tempted by treats

New Toy!

brittdog — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 18:23:11 +0000

Now I have no excuse to get some film of the progress of training! Dave got me a new camera for my birthday! It has checked out to be a very good camera and HD!

I am looking forward to using it for Rowan’s classes, for my students and to record Newt’s progress.

Check back for video soon!

Irish Pride, oh how you worry me…

brittdog — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 03:10:14 +0000

Pride scared me this weekend… I thought for sure our trip to the vet today would be her last car ride. She has had a quarter sized cyst at the base of her ear for several years. It sometimes shrinks sometimes grows… and this weekend it burst internally. Within a short number of hours white blood cells started attaching the area and the whole side of her face was swollen. Thank goodness one of the vet clinics in my vet’s network was open. We got her some antibiotics which helped right away. And BIGGER thanks to Diane who came over and used a voice of reason and added some perspective that it may just be an infection … not the end of the road for the old girl.

All of us with animals knows what’s it’s like to reach the end of your pets life and get to the point to make “the decision”. I remain thankful everyday that I am able to help my animals, with my vet, to pass on and not cause undue suffering. But it is never an easy decision to make as to when it’s time.

A good friend who had had a dog the same age as Pride had to let her girl go this weekend – 13.5 years is a long run for a boxer. When it’s time for Pride to go… I know that she will have lived a great life as the three-legged an urban legend and kind soul who has filled our home with mischief and sweet snuggles.

Mr. Personality

brittdog — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 02:46:24 +0000

Newton has many nicknames at this point and I would imagine that more will develop as time goes by… Newt seems to be the one I come back to every day. Newt, Newtron, Newtor, Newts-magoots, Nougat, The little Fig, Newtown, Newton Pippin, Little Man….

Newton loves:

food – pretty much anything
canvas toys
work for food toys – because it combines two of his favorite things!
shoes, mostly the right one
people – period
to carry things

Newton could live without:

bubbles in the bathtub, they are scary
Rain
His coat (which makes the rain no better)
being pushed away with a foot… where his response was to look into the face of the person who did it and had he been able to talk he would have asked, “Why did you do that?”

It’s so fun to have him learn and watch him grow right before my eyes – it seems! He was 13 lbs at the vet about 7 days ago.

How can it be?? Newton’s been here for two weeks!

brittdog — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 05:45:46 +0000

It's not raining!

Well everyone, meet Newton, if you haven’t already that is… because he has been a popular dog these past few weeks. He is snoozing quietly next to me as I post this… more like snoring next to me. But don’t let that fool you, he is a busy boy. It’s taken all my brain power to keep him entertained these past two weeks. That’s my excuse for no blog post anyway!

He is a quick learner but I will post about all the smart things he knows and is quickly learning in another post. He has transitioned nicely into life with us here on this side of the pond. Many of you probably followed my frantic and excited posts on facebook tracking his flight and experiencing the longest 25 minutes of my life as I watched him from 15 ft. away but could not touch him until the Customs Agent arrived to release him. Poor Sophie, Newton’s breeder was up in bed at 2 am her time waiting to hear that he arrived safely. He came out of the crate and grabbed the end of the leash parading around the cargo office happy as a clam. I tell you, I really couldn’t have been more pleased. That has continued despite some tiny baby teeth marks in my shoes and Rowan general dislike for the boy. I know that he will be all I had hoped for and more as he grows up.

One Day to puppy!

brittdog — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 05:49:20 +0000

We pick the Little Man up tomorrow evening! I am all ready to go and excited!! Pics to come……..

tricks are good for the foundation

brittdog — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 06:41:37 +0000

I wanted to start with a fun video… not my own (yet!!) … but one from Silvia Trkman:

Training Goals!!

On another note: It was important for me to read and remember the following excerpt M. Christine Zink, DVM, PHD wrote in an article for Clean Run Magazine (the puppy special focus issue) – paraphrased here:

Puppies Under 6 months of age

Skill training: do moderate play-based training and keep it low impact. Ex: stay, down, come, low contacts/boards, directional cues. Jumping – no higher than the wrist.
Strength training: play, play, play and minimal low or no elevation tugging

Foundation/ground work can be started:

Clicker priming, Retrieve, Tug, Recall to both sides and to front, Hand targeting, Sit, Stand, Down, Stay, OK, Follow-me! add acceleration, deceleration, and turns.

Besides new surfaces, sounds, people, other animals, and downtown life!

Oh the places we will go…..

P.S. I really want to take this class…… http://www.lolabuland.com/our-training/tricks/

and now for something completely different……..

brittdog — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 00:43:41 +0000

How could someone resist this? It’s from a local vegan and gf bakery: http://beardedladyfood.weebly.com/

14 days…

brittdog — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 05:47:30 +0000

Any one of my good dog pals can tell you that I am serious about Foundation Training… perhaps obsessive is a better word. Don’t worry, I may be off the deep end right now in terms of planning, reading, toy and training tool organization and note taking but once the “Little Man” is here and the work begins it will all balance out. Having plain ol’puppy time is priceless!

I have started my planning with an organizational system for my foundation training into these building blocks: PLAY – TRICKS – SELF CONTROL – SOCIALIZATION

PLAY – games, toys, tug, and team building with me

TRICKS – behaviors that lend to solid proprioception skills, agility foundation, the Recall and the basics. There will be a detailed list and I really want to get the rear end awareness that I could never quite capture with Rowan.

SELF CONTROL – Impulse control, impulse control, impulse control. did I mention impulse control? My favorite sources are the Controlled Unleashed games & Susan Garret’s crate games.

SOCIALIZATION – I will be using the Sophie Yin Checklist to get exposed to anything and everything. I also already have so many puppy play dates with other dogs and kids set up – I could schedule them all into 2013. And classes start the weekend after he arrives.

More on all this later -Rowan is staring at me and wants to go to bed… little does she know I will be dreaming about puppy breath!

What’s in a name….

brittdog — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 21:00:19 +0000

Countdown to Puppy – 15 days!

This always seems to be one of the hardest things about getting a new puppy… naming him/her! I do have a few names that I have had on “the list” for some years now but then I begin to second guess, add, and “try-on”.

Here’s today’s list

New beginnings, countdown to Puppy!!!

brittdog — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 04:13:27 +0000

On November 15th this little guy (name still to be determined) will be coming to live with us. He is coming all the way from England and is a bit earlier than I had planned to get my next puppy… But one cannot pass up such a wonderful opportunity. And he’s already crazy for toys!

I started a notebook and have been reviewing my training books to ensure that he gets all the foundation and expose as I possibly can fit in – ha! I decided that now would be a good time to reinvigorate the blog and document our progress. Today, I shopped for him at the trial – three new tuggable toys just for him. I think Banjo may get jealous.

I look forward to introducing everyone to the Little Man when he arrives. Until then, let the planning begin!