Photos of growth

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I took some photos this morning with Dazzle next to his 10" ball. When I compared them to photos taken just two weeks ago, the difference is very clear! Mike said he and Coyote were standing side by side a few minutes ago and they are exactly the same size. Sure wish I could have gotten THAT on camera! I noticed today that his muscles are starting to become more defined too.

I'll take more photos today after the camera battery charges, but wanted to be sure to get this comparison posted so I wouldn't forget to do it. I can't go back in time and put the ball in his puppy photos, but I can try to get a photo of Bear next to the ball to show that comparison since I do have photos of him with Bear.

He will be 4 months old next Thursday. I have a feeling he's going to be a tall adult! :-)

1st obedience class

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I went to Kuliga this evening to attend the orientation for a basic obedience class, but ended up staying and joining the Intermediate class that followed it. The clubs website says they promote positive training, but I think they are still a good bit short of that. But since I'm just attending the class to work Dazzle around other dogs and distractions, I can ignore their corrections. I'm hoping to lead by example.

Dazzle did really well sitting quietly playing the eye contact game through the lecture of the basic class. Not all the young dogs in that class were able to sit as quietly as he did. Then in the intermediate class, he did great. I realize in hindsight I asked him for more than he was ready a few times (like a 1 minute stay when we have only been working on about 30 second stays) but he did well and I know what to work on during the week.

He did great at heeling around/through the other people and dogs and kept close focus on me. Actually his "heel" was too strong because I had a hard time getting him into "front" position. I'll also be working on that this week. I was holding my left leg out as a barrier to keep him from swinging into heel position! :-)

For his first "stand for exam" I cued him into a stand, stepped right in front and fed him the whole time the instructor approached and touched him briefly. He did well with that considering he had not ever had anyone approach during a stand stay.

I was very pleased with him and have stuff to work on this week. He slept on the way home, but then he was ready to play till about midnight. Since he's finally ready to sleep, I'm going to bed!

Our latest trip to NY

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Who you lookin at?

I got back yesterday and I'm still not caught up on all my email, but wanted to post about our trip before I put it off. The last trip to NY in 2008 went well and Dazzle saw his first real snow while at my parent's house in the "snow belt." They had 6-8" of lake effect snow which thankfully I didn't have to drive in much as it was falling (though I hit some pockets of bad weather going through PA.) There was a good bit of snow fall while we were there, but by the time I left, the roads and sky were clear.

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On my way north, I stopped in Columbus to meet with Sarah and Chad and see Cynic (their Malinois.) We met in a park to let them stretch their legs. Dazzle barked at Cynic as we were walking toward each other, and Cynic wasn't too keen on that, so we played with them separately instead of trying to see what might happen if we let them get close to each other. They took some action photos of Dazzle, but I haven't gotten them yet. I'll post some when they send them to me.

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When we were in Albany NY, I stopped at a park to tire him out and we found some huge piles of shredded leaves the park maintenance people had piled in the parking lot. Some of the piles were nearly 5' high! Dazzle had a BLAST climbing them, rolling in them, and digging in them. I left my video camera at home thinking it would be a repeat of last month's trip and not wanting to worry about losing it or having it stolen or damaged. So no video of this or his first snow. When am I going to learn!?

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The temps were frigid (low teens) so we did most of his exercise and training at the malls, mostly in the mornings with the "mall walkers." He's doing really well now with his sit/down/stand discrimination and we practiced stays in those positions too. But I have been lax about having him "sort of" walk in heel but because I'm not really intending to work on heel, it has gotten really sloppy. I decided that if he's supposed to do loose leash walking, I'll hold the leash in my right hand and have him on my right side. If we're working on heel, it will be on my left side (obviously) and I'll hold the leash in my left hand. Not sure how quickly he will pick-up the leash holding thing (or how long it will take that to become habit for me) but he was fine with walking on my right side. His walking on my left was turning into a bad case of forging (too far in front of me, but still giving eye contact as though he was trying to "heel".) I went back to basics today with heel during our 15 minute training session because it was clear he was confused about where heel position really was and now it looks really good again. I was even able to get him to back up straighter in heel position than before. We also worked a bit on the ladder, but he was having trouble and getting frustrated so we moved to heel work instead.

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At our last hotel stop near Beacon NY, there was a nice big grassy area behind the hotel where I could let him play fetch. We did that in short sessions because it was too cold to stay out for very long. He seems fine with the cold, but I don't handle it very well- even in many layers. He didn't seem to mind.

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He has traveled several thousand miles (over 3000?) and I noticed that by the time we were at the last hotel stop, he was starting to go the other way when I opened the van and asked him to get in. Can't really blame him. I had been giving him a few pieces of kibble each time he hopped in, but upped that to pieces of string cheese and he was willing to get in again. I'm sure once we aren't travelling so many hours at a time he will be fine again with getting in.

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He had fun in the snow at my parent's house. He was bounding in it, more jumping than running, and he would stop, dig, bury his nose and snow plow with his nose. He also liked to eat it and the first time in the snow it looked like he wanted to roll, but ne never did. I did get some cute photos of him in the snow (below.) My dad took him out for a bit to play frisbee (since we knew the ball would just sink in the snow.) Dazzle would chase it, find it on top of the snow, then dig at it till he had it buried and on the ground. He would get it out eventually, but my dad had to help him a few times. A couple times he got it rim side up and when he dug at it, it scooted under his feet and he ended up digging a trench! :-)

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On Saturday morning, I put on my Carhart suit and boots to take him for a walk. It was 7:30 in the morning and no one was out, so I let him off-leash. He had a blast running ahead and back, ahead and back between pounces into the deeper snow, so he got more exercise too. I found it was quite a work out trying to walk in the 6-8" of wet snow so we only went around the cul-de-sac, then went back inside where I kept him busy working on sit/down/stand till my parents woke up and we could play fetch. Thankfully my spry, 92 yr old grandmother didn't hear us so she got to sleep-in upstairs.

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She was very tolerant when Dazzle found her ball of string while she was out of the room and dragged her crochet project through two rooms! Thankfully he didn't unravel much. He also liked her puzzle pieces and I stopped him twice from stealing a piece of the puzzle. :-) She told him that unless he knew where it fit into the puzzle, he couldn't take it.

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Some snow photos:

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Are you coming mom? (back porch of my parent's house)

He was really begging to go out quite often. I can't tollerate the cold very well, so I didn't go out with him nearly as often or for as long as HE would have liked. A few times I wasn't sure if he might need to pee, so I opened the door to let him out, then closed it (I stayed inside.) If he didn't have to pee, he wasn't amused by this. If I opened the door to let him in, he would just stand there. dogs might not be able to talk, but the communication was crystal clear! Twice he stood staring in the back door with me just looking back at him, then when I didn't come out, he ran around the house to the front door. Thankfully he was willing to come in through that door. He really does love the snow and cold.

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When he was looking through the back door in the evening, he saw deer on the hill (the one in the background of the photo above) and barked menacingly at them. When I let him out (after they were gone) he didn't seem to have any interest in where they had been- thankfully! I did have his dinner on the table right inside the door to motivate him to come if I called though.

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Yippee!

Diggin' it! This was the start of one of his "trenches" created by digging at an upside down frisbee...

What's under there?

Pouncing on the snow was fun too!

Dazzle playing frisbee with his Grandpa. Dazzle has a great retrieve!

On Thursday during our trip, I took a few photos (below) of him to document his 16th week. I used the GPS to find a list of nearby parks. One that was called "falls park" looked promising (all I could see was names of the parks), but it turned out to be more of a drive-by attraction than a real park. I stopped anyway and pulled off the road/driveway just to get some photos before we had to head back to the hotel so I could get ready for my presentation. Because the "falls" were right along the road, I couldn't use them as a backdrop. :-(

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11-20-08

16 weeks old...

He's growing up! He lost more front teeth while on our trip and the four adult teeth (2 upper center and 2 lower center) are really getting big (& obvious.) No more Christmas song for him about wanting front teeth. :-) When I met with Sarah and Chad, they measured Cynic who is 20" tall at 6 months old. Dazzle is 17" tall at 16 weeks (not even 4 mo. old yet)!

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He's also starting to challenge Coyote a bit more (they are the same size now.) He has tried a few times (unsuccessfully) to keep Coyote away from me. When he tries that, I move Dazzle away and call Coyote to try to teach Dazz that it doesn't work for him to try to keep the other dogs away. That worked to teach Coyote to not be possessive of me, so I'm hoping it will also work for Dazzle. At this point, Coyote is mostly ignoring him, but this afternoon they did get into a barking match. "Let's see who can bark louder" they seemed to be saying as they barked toward each other. I could just imagine them as kids with Dazzle doing the annoying mimic game:

Coyote: "Stop barking at me"

Dazzle: "Stop barking at me"

Coyote: "I mean it! Shut up!"

Dazzle: "I mean it! Shut up!"

Coyote: "I'll tell mom on you"

Dazzle: "I'll tell mom on you"

It didn't seem to be escalating though and neither looked to me for help, so I let them work it out.

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On the way home, I again stopped in Columbus to meet up with Chad and Sarah. They were doing tracking, but I'm going to hold off on that with Dazzle. I want him to get past the puppy stage of "everything on the ground is interesting and must be eaten." Hopefully he will grow out of that :-) If nothing else, he will have more practice with "leave it." I know he won't have any problem learning to track when he's a bit older.

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I did some quick errands today while Mike was at a meeting, but I was hurting and that was lowering my patience levels and I knew I wouldn't be in the best mood for training. So I left him home in his crate to practice "alone time." He seemed to do fine with it and I'm thinking he slept all or most of the time we were away since he was wired till after dinner time and didn't act like he needed a nap till then.

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He starts his first "obedience" class tomorrow night. I signed him up so we can practice working with distractions and as practice in an environment closer to a dog show (multiple dogs around, new building, etc.) I talked to the instructor about him this evening and he suggested I take the intermediate class instead of the beginner class, but that I should sit in on the orientation during the beginner class. So we'll be sitting for the first hour and then working with the intermediate class during the second hour. I think that will work well and allow him to get comfortable in the new place before being asked to concentrate.

Fifteen weeks old

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I realized too late that I really should have been including something in each of his weekly photos so it would be easier to see his growth. But I had just been "capturing" most of the profile photos I had taken each week and not setting them up, so having something in the photo next to him would have been hard. This photo is with a 10" hard plastic ball he loves.

His vet check yesterday went well. He was 23.3 lbs. according to the vet scale. The work we have been doing with handling really paid off. He was completely relaxed and calm as the vet checked his eyes, ears, mouth, temp and palpated his belly. He was playing the "if I let her do _____ do I get a treat?" game. And yes, he got several treats. :-) The vet said most adult dogs are not as relaxed as he was and certainly not the puppies his age. I like knowing that if he's ever injured, a trip to the vet and/or the exam won't add to his stress.

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When the vet moved his hips around, she though they felt a bit loose and one "clicked" but no way to know anything without an X-ray. We'll do a prelim X-ray at 6 mo. and I'll continue to get him Chiropractice visits. It wasn't the vet that does the chiropractic that he saw yesterday, so I'll be interested to see what he says about the hips and how they feel.

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I've been looking at photos of some of the other pups from his litter and they are just as cute as him! "Stumpy" looks like a porcupine though! His hair sticks straight out (at least it was in a few of the photos on the "J" litter page of the breeder's website.) The female that went to CA is looking good. There's a photo of her sleeping on her back which is just how Dazzle has been sleeping.

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We haven't done much training the past few days, though I've worked on his sit/down/stand cue recognition and his stand stay. I've been busy preparing and packing for the NY trip and cleaning the house and catching up on computer stuff like emails and website maintenance/updates.

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He has two new teeth coming in to replace the ones that came out on the bottom, but lost the upper center front teeth, so he can still sing the Christmas song :-)

DSA Photos

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I just took a couple photos of Dazzle in his new official DSA bandanna for the DSA newsletter.

11-10 Long drive home

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It was a rough night and I got very little sleep. Dazzle needed to go out to potty twice during the night due to a liquid stool and once I woke up, it was really hard to go back to sleep. I envied him that he could just flop down as soon as he was back inside and be asleep in less than 1 minute. I think I got about 3 hours of sleep between trips outside and laying in bed awake.

I was awake about 4:30 and laid in bed till Lonnie got up at 5am local time. Her prosthetic leg was really bothering her so she didn't put it on that day. I packed up the rest of our stuff in the van in the rain and we hit the road. By the time we stopped for breakfast and were ready to drive for awhile, it was almost 7am. The drive home was uneventful. There was rain till a little way into Oklahoma, but it was dry the rest of the way. I saw several birds flying hard and not getting anywhere in the strong cross winds.

Dazzle still had loose stools, but held it till I took him out on the stops we made. I think it was the only time he wasn't asleep! We got home at 10pm. If I had to drive another half an hour I would have had to stop for a nap. I just couldn't hold my eyes open any longer. Of course Dazzle was ready to PLAY when we got home and I was so exhausted I couldn't even think straight. We let them play a bit, then I went to bed. I put him in his crate expecting him to fuss, but he didn't. I think I was asleep almost instantly, so I don't know what he did. I slept for nearly 11 hours.

Lonnie headed home this morning and for me, today was catch-up day for cleaning and this blog. I know if I get behind on posts, I'll put it off and never get caught up. I'm home for 4 more days then I head to NY again.

Here's the states Dazzle has been in over the past 6 weeks!

11-9 Last day of camp- badges earned

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Camp is almost over :-( We didn't go on the trails today but played in the ball field instead. On one of the returns, he ran out of his way to a directional control base and stayed on it till I got there. :-) I think he will really like the directional control work.

After breakfast we worked on his musical instrument playing. We tried a few different pianos, looking for one that didn't take much pressure to play. He prefers to use his chin to play, but Mart and Cindy wanted to see him using his nose. We ended up with a toy, shaped like a drum, meant for a paby that made percussion sounds when the buttons were pressed. The raised edge made it harder for him to use his chin, so he started using his nose. But he was literally falling asleep as he played, so we took a break and he slept in his crate while I cleaned up the room and started packing up.

I let him sleep while I went to help with Directional Control, then brought him to lunch where he slept more. After lunch he was ready to go again. After doing repeated button pressing on a single cue, he earned his Band badge! I also got Lonnie to check him off for his Travel Safety badge. He had to wait till cued to exit the van when the door is opened, always ride in a crate or seatbelt, go to a "stranger" that doesn't know his name with me out of sight (to simulate a dog escaping after a crash) and ride in the vehicle quietly. He did really well, though he passed the stranger the first time and had to do a U-turn to go to him.

Then it was "free time" the rest of the day for him till he played in the "all dog band" right before the awards ceremony. After dinner/awards, he slept in the room while I walked around him and packed. We planned to leave before dawn, so I got as much packed in the van as possible.

BADGES EARNED:
Dog Scout
Art
Band
First Aid
Travel Safety

I'm very proud of him!

I noticed while I was playing with him this morning that he had lost one of his little bottom front teeth (bottom center) and that the tiny tooth next to it was really loose. By the time we got back to the room both were gone. He looks like he's ready for the Christmas song: "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth..." :-)

11-8 agility, painting, swimming, more!

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Our room at the Dog Scout camp where you can see the matresses I put on the floor instead of my cot (under the dark blue sleeping bag) and his crate right next to my bed.
Last night, while he was leashed to his crate, he spent most of the night sprawled out on the cool concrete, but at some point he got on the bed and was stretched out next to my legs. I woke up several times during the night. I think I was sleeping lightly to stay aware of what he was doing, hoping he wouldn't chew through his leash :-) About 4:30 he was trying to get me up by licking my face and laying on my head. I put him in his crate and he slept till 6:30. He acted like it was urget that he get out so I put on my robe and took him out. He promptly peed a river even though he had gone right before bed last night. Too much lake water I guess :-)


I took him to the play yard after I was dressed and ready to be seen in public :-) My neck and knees were extra sore but a few extra pain killers helped. In the pay yard, he played with Sugar (a Border Collie), Buttercup (a yellow lab) and Harley (a black lab.) Truffles (a mix) came in for awhile too.

Here's a shot showing his ground covering trot. If it was taken from the side, his butt wouldn't look so big :-) Then we went to breakfast. All the food served for camp was excellent! After breakfast we started the hike with the group, but turned back pretty early because my knees couldn't take the hills and distance.


This is the view back down to the beach from the start of the hill I had to turn around on.



Dazzle on the hike:

On the way back we stopped to practice his stays and got some really nice photos over looking the lake.




A cool tree too:

I let him play in the water on the way back too. He found some water toys :-)



Then while the rest of camp was finishing the hike or doing other things we went to the agility field. About the time we did that, a few others had the same idea but it wasn't too distracting and I was able to get Karen to take some video of Dazzle's first trip across the teeter:



After a few practice runs, he was even more confident:


The teeter was way off center, so the dogs had to run pretty far past the center to get it to drop and then it dropped fast. He didn't seem to mind a bit, but I only let him do it about 8 times. He also went across the dog walk like he had been doing it all his life, but I didn't get video of that. I held onto his harness so if he took a mis-step I could keep him from falling.


By that time, I really needed to sit awhile so we went back to the room and he napped while I updated the notes I was taking for this blog.


We went to help with the Directional Control class and Dazzle watched with facination as Gracie (the Search and Rescue pro) did the bases from about 100' away. It was really cool to see Bob direct her from place to place from such a distance.


After lunch I checked off Lonnie's dog for her fundraising badge and then took Dazzle to do a second painting. I was going for red, white and blue but ended up with a lot of purple :-) I titled it "Texas Twister"



Then it was time for swimming. The waves had picked up again so I didn't bother getting dressed to go in but he had fun running and playing with the other dogs.


Look out Dazzle!

A good perch to watch the action, you can see how high the waves were!:

Had to get a shot of one of the many paw prints on the beach:

He slept through the next presentation till the end where I needed him to demonstrate how I taught him to heel. Then he joined in on one of the games, but didn't last long before he was "out." The dog needed to respond to a single verbal cue, no body language. He got the "sit" but when I said down, he got distracted by a butterfly and since I couldn't give him another cue, he was out of that game. He wouldn't have been able to do the "bow" that followed anyway because he hasn't learned that yet.


I put him in his crate for a nap during dinner and even with roommates going in and out I think he got a good nap. He also stayed there through arts and crafts and the "free time" that followed it in which I was finishing up my craft. After 3 hours of sleeping he was jazzed and ready to play! It was time for the costume contest. He just wanted to play with any other dog within reach, his toys, his blanket, his leash, me, etc. The costume I bought said "cookie monster" which I thought would be a really cute costume for him. But it turns out I didn't read it right and it was actually Elmo. I just saw fuzzy with big eyes and it's been too long since I have seen Seasame Street to remember cookie monster is blue, not red. Maybe I can dye it blue :-) He humored me and wore it long enough to parade in front of the other campers, then I took it off before he could eat it. There were LOTS of adorable costumes so he didn't win but it was still fun. The winner was a Pirate Labrador and his parrot (a chihuahua covered in feathers.) I tried to get some photos, but it was too dark inside for my camera. I'm hoping the professional camp photographer got some good ones for the photo CD.


Cookie Monster or Elmo?

After the contest, he was still wanting to play, so two of his roommates indulged him for awhile, then he laid in the middle of the room chewing on a bully stick. Thankfully the other dogs didn't mind. He wasn't ready for bed, but I sure was!


This one looks like Kozi was trying to tell him to be quiet!

11-7 Dazzle is a DOG SCOUT!

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Our day started about 7 when my roommates alarm went off and a second room mate got up with her. There were 4 women and 4 dogs in the room (including myself and Dazzle.) I fed him breakfast while I got dressed and ready to face the day.

Once outside (thankfully) I found that the canned food I fed him yesterday must be different enough from the food I had been giving him to cause a very loose stool. :-( So we stuck with kibble and string cheese as treats and I gave him the re-constituted freeze dried raw during meals. He played in the big field with me doing the 2-toy retrieve. I wrapped his feet with vet wrap today hoping it would breath better than the vinyl boots. He was really hyper and wanted to bite the leash, my leg, whatever he could grab. I had to stop a few times and do some hands-on calming/stroking to get him to stop and get back into a thinking mindset.

We went on the 1 mile hike (but I don't think it was a full mile) and we brought up the back of the pack since I was moving slow. He was attached to his harness and was allowed to pull in that. But he was pulling a lot (which helped me up the hills) so I took the leash off so that he wouldn't be over stressing his muscles and joints hauling my fat ass around :-) He really enjoyed the off-leash time and checked in often (he didn't get out of my sight, but would come close to me frequently) and he recalled away from the other dogs really well.

Back at the Rec hall, we did a bit of practice, then got checked out for the Sit, Down, Stay and "leave-it" with food part of the Dog Scout test. Then we went to the lake to play. He scrambled up and down the hills, ran along the beach, chased some sticks I tossed into shallow water and had a great time. During his high speed play, he lost two of his foot wraps, so I took the other two off. He played in the leaves again.

Playing on the hills:

Running on the beach and biting the waves:

Almost swimming! He went in past his belly after a stick but couldn't figure out how to get the stick without getting his nose under water :-)

Playing in the leaves. Not sure why the sound went away when I merged the two videos. Just imagine lots of swishing leaves. He was having WAY too much fun!

I thought about putting him in his crate for a nap, but he was still wound up so I took him with me to the Directional Control class. He laid down and watched the other dogs closely. He must have been paying attention because at the end of class I did a bit of practice with him and was able to send him between 2 "bases" about 20' apart. That's exceptional for the first time he has seen these targets to go to and get on.

He slept through lunch, and when we walked out of the cafeteria he found a patch of shady grass, laid down and refused to move. So we went to the room for a 1 hr nap. I decided to lay down with him and we both slept. Lonnie snapped a photo with my camera. I had my hat over my face to block out the light.

We woke up in time for water class. I was hoping to get the Puppy Paddler badge but it wasn't happening. I even went into the ice cold water and called him and lured him with cheese, but the waves were as tall as he was and when a wave hit him in the face, it was all over. He refused to get back in past his knees. I was numb from the waist down after just 10 minutes so we went back to the room. I found it's hard to walk when you can't feel your feet! But he did try really hard and I think if the water had been as calm as it was this morning, he would have swam no problem. He did run and play on the beach with other dogs between attempts so over all he had a good time. I think getting him to swim in calm water will be easy to do.

After I dried off, thawed out and changed clothes we went shopping for more vet wrap. I found an old feed store and bought out their supply (and sold some of the extras to others in camp.) Dazzle slept the whole drive out and back. I let him sleep in the van while I went in and got the wrap too.

We had an hour before dinner when we got back, so we practiced his piano and then he did his very first painting using his newly learned painting skills (pawing the board on cue.)

His first painting:

After dinner, Mart finished checking him off for the rest of the behaviors needed for the Dog Scout test (heel, leave it with an animal (fake bird), recall and good with people and dogs.) He PASSED!! He is the youngest dog to get the Dog Scout title!

Right after he passed, Judy came in and was willing to check him off on the First Aid badge, which he passed with flying colors (letting me wrap his leg in a bandage, wear a muzzle, get picked up and carried, be restrained, etc.)

Then it was time for games. We did recalls with distractions and 2 out of 3 times he flew right by Mart who was tempting him with food. On his second pass, he had to stop and sniff, but was easily called away. Fun and games continued outside with a game involving 2-liter pop bottles with a bit of water in them set-up in a grid. The object was to see how many bottles the dog could knock down in 15 seconds. Dazzle got 8, mostly with his dragging leash :-) but the winner got almost all 20 of them! He was getting too jazzed up by the other dogs and people running/calling so we called it a night. I leashed him to his crate so he had the option of being on my bed.

11-6 First day of camp

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We got up at 6:30 local time because I was tossing and turning and didn't sleep well. My cot wasn't as comfortable as I remembered it being and felt too much like a hammock, than the firm mattress I usually sleep on. Plus, there was a loud storm most of the night and the lightning flashes in the window made it hard to sleep.

Thankfully the rain ended before we went out. I took Dazzle to the play yard where he met Bailey and Keena (two aussies.) Keena was just a baby at the summer camp this year, but she was still very playful even though she was much more grown up now. Almost a bit too playful for Dazzle who was a bit overwhelmed by her play style.

I took some photos of him outside the play yard to document 14 weeks of age. Here's the best one:

After the play session we went to the warmer Rec hall and worked on his piano playing for the Band badge. He's doing well pressing the piano with his chin. On a break from that, I got on the 2-wheeled scooter and took it down and back inside the rec hall. He trotted next to it holding his leash in his mouth. NO issues with it moving next to him which I was happy to see.

Lonnie and I took a trip to the nearby Wal-mart for a few supplies and he did great (got lots of compliments on how well behaved he is.) Kozi got several comments on her boots. The burrs are bad at the camp, so doggie boots were one of the things I got on the shopping trip. They only had one kind (shiney vinyl) in either black or pink. We opted for the black. :-)

We still had some time to kill before lunch and the new camper's orientation session so we went down to the lake. He was really facinated by the waves! He ran up and down the beach and went into the water almost chest deep! He enjoyed biting at the waves and I was thankful it was fresh water and not salt water! :-) I didn't get video on this visit to the lake, but did on a later visit.

Here's some photos:

His first sighting of the lake where he could hear the waves.

He's not sure about the cliff, but there is a path down to the water not too far away. It's not a sharp drop off where he is standing, but it's pretty steep.

Nice portrait! I need a better flash so I can fill in the dark shadows on sunny days, but my cheap digital camera does a decent job.

Biting the waves...

Running on the beach:

ZOOM! ZOOM!
On the way back from the lake, I put on his new boots. He had ZERO reaction to them, no high stepping, no chewing, nothing! It was like he wasn't even wearing them. I was very surprized. I guess there was just too much to see and do to worry about boots on his feet. Later, if we were sitting in one place for awhile, he would fuss with them a bit but was easily distracted. I found that they got pretty hot on his feet though, so later we switched to vet wrap to protect his feet, which he also didn't mind unless there was a burr that poked all the way through.

One thing he found on the way back was a hill with leaves on it. He had a blast rolling and burying himself in the leaves.


Who is that?... Who cares, I have LEAVES!

During lunch, he took a nap under the table. There were lots of people and dogs in the room with him (just not when the photo was taken) and he mostly ignored them.

After lunch, we moved to the Rec hall for the opening info and introductions. He took another nap on his blanket next to me.Then we got a can of raw food to practice "walk-by's" (a time for the dogs to meet without pressure.) He did great and since he was mostly ignoring the other dogs, I used it as a time to practice heeling with distractions (since several people/dogs were walking past him.) He did really well!

We got our camp photo taken and he got his Dog Scout photo taken in anticipation of his earning his Dog Scout title. It's really cute! But I don't have that photo yet because it comes on the camp photo CD and that gets mailed out after camp (when they get the editing on the several hundred photos done.)

Then since I had some free time, I introduced him to the backpack (empty.) At first, he moved away from it when I lifted it off the table so I did that again a few times and clicked/treated him for not backing away. Then I clicked/rewarded him for sniffing the pack and for letting me put it next to him. We worked up to him sticking his head through the straps for treats, then having it rest on his back, then getting it fastened on. More treats for taking a step, then another till he was walking confidently (see video in the earlier "test video" post.) within 30 minutes of first seeing the pack, he was walking across the baseball field with me.

Too cute in his pack and boots!

We worked on his "stand stay" to get this photo. He's starting to get proportional, so he looks like a mini-Malinois now. But given how fast he's growing, I know he won't be "mini" for very long! He was only a few inches shorter than Bob's 8 month old Mal.

The 2nd half of the free time hour was spent in the room- him napping and me updating my notes for this blog. During the backpacking orientation and safety class we went for a short hike with the group and he did great in his empty pack. I did add the items for a little bit and let him walk around for about 5 minutes, but that was the end of his pack wearing during camp. I didn't want to stress his back or joints, I just wanted to get him acclimated to wearing the pack and I accomplished that.

At dinner, he won two new toys from the prize drawing and spent most of the meal ripping the tags off the one I gave him. I tried to put him in his crate for a nap during the next class, but he was figiting and complaining so I waited for him to settle and be quiet, then I lt him out and took him with me to the class. He took a short nap next to me, but then he was clearly wide awake, so we worked on the target stick and then paw raises which turned into multiple strokes on a piece of cardboard (the start of his painting behavior.) I had his boots back in the room because I knew were we just going to be in the rec hall so I couldn't have him practice while wearing a bootie.

When he started playing with Kozi, we did a few more swipes then quit. He slept through the last session of the day and was ready to go again when I was ready for bed. He chewed on his bully stick for awhile as I got ready for bed, called Mike and updated the blog notes. It was an hour behind, so while the clock says 9:30, it feels like 10:30 and I was ready for bed!

11-5 A sixteen hour drive

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Our day started at 5am! I'm really NOT a morning person, so it was hard to get going, but we were out the door by 6:45. We made a few stops for meals and potty breaks, but those only extended the 14 hour trip (according to mapquest and my GPS) by an hour and a half so we made good time. Picking up an extra hour when we crossed the time zone helped too! During the trip, when we stopped at Long John Silvers, Dazzle did an excellent job of looking at me or laying down, even though there were some crumbs and bits of food on the floor. Also, by that time he had been in the van for many hours and his new girlfriend was just on the other side of the table. I was very proud of him!

When we got to camp, it was 8:30pm local time. He explored a bit, then I got my part of the room set-up while he chewed on a bone. He met a big golden retriever and once he was over the initial uncertainty, he relaxed around him. Others had also arrived early, but were busy getting settled in, so we didn't do too much socializing that night. I was ready for bed and was glad Dazzle was willing to go back in the crate and chew on a bone quietly, even though I'm sure after sleeping nearly 14 hours he probably didn't want to sleep more!

11-4 Lonnie arrives

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I spent most of the day packing for the trip and cleaning the house. Lonnie and her dog Kozi (a Boxer mix) arrived around dinner time. While we were transfering her stuff to the van, Kozi was running around outside the fenced yard. The dogs were all barking at her, including Dazzle, though I'm not sure he knew WHY he was barking :-) He stayed away from the fence, but at one point, Kozi ran up to the fence where Dazzle was and it scared him. All the hair along his back went up and he ran in the house.

Once we had Lonnie's stuff in the van, I contained the other dogs and we let Dazzle and Kozi meet. After that, he was fine with her and started to play and wrestle. The other dogs had met her before and their greeting went without incident. Since it was dinner time, Lonnie and I went out to eat and Dazzle came in with us. He was a perfect gentleman and went to sleep under the table. Lonnie left her service dog in the van just so she wouldn't start playing with Dazzle and get them both in trouble.

They played for awhile while Lonnie and I were on the computer finishing up last minute things for the trip.

video test

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Since I have a new video camera and program now (the Flip just wasn't working, so I had to upgrade to a new Samsung video camera) I want to be sure I can add the video to this blog.

This is his first time wearing a backpack. It's empty, I just wanted him to get used to wearing it. He tried to rub it off a few times at first, but mostly just ignored it. I introduced it with a high rate of reinforcement, so he seems to be very comfortable with me putting it on him. I only had it on him a few times.

OK, the video upload worked after several attempts at playing with the format, but the quality is not very good. I'll have to experiment with that, but I need a break from the computer after all the time I just spent trying to get the video to work and editing photos I took.

A day of firsts

His nose is getting longer (along with his legs!)

Dazzle went to his first Agility trial today. Not to compete of course, but to get accustomed to the environment. He did exceptionally well! It was more quiet than I expected, very little barking. But some dogs did bark when they ran and others barked a few times during other dog's runs. Dazzle did really well with that, though he was a bit unsure at first if the dogs might be barking at him. Once he realized the barking had no bad consequences, he relaxed and ignored it. It was an indoor NADAC show, but relatively small. A great group of people and dogs!

He met several really nice dogs, including his first Terv and even a Laekenois - the rare (in the U.S.) curly coated version of a Belgian Shepherd. Their were LOTS of different breeds at the show and several were very polite in greeting him and putting him at ease. People were bringing their friendly dogs over to him so he could meet them, and others he met as we walked around. By the end of the show, when he got snapped at by a sheltie who didn't want him close, he just blew it off.

He was able to focus on me and was responsive to the cues he knows, though he did a lot of guessing when we started to work on sit, down and stand. He did watch a few dogs run the course with great facination. But more often than not was giving me eye contact or just casually looking around watching other spectators and waiting dogs. He acted like an ol' pro, just hanging out on the side lines. He perked up at the applause and barked a few times when I also applauded, but when I paired the applause with treats, he realized that applause was happening often and it wasn't a big deal and the treats were no longer needed.

I got some video of him working on heel and eye contact amid the spectators and dogs on the side lines, but my replacement video camera now has a corrupted program- same thingthat happend to the first one! Grrrr! I'll try one more exchange. If the program on that one gets corrupted, I'm going to a different brand! Why does this always happen a day or two before a big trip when I need it?
Oh yeah, Murphy's Law.

I had a helpful spectator (who had fallen in love with him) help me with a new concept for him. She held his leash while I walk a few feet away. At first, he was pulling on the leash to get to me, but as soon as he settled, I moved in and gave him a treat. Over just a few repetitions, I was able to get about 15' away (all the distance that space allowed) and even went behind some spectators when he wasn't looking and he was fine. He played with a kid or would just sit and watch me (or watch for me) when I wasn't near him. I'm very pleased with that. I like that he is very attached to me and focused on me, but I don't want it to turn into separation anxiety. Seeing him settle today, knowing he was good alone with Mike yesterday and good when left at the hotel is a good thing.

One person said he already had the aloofness Mals are known for, but I know it was just that he wanted the food I had more than he wanted to greet. Once the food wasn't as prominant (and his belly was a bit more full), he was more social. I had not fed him breakfast that morning when the other dogs got theirs, so he was pretty hungry by the time we got to the trial about an hour and a half later.

Another first for today was that he got his first bath! I ran the garden hose from the utility tub to the bathroom and used a hose nozzle meant for watering delicate plants so it would be a gentle stream of water. I turned the water on and let it run while I got the shampoo, towel, clicker, treats, etc and made several trips in and out of the bathroom, my shadow following me. I thought I was ready, but then realized I would have to close the rest of the dogs in another part of the house because they wanted to get treats too and I couldn't close the door to the bathroom because of the hose. OK, NOW we're ready.

I held a treat over the edge of the tub and Dazzle scrambled into the tub to get it. No problem there! He stood in a dry area of the tub and got a few more treats as the water continued to run and gurgle down the drain. I got a handful of treats in one hand and held the clicker and hose nozzle in the other hand. I clicked when he was willing to walk through the water running to the drain (getting the bottom of his feet wet.) He wasn't sure about that at first, but then relaxed and was willing to walk around in the water. Then I raised the nozzle just a bit and clicked/treated when the water washed over his toes. He didn't seem to notice as he was eating the treat. I continued to feed him treats as I got more and more of his legs wet. He danced around a bit, but wasn't overly stressed. I was then able to get his whole body wet as he ate treats from my hand. He got a bit rough in taking the treats, so I know he was a little stressed, but he stayed in place and let me get him completely wet from the back of his ears to his tail.

I then put the nozzle down and got him soaped up. No treats for this (since I needed both hands) but he was fine with the massage. When I was ready to rinse him, I first washed off my hands, got more treats and repeated the above process. He was less stressed by this time and more gentle about taking treats. When he was done, I turned off the water, reached for the towl and he jumped out of the tub soaking wet. :-) I dried him where he stood and he seemed to like being toweled off and ended up playing tug with the towel. A quick combing to flatten the roughed up hair and he was released from the bathroom. He wiggled, then shook once and licked his feet a few times. But then it was like he didn't even notice he was wet! I had let the other dogs loose, so Dazzle picked up a toy and started to play with Bear. I think his first bath went REALLY well, and his hair is much softer now (& he smells better!)

I gave him a nail trim before we went to the agility trial this morning, but that wasn't a first since I had done that once before, shortly after I got him. I put him on a raised table so it was easier on my back, laid him on his side with his back closest to me (which he is comfortable with) and with my arms across his body, was able to trim his nails. He squirmed a bit at first, but then relaxed as he realized it wasn't going to hurt him. I had practiced having him in this position and playing with his feet prior to trying a nail trim. I was even able to file them a bit.

His dinner was used to practice stay. I think the practice at the trial (me leaving and him staying in place with someone else) helped him understand that if he stayed in place, I would come back and give him a treat. He was doing really well in the basement, so I moved to the garage and he did great there too. I am not going to use a stay cue, but instead the cues for sit, down and stand will have an implied stay. What I will expect from him is that he remains in the cued position until he gets another cue or a release cue. I think this will be more clear to him than using the same cue (stay) for three different positions, which might encourage him to switch positions while on a stay. We practiced both sit and down as I walked away. Of course I started by just rocking my weight away as though I was about to take a step and worked up slowly till I was able to get about 10' away. A great start!

weave pole guide construction

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Since posting the video of the weaves, I've been asked by a few people for photos of the construction. Note, the set is only 2' high to save on the cost of the fencing and pipe. I thought it would be awhile before they needed to be higher, but the way he's growing I'm not so sure! :-)

Here's a drawing looking at the weaves from the top. The first and second poles have only a single end attached. The third and fourth poles have two ends. And the fifth/sixth have single ends attached.

This is a photo of the whole set- hopefully more clear than the video. Dazzle is going around the 3rd pole.

A single end attachment. You can almost see how the sharp wire ends are tucked into the open space between the fence and the pole.

Side view of the single end attachment. The cut ends of the wire are wrapped around the fence on the other side of the pole with needle nose plyers.

Double end attachment- two ends of fence wrapped around a single pole. I attached one end around the pole, then wrapped the other around it.

Same pole from the side

Today we worked on sit/down/stand practice in the basement and back yard. I also took him for a walk in the cut corn field across the street. He had a blast running around the field grabbing at the stumps of corn stalk left by the machine. He didn't even hardly notice the big round bales of corn stalks that are now in the field.

In the back yard, we practiced a bit more heeling with his dinner, then switched to more sit/down/stand cue discrimination. I think he is starting to generalize. I had a demo I had to do today with Coyote and Bear, so Dazzle stayed home with dad. I didn't know how he would react, but I was told he was a perfect gentleman. He sat quietly by the door to the garage for about 5 minutes, but when Mike showed him I had left he relaxed with Mike for 2 hours till I got back. Yesterday we mostly worked on leave it and the cue discrimination. I don't think he will have a problem with the Dog Scout test next week, but I do need to practice leave it with an animal...

Here kitty kitty kitty. :-)