Best In Class

The last few days Cinder has been recovering from her Frosty Paws hangover - too much ice cream. Not too much activity, but she did have encounters with the garbage can, garden hose, flower pot, and grill. In addition to making friends, we cleaned her ears and trimmed her nails without issue.

She seems to be entering a defiant stage; we have done lots of cradling. We need to make sure to convey that we are the pack leaders. We couldn't wait for puppy class to test her with the many distractions.
This week Cinder worked with Lisa on the basics SIT, DOWN, LEAVE IT, COME, and STAY. Being four months and a day old, she is very inconsistent and easily distracted. It gets frustrating because we take three steps forward and then two back. At least it seems that we are still progressing. Only five more weeks until we get Marley :-)

Since Lisa was working with our protege, I was able to "work" with the best dog in the class, Sadie. Ernie has competed with Sadie and my only issue with her is getting her to take commands from a stranger. She likes to test every new handler to make sure that they know what they are doing. I did okay when I remembered her commands.

Puppy update

Here's some pictures of the new pups - RAISERS NEEDED

Pool Party

Today was Cinder's first pool party. She wasn't too interested at first, just licking and nosing the water from outside. Once she got her paws wet we couldn't keep her out of the water. She looked like a drowned rat most of the day. This is the only picture showing one of the pools. You have to look close to see Cinder.

The hosts of the party were Kane, seen here, Sable, and Buddy. Cinder shows great respect for the three big dogs. Also in attendance were Victoria, Snickers, Arie, and Keira. Keira, a six month old boxer puppy was her favorite playmate; they spent the day chasing, wrestling, and biting each other. The older dogs didn't enjoy the puppy nuisance.

Buddy makes a guest appearance on the blog. He and the rest of the canines were well behaved among themselves. Their only issues were food related. Each dog has its own style of trying to extract food from the overindulging pack leaders: simple begging, table surfing, oops I bumped the table, or watch my tricks.



Cinder and Keira had an issue sharing. Not toys, one of them did not want to share their doggie ice cream with the other. Cinder was carrying her frozen treat around the yard and thus was the last to finish, so I think it was her. Not knowing which dog initiated the disagreement, both were reprimanded. Cinder was forced to share the second helping - no doggie bags.


Eventually even the puppies tired out and had to rest. Every time she was dry, she would dive into the pool to get refreshed. Needless to say Cinder has not moved all evening except to eat and go outside to potty. Note: one serving of doggie ice cream is probably sufficient for a puppy.

I love a parade

Woof to All,

Deegan and I went to the Memorial Day Parade in Cross Plains today. We just sat and watched the fire trucks (sirens and horns) and band (drums and music) and old cars (reving engines) and tractors go by. It seems the recession is really bad in Cross Plains as it looked like no one had ever seen a peice of candy. People in the parade felt it was important to feed all the starving children begging on the roadside. My oh my, times are certainly getting tough when children are reduced to crawling and chasing on the ground, just for a morsel of candy. I merely had to sit still until one flew into my mouth. I had barely gotten a taste when I heard "DROP IT" so I spit it out. We were told we were good dogs, didn't need candy anyhow and besides, we were going to the chicken barbeque when the parade was over...yum yum!!



But to my surprise, it was only a meal for the humans. Nothing for Deegan and I except the smells of chicken cooking on the barbie and hundreds of pies at the swim team bake sale....couldn't drop just ONE lousy crumb please...NOT!

Well at least Deegan got to relax on the grass with Dan, Mindy and Baby Jacob. Jacob really liked Deegan and he managed to get in a couple tiny kisses which Jacob loved.

Well all for now,

Slick

work work work

Woof Woof,

I've been having fun in draft horse training with my favorite little human Evan. We both have our harnesses, but only Evan wore his today. We went to the Zoo and smelled animals. Mom thought I'd want to play with them, but it was kind of boring with the big fences between us. Anyhow here is me 'n Evan 'n Mom with a poor zebra with a major glandular condition.



All for now,

Slick
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Deegan here...

I just don't seem to be understanding my foster mom, Barb.

She tells me to sit, down, heel (go to the heel position), front, side, behind, stand, through (go thru a door), turn, let's go in a 270 and 360 degree left and right turn, back (move backwards) from a heel position, side position, and front postion,,,,,I want to tell her to "Make up your mind!". Do you want me to sit, or down?

Then, she goes thru all of those things with a funny leather thing on. Women!

Sincerely,

Deegan

Get Dressed - Please

We are going to be in trouble with the Puppy Coordinator. Cinder used to love getting dressed. She would come running when she saw the cape. She still is enthusiastic to go out, but she does not want to wear the cape. I am not sure why. She moves away when we try to place it over her head. It's not just me, Lisa has the same experience.

Today Cinder made her first trip to the drug store which isn't anything out of the ordinary. However, it was her opportunity to meet and greet the friendly cashier, Al. He hasn't recognized us sans canine companion. He recognized Lisa with Cinder and inquired about Echo whereabouts.

Al started the treat ritual with Cinder, sharing a bit of his lunch. Echo eagerly anticipated going to the drug store, always checking the register to see who was working. Maybe this will help Cinder get exited about wearing her cape.

Friends

I think Cinder is four months old. This week has been all about making friends. Cinder has made friends with the plants, garbage cans, garage door, rocks, mailbox, garbage truck, and shadows. She also attempts to make friends with every human or canine she sees. Her prey drive is increasing as she notices more birds and insects.

We thought that she might be coming down with another Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)yesterday. She was asking to go outside potty more frequently. Not sure what happens if she gets another UTI. We increased her cranberry supplement and she is doing better today - either a false alarm or cranberry worked magic.

This week's milestone took place at puppy class last night. Cinder is overly excited around other dogs and it is difficult to walk her during class. So during class she was introduced to the pronged-collar; Barb calls it power steering. The timing seemed to be perfect, she adapted well with only a few squeaks. Corrections were less forceful and more effective. Most of the other puppies have been wearing them for a few weeks now. Cinder hasn't needed it outside of class, yet.

Draft Horse #2

Woof and Arf All,

I'll write today and Slick can take pen in paw to write about our adventures tomorrow. A couple days after coming home with Slick, his human cousin Evan came for a visit. We played with him in the back yard, being careful to veer at the last second as we were chasing each other. Finally, it was time to rest.

The next day, Slick took me with his humans to have some crepes. Unfortunately, there was none for us, although I did manage to snach a small morsel dropped on the floor. :-) Then Slick took me to his draft horse training spot. They put on his pulling harness, but must not have been able to find a cart as a human had to hold the traces, pretending to be a wagon. I watched as Slick built up his muscles. Then I got my turn, but all they did was put on the harness and walk me around. I could have pulled a cart if they asked!! I just wanted to mention the wonderful cold floor to lay on.

Speaking of cold floors, Slick and I went to see Star Trek this afternoon and got in a good nap. They wouldn't let me sit in a seat so all I could see of the screen was the back of the seat. It sounded good though. I laid down patiently and waited for popcorn to fall...sigh, it was a long, fruitless wait my friends - not a scrap.

All for now as my Bro Slick says,

Deegan

Good Girl

We stopped at Paisan's in Madison, Cinder's first dinner out, and she laid quietly under the table the entire time. As usual we were right next to the kitchen and there was a lot of traffic - good girl. Immediately upon exiting the restaurant, she sprinted to the grass to relieve herself - good girl.

I cleaned Cinder's ears last night after we got back. She did not appreciate the cleansing fluid being squished around her ear canal - some reward for being a good girl all day. After the treatment, she wouldn't let me get close to her for the rest of the night; she would run away when she saw me approaching, keeping a close watch on my hands.

It was my mistake, I didn't follow the Dog Whisperer's advice and surprised her when she was resting. We did make up this morning, so we should be good until next week. No more surprises, I want her to trust me.

Music Lover?

Cinder had a very busy day yesterday. Her day started with an appearance at the OccuPaws Dog Jog where she met up with her canine pals. In between wrestling with Promise, she met a few new people, dogs, and costumed cow.

One of the EMTs put on his equipment to greet all the dogs. None had issues, until they sounded the siren. Then Promise's tail disappeared between her legs and she wanted to get as far away as possible.

After the Dog Jog, we returned home to a house full of humans. Cinder was so exhausted from the morning that she retreated to her crate to get a little peace and quiet. After napping for a couple hours she reappeared and happily greeted everyone. Her favorite part of the day was either playing with the kids or cleaning up after them.

Cinder has a milder aversion to loud noises than Promise and it is an issue that needs to be worked on. So to build on the success of yesterday, we took Cinder to the Syttende Mai parade in Stoughton. The sirens were not an issue. Initially the bands made her somewhat uncomfortable, especially the drums. After the twelfth band she was doing much better. The kiss from one of her many fans might have helped calm her.

Cinder did not appreciate the large (costumed) dog; she didn't want anything to do with him. She did like all the pets that she received form the children and adults. She was extremely interested in the many horses that passed. She seemed to be able to smell them before she saw them.

Jog for Dogs Pictures

Woof!!

A great day yesterday. We had a family reunion!!!

and we got to meet some firemen and listen to sirens and horns and stuff.

and then some human blah blah blah and for some reason humans like to make each other cry... a lot.

and lots of people just walked around and watched and ate.

and then a strange fruit started dancing and singing...I didn't know Chiquita's could talk?

there were lots of things for sale and raffles...

and the strangest black lab I have ever seen...definitely a bad hair day!

and a talking cow!

but the bestest part of all was Deegan came home with Lilly n me and we played and ran!

Slick

Grocery Redux

After talking to the trainer, we decided to give the grocery store another try. Our focus this time was to let Cinder explore, not for her to be under control. Our laid back approach resulted in a more enjoyable experience for all parties. And no accidents inside, knock on wood.

She was exceptionally inquisitive on our walk today, so we were provided with plenty of opportunities to try the FIX IT command. With some mild prompting, she quickly figures it out which side of the pole to be on. Chewing on her leash continues to be an issue. She seems to understand the drop it and we also stop walking as soon as she begins to chew, but she still can't resist the ever present chew toy.

Cinder is not wanting for toys, yet she seems to discover a new one everyday. Today it was the new rug, which is 3'x10', and she moved it from the kitchen to the office. She also has taken a liking to Lisa's shoes, not chewing, but transporting from room to room. I think that we just catch her before she can get busy.


There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face. - Ben Williams

We're Back

Cinder spent the last few days at Camp Morga while we were touring with the Boss. Three days with Promise (her sister), Echo, the newborns, and the Morga pack followed by a puppy socialization class resulted in one tired dog this evening. She lies at my feet snoring.

We picked Cinder up tonight at our weekly puppy class in Janesville. It was like meeting her for the very first time. She wasn't paying attention or responding very well. Not sure if it was a dog problem or a trainer problem; I was still feeling the effects of long car rides, standing for hours, and sleep deprivation. She was also very treat oriented, which may have been caused by getting a late dinner.

She struggled initially climbing up the playhouse and walking though the tunnel. Too much pressure, because later she wanted to explore and she walked right up. I think she was searching for treats. At home, Cinder showed some trepidation as an oscillating fan that was drying the rug. We were entertained for fifteen minutes watching her discovery process. Eventually, she had to walk past it to get outside. Now it's no big deal.

Before class, we stopped by the green house in Janesville to visit Oliver. Unfortunately, he wasn't on site at the moment. We did talk to his sister (his owner's daughter); she said that is getting along extremely well - kids visiting and plenty of opportunitities to run.

Lilly comes for a Visit

Lilly's back for a visit!!! Lilly's little guy is going to the hospital for an operation so Lilly came to stay with me for a while. I'm sad for Tino not getting to see her for a while but I glad she's here to play with me. She KNOWS how to play the proper Labradork way!! Wheeeeeee

All for Now,

Slick