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.
Showing posts with label puppy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label puppy. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Flirt Pole
I thought that Porter would be a wild child. I envisioned never being able to sit on the couch and peacefully watch tv but instead playing fetch and going on walks at all hours of the day and night. Thankfully this is not the case! But there are times Porter gets his panties in a bunch and I need an outlet for his energy. I can't always rush him outside for a walk and despite being a retriever he prefers to play keep away with the ball (we're working on this).
The good thing about having a terrier for a big sister is that Indigo has taught Porter how awesome the flirt pole is. In the beginning she would play with the flirt pole and he would attempt to chase her. This usually resulted in him just lying in the middle of the grass watching her and occasionally darting toward her when she came near. As he grew and gained speed and coordination he was able to keep up with Indi and she decided to let him have his fun (lest she get trampled).
So now she watches on the sidelines and occasionally darts in for the chase. But for the most part, it's all Porter's game now. I have to watch the sharp turns since I don't want any injuries to his growing body and if I snap the end too high he'll leap up into the air, which looks awesome, but could easily result in injury on impact with the ground.
I keep forgetting to get a video so after a very tiring flirt pole session today I remembered to grab the gear and have a second round. Porter is already tuckered out here so you can multiply his efforts times 10 or more and you'll get the normal picture.
We are still working on how to end the game. If he's still wired and ready to go he'll leap at the end I am holding. It seems to help if I keep my body between him and the prize but sometimes I become the punching bag. Our starts are much better. I can usually get him to sit and wait and not attack until I am all ready. Walking from the shed to the grass was tricky at first but it's coming along.
Another point of weakness is what happens when he actually gets ahold of the bag. This is his crowning moment of glory and he milks it for all he's worth. He trots along the yard looking as happy as a clam. His favorite part is the tug but as he's grown it's been much harder for me to hold my ground and not hurt my hands. I have not found a reliable treat for him to release the bag consistently. He'd rather play keep away and tug and clamp his mouth shut with all his might. When there's time, I let him play this game and we might be at it for 10-15 minutes. He eventually gets sloppy and tries to readjust his bite too much and I can whip the end out of his reach and start a new game.
Here's the video I took today. I didn't realize how far away it was but you'll get the picture. I try to reverse directions often or I get dizzy. You can see him anticipate it, sometimes incorrectly.
The good thing about having a terrier for a big sister is that Indigo has taught Porter how awesome the flirt pole is. In the beginning she would play with the flirt pole and he would attempt to chase her. This usually resulted in him just lying in the middle of the grass watching her and occasionally darting toward her when she came near. As he grew and gained speed and coordination he was able to keep up with Indi and she decided to let him have his fun (lest she get trampled).
So now she watches on the sidelines and occasionally darts in for the chase. But for the most part, it's all Porter's game now. I have to watch the sharp turns since I don't want any injuries to his growing body and if I snap the end too high he'll leap up into the air, which looks awesome, but could easily result in injury on impact with the ground.
I keep forgetting to get a video so after a very tiring flirt pole session today I remembered to grab the gear and have a second round. Porter is already tuckered out here so you can multiply his efforts times 10 or more and you'll get the normal picture.
We are still working on how to end the game. If he's still wired and ready to go he'll leap at the end I am holding. It seems to help if I keep my body between him and the prize but sometimes I become the punching bag. Our starts are much better. I can usually get him to sit and wait and not attack until I am all ready. Walking from the shed to the grass was tricky at first but it's coming along.
Another point of weakness is what happens when he actually gets ahold of the bag. This is his crowning moment of glory and he milks it for all he's worth. He trots along the yard looking as happy as a clam. His favorite part is the tug but as he's grown it's been much harder for me to hold my ground and not hurt my hands. I have not found a reliable treat for him to release the bag consistently. He'd rather play keep away and tug and clamp his mouth shut with all his might. When there's time, I let him play this game and we might be at it for 10-15 minutes. He eventually gets sloppy and tries to readjust his bite too much and I can whip the end out of his reach and start a new game.
Here's the video I took today. I didn't realize how far away it was but you'll get the picture. I try to reverse directions often or I get dizzy. You can see him anticipate it, sometimes incorrectly.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
What Puppy?
I have to confess that Porter is such a good puppy (most of the time) that on occasion I'll sit down at the computer to do something and suddenly 20 minutes have gone by and I realize that the thought of having a puppy completely skipped my mind. I look around only to find him either napping contently near me or else just chilling outside in the backyard. I am very spoiled by his awesomeness.
I love my pup.
I love my pup.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
See Ya Later Alligator
Porter is losing his baby teeth and with that milestone comes an ever increasing need to bite. He's not just mouthing anymore, he's biting down hard and with his entire mouth. It's not a constant thing but happens when he's frustrated, bored, or hyper. I was hoping to bypass the whole alligator mouth phase, but it's hitting us hard now. Maybe it'll leave just as quickly.
Unfortunately bullysticks are not holding his interest. Maybe they are too tough for his sore gums? He'll chew them for a little while but quickly gives them up. I had to bring one on our walk last night since he was jumping up at me and trying to take out a chuck of my thigh. It really hurt! I don't care if he bites at the leash, but I'm a delicate flower.
At least he's getting better at kongs. He still leaves bits and pieces in them, which causes Indi to hover like a vulture, and he's able to stick with them much longer than before. I might buy some canned food so I can freeze it into a kong to really give his jaw a workout. I know he won't keep chewing until it's empty, but it might keep him happy longer.
Last night Porter started in a foundation agility class with my old boss and I finally got confirmation that he is on the list to start a puppy agility class with another trainer in November. I've been trying to get a hold of this trainer since before Porter came home but she's hard to nail down. She's well respected and very experienced (in additional to being an AKC judge) and uses the same training methods I do. And the bonus is she's least than 15 minutes away.
Saturday Porter and I headed to the annual FCR Fun Day. He saw his sister, Dinah, his mom, Hannah, half sister, Christy, and half brother, Honor as well as many other FCRs. There were a couple of other puppies there very close to his age and they all had a great time playing. We noticed that whichever dog was on top would grumble and growl while playing. It was all in fun but we broke up the wrestling when they got too loud to make sure everyone had fun and things didn't get out of hand.
Porter failed miserably at the hot dog recall game, but he was no worst than all but one of the dogs there. You toss a hot dog, send your dog to get it, and then call hem back and whoever has the most hot dog left wins. Most of the dogs sat down and ate the hot dog before returning :)
The next game was the wet t-shirt contest. It's a relay race and each member runs with their dog to the bucket, grabs a soaking wet t-shirt, puts it on the dog and rushes back. We lost, but Porter did amazing. He was such a good sport about it.
I was impressed that Porter managed to grab on apple in the apple bobbing game. After the game was over he went back for more and did very well. His prize was eating two apples.
Despite being a mouthy puppy, Porter was a perfect gentleman when I borrow a costume and dressed him up as the tin man (it was the smallest one they had and was still too big). So of course when I was at Old Navy today I bought him a costume for Halloween :) You'll get pictures of that one later.
Porter's shining moment was winning the puppy recall game.
The low of the day came when Porter started pullig toward his ex-pen and once inside became antsy and frantically started pawing at his face and rubbing his muzzle on the ground. The skin around his eyes looked puffy and as I asked around for Benadryl his whole muzzle started getting lumpy and swollen. In the short time it took to walk to the parking lot he looked like a Shar Pei.
He really had me worried and the only thing that kept me from rushing him to the ER vet (who knows where one was since we were very far from home) was that a fellow Flat-coat owner who was there is a vet tech. If Tracy Kerns acted concerned or was worried about him then I would have freaked out. It was nice to know that someone who knew what she was talking about could look at him and tell that he was breathing ok and wasn't going into anaphalactic shock.
The Benadryl did the trick and about 45 minutes later Porter was back to normal. His lips were just a tad swollen still and since I finally calmed down I took his picture. You can just barely see his mouth is a little puffier than normal. I wish a had a picture at his worst but I didn't want to waste time getting a picture in case he took a turn for the worse.
Last week Porter has his interview at Dog Days Ranch, which is a doggie daycare and boarding facility in town. The owner has been a client of my boss' for ages and the dogs are not kenneled. There are a few events that would keep us out of the house for longer than I want Porter crated so I thought this would be a good option.
We also had his first dog park visit last week. I meet a nice group of dog owners who were very welcoming. They come to the dog park everyday before lunch. I was surprised that Porter didn't play hard, but he did have fun sniffing everyone and playing mild games of bitey face with one dog. A 10 month old Rhodesian really wanted to wrestle but Porter only mildly agreed. He's not as nervous with his peers, but he still needs a little bit of time to warm up.
Our heeling work is coming along very nicely but on our casual walks Porter is starting to pull more. I think it's due to his legs getting so long and lanky. He's not frantically pulling, he just walks a lot faster than I do and eventually hits the end of the leash. One cute thing he does while on walks is if there's any water in the gutter, he puts his nose down and follows it like he's on a trail.
Since I've worked a lot on he heeling he's becomes a very one sided dog. Even on our walks he's on the left just due to the way I walk around the neighborhood. I tend to walk clockwise and he prefers to be closest to the grass and bushes. This is going to mess us up for agility so I need to even things out.
Unfortunately bullysticks are not holding his interest. Maybe they are too tough for his sore gums? He'll chew them for a little while but quickly gives them up. I had to bring one on our walk last night since he was jumping up at me and trying to take out a chuck of my thigh. It really hurt! I don't care if he bites at the leash, but I'm a delicate flower.
At least he's getting better at kongs. He still leaves bits and pieces in them, which causes Indi to hover like a vulture, and he's able to stick with them much longer than before. I might buy some canned food so I can freeze it into a kong to really give his jaw a workout. I know he won't keep chewing until it's empty, but it might keep him happy longer.
Last night Porter started in a foundation agility class with my old boss and I finally got confirmation that he is on the list to start a puppy agility class with another trainer in November. I've been trying to get a hold of this trainer since before Porter came home but she's hard to nail down. She's well respected and very experienced (in additional to being an AKC judge) and uses the same training methods I do. And the bonus is she's least than 15 minutes away.
Saturday Porter and I headed to the annual FCR Fun Day. He saw his sister, Dinah, his mom, Hannah, half sister, Christy, and half brother, Honor as well as many other FCRs. There were a couple of other puppies there very close to his age and they all had a great time playing. We noticed that whichever dog was on top would grumble and growl while playing. It was all in fun but we broke up the wrestling when they got too loud to make sure everyone had fun and things didn't get out of hand.
 |
| Porter's sister, Dinah |
Porter failed miserably at the hot dog recall game, but he was no worst than all but one of the dogs there. You toss a hot dog, send your dog to get it, and then call hem back and whoever has the most hot dog left wins. Most of the dogs sat down and ate the hot dog before returning :)
The next game was the wet t-shirt contest. It's a relay race and each member runs with their dog to the bucket, grabs a soaking wet t-shirt, puts it on the dog and rushes back. We lost, but Porter did amazing. He was such a good sport about it.
 |
| His t-shirt came off as we were waiting, so I draped it over him for the picture. |
I was impressed that Porter managed to grab on apple in the apple bobbing game. After the game was over he went back for more and did very well. His prize was eating two apples.
Despite being a mouthy puppy, Porter was a perfect gentleman when I borrow a costume and dressed him up as the tin man (it was the smallest one they had and was still too big). So of course when I was at Old Navy today I bought him a costume for Halloween :) You'll get pictures of that one later.
Porter's shining moment was winning the puppy recall game.
The low of the day came when Porter started pullig toward his ex-pen and once inside became antsy and frantically started pawing at his face and rubbing his muzzle on the ground. The skin around his eyes looked puffy and as I asked around for Benadryl his whole muzzle started getting lumpy and swollen. In the short time it took to walk to the parking lot he looked like a Shar Pei.
 |
| Pre-sting |
He really had me worried and the only thing that kept me from rushing him to the ER vet (who knows where one was since we were very far from home) was that a fellow Flat-coat owner who was there is a vet tech. If Tracy Kerns acted concerned or was worried about him then I would have freaked out. It was nice to know that someone who knew what she was talking about could look at him and tell that he was breathing ok and wasn't going into anaphalactic shock.
The Benadryl did the trick and about 45 minutes later Porter was back to normal. His lips were just a tad swollen still and since I finally calmed down I took his picture. You can just barely see his mouth is a little puffier than normal. I wish a had a picture at his worst but I didn't want to waste time getting a picture in case he took a turn for the worse.
 |
| Post-Benadryl |
We also had his first dog park visit last week. I meet a nice group of dog owners who were very welcoming. They come to the dog park everyday before lunch. I was surprised that Porter didn't play hard, but he did have fun sniffing everyone and playing mild games of bitey face with one dog. A 10 month old Rhodesian really wanted to wrestle but Porter only mildly agreed. He's not as nervous with his peers, but he still needs a little bit of time to warm up.
Our heeling work is coming along very nicely but on our casual walks Porter is starting to pull more. I think it's due to his legs getting so long and lanky. He's not frantically pulling, he just walks a lot faster than I do and eventually hits the end of the leash. One cute thing he does while on walks is if there's any water in the gutter, he puts his nose down and follows it like he's on a trail.
Since I've worked a lot on he heeling he's becomes a very one sided dog. Even on our walks he's on the left just due to the way I walk around the neighborhood. I tend to walk clockwise and he prefers to be closest to the grass and bushes. This is going to mess us up for agility so I need to even things out.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Every Rose has Its Thorn
I admit it. Porter is a dream puppy. He's exactly what I wanted and has integrated very well into our family.
But just so you all don't start to hate me and throw rotten tomatoes at my blog, let me share some of Porter's not so fine moments.
Half Goat
Like most puppies, Porter came home wanting to put anything and everything into his mouth. If we passed it on the sidewalk he was chomping away at it before I even knew what was going on. I considering walking in the middle of the street to avoid things on the sidewalk and lawns, but Porter also had an affinity for chewing on rocks and found plenty of bits of gravel on the asphalt.
Thankfully this has toned itself down a bit. But he still will do a drive by a rose bush and grab at a bud or rose hip for good measure. Rocks are left alone but any scrap of paper or trash is all his. His current favorites are clumps of compost dirt and palm tree bark that he has expertly harvested himself.
Newspaper Boy
Porter is obsessed with carrying newspapers and it's really darn cute. He'll grab ours and carry it all the way into the house (and then try to run out back with it). I need to get it on video. Now the only problem is he has generalized this really well to newspapers everywhere! He walks really nicely on leash for the most part, until we pass a driveway with a newspaper and then he pounces on it like a jungle cat. And Lord help us when we pass a driveway with *three* newspapers all piled up! It's like he's found puppy Nirvana.
Fine Diner
Ian and I have begun to appreciate the finer things in life and enjoy a nice meal when we have the time and babysitter to get out. Porter agrees and has a very adventurous palate. For late evening snacks he forages out back and kindly brings in a snail to munch on at our feet. Yum! Walking him after the rain is a bit stop and go. He'll grab a snail and trot along with it in his mouth and happy as a clam until it drops and then he's completely focused on finding it again.
I could solve this problem by restricting his access to the backyard unless supervised and train his leave it. But it's easier to just complain about it. :)
Tale of a Tail
Yes, I have that dog. The one who chases his tail and is surprised it dared show its face again and annoyed he's not fast enough to catch up to it.
Back Talker
No one like a sassy kid but Indi's dealing with her annoying younger brother quite well. They can both have the exact same item, like a bullystick, but Porter quickly bores of his and finds his sister's much more appealing. So like any good brother he pesters her and pesters her until she corrects him and not a split second after he's done yelping and running away he's giving her lip for daring to yell at him. All while maintaining a safe distance away.
The Nose Knows
This dog was bred for K9 Nose Work. Nothing gets past him, such as the time we were walking around the park waiting for class to start and he air scents a nasty pile of entrails the coyotes left about 10 feet away. He began channeling his inner husky and it was all I could do to keep him from having sloppy seconds.
I'm Melting!
Despite loving the baby pool, wading in ponds without a second thought, enjoying biting the stream of water from the hose, Porter acts like acid is coming out of the shower head when it's bath time. Thank goodness for strong shower doors.
So there you have it. My puppy has his flaws, but I love him. Just not when he's trying to kiss me after eating snails.
But just so you all don't start to hate me and throw rotten tomatoes at my blog, let me share some of Porter's not so fine moments.
Half Goat
Like most puppies, Porter came home wanting to put anything and everything into his mouth. If we passed it on the sidewalk he was chomping away at it before I even knew what was going on. I considering walking in the middle of the street to avoid things on the sidewalk and lawns, but Porter also had an affinity for chewing on rocks and found plenty of bits of gravel on the asphalt.
Thankfully this has toned itself down a bit. But he still will do a drive by a rose bush and grab at a bud or rose hip for good measure. Rocks are left alone but any scrap of paper or trash is all his. His current favorites are clumps of compost dirt and palm tree bark that he has expertly harvested himself.
Newspaper Boy
Porter is obsessed with carrying newspapers and it's really darn cute. He'll grab ours and carry it all the way into the house (and then try to run out back with it). I need to get it on video. Now the only problem is he has generalized this really well to newspapers everywhere! He walks really nicely on leash for the most part, until we pass a driveway with a newspaper and then he pounces on it like a jungle cat. And Lord help us when we pass a driveway with *three* newspapers all piled up! It's like he's found puppy Nirvana.
Fine Diner
Ian and I have begun to appreciate the finer things in life and enjoy a nice meal when we have the time and babysitter to get out. Porter agrees and has a very adventurous palate. For late evening snacks he forages out back and kindly brings in a snail to munch on at our feet. Yum! Walking him after the rain is a bit stop and go. He'll grab a snail and trot along with it in his mouth and happy as a clam until it drops and then he's completely focused on finding it again.
I could solve this problem by restricting his access to the backyard unless supervised and train his leave it. But it's easier to just complain about it. :)
Tale of a Tail
Yes, I have that dog. The one who chases his tail and is surprised it dared show its face again and annoyed he's not fast enough to catch up to it.
Back Talker
No one like a sassy kid but Indi's dealing with her annoying younger brother quite well. They can both have the exact same item, like a bullystick, but Porter quickly bores of his and finds his sister's much more appealing. So like any good brother he pesters her and pesters her until she corrects him and not a split second after he's done yelping and running away he's giving her lip for daring to yell at him. All while maintaining a safe distance away.
The Nose Knows
This dog was bred for K9 Nose Work. Nothing gets past him, such as the time we were walking around the park waiting for class to start and he air scents a nasty pile of entrails the coyotes left about 10 feet away. He began channeling his inner husky and it was all I could do to keep him from having sloppy seconds.
I'm Melting!
Despite loving the baby pool, wading in ponds without a second thought, enjoying biting the stream of water from the hose, Porter acts like acid is coming out of the shower head when it's bath time. Thank goodness for strong shower doors.
So there you have it. My puppy has his flaws, but I love him. Just not when he's trying to kiss me after eating snails.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
3 Months Old
Porter continues to amaze me. While we haven't worked a on a lot of "tricks" yet, his general training is coming along quite nicely. He walks in loose lead most of the time. When he occasionally pulls, I stop, and he has learned to release the tension by walking back towards me and then we continue forward. His pulling is typically caused by his quick pace. If I keep a very brisk walk then we are fine. His normal walking pace is much faster than mine though so I need to teach him to slow it down a bit especially once his legs grow even longer! I'll be jogging just to keep up on his walk.
When we are training his has great focus while heeling. He turned right very nicely, even doing 360's. I haven't worked on our lefts yet and I need to get on the perch work to help with those left pivots. He is really easy to maneuver into heel position and is learning to sit nice a straight. His preference is still to swing around to my front so I've been heavily rewarding him in heel position and he's doing better at staying there longer. He still stretches out to down so I need to work on teaching him to move his back feet inside so he's still in heel position. None of this is on cue yet.
I am most impressed with his behavior on Saturday. While the older dogs were in a big circle for basic obedience class (and there were over 10 dogs), Porter and I heeled around the outside of the circle and he was able to stay focuses on me (ok, really on my treats but I'll take it).
He also did much better playing with some puppies in class this week. Only once or twice he looked a little stiff. He played the most of a small JRT pup. Many he reminded him of Indigo. :) And as always he's doing great meeting older dogs, even if they are still puppies themselves, just a little older and a little larger.
He had a playdate with the Dalmatians, Kylie and Daisy this week. He has only seen Kylie on leash and even though she can be a pistol they all had a great time after our slow one on one off leash introductions. It was great seeing the three of them romp around together. After they had their fun we did a couple of rounds of Nose Work with them all.
I'm impressed at how quickly Porter picks up on things. He's waiting nicely for his dinner bowl now until I give him the release cue. I still am not waiting too long, but I can walk away a few feet and turn my back on him and he (typically) holds his stay.
His gross motor skills are improving every week. He's much better at walking down our hardwood floor stairs. I still walk in front of him in case he slips or tries to jump too many steps, but he rarely fumbles now. Most of the time he can make it up onto the couch but occasionally scrambles a bit. Jumping off was scary at first since he's take a flying leap and his feet would slip out from under him on the slick floor. I had visions of ACL tears and shoulder injuries dashing before my eyes as his agility career flies out the window. I'm not sure if he's able to control his body better now or if trimming the fur on his pads did the trick, but now he lands firmly. Probably a little bit of both.
I was surprised how well he did when I used the trimmers on his paws. Of course I has my daughter holding a peanut butter kong for him, but his was much more still then when I dremel his nails. He's also getting a little better when I brush him. He's prefer to chew the brush and I'm sure a stuffed kong would solve that but I always seem to decide to brush him at he last minute in between doing other things. I figure if I brush him frequently with the Furminator it will keep down on the fluff flying around the house. When Porter first came home nothing was coming out with the brush but now I do get some clumps of hair.
While he still takes hard naps his wakeful time is increasing. He has some crazy periods but they don't last long. All in all he's pretty chill and settles down very quickly. He's also become a real snuggle bug recently. Since he can jump up on the couch now he'll cuddle up and nap instead of chew on you. When he does try to mouth us, off the couch he goes. He learns quickly and either goes and plays with something else or jumps up and relaxes instead.
He's also, slowly, learning to not bother us if we are eating at the coffee table. Indigo is great with this and will not touch food on the coffee table even if left there for several hours with us out of the house. Porter will try to come up and sniff really close but we body block him and eventually he lays down and naps. Sometimes he gets frustrated and chews on the coffee table but stops if I put a drop or two of bitter apple
on it. I think it's mostly the smell that gets him, or at least he has learned that the smell means it will taste bad so he doesn't even chew it or lick it after Bitter Apple is applied.
Porter has decided he loves pears and harvests the fallen pears from our tree. I'll have to be better about picking them up because last night he threw up a pear stem.
On that note, crate training is going great! When he vomited the pear stem at 3am, I opened the crate to wipe it up and then went back to bed. Porter did the same. I was worried he would want to get out but he didn't. He even let me sleep in until past 6:30 this morning and he didn't ask for a middle of the night pee break! Today he was crated for just shy of 3 hours, his longest time yet, and he seemed just fine when I got home.
We finally finished his bag of kibble and he had his first meal of Honest Kitchen (dehydrated raw) tonight. This week I go buy meat to put him back on a regular raw diet. I need to figure out where to feed him since I was feeding him his raw meals in his crate since I can use clorox wipes there and he's separated from Indi. But now that crate is upstairs in the bedrooms and is just too big and bulky for me to carry up and down daily. I don't think feeding up upstairs will work well since I like to watch him eat just in case he has a problem and he takes while to finish. Downstairs I can get a few things done while watching him.
Porter has outgrown Indi, but he's still clumsy so she continues to get the better of him in their wresting matches.
When we are training his has great focus while heeling. He turned right very nicely, even doing 360's. I haven't worked on our lefts yet and I need to get on the perch work to help with those left pivots. He is really easy to maneuver into heel position and is learning to sit nice a straight. His preference is still to swing around to my front so I've been heavily rewarding him in heel position and he's doing better at staying there longer. He still stretches out to down so I need to work on teaching him to move his back feet inside so he's still in heel position. None of this is on cue yet.
I am most impressed with his behavior on Saturday. While the older dogs were in a big circle for basic obedience class (and there were over 10 dogs), Porter and I heeled around the outside of the circle and he was able to stay focuses on me (ok, really on my treats but I'll take it).
He also did much better playing with some puppies in class this week. Only once or twice he looked a little stiff. He played the most of a small JRT pup. Many he reminded him of Indigo. :) And as always he's doing great meeting older dogs, even if they are still puppies themselves, just a little older and a little larger.
He had a playdate with the Dalmatians, Kylie and Daisy this week. He has only seen Kylie on leash and even though she can be a pistol they all had a great time after our slow one on one off leash introductions. It was great seeing the three of them romp around together. After they had their fun we did a couple of rounds of Nose Work with them all.
I'm impressed at how quickly Porter picks up on things. He's waiting nicely for his dinner bowl now until I give him the release cue. I still am not waiting too long, but I can walk away a few feet and turn my back on him and he (typically) holds his stay.
His gross motor skills are improving every week. He's much better at walking down our hardwood floor stairs. I still walk in front of him in case he slips or tries to jump too many steps, but he rarely fumbles now. Most of the time he can make it up onto the couch but occasionally scrambles a bit. Jumping off was scary at first since he's take a flying leap and his feet would slip out from under him on the slick floor. I had visions of ACL tears and shoulder injuries dashing before my eyes as his agility career flies out the window. I'm not sure if he's able to control his body better now or if trimming the fur on his pads did the trick, but now he lands firmly. Probably a little bit of both.
I was surprised how well he did when I used the trimmers on his paws. Of course I has my daughter holding a peanut butter kong for him, but his was much more still then when I dremel his nails. He's also getting a little better when I brush him. He's prefer to chew the brush and I'm sure a stuffed kong would solve that but I always seem to decide to brush him at he last minute in between doing other things. I figure if I brush him frequently with the Furminator it will keep down on the fluff flying around the house. When Porter first came home nothing was coming out with the brush but now I do get some clumps of hair.
While he still takes hard naps his wakeful time is increasing. He has some crazy periods but they don't last long. All in all he's pretty chill and settles down very quickly. He's also become a real snuggle bug recently. Since he can jump up on the couch now he'll cuddle up and nap instead of chew on you. When he does try to mouth us, off the couch he goes. He learns quickly and either goes and plays with something else or jumps up and relaxes instead.
He's also, slowly, learning to not bother us if we are eating at the coffee table. Indigo is great with this and will not touch food on the coffee table even if left there for several hours with us out of the house. Porter will try to come up and sniff really close but we body block him and eventually he lays down and naps. Sometimes he gets frustrated and chews on the coffee table but stops if I put a drop or two of bitter apple
on it. I think it's mostly the smell that gets him, or at least he has learned that the smell means it will taste bad so he doesn't even chew it or lick it after Bitter Apple is applied.
Porter has decided he loves pears and harvests the fallen pears from our tree. I'll have to be better about picking them up because last night he threw up a pear stem.
On that note, crate training is going great! When he vomited the pear stem at 3am, I opened the crate to wipe it up and then went back to bed. Porter did the same. I was worried he would want to get out but he didn't. He even let me sleep in until past 6:30 this morning and he didn't ask for a middle of the night pee break! Today he was crated for just shy of 3 hours, his longest time yet, and he seemed just fine when I got home.
We finally finished his bag of kibble and he had his first meal of Honest Kitchen (dehydrated raw) tonight. This week I go buy meat to put him back on a regular raw diet. I need to figure out where to feed him since I was feeding him his raw meals in his crate since I can use clorox wipes there and he's separated from Indi. But now that crate is upstairs in the bedrooms and is just too big and bulky for me to carry up and down daily. I don't think feeding up upstairs will work well since I like to watch him eat just in case he has a problem and he takes while to finish. Downstairs I can get a few things done while watching him.
Porter has outgrown Indi, but he's still clumsy so she continues to get the better of him in their wresting matches.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Perfect Puppy
Porter is turning out to be the perfect puppy. He has his moments, but in general he's really well behaved and easy going.
Today Porter and I hung out with friends at a local agility trial. He was able to meet several adults dogs (and loved them) and just ate up all the loves given to him by the handlers. Best of all he was completely calm and relaxed in his ex-pen and wasn't anxious when I wasn't there.
Between watching runs and hanging out we took time to observe the ducks and geese.
Porter is recovering well from his tooth extraction. When I picked him up he was in good spirits and nice and calm while we checked him out. He was ready to play, tug, and eat rocks right when we got home and wasn't happy all his toys had to be put away.
Adult dogs continue to be amazing things in Porter's eyes and he's warming up to Harley, the Viszla puppy.
This week we'll be starting on K9 Nose Work training. I've already noticed what a great sense of smell Porter has so I think he'll do well in the sport. I also need to work more on his proprioception. His flatwork is coming along with the small amount of training we've done so far. I'm hoping to start him in a puppy agility class very soon so my training is more focused.
He is now heavier and maybe a tad taller than Indi, but still pretty clumsy so Indi alway has the upper hand.
Everyday I can see Porter's impulse control improving. He can now sit and wait after I put his food bowl down for about 10 seconds before I release him. And finally, he can empty his puppy kong. The large ones still pose a problem but he'll get there. This week he had a break through and finally realized he can bat at the kong with his paws to make the treats fall out.
More good news is that Porter isn't so anxious walking at night anymore. He does pull hard to get home, but still makes a small effort when we pass the house. He doesn't startle as easily and sometimes can let barking dogs roll off his back. At the trial today the barking dogs didn't phase him at all even though one was right next to him.
The cutest thing to watch is when both Indigo and Porter get the zoomies in the backyard. Porter can't keep up but he's getting better every week. He also in pretty interested in Indi's flirt pole and gives it a go in between her rounds.
Today Porter and I hung out with friends at a local agility trial. He was able to meet several adults dogs (and loved them) and just ate up all the loves given to him by the handlers. Best of all he was completely calm and relaxed in his ex-pen and wasn't anxious when I wasn't there.
Between watching runs and hanging out we took time to observe the ducks and geese.
Porter is recovering well from his tooth extraction. When I picked him up he was in good spirits and nice and calm while we checked him out. He was ready to play, tug, and eat rocks right when we got home and wasn't happy all his toys had to be put away.
Adult dogs continue to be amazing things in Porter's eyes and he's warming up to Harley, the Viszla puppy.
This week we'll be starting on K9 Nose Work training. I've already noticed what a great sense of smell Porter has so I think he'll do well in the sport. I also need to work more on his proprioception. His flatwork is coming along with the small amount of training we've done so far. I'm hoping to start him in a puppy agility class very soon so my training is more focused.
He is now heavier and maybe a tad taller than Indi, but still pretty clumsy so Indi alway has the upper hand.
Everyday I can see Porter's impulse control improving. He can now sit and wait after I put his food bowl down for about 10 seconds before I release him. And finally, he can empty his puppy kong. The large ones still pose a problem but he'll get there. This week he had a break through and finally realized he can bat at the kong with his paws to make the treats fall out.
More good news is that Porter isn't so anxious walking at night anymore. He does pull hard to get home, but still makes a small effort when we pass the house. He doesn't startle as easily and sometimes can let barking dogs roll off his back. At the trial today the barking dogs didn't phase him at all even though one was right next to him.
The cutest thing to watch is when both Indigo and Porter get the zoomies in the backyard. Porter can't keep up but he's getting better every week. He also in pretty interested in Indi's flirt pole and gives it a go in between her rounds.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Food for Thought
Porter is such a good boy. He'll eat anything I give him. He loves his raw food; he loves his kibble. He works hard for liver, cheese, or Charlie Bears without discriminating. It's nice to have dogs who are not picky and who can handle food changes. I'm lucky they roll with the punches because I cannot make up my mind what to feed Porter.
While he's outwardly loving the kibble I'm not so sure his insides are loving it. I'm spoiled with raw fed dog poops which are small, firm and have very little to no odor. Kibble poops? Nasty stuff. But Porter's now seem even more smelly than poop should be. There has to be a threshold there somewhere, right? He sometimes has horrendous gas as well. The smell is so bad I have to look down where he's napping because I would have sworn he just released his bowels on my floor. This makes me think that the food he is on is not the best for his body.
So now what? Do I pick a new kibble brand or do I go back to raw?
I think when this bag is finished I will put Porter back on raw. At least partially. I still want to be sure he's getting everything he needs to grow properly so I am considering doing premade raw partially or maybe raw with vitamins supplements. Another idea is to feed part raw and part kibble, not int he same meal, but alternating meals or alternatives weeks or months. Honest Kitchen has a variety which includes the fruits, veggies, vitamins (and love) and you add the protein source you want. So this might be an option. My friend, Madeline, gave be a little bit to try out.
No matter what he's eating, Porter is growing like a weed. At 9 weeks he was 15 pounds, at 10.5 weeks he was 17.8 pounds and now at 11.5 weeks he's 19.8 pounds. He gained 2 pounds in just 7 days! He is now the exact same weight as Indigo. His head a larger than hers but he's still just barely shorter than her at the shoulders.
On a sad note Porter goes under the knife on Tuesday. Actually I doubt a knife will be involved but he is having his two bottom canines extracted. Unfortunately his lower jaw is not growing fast enough and so he has a overshot bite. It's also a bit narrow so those bottom canines are touching and poking into the roof of his mouth and leaving indentations. By removing those canines we are hoping that he will allow his lower jaw to catch up (since it grows slower anyhow I was told) and maybe he'll grow into a normal bite. The good news is even if he keeps an overbite it won't affect him in the agility ring or with any of the other dog sports we will be doing.
Last week Porter went to puppy kindergarten again. He was interested in playing with Harley, the Vizsla, but was still a bit stiff and uncomfortable with Harley being so forward. With Harley on leash and Porter off, Porter chose to stay by me and work for cookies instead of interacting with the other pup. When he was introduced to a smaller dog he was much happier, but wanted to play too rough for the size difference. He continues to be great with adult dogs even if they are hyper and trying to wrestle with him. I need to work on his social skills with his peers. He stiffens up and then if they persist he gets snarky in a way that I do not like.
On Saturday he accompanied me to the puppy classes I teach but only has minimal interaction with those pups since they were the size he has problems with. I did not use him as a demo dog this week so he was in the ex-pen a majority of the time and ended up just taking a nap. Before and after my classes I walked him around the other classes going on and worked on his focus and relaxing near other dogs. I am very impressed with his focus. While he's interested in saying hi to the other dogs he doesn't dwell on it and can tune them out and focus on me.
Last night Porter met Madeline's family and her two dogs. Both are a bit older and just not ready to handle a young pup, so I tethered Porter to the furniture while we ate so the other dogs could have their space. He's such a great pup. He just relaxed and went to sleep under my chair for most of dinner. No chewing on the chair leg or the area rug. No peeing in the house. No barking to get up and go somewhere else. I'm really happy about his overall demeanor.
Today we meet up with a local clicker training group and Porter did fantastic. The majority of the time he was staring lovingly into my eyes. He's going to be a great working dog. I do wish he was more interested in the other dogs though. He really like Mira, the Golden. He really seems to gravitate towards Goldens and I wonder if their similar look to FCRs has to do with it. He wasn't all that into playing with Smoke, the 5 months old Kelpie, even though Smoke *really* wanted to play with him. After a bit Porter finally stated playing with him, but then became overwhelmed and growled. I was excited that Mickey, the malinois, was coming, since Mickey has such great doggie social skills, but again, Porter was more into me (my treats). I know I shouldn't complain, since I wanted a great working dog and a dog who wasn't on edge about the things in the environment like Indigo is, so I should just be happy and go with it.
Everyday Porter gets better at holding his down stay while I take a picture.
While he's outwardly loving the kibble I'm not so sure his insides are loving it. I'm spoiled with raw fed dog poops which are small, firm and have very little to no odor. Kibble poops? Nasty stuff. But Porter's now seem even more smelly than poop should be. There has to be a threshold there somewhere, right? He sometimes has horrendous gas as well. The smell is so bad I have to look down where he's napping because I would have sworn he just released his bowels on my floor. This makes me think that the food he is on is not the best for his body.
So now what? Do I pick a new kibble brand or do I go back to raw?
I think when this bag is finished I will put Porter back on raw. At least partially. I still want to be sure he's getting everything he needs to grow properly so I am considering doing premade raw partially or maybe raw with vitamins supplements. Another idea is to feed part raw and part kibble, not int he same meal, but alternating meals or alternatives weeks or months. Honest Kitchen has a variety which includes the fruits, veggies, vitamins (and love) and you add the protein source you want. So this might be an option. My friend, Madeline, gave be a little bit to try out.
No matter what he's eating, Porter is growing like a weed. At 9 weeks he was 15 pounds, at 10.5 weeks he was 17.8 pounds and now at 11.5 weeks he's 19.8 pounds. He gained 2 pounds in just 7 days! He is now the exact same weight as Indigo. His head a larger than hers but he's still just barely shorter than her at the shoulders.
On a sad note Porter goes under the knife on Tuesday. Actually I doubt a knife will be involved but he is having his two bottom canines extracted. Unfortunately his lower jaw is not growing fast enough and so he has a overshot bite. It's also a bit narrow so those bottom canines are touching and poking into the roof of his mouth and leaving indentations. By removing those canines we are hoping that he will allow his lower jaw to catch up (since it grows slower anyhow I was told) and maybe he'll grow into a normal bite. The good news is even if he keeps an overbite it won't affect him in the agility ring or with any of the other dog sports we will be doing.
Last week Porter went to puppy kindergarten again. He was interested in playing with Harley, the Vizsla, but was still a bit stiff and uncomfortable with Harley being so forward. With Harley on leash and Porter off, Porter chose to stay by me and work for cookies instead of interacting with the other pup. When he was introduced to a smaller dog he was much happier, but wanted to play too rough for the size difference. He continues to be great with adult dogs even if they are hyper and trying to wrestle with him. I need to work on his social skills with his peers. He stiffens up and then if they persist he gets snarky in a way that I do not like.
On Saturday he accompanied me to the puppy classes I teach but only has minimal interaction with those pups since they were the size he has problems with. I did not use him as a demo dog this week so he was in the ex-pen a majority of the time and ended up just taking a nap. Before and after my classes I walked him around the other classes going on and worked on his focus and relaxing near other dogs. I am very impressed with his focus. While he's interested in saying hi to the other dogs he doesn't dwell on it and can tune them out and focus on me.
Last night Porter met Madeline's family and her two dogs. Both are a bit older and just not ready to handle a young pup, so I tethered Porter to the furniture while we ate so the other dogs could have their space. He's such a great pup. He just relaxed and went to sleep under my chair for most of dinner. No chewing on the chair leg or the area rug. No peeing in the house. No barking to get up and go somewhere else. I'm really happy about his overall demeanor.
Today we meet up with a local clicker training group and Porter did fantastic. The majority of the time he was staring lovingly into my eyes. He's going to be a great working dog. I do wish he was more interested in the other dogs though. He really like Mira, the Golden. He really seems to gravitate towards Goldens and I wonder if their similar look to FCRs has to do with it. He wasn't all that into playing with Smoke, the 5 months old Kelpie, even though Smoke *really* wanted to play with him. After a bit Porter finally stated playing with him, but then became overwhelmed and growled. I was excited that Mickey, the malinois, was coming, since Mickey has such great doggie social skills, but again, Porter was more into me (my treats). I know I shouldn't complain, since I wanted a great working dog and a dog who wasn't on edge about the things in the environment like Indigo is, so I should just be happy and go with it.
Everyday Porter gets better at holding his down stay while I take a picture.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Sleeping Beauty
It was a glorious night. Porter slept soundly and was not disturbed even when I got up a couple of times myself. He would take notice I was up but stayed relaxed and calm. I got up at 6:15 since I didn't want to push it. I think he had been awake off and on for the last hour but he remained quiet and only changed positions here and there. When I finally got up and opened his crate he lay there looking at me and took a few moments to slowly come out. I think I'm going to turn him into a late riser! :)
It's amazing how fast he's growing. When we brought him home two weeks ago he looked tiny next to Indigo. Now, he's only a couple of inches shorter. He still loves sleeping partially under the couch but there's not as much clearance. He was really skinny when he came home, which was hard to tell with all that fluff, but I could feel his hips a little more than I wanted but now he's filled out nicely. He's still trim since it's important to keep excess weight off of dogs, especially growing puppies and even more so with the larger breeds. I can still feel all his ribs so I like the weight he's at now. Witht he way he's growing I'll need to keep a constant watch on it.
On Sunday I switched Porter back to kibble (Solid Gold Wolf Cub for large breeds). He was doing great with the raw diet and absolutely loved it but I started second guessing myself and the diet. Indi has always done well on this diet and at 9 year old she's perfectly health, has clean teeth, and great blood work. But I found myself questioning the claims of this way of feeding and started looking up animal nutritionists.
I found one website which had a very large FAQ that I read through. It really gave me pause that animal nutritionists (who should be the most educated people on dog diets out there) do not agree with the raw diets at all. They are ok with home cooked diets that have been properly balanced. So this got me thinking...why am I ignoring the opinion of very educated and qualified people and instead listening to the claims of random people on the internet (ok, there are a couple of vets with books out there, too, but they are not nutritionists). I do find the claims of the raw diet to make a lot of sense. They just resonate with me. But I'm also very logical and like scientific backup to claims. It's like training. The training I do is proven by science to be effective. Some other methods used are shown to have fall outs yet for some trainers seem the most nature and the way that makes sense to them, yet I discount those feelings because I go with science. So why not with food? One raw website showed the skulls of carnivores and omnivores and compared them to dogs and it's true, dogs had teeth that mimics the carnivore teeth. So that science is something I need to investigate farther.
Everyone says how vets don't get enough education in nutrition so to take their diet advice with a grain of salt. So then what would be the argument against listening to an animal nutritionist? Who would be more educated then they are?
The one thing that caused me to doubt the animal nutritionist's advice/education is she thinks Science Diet is awesome. Really? Come on. How can a food that has corn as the main ingredient and no real meat (only chicken by-products) be one of your top choices?? For someone so educated I was really shocked and it almost invalidates all the rest of her claims.
But for now, I put Porter on a large breed kibble since that is the recommendation by the animal nutritionist I was reading about. He seems to like it ok. And the biggest benefit is our training has increases tremendously since 4 times a day I dole out most of his meal as rewards for training.
I love the teeth cleaning benefit of raw so if I continue to feed kibble I will also supplement with turkey necks and such so his teeth do not get nasty.
Who knows, maybe in another week I'll flip flop again, but for now, since I am unsure about the raw diet I wanted to make a switch. Indi has always been able to flip from raw to kibble and back again without any digestive issues so that is not a concern for me. If Porter gets used to a varied diet now he should be the same.
It's amazing how fast he's growing. When we brought him home two weeks ago he looked tiny next to Indigo. Now, he's only a couple of inches shorter. He still loves sleeping partially under the couch but there's not as much clearance. He was really skinny when he came home, which was hard to tell with all that fluff, but I could feel his hips a little more than I wanted but now he's filled out nicely. He's still trim since it's important to keep excess weight off of dogs, especially growing puppies and even more so with the larger breeds. I can still feel all his ribs so I like the weight he's at now. Witht he way he's growing I'll need to keep a constant watch on it.
On Sunday I switched Porter back to kibble (Solid Gold Wolf Cub for large breeds). He was doing great with the raw diet and absolutely loved it but I started second guessing myself and the diet. Indi has always done well on this diet and at 9 year old she's perfectly health, has clean teeth, and great blood work. But I found myself questioning the claims of this way of feeding and started looking up animal nutritionists.
I found one website which had a very large FAQ that I read through. It really gave me pause that animal nutritionists (who should be the most educated people on dog diets out there) do not agree with the raw diets at all. They are ok with home cooked diets that have been properly balanced. So this got me thinking...why am I ignoring the opinion of very educated and qualified people and instead listening to the claims of random people on the internet (ok, there are a couple of vets with books out there, too, but they are not nutritionists). I do find the claims of the raw diet to make a lot of sense. They just resonate with me. But I'm also very logical and like scientific backup to claims. It's like training. The training I do is proven by science to be effective. Some other methods used are shown to have fall outs yet for some trainers seem the most nature and the way that makes sense to them, yet I discount those feelings because I go with science. So why not with food? One raw website showed the skulls of carnivores and omnivores and compared them to dogs and it's true, dogs had teeth that mimics the carnivore teeth. So that science is something I need to investigate farther.
Everyone says how vets don't get enough education in nutrition so to take their diet advice with a grain of salt. So then what would be the argument against listening to an animal nutritionist? Who would be more educated then they are?
The one thing that caused me to doubt the animal nutritionist's advice/education is she thinks Science Diet is awesome. Really? Come on. How can a food that has corn as the main ingredient and no real meat (only chicken by-products) be one of your top choices?? For someone so educated I was really shocked and it almost invalidates all the rest of her claims.
But for now, I put Porter on a large breed kibble since that is the recommendation by the animal nutritionist I was reading about. He seems to like it ok. And the biggest benefit is our training has increases tremendously since 4 times a day I dole out most of his meal as rewards for training.
I love the teeth cleaning benefit of raw so if I continue to feed kibble I will also supplement with turkey necks and such so his teeth do not get nasty.
Who knows, maybe in another week I'll flip flop again, but for now, since I am unsure about the raw diet I wanted to make a switch. Indi has always been able to flip from raw to kibble and back again without any digestive issues so that is not a concern for me. If Porter gets used to a varied diet now he should be the same.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Beekers - The Cowardly Lion
Friday Porter and I played Crate Games. I planned to do it right after I got back from taking QM to school, but Porter had other plans. Napping. He did pretty well With Crate Games but I am noticing he's a pretty chill dog so the training dynamics is very different than with my edgy terrier, Indigo.
Having Porter sit while I open the crate is easy. He got that almost as soon as he came home. He has no problem sitting and waiting for more treats to be delivered to him. He usually waits even if I pause and step away from the open crate. It's almost impossible to get him out once I release him, but I don't think it's because I've build enough value for the crate. I think he just get comfortable and wants to relax. Even while playing the game he'll settle into a down and I'll have to lure him back to a sit.
His crating in general is doing much better. Two nights ago we attempted to crate him in the bedroom so I can finally sleep in my own bed and not the couch. He made a fuss but not for long and slept very soundly most of the night. I only took him out to potty once when I heard him stirring. Last night was even better. I placed him inside and he instantly went to sleep. At one point in the night as he was tossing and turning, Ian thought he needed to go out so he approached the crate. Porter just stayed down and looked at him, not eager to get out.
Indigo never cared much for her antler chew but I wanted to see if Porter would like one. Of course Indi's is packed away somewhere so I bought new ones. He loved it and surprise, surprise so did Indi. They kept exchanging since the other's always seemed better.
Last night poor Porter has just finished peeing outside when suddenly the sprinklers turned on! I hope it doesn't mess him up and make him nervous about peeing out back.
On Saturday he came to my puppy classes again. I set him up in his ex-pen while I returned to my car for my gear. He whined for a few seconds and then settled down nicely for a nap and was out for over an hour. We did a couple of meet and greets with some other puppies, but Porter didn't really get into playing like he does with Indi. I think he was a bit nervous since he was stiff but I and hoping to see him relax and begin to play with new dogs soon.
This morning Porter met Beekers, my sister's dog. Beekers is a large tripod Golden who is just the sweetest dog ever. Unfortunately, Beekers is really nervous around dogs if the dogs express any interest or try to sniff him. So despite the huge size and age difference, Beekers retreated any time Porter tried to make contact. If Porter was nearby but not trying to engage him then Beekers was fine. I would love it if they became friends so we'll have to do more small visits.
Porter missed his morning nap since he was at my sister's which means he totally passed out when we got home. I had to beg him to pee before I crated him to pick QM up at school. The crate was still in the bedroom but Porter didn't care. He was still settled when I got back and didn't even want to get out until he saw QM.
I have always wanted a water loving dog and boy did I get one. He may not swim yet, but he sure does love playing with his water bowl. He often hugs it as he drinks and attempts to sleep with his head in the bowl. He frequently paws at it and tries to tip it over so he can lay in the puddle.
Luckily I know other FCR owners and was told the Buddy Bowl is awesome. I looked it up online and almost ordered one for Amazon ($20!!), but just happened to find one at my local pet store. So far so good! He hasn't been able to tip it but if he does it's designed so water doesn't spill out.
I'm attempting a picture a day thing and will string them all together when he turns a year. I've missed some days, but I think overall I'm doing well. Here's how I am posing him.
And more cuteness pix
Having Porter sit while I open the crate is easy. He got that almost as soon as he came home. He has no problem sitting and waiting for more treats to be delivered to him. He usually waits even if I pause and step away from the open crate. It's almost impossible to get him out once I release him, but I don't think it's because I've build enough value for the crate. I think he just get comfortable and wants to relax. Even while playing the game he'll settle into a down and I'll have to lure him back to a sit.
His crating in general is doing much better. Two nights ago we attempted to crate him in the bedroom so I can finally sleep in my own bed and not the couch. He made a fuss but not for long and slept very soundly most of the night. I only took him out to potty once when I heard him stirring. Last night was even better. I placed him inside and he instantly went to sleep. At one point in the night as he was tossing and turning, Ian thought he needed to go out so he approached the crate. Porter just stayed down and looked at him, not eager to get out.
Indigo never cared much for her antler chew but I wanted to see if Porter would like one. Of course Indi's is packed away somewhere so I bought new ones. He loved it and surprise, surprise so did Indi. They kept exchanging since the other's always seemed better.
Last night poor Porter has just finished peeing outside when suddenly the sprinklers turned on! I hope it doesn't mess him up and make him nervous about peeing out back.
On Saturday he came to my puppy classes again. I set him up in his ex-pen while I returned to my car for my gear. He whined for a few seconds and then settled down nicely for a nap and was out for over an hour. We did a couple of meet and greets with some other puppies, but Porter didn't really get into playing like he does with Indi. I think he was a bit nervous since he was stiff but I and hoping to see him relax and begin to play with new dogs soon.
This morning Porter met Beekers, my sister's dog. Beekers is a large tripod Golden who is just the sweetest dog ever. Unfortunately, Beekers is really nervous around dogs if the dogs express any interest or try to sniff him. So despite the huge size and age difference, Beekers retreated any time Porter tried to make contact. If Porter was nearby but not trying to engage him then Beekers was fine. I would love it if they became friends so we'll have to do more small visits.
Porter missed his morning nap since he was at my sister's which means he totally passed out when we got home. I had to beg him to pee before I crated him to pick QM up at school. The crate was still in the bedroom but Porter didn't care. He was still settled when I got back and didn't even want to get out until he saw QM.
I have always wanted a water loving dog and boy did I get one. He may not swim yet, but he sure does love playing with his water bowl. He often hugs it as he drinks and attempts to sleep with his head in the bowl. He frequently paws at it and tries to tip it over so he can lay in the puddle.
Luckily I know other FCR owners and was told the Buddy Bowl is awesome. I looked it up online and almost ordered one for Amazon ($20!!), but just happened to find one at my local pet store. So far so good! He hasn't been able to tip it but if he does it's designed so water doesn't spill out.
I'm attempting a picture a day thing and will string them all together when he turns a year. I've missed some days, but I think overall I'm doing well. Here's how I am posing him.
And more cuteness pix
Friday, August 26, 2011
Ni Hao!
The last two nights Porter has only needed to go out to potty once. And I don't even know if that was needed but he woke up, so I took him out. Both mornings he was awake at 5:30am, and although I'd love to sleep in more, I counted that a success and got him breakfast. I was especially happy last night since he had a long nap and only a very short and mild play session before bed, yet he still settled nicely in his crate and slept. So nights are becoming easier and for naps during the day he can often be convinced to take them in his crate. As for random crating, he's not there yet. This morning we'll do more crate games but he's taking his morning nap aat the moment.
Yesterday Madeline and her family came over to visit Porter (and Indigo). As usually, Porter was totally asleep when they arrived and took a bit to stop being so groggy.
That afternoon while QM was in Chinese school, Porter and I sat in the shade and relaxed.
He alternated between relaxing and wanting to walk around and chew on the bird of paradise plants. He was most settled after making a mess with his water bottle and then laying in the puddle. It was really nice in the shade, not too hot and believe me I'd be complaining if it was, but Porter still seemed a little warm or maybe he was stressed. So a cool bed is going to be necessary. It's such a change from Indigo who worships the sun yet would never spread out on a hard surface like you see Porter doing above.
He started getting even antsier and I assumed it was because he was bored and I was not letting him chew in the planters but it seems he just needed to go potty and once that was taken care of he settled down and completely passed out. As I carried him to the car he almost feel asleep in my arms and he stayed lying down the entire ride home.
His house training is really coming along. He doesn't need to go out as frequently and does a great job of standing by the baby gate to be let into the kitchen to the back door. Or he will go look out the floor length windows in the dining room. I think he thinks he can get out that way, too.
I still don't trust him when he goes under the dining room table. The area rug under it is just too tempting of a place to pee and if he gets the urge with all the chair legs there it's hard to get to him and scoop him outside quickly.
Somehow he came with a default sit. If I have a treat or he wants attention he will approach and then sit and stare longingly into your eyes. He has never been lured into a sit; in fact, we haven't worked on any obedience yet. Although I do pause when I open the crate door and wait for a sit, but that's part of crate games. I'm not verbally cueing him but the hand on the door is a cue which I helped associate with the sit by capturing the behavior.
Yesterday Madeline and her family came over to visit Porter (and Indigo). As usually, Porter was totally asleep when they arrived and took a bit to stop being so groggy.
That afternoon while QM was in Chinese school, Porter and I sat in the shade and relaxed.
He alternated between relaxing and wanting to walk around and chew on the bird of paradise plants. He was most settled after making a mess with his water bottle and then laying in the puddle. It was really nice in the shade, not too hot and believe me I'd be complaining if it was, but Porter still seemed a little warm or maybe he was stressed. So a cool bed is going to be necessary. It's such a change from Indigo who worships the sun yet would never spread out on a hard surface like you see Porter doing above.
He started getting even antsier and I assumed it was because he was bored and I was not letting him chew in the planters but it seems he just needed to go potty and once that was taken care of he settled down and completely passed out. As I carried him to the car he almost feel asleep in my arms and he stayed lying down the entire ride home.
His house training is really coming along. He doesn't need to go out as frequently and does a great job of standing by the baby gate to be let into the kitchen to the back door. Or he will go look out the floor length windows in the dining room. I think he thinks he can get out that way, too.
I still don't trust him when he goes under the dining room table. The area rug under it is just too tempting of a place to pee and if he gets the urge with all the chair legs there it's hard to get to him and scoop him outside quickly.
Somehow he came with a default sit. If I have a treat or he wants attention he will approach and then sit and stare longingly into your eyes. He has never been lured into a sit; in fact, we haven't worked on any obedience yet. Although I do pause when I open the crate door and wait for a sit, but that's part of crate games. I'm not verbally cueing him but the hand on the door is a cue which I helped associate with the sit by capturing the behavior.
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!
Photo Dump, Bath Bomb, and Crate Games
So someone (ahem) was complaining there's not enough puppy pix.
But before the fun, Porter had his first bath yesterday. He was not amused, but he sure was cute afterward with crimpy hair :) He slept quite a bit yesterday and even refused lunch, but I think it's due to the huge breakfast he had. I tried feeding him again at 3pm and he ate happily.
We also did our first round of Crate Games yesterday. Of course the camera died right when we got to the "You're in You're Out" section. But we got most of it on video.
But before the fun, Porter had his first bath yesterday. He was not amused, but he sure was cute afterward with crimpy hair :) He slept quite a bit yesterday and even refused lunch, but I think it's due to the huge breakfast he had. I tried feeding him again at 3pm and he ate happily.
We also did our first round of Crate Games yesterday. Of course the camera died right when we got to the "You're in You're Out" section. But we got most of it on video.
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| Porter is a bit unsure of Indi's play sstyle |
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| Indi goes for the death blow |
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| This was a make shift bed I put downstairs and both dogs promptly made themselves comfortable. |
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