It's been awhile since I've posted, so just a quick update... Dazzle is doing fine after the neuter. Actually, as much as I tried to limit him, he was back to normal activity the next day! Though I waited till the 3rd day to toss his ball for him, which about made him stir crazy! He kept bringing me toys to throw, so I had a nice pile next to me in the office :-) Each time I told him I wasn't going to throw it, it seemed he thought that meant I wasn't going to throw THAT toy, so maybe a different one would work :-) Other than the obvious, there is little sign of the surgery now and he has healed quickly.
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We went to visit the Dock Dogs Nationals yesterday, but I only stayed about 30 minutes because dispite several layers and a thick coat, I was quite cold and that hurts. Dazzle was upset that he didn't get to play in the water with the competing dogs! It was overcast and only 40 degrees with a wind chill lower than that, but the dogs didn't seem to mind! I did manage to time it (quite accidently) so I got to see some jumps of someone I know, so that was cool.
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Dazzle seems to be calming down a bit with regards to Coyote. So that's good! We have been keeping them separated and/or muzzled, but the past few days we've let them together unmuzzled at times when they would normally be sleeping (mid-day, evening) and they have done just fine. Today I even had them together when I was preparing and eating my dinner and they did fine. They don't hate each other and they don't WANT to fight, so that certainly helps. The main issues have been over arousal/excitement or when Coyote thinks Dazzle has broken a "manners law". Coyote has a very definite sense of what he feels is right and wrong. Calm sensible behavior is right and excited or rude behavior is something he feels the need to address. But it has gotten easier to interupt his "I'm going to take care of THAT behavior" attitude before he gets too close to Dazzle.
While I was visiting my parents, I saw a video on YouTube by BusyBees about how to teach a dog to roll a barrel along with how to make one. Well, I didn't think the bike tires that were suggested would make a big enough "barrel" so I had my dad build one from scratch. This is from 2 sheets of plywood and several 1x2 boards, then covered with carpet. Dazzle LOVES it and thinks it's really cool to be up high. His head is level with mine when he's on it! He is as agile as a cat and can jump onto it from a stand still. We've only worked up to rolling it a few feet at a time, but he's getting the hang of how to make it move on his own. I'll have to get some video if it warms up outside. For now we're playing on it in the basement.
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