as is her training. Every dog of her has his/her MACH. I love her training videos so I can't wait to see what she does with her own puppy to give me more ideas to get my pup ready for agility.
In addition to the crate fan, another ex-pen and an elevated cool bed I purchased a variety of puppy items (kongs, nylabones, teething toys, stuffed toys, toys for Indi, and so on). There's still some things I need to get, like the Nature's Miracle made for wood floors and a trimmer for clipping the fur between the puppy's toes, but I should have most of my puppy gear now, plus some.
My friend is giving me an extra wire crate so I now have one for the bedroom for sleeping, one for downstairs in the puppy play pen, and one dedicated for the car. It will be nice to not have to fold and lug crates up and down the stairs and in and out of the car.
I still have to catch up on the puppy pictures since we were out of town for a week. We'll also be seeing them on Saturday and I'll try to take some video is they are in a playful mood.
On Saturday I'd like to bring over some items for the puppies to explore. Candy has already introduced them to some things. he husband made an agility ramp and an agility friend came over to help introduce the pups to it. I need to find a tiny wobbly surface for them. Indi's wobble board is 4 feet x 4 feet, so that will not work and her agility ramp is 6 feet long. I do have a play tunnel at least. Bubble wrap should be easy to bring over and I need some noise making toy.
Speaking of preparing a puppy for agility, Susan Garret recently started a new program called Puppy Peaks. It's a series of videos showing the training she did with her new pup Swagger. Every week for a year several new videos are posted. This is perfect timing! Her dogs are amazing, as is her training. Every dog of her has his/her MACH. I love her training videos so I can't wait to see what she does with her own puppy to give me more ideas to get my pup ready for agility.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Out of My Hands
All my fretting and back and forth about which breeder to go with has been pointless. Breeder #2's dog is not pregnant so there's no decision to be made. I was sad at first, but then realized I didn't feel that upset since I was still really excited about getting a puppy from Breeder #1. The decision was such a tough one for me all along. I instantly felt a connection with Breeder #1 and her dogs so I do not feel like I am settling for second best at all. She might not feed raw, but I will once the pup comes home. She might not follow Dr. Jean Dodd's vaccination schedule, but I can once the pup comes home. And, it turns out that several dogs in her line have also lived several years past the average. It just never came up before! Actually, it's kind of nice to have the decision taken out of my hands. I know I will be very happy with one of her pups.
Now it's time to make a list of all the things I want to do to socialize the puppies while they are still with their litter mates. It's going to be amazing to see the puppies right from the start.
Only two weeks to go then be prepared for photos galore!
Now it's time to make a list of all the things I want to do to socialize the puppies while they are still with their litter mates. It's going to be amazing to see the puppies right from the start.
Only two weeks to go then be prepared for photos galore!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Puppy Socialization
Early and positive experiences with novel sights, sounds, and smells is critical to the normal development of puppies. Puppies need to be exposed to a variety of things in the environment while they are forming what is normal and safe in their heads. Many experts say that the critical time for socialization is from 6-12 weeks of age (some extend this to 16 weeks). Depending on where you live and which expert you choose to believe, you might not feel comfortable taking your puppy out and about until his series of puppy shots are complete at 16 weeks. This means your puppy's socialization could be severely lacking unless you take great efforts to avoid this.
The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior has written a position paper regarding puppy socialization.
The term socialization can mean different things to different people. Some people feel their puppy is getting enough socialization by playing with the family's other dogs, maybe the few neighborhood dogs, and a small handful of children the family knows. They don't consider other factors, such as men with hats and beards, people in crutches, dogs of a different breed or size, loud cars, wobbly surfaces, and on and on. For some people, socialization is synonymous with exposure. They feel any exposure is good exposure. This means the puppy might be put in a "sink or swim" situation. They bring the puppy to the kid's soccer game and smile as hoards of grabby children jockey to hold and hug the overwhelmed pup.
Socialization should be frequent and it's critical that the puppy has a positive experience with whatever you are exposing him to. Don't leave it to chance. Don't assume the puppy will enjoy what is going on. Strong emotional experiences imprint themselves in our brains. Instead of letting that scar your puppy for life, use it to your advantage. When a motorcycle zooms by, don't just stand there, start popping something tasty in your pup's mouth. If you can make the connection that loud fast objects bring hot dogs, your puppy will not grow up to be fearful or reactive to motorcycles but instead will start drooling in happiness the second one speeds by.
To give you an idea of the scope of socialization I am talking about Dr. Ian Dunbar suggests that puppies meet 100 new people by the time they are 3 months old. The same few neighbors over and over again will not do the trick. Seek out people from a wide variety of groups. Don't let those 100 people be white females aged 30-40.
In addition to people, you will want your puppy exposed to a variety of dogs and other animals. Get him used to walking on different surfaces, eating in different rooms and out of different containers. Handle him gently all over his body and reward him heavily while doing so. Thing of all the different things he might experience in his life and give him a positive association with it now.
When you bring a puppy home it can be very helpful to have a checklist of the things you want to socialize your puppy to and post it somewhere easily seen in the house. This will serve as a daily reminder to not waste those precious weeks where your puppy's experiences can shape his adult behavior.
Here are two documents you can download which list a variety of things to exposure your puppy to:
The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior has written a position paper regarding puppy socialization.
..., the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior believes that it should be the standard of care for puppies to receive such socialization before they are fully vaccinated.
In fact, behavioral problems are the number one cause of relinquishment to shelters. Behavioral issues, not infectious diseases, are the number one cause of death for dogs under three years of age.
The term socialization can mean different things to different people. Some people feel their puppy is getting enough socialization by playing with the family's other dogs, maybe the few neighborhood dogs, and a small handful of children the family knows. They don't consider other factors, such as men with hats and beards, people in crutches, dogs of a different breed or size, loud cars, wobbly surfaces, and on and on. For some people, socialization is synonymous with exposure. They feel any exposure is good exposure. This means the puppy might be put in a "sink or swim" situation. They bring the puppy to the kid's soccer game and smile as hoards of grabby children jockey to hold and hug the overwhelmed pup.
Socialization should be frequent and it's critical that the puppy has a positive experience with whatever you are exposing him to. Don't leave it to chance. Don't assume the puppy will enjoy what is going on. Strong emotional experiences imprint themselves in our brains. Instead of letting that scar your puppy for life, use it to your advantage. When a motorcycle zooms by, don't just stand there, start popping something tasty in your pup's mouth. If you can make the connection that loud fast objects bring hot dogs, your puppy will not grow up to be fearful or reactive to motorcycles but instead will start drooling in happiness the second one speeds by.
To give you an idea of the scope of socialization I am talking about Dr. Ian Dunbar suggests that puppies meet 100 new people by the time they are 3 months old. The same few neighbors over and over again will not do the trick. Seek out people from a wide variety of groups. Don't let those 100 people be white females aged 30-40.
In addition to people, you will want your puppy exposed to a variety of dogs and other animals. Get him used to walking on different surfaces, eating in different rooms and out of different containers. Handle him gently all over his body and reward him heavily while doing so. Thing of all the different things he might experience in his life and give him a positive association with it now.
When you bring a puppy home it can be very helpful to have a checklist of the things you want to socialize your puppy to and post it somewhere easily seen in the house. This will serve as a daily reminder to not waste those precious weeks where your puppy's experiences can shape his adult behavior.
Here are two documents you can download which list a variety of things to exposure your puppy to:
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