Puppy Push Ups

Since switching to kibble I've been able to squeeze more training time into our schedule. Before each meal we do some sits and downs for kibble. He came to me with a default sit, but now he's connecting the verbal cue to his behavior. The casual observer might think he also knows the verbal cue down down, but he doesn't. He's guessing. I'm ok with that though :) We've done a lot of puppy push ups (sit, down, sit, down, sit, down, etc.), so when he's sitting, if some noise comes out of my mouth and no treats are delivered Porter knows to try something else and at the moment that something else is a down. I could be saying "pickles" and he would still lie down. But what I like is he's thinking, he's trying to figure out how to get his reward, and since he's predictable, I can give him the verbal cue right before he does the behavior and help make that association. No luring needed in this situation, but I will still lure at other times, like when he's distracted.

Last Wednesday I took Porter to my boss's puppy kindergarten class. Although he's come to the puppy k classes I teach twice already, this was the first time where I was able to give him all of my attention. He did a wonderful job, especially with tugging with me close to the other puppies. He was very fond of Chloe, a Golden Retriever.

On Saturday Porter had another fun day with me at work. Before my puppy kindergarten classes started we walked around and hung out with the beginning agility class. Most of these are young dogs so I practiced standing in class near them with Porter relaxing by me. I was impressed that he would lie down and settle even when the other dogs were eager to say hi.

During my classes I took him out of his ex-pen several times to be the demo dog. He loved coming out to work but also had no problem going back in his pen so I could give individual puppies more attention.  During the first playtime he was a little stiff but more relaxed than last week. For the second playtime he corrected another pup would was too much in his face. I think at this point he was getting overtired since he was awake for most of the morning (last week he slept through the majority of both classes). I might need to just skip his playtime during the second class if it's going to be too much for him. I don't want him developing bad habits.

He also had a chance to meet a lot of adult dogs who are in our more advanced classes. He really loved Sandy's Dalmatian, Kylie, who's still young herself and quite a pistol. I thought he'd be nervous, and he was a little, but quickly warmed up to her. Once he gets more size he'll love romping around and wrestling together. All of the adult dogs he meet that afternoon were very nice to him and he was completely comfortable around them.

Before we left Gabriella took us over to the tunnel to try him out. we shortened it and he went through without a problem so little by little she made it longer. Pretty much instantly he would grab his treat and then turn around and go through the other way. I loved that he was offering the behavior on his own without me
making any gestures or movements towards the tunnel.

On Sunday we had a BBQ which Porter pretty much just slept through :) When he was awake he was given a lot of attention by our guests and their children.

One thing I've noticed that I need to keep an eye on is he seems a bit fearful when out walking at night. He often pauses and looks around before quickly walking forward again. His ears look like they are held back, too. On the way home he tries to run and pull the whole way, but if you know me you'll guess I don't let this happen. He's such a quick learner and has already figured out that when I stop he needs to walk back towards me before we can move forward again. Last night he started pulling again, but then tromped through from plants, peed, and was a lot less anxious. So I think it might be two fold...he is probably nervous in the darkness and with the noises (esp. the barking dogs) and he might not know where he can pee and needs to get home to go. He has no problem pooping while on walks though. During the day he is much more at ease but still doesn't see quite relaxed when walking outside of our cul-de-sac. He's perfectly fine at the two parks we've been to. I just need to get him out and about even more but not push him.

Getting his Feet Wet

Crate training is coming along fabulously! Porter rarely makes a fuss when put in his crate. Half of the time I carry and set him in since he's passed out, but when he is awake I set him down in front of the door and wait. He can't go anywhere else since I'm right behind him so he makes the choice to walk into the crate. I haven't built enough motivation for it yet where he'll drive to it from across the room. He's not that drivey yet...he's kind of a lumbering along kind of guy.

I no longer worry about crating him for the half hour it takes for me to pick QM up from school. He's quiet and content when we get home. The longest he has been crated has been for an hour and a half while QM was at gymnastics. Again, when we returned home he was nicely settled and usually takes his sweet time coming out once the crate door is opened. It's been great that he's so comfortable in there since I can now to run errands without stressing.

This morning I went to the grocery store and when I got back I took Porter on his first trip to Lake Miramar.  Once he's older it'll be a nice place for a walk but today we just explored the dirt area and watched the ducks from the bridge. He was able to meet a few men, including the guy who's in charge of the lake, who showed me a picture of his JRT. Porter seems very eager to approach people but not over the top and if I don't allow him to get closer he moves on and does something else. We only saw one other dog there (I was hoping for more) and Porter was very interested in getting closer but we kept a polite distance.

As we drove away I decided to stop by a nearby pond for more exploration and duck sightings. There was more shade here and only a couple of other people so Porter was much more at ease than with the hustle and bustle of Lake Miramar. He felt comfortable getting two paws up on a tree stump (with the help of a cookie) but was unable to get all four feet on due to the angle and slickness. He was again fascinated by the ducks but did not continue to pull towards them constantly. Just behind this pond I found a huge open field which might be great for working with a long line.

I didn't see any "no dogs in the water" signs and this pond isn't a water reservoir like Lake Miramar so I let Porter approach the water. I thought he would hesitant but he waded right in and didn't look worried. He was up to his belly in no time but I didn't let him go in farther since it became deeper fast and he has never been swimming before. Plus I had no towels! Next time I might give him more leash, but I think I'll switch back to his regular collar and not the martingale just in case he gets in over his head, so to speak. Tomorrow we will explore other hidden pond in the area ad see if it'll make a good swimming hole for Porter. Typically in San Diego the only water for dogs to play in are the dog beaches. I want to wait for another round of shots before we hit the sand.

Taking family portraits with Porter and Indi is really difficult. Porter does well when he's sitting all alone for the camera, but if I place Indi near him he can hardly resist playing with her. Indi is not amused since if there's food in the picture that's all she wants.

Out Take

Getting Better

Getting a picture of them lying down is even worse. Porter has no stay yet. He will down easily, but when I an eye level with the camera he wants to come investigate and either slob on the lens or munch on the cookies I have.

The best I can get right now

How could I have forgotten to mention how darn smart the little guy is. Porter had not even been home 5 days and he figured out the doggie door. Over the last week he's used it here and there but now he's really gotten the hang of it. At first he would get stuck half way through and I worried he's scrap his belly and boy bits right off! Indi is small enough that she takes the doggie door at warp speed and unfortunately Porter followed her last night. He's her size, but doesn't have her grace and ended up bashing his shoulder into the frame and not making it through. Little cartoon birds flew in circles over his head. Sadly, I don't think that is going to be the last time he tries that.

Doggie door + doggie pool = sad wood floors

Indi's arch nemesis

The next door neighbor's cat was hanging out on our fence again. It was neat to see the dogs pick up the scent on the air and follow it back to the source. Porter was interested in seeing more of the cat, but I think she'd kick his butt so we kept our distance.

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.

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

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.

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!

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!