Ball Game

Sunday was Chumley's day at the ballpark.  We spent eight hours preparing food, greeting fans, watching baseball, and more greeting fans.  It was superb socialization, especially for the newest addition to the Madison area puppy raisers, Maynard.  He stole the show. 

It was a long day for the puppies and humans alike.  By the end of the game the canines were exhausted, which made them perfect for pets and hugs as children, young and old, exited the stadium.

Cool Monte

Nothing much new with Monte.  Since the weather has cooled off a bit, especially in the mornings, we have been started running again.  He can usually run forever, but the warm weather affects him, so he is happy to run my speed.

After only a few days, he has an established routine.  After we climb the hill, he sprints down the other side to cool off.  On the other side of the hill is the ice arena and they have been leaving him a pile of snow each morning to eat and roll in.  The first couple days he was surprised and unsure; now it is expected.

Tigers?

Saturday, we went to the Monroe County fair.  Chumley handled the farm animals, but was a bit concerned by the tigers.  Yes, tigers at the county fair. Not sure what it was, he was very concerned/fearful.  This shouldn't be a problem, however it is something to note for future trips to the zoo.  The rest of his day was spent at a birthday party where he relaxed amongst the activity - very good dog.

Quick Study

We took Chumley to visit Cooper's friend, Chloe, this evening.  She is the young girl that is terrified of dogs.  There are only three dogs that she accepts: Cooper, Monte, and her new neighbor puppy.  So we were planning for the worst, but hoping for the best.

Upon our arrival, she was not happy to see Chumley, even though he sort of looks like Cooper, he is not Cooper.  Eventually she came outside to see Chumley and gave him a quick pat on the back and immediately turned around and scampered back into the house. 

Oh well, that first meeting went much better than Cooper's.  Chloe quickly returned with two bowls.  One filled with water and the other filled with bubble bites (cereal).  Chumley lapped up the water, but wasn't thrilled with the cereal.

We can add another dog to Chloe's list of canine friends.  She rubbed Chumley's back and walked him down the sidewalk.  Eventually, it was no big deal that he was there - perfect.

Camp Juno II

 It wasn't all fun and games at Camp Juno.                                      There was obedience training with plenty of distractions.




















We were reunited with Chumley this evening at training.  He appeared to recognize us, but both humans and canine performed proper greetings.  We waited for him to relax before approaching and he maintained a DOWN STAY until we said OK.

IT was distraction night at the mall.  We brought a walker, bubbles, masks, food bowl, and exercise ball to test their obedience and check for any unwarranted fear issues that need to be addressed. 

And then more DOWN STAYs with recalls through the group.

Camp Juno

We dropped Chumley off at Camp Juno this evening.  The plan is for him to stay until next Wednesday and spend some time with Juno's children.  It didn't take him long to find an antler to gnaw on.

Chumley is learning how to snuggle.  We have been working on this without much success, but apparently we were not the right teachers ...

Mall Workers

Wednesday was our training day at the mall.  This week we ventured to Janesville in a thunderstorm.  It was wonderful to see and feel moisture falling from the sky.

Each puppy was worked through a mock Canine Good Citizen test to identify opportunities for improvement.  Everyone left with a few items to "proof", but for the most part the teams are progressing well.

After the CGC practice exam, the  puppies fell into position to practice their most common behavior:  a DOWN STAY.  They need to be especially good at this because the probably spent 80% of their working life in this position.

With the exception of Chili, the difficult part is getting them to stay, even with distractions.  Even the train rambling by did not upset our mall workers.

His issue is responding to a DOWN command, but once there he is rock solid. 

Note Chili at the end of the line; just being goofy.

Official Photo

Chumley has been taking it easy the last week or so.  The oppressive heat and a flare-up of panosteitis have limited his activity.  On the good side, it has allowed him to put on a few pounds.  Monte has also gained some weight.

This didn't stop us from trimming his nails, which he is becoming more agreeable to.  Going a little stir crazy, one night we took him to the library, grocery store and drug store - all air conditioned with cool tile floors.

Training has been progressing well. He will SIT, DOWN, but will not maintain a SIT if he gets tired.  He loves to work and enjoys GETTING DRESSED and has a wonderful recall.  We are working to build his confidence.

Note:  It was time for an updated ID card and blog photo.


 

Lights and Sirens

Watertown is the location of our annual puppy immersion program.  The local police and fire departments  assemble fifty vehicles for the kids to investigate.  They are allowed to sound the sirens and flash the lights. 

Chumley was interested the first time he heard the siren as we walked up.  The roar of the  sirens was constant and it didn't take long for them to become background noise.  He wasn't even phased by the helicopter.






In addition to the the lights and sirens, the event offered a great opportunity to interact with children and adults.   As we stationed ourselves between the vehicles and children's activities, we were an easy target.  Chumley and his pal Taxi were constantly being "bothered". 

By the end of the evening he was exhausted and only wanted to rest.  He slept through our dinner, which was perfect stationary training.

Stationary Training

Chumley accompanied us to an outdoor concert.  With the exception of Cooper, all the other dogs have gone to a live music concert.  Our trainee was well behaved walking to and from our seats.  The loud music from the Elvis tribute band nor the applause was a problem.  However, we did identify an opportunity for improvement - stationary training.

Up to this point our focus has been on getting him comfortable in various situations, basic obedience, and being friendly to others - always moving about.  He has not been out to eat or at a location where we were sitting for any length of time and he was required to stay DOWN.

He appeared restless and would not or could not get comfortable.  Although there were many distractions (dogs, kids, bugs), that didn't seem to be the cause.  I think we just need to get him in more "stationary" activities.  That means more dinners out.

Play and Train

I think the heat is harder on the animals than on us humans. Our canine activities have been very limited.

Saturday morning was play time at the Dog Den and all three wading pools were constantly in use.  Chumley would jump from one to the other trying to get other puppies to play. We had planned to go shopping after playing, but he was drenched - not proper for a service dog. 




The heat wave broke in the evening, so we took Chunley out to train at the Stoughton Fair.  He did wonderful as we walked through the carnival with the whistles, buzzers, and screams.  I was most impressed that he seemed oblivious to food on the pavement.

The barns were a somewhat different story.  He was interested in the varied sights and scents.  A high degree of caution was displayed as he approached the larger animals; he would quickly retreat when they moved toward him. 

Not bad for our first time.

Double Trouble

Due to the extremely hot weather, we haven't been out much, but did get Chumley to the CSA farm this week.  Our outdoor events have included searching for sprinklers, which Monte loves,  and an evening swim to cool off after chasing around the yard.

Some people believe that having two dogs is easier than one - they have someone to play with.  This may be true in some instances, but I find that two dogs will get in twice as much trouble

It is helpful to have an older dog around when training a younger one.  Monte swerves as a role model to reinforce commands and provide an example for new ones.  There are a few disadvantages too.  Twice the food. Twice the medical bills.  Twice the time to train and exercise - sometimes more.

This week Chumley was the beneficiary of our miscommunication. Wednesday I woke up early, took Chumly out for a potty break, and fed him.  He gets crated after meals and I took Monte for a walk.  In the meantime Lisa got up and fed Chumley an additional two cups of food.  This unscheduled surplus didn't cause any issues.

The next day, I got up at sunrise and walked Chumley to the park before serving him breakfast.  He got crated while I walked Monte to the park.  In the meantime Lisa got up and took Chumley for a walk around the neighborhood.  A double walk, but I was able to stop her before she fed him.  The extra exercise didn't seem to be an issue with his Panosteitis.

Making Friends

Chumley has one bad habit.  Well, at least one that we are trying to correct.  At his prior home, he was allowed to drink out of the toilet bowl, so we are trying to discourage this behavior.  Step one was leaving the lid down.  Step two was dropping the lid on his head.  This happened by accident as he had to work to reach the water level in the low flow toilet and he made quite the scene.  Not surprisingly, he has not attempted to use his "secondary" water bowl since.

Tonight after it cooled off some, we walked around the neighborhood "making friends" with bushes, garbage cans, and neighbors.  He has a habit of barking at people. We also practiced SIT and DOWN in this heavy distraction environment.  He improved as the walk progressed.

Our Chumley was not a big fan of having his nails trimmed, but weekly sessions should ease the pain.

Week One - Chummy

We have made it through seven days with Chumley.  While initially a little worried that taking an eight month old puppy was not a good idea, he seems to be a step or two behind, but a quick learner.  He has been responding to verbal DOWN commands and usually listens when we tell him to get OUT of the kitchen.  We should have him ready in three or four months.

Yesterday he enjoyed an hour of playtime at the Dog Den.  He has a wonderful play style: interested in small dogs but not overbearing and a good balance of submissive and dominant play.

As we develop our routine and trust, we are more comfortable taking him on more outings.  So far he has gone to the pet store, hardware store, blind society, drug store, and tonight we were so confident that we took him to the grocery.  We have noticed a preoccupation with Monte, so we will be making a conscious effort to segregate their activities.

Not a fan of the name "Chumley"; it is growing on us.  Although a different name might be more appropriate, Shadow, as he follows Lisa wherever she goes and frantically searches for her when she is out of sight.  He probably gets called Cooper 25% of the time.