So, I know better. When a puppy disappears in the house, there's bound to be trouble.
I often set my laptop up in the living room (rather than office) as I did today. Breeze was loose in the house with her toys and bones scattered about. I was checking email. She had just been with me, entertaining herself with a big squeakie toy, when I heard a huge CRASH followed by a couple more smaller CRASHES.
I looked up to see her running down the hallway towards me with a power supply cord following her. After making sure she was fine I venture into the office. She had wormed her way into the back corner behind the printer stand, gotten herself caught in the cord and pulled the printer off the stand. When the printer came down the cord pulled out (thank goodness; otherwise she'd have been dragging the printer down the hallway!). The secondary crashes were from the binders and paperwork that fell off the small table she also took down.
Fortunately nothing was damaged (LOVE those Hewlett Packard printers!). When I came back from the office, there was Breeze, halo overhead, laying next to my chair looking slightly chagrined.
Back in 1977 my first German Shepherd puppy was just a few months old at Christmas time. He got tangled up in the Christmas tree, pulled it over and was dragging it behind him. If I put up a tree this year, it will definitely be barricaded from Breeze!
This past week has been boring for all the dogs as I've been stuck at home with the flu. Yesterday I had enough energy to trim dog toenails on the patio in the sunshine. Breeze had a moderate temper tantrum but as usual, I won. Yay for me!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Where does the time go?
This photo was taken on October 12 and I'm just now getting time to update the blog! I had Breeze up on the grooming table at the training center so she could have a real "show dog" grooming experience. She finally had enough hock hair to warrant a trim, and she needed to experience the blow dryer. Every new puppy makes me appreciate my 20+ year old, variable speed, blue box dryer. I can start out with a very low air speed and then crank it up as the puppy gets used to the noise and wind. Breeze lived up to her name. She didn't react to the 'High Wind Warning!' (But of course I didn't give her a choice, either!)
This past week has been an interesting one for Breeze, me and our relationship. Even though she's a puppy in the 30 pound range, she has been gung-ho about pulling on the leash, even though I walk her on a nylon martingale (premier type collar) and have slowly escalated to jerk corrections. No reduction in the amount of pulling, so she became the first puppy that I've ever had to put on a nylon slip collar to stop her from pulling for the breed ring class. A couple decent corrections, coupled with "Easy" followed by praise and she got the idea. That has carried over to walking her on her buckle collar.
We also had a "discussion" about barking and getting super amped over the dogs running & jumping in agility class. Breeze's x-pen adjoins the training area. She can see what's going on and people can interact with her. Her chase/prey/barking behavior did not extinguish itself when I ignored her. Distracting her with food and toys had no effect. Spraying her with water worked once or twice. Shaking the rattle paddle/bottle over her head just ticked her off. (She stopped carrying on but sat in the back of the x-pen just glaring at me; even students noticed it!) So when she went off this week, she got her first spray of Bitter Apple in her mouth. More dirty looks from Breeze, but no more barking. I had expected a relapse during this morning's agility classes, but she watched the action without making a peep.
Before Breeze came to live with me I had told breeder Michelle that I did not want a soft puppy, and she gave me what I asked for...yep, be careful what you ask for! Trust me, I'm not complaining. She is perfect for me! And students are taking great delight at watching me work through Breeze's "issues!"
For the past couple of weeks I've been trying to introduce Breeze to a wobble board (in preparation for the teeter in agility training, as well as core muscle development). She'll eat food off the edge but doesn't see the point in getting on the stupid board that moves around and bangs. (Contrast Breeze with Walker, who at 3 months immediately thought it was great fun to pounce on the board and make it bang.)
Lifting her up on the board, or using the collar/leash to force her on the board, just ticked her off (even though there were high value treats on the board). She would remain on the board as I held her, but she wouldn't initiate the behavior on her own. I decided I needed to do two things differently: 1) increase the reward for her to get on the board, and 2) make it her idea to get on the board. (I'll take a photo next time I set this up.) We have a barn door (sliding door on overhead track) that separates our two rings in the training center. Breeze loves to go into the small ring (we reside in the big ring) because of Spencer, Barb and Kadee. So, I opened the door just enough to wedge the wobble board in the opening. It then became Breeze's choice as to whether or not she wanted to set foot on the wobble board.
I kept her on a flexi so she couldn't just go off and entertain herself. I stepped over the board and waited back about 10 feet. She got that ticked off look on her face; she knew I was in the process of outsmarting her! She eventually came flying over the board (all 4 feet touched it) and she got Barb as her reward. It was quite hilarious because she absolutely refused to acknowledge my existence, but was all over Barb.
Back and forth like this a few times and each time Breeze is more willing to come over the board and does so much faster. Now she even "talks" to me when she comes over the board. Next week I'll arrange it so she earns Spencer as her reward. Then I'll have her "friends" stand closer to the board, requiring her to step all the way on it to get her reward (and not giving her room to fly over it)!
Smart. Headstrong. Highly opinionated. That's Breeze!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Age of Independence
Right on schedule, Breeze is official entering her first teenage independent phase. It's not too bad, yet, but I suspect there's more to come. Up 'til now, if I opened up my arms and called her name, Breeze stopped whatever she was doing and ran straight to me. Now...not so much...it's time to play KEEEEEEEP..........A....WAAAAAAAYYYYYY! Yep, the very Belgian game of letting you "think" you can take a hold of their collar, until the hand is just a few inches away, then OFF they go!
Sometimes "keep away" turns into a ditz run. (Ever since I've had Belgians, I've called them ditz runs....they take off, tuck their tails and run laps as fast as they can, just for the joy of it.)
So, I'm on the offensive. Time to be proactive. When I don't want to deal with the potential of Breeze playing keep away, I keep her on a flexi-leash or long line in the yard. I'm also working with her on the behavior that I call "come to the hand." That means when I extend my hand, and say her name, Breeze is supposed to stop what she's doing and allow me to take her by the collar. I make this worth her while by having a treat in my hand, luring her to me with the treat (which is working so far thanks to breeder, Michelle, doing a great job of imprinting "treat" in her little brain) and then giving it to her while I hold her collar and pet her. (She's getting her reward during the behavior I'm working on, not after!)
If/when Breeze thinks keep away is more valuable than a treat, I'll need to have her drag a light leash around the house, but for now she's doing okay inside.
One of the joys of having a new puppy is discovering the pup's unique personality. (I always feel sorry for the owners who compare the new puppy with the older dog, typically in a negative way.) I try to help each new puppy grow to its full potential and personality; I don't want dogs that are clones of one another!
I have tried to get a photo without success of Breeze's Border Collie impression. In herding terms, she "walks up" on the soft frisbee that I'm waving at her from across the yard, enticing her to come closer so I can toss it for her. I'm doing the word association (saying "walk up" as she does the behavior), although sheep are a whole lot different than a flying disc. She really does look funny as she puts her head down, ears up and butt higher than her shoulders as she stalks her way to me.
The other day Breeze lived up to her name of "High Wind Warning" when she flew by me, leaping for the frisbee I was holding, but jumped much higher and further than either of us expected. She ended up about 10 feet behind me, somewhat broadside against a short wooden fence that separates the dog yard from my patio. Thank goodness she didn't hurt herself...and this served as a warning to me that she has no common sense when it comes to her body. This special trait comes from her mother, Cabe, who tried to run through a partially closed sliding glass door as a young dog. Fortunately the glass did not break and Cabe's injuries were minor. Breeze's version of this was trying to run through the screen portion of my sliding door. That experience has made her much more respectful of closed doors that you can see through!
Breeze's "skunk stripe" is coming in nicely, as well. This is the darker, more adult-like coat that first develops down the back of the Belgians and then slowly spreads over the rest of the dog. It's quite a contrast with the puppy fuzz that still covers the rest of her body. The way hers is coming in, she almost looks like a Ridgeback at times!
So for now, I'll refer to her as my Border Terv Ridgeback.
Sometimes "keep away" turns into a ditz run. (Ever since I've had Belgians, I've called them ditz runs....they take off, tuck their tails and run laps as fast as they can, just for the joy of it.)
So, I'm on the offensive. Time to be proactive. When I don't want to deal with the potential of Breeze playing keep away, I keep her on a flexi-leash or long line in the yard. I'm also working with her on the behavior that I call "come to the hand." That means when I extend my hand, and say her name, Breeze is supposed to stop what she's doing and allow me to take her by the collar. I make this worth her while by having a treat in my hand, luring her to me with the treat (which is working so far thanks to breeder, Michelle, doing a great job of imprinting "treat" in her little brain) and then giving it to her while I hold her collar and pet her. (She's getting her reward during the behavior I'm working on, not after!)
If/when Breeze thinks keep away is more valuable than a treat, I'll need to have her drag a light leash around the house, but for now she's doing okay inside.
One of the joys of having a new puppy is discovering the pup's unique personality. (I always feel sorry for the owners who compare the new puppy with the older dog, typically in a negative way.) I try to help each new puppy grow to its full potential and personality; I don't want dogs that are clones of one another!
I have tried to get a photo without success of Breeze's Border Collie impression. In herding terms, she "walks up" on the soft frisbee that I'm waving at her from across the yard, enticing her to come closer so I can toss it for her. I'm doing the word association (saying "walk up" as she does the behavior), although sheep are a whole lot different than a flying disc. She really does look funny as she puts her head down, ears up and butt higher than her shoulders as she stalks her way to me.
The other day Breeze lived up to her name of "High Wind Warning" when she flew by me, leaping for the frisbee I was holding, but jumped much higher and further than either of us expected. She ended up about 10 feet behind me, somewhat broadside against a short wooden fence that separates the dog yard from my patio. Thank goodness she didn't hurt herself...and this served as a warning to me that she has no common sense when it comes to her body. This special trait comes from her mother, Cabe, who tried to run through a partially closed sliding glass door as a young dog. Fortunately the glass did not break and Cabe's injuries were minor. Breeze's version of this was trying to run through the screen portion of my sliding door. That experience has made her much more respectful of closed doors that you can see through!
Breeze's "skunk stripe" is coming in nicely, as well. This is the darker, more adult-like coat that first develops down the back of the Belgians and then slowly spreads over the rest of the dog. It's quite a contrast with the puppy fuzz that still covers the rest of her body. The way hers is coming in, she almost looks like a Ridgeback at times!
So for now, I'll refer to her as my Border Terv Ridgeback.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Puppy Manners Class
Breeze attended her first Puppy Manners class this afternoon, taught by Family Dog instructor Tasheena Lenti. It's important for Breeze to have the opportunity to learn to pay attention to me around the distractions of other puppies and people, plus she needs to have supervised play sessions with puppies from other breeds.
During the controlled walking portion of the class we practiced gaiting for the breed ring. It definitely was not controlled gaiting! Even on a nylon martingale collar, Breeze wants to go fast and pull hard when there are other puppies in front of her. Time to learn to walk without pulling! (She did get better by the third lap around the room!)
Breeze's first playmate was a Golden Retriever puppy. They were evenly matched and played well together. Her second partner was a Yellow Lab pup who smiled, showing her front teeth, when she went into a play bow. Breeze wasn't quite sure what to make of her at first, but once she learned to "speak lab" she had fun with this puppy as well, although the lab was not quite as self-confident and outgoing as the golden. I made sure to hold Breeze back a bit so she didn't overhwelm the lab.
Following the second play period, we then traded puppies. Breeze was very happy to go with the lab's mom, eat her treats and get lots of pets. (Exactly what I like to see in Belgians at this age!)
At Family Dog we are careful to make sure puppies have only good experiences in our classes. We don't agree with other facilities where they turn the entire class of puppies loose to play. In those situations the dominant puppies boss the submissive puppies around -- exactly the opposite of what needs to happen. (Uppity puppies need to learn when it's appropriate to be subordinate to other dogs and shy puppies need experiences that will build their confidence.)
Breeze has also met Tasheena's 3 year old Bichon Frise, Snowy, several times. Snowy has excellent body language. Just by standing up taller and not moving, Snowy is able to tell Breeze she doesn't want to be bothered. Barb's German Shepherd, Kadee, is teaching Breeze similar lessons; however, Kadee sometimes lets her hair down and invites playful interaction. Breeze still isn't old enough to be allowed to run in a large area with other dogs...I think she'd hurt herself. She has no fear, no common sense and very little control over her body. When she has more control and muscle development, she'll have time to run and play with the big dogs.
As I write this Breeze is enjoying some supervised freedom in the living room. She's learning where her toy box is (a small storage bench) and enjoys taking all the toys out and running through the house with them. (The black dogs are sequestered so Breeze and I can have some one-on-one time.) She's also learning what NOT to chew on and steal...and she occasionally stops to watch TV.
The joys of puppyhood!
During the controlled walking portion of the class we practiced gaiting for the breed ring. It definitely was not controlled gaiting! Even on a nylon martingale collar, Breeze wants to go fast and pull hard when there are other puppies in front of her. Time to learn to walk without pulling! (She did get better by the third lap around the room!)
Breeze's first playmate was a Golden Retriever puppy. They were evenly matched and played well together. Her second partner was a Yellow Lab pup who smiled, showing her front teeth, when she went into a play bow. Breeze wasn't quite sure what to make of her at first, but once she learned to "speak lab" she had fun with this puppy as well, although the lab was not quite as self-confident and outgoing as the golden. I made sure to hold Breeze back a bit so she didn't overhwelm the lab.
Following the second play period, we then traded puppies. Breeze was very happy to go with the lab's mom, eat her treats and get lots of pets. (Exactly what I like to see in Belgians at this age!)
At Family Dog we are careful to make sure puppies have only good experiences in our classes. We don't agree with other facilities where they turn the entire class of puppies loose to play. In those situations the dominant puppies boss the submissive puppies around -- exactly the opposite of what needs to happen. (Uppity puppies need to learn when it's appropriate to be subordinate to other dogs and shy puppies need experiences that will build their confidence.)
Breeze has also met Tasheena's 3 year old Bichon Frise, Snowy, several times. Snowy has excellent body language. Just by standing up taller and not moving, Snowy is able to tell Breeze she doesn't want to be bothered. Barb's German Shepherd, Kadee, is teaching Breeze similar lessons; however, Kadee sometimes lets her hair down and invites playful interaction. Breeze still isn't old enough to be allowed to run in a large area with other dogs...I think she'd hurt herself. She has no fear, no common sense and very little control over her body. When she has more control and muscle development, she'll have time to run and play with the big dogs.
As I write this Breeze is enjoying some supervised freedom in the living room. She's learning where her toy box is (a small storage bench) and enjoys taking all the toys out and running through the house with them. (The black dogs are sequestered so Breeze and I can have some one-on-one time.) She's also learning what NOT to chew on and steal...and she occasionally stops to watch TV.
The joys of puppyhood!
A September Photo Shoot
These are some of the photos taken by the wonderfully talented Jerry & Lois Levin http://www.jerryandloisstudios.com/ for an article on children and canines written by Ranny Green. The article features several Family Dog staff members and students, and is posted on Seattle Kennel Club's web site http://www.seattlekennelclub.org/kids-and-dogs-finding-a-path-to-good-behavior-has-similarities/
The photos were taken on September 8. Breeze was fantastic with the children and had as much fun with them as they had with her! Jerry & Lois have an amazing talent for bringing out the best in their subjects. They will be setting up a studio at Family Dog in mid-November to take portraits of people and their pets. The shoot is open to the public and more info will be published on our web site www.familydogonline.com.
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