Lazy winter dog days

Dogs are so happy - they could care less if we are walking, wooding or just hanging out!

101 Things to Do With A Puppy or Pooch

I tell adopters the story of Thea as I want them to socialize their new additions as well. or better than we did. Coming up with new things is tough for some people (it was really hard for me at first)  so, in case you are bringing home a puppy soon here is a list of 101 things to do with a puppy to help the socialization/confidence building process along.  A few of these things are more than one thing of course - different people/places make them different.. but this should get you going.

Some caveats to keep in mind first though - make sure you can control the situation - overfacing your dog is worse than not exposing them. For example I would not introduce a dog who had never met a baby to them at a party with 20 children under the age of 2. Positively reinforce the attitude you want and let the dog offer that behaviour rather then forcing the interaction. Better to have one quick sniff of the new thing offered than shoving pooch into a stressful situation. You can always revisit anything you try. In fact it takes very little to make it a new experience all over again - change one element and it's new!

1. meet new men 
2. meet new women
3. meet new children
4. meet babies
5. meet new people who are "strange"to the puppy (varied ethnicity, accents, older than dog is used to, limps, whatever!)
6. meet people wearing different cloths (pastors, big floppy hats, loose clothes, uniforms etc)
7. meet people using canes, carrying umbrellas, in wheelchairs etc (sometimes with a particularly shy puppy (or for some objects!) meeting the object away from a new person is a gentler approach - and fine! at a recent trial I was at some dogs got spooked by an electric scooter -my guys looked at me-  got a treat and spent the rest of the trial trying to get me closer to the scooter for more treats)
8. vary the location of all of the above - at home, away from home inside and outside are all different to a dog!
9. Play Pass the Puppy (at least three of you spread out a little - call the pooch to you - huge fuss a treat, and then somebody else calls- lots of fun and gets dog used to the notion that all people are worth paying attention to)
10. sign up for, and attend, at least one session of doggy school - it's fun! 
11. introduce your puppy to inert: bikes,
12. skateboards,
13. rollerblades,
14. strollers,
15. then introduce to them to: bikes in action,
16. skateboards in action,
17. rollerblades in action,
18. strollers moving.
19. Take a: car ride,
20. bus ride, subway ride,
21. Ride in a basket or box - Sally loved being in a cardboard box and dragged around.  
22. Ride in a cart, wagon or other moving object 
23. Change where the puppy eats: crate,
24. kitchen, 
25. bathroom, 
26. bedroom,
27. car, 
28. outside, etc.  I actually think this is a valuable skill for all dogs to have - see a meal - eat it. 
29. Eat out of different things in different ways: normal bowl,
30. a plate,
31. hand feed a meal, 
32. play swap this - once the dog is comfortable with you being around the food bowl  drop something lovely into the bowl and take a piece of kibble out, and reverse it - take kibble out and offer something fabulous *** this may not be appropriate for all dogs and all people - know your dog!
33. feed on a cookie sheet, in a  cup whatever you think of.
34. Go into a store - small independent merchants are often the best bet for this, banks are usually great too.  Before final vaccines I'd stay away from pet stores unless puppy is small enough to be in a cart - and you are diligent about not letting dogs you don't know have contact (I've seen enough parvo to last us all a life time) 
35. Sit outside a library, school or other similar place - amazing how many new things that accomplishes!
36. Walk on different surfaces and places: grass, 
37. concrete,
38. snow,
39. mulch, 
40. pine needles, 
41. wood floor, 
42. carpet,
43. linoleum, 
44. bubble wrap, 
45. a tarp,
46. a raincoat, 
47. a piece of cardboard, 
48. in a puddle
49. along a beach, beside running water
50. along a busy road
51. along a country road
52. up a steep hill
53. down a steep hill
54. a sewer grate, etc - without pushing puppy let them explore as many different surfaces as possible - reward if they approach and step on it - ignore and make no big deal if they are nervous - I'll model once then move on .. retry a few days later - pushing too hard can create a very real fear .
55. Go through things - hang a light material down and let puppy push it aside to get to you .. build up the material til puppy knows to push when invited 
56. have puppy cross logs, curbs, walk along rock paths 
57. Walk on moving surfaces - an easy way to do this is put a tennis ball under something solid 
58. Carry the dog. Small dogs need to be on the ground lots but big dogs need to learn to be carried too. 
59. Meet new dogs, of all ages and sizes and dispositions - being careful not to expose your puppy to dogs with unknown vaccine history or that are going to be nasty - telling a puppy off is one thing - attacking it is quite another 
60. Meet cats or new cats - let the cat be up higher than the dog and keep the pooch on leash 
61. Meet new other small animals - parrots, rabbits, guinea pigs whatever you can find to introduce go for it, respecting the other animal of course
62. Meet large animals - Sally met a camel when she was about 8 months old - she thought that was the best day ever in her life to that point! 
63. Visit the vet just for a cookie and weigh in 
64. Trim (or mock trim) nails, hold feet, smell feet, rub feet - get other people to do this too!
65. Groom or mock groom puppy - with a wide variety of tools - brush, comb, slicker brush wrong way round if dog is very short coated
66. Towel your dog as if it was soaked
67. Wipe feet with a towel 
68. Handle every bit of your puppy and make it a game ... hold the muzzle for a second and let go; pick up a foot, release and have a party; look inside ears and exclaim "oh what beautiful ears you have" 
69. Bath time - make it easy and short at first - every time you add an element it's something new ... soap, standing water, rinsing, a drier .. all change the picture (I'd be shocked if my dogs get even one bath a year once they get this is not a death sentence)
70. expose your pooch to noise ... not too loud at first but different sound exposures really pays off : music
71. workmen with things like jackhammers
72. hammering
73. chainsaws
74. dogs barking
75. metal clanging
76. knocking
77. crumpling paper
78. door bells
79. bells of any kind
80. clapping
81. popping sounds (I love bubblewrap)
82. offer new toys - everybody loves this one - people and puppies and pooches all!
83. fuzzy toys that make sounds
84. toys that move weirdly - one of the most fun Thea had when a little puppy was watch a train set run
85. tug toys you can interact with 
86. balls in all sizes you can roll and play with 
87. empty water bottles are a number one toy here 
88. empty boxes are great too- what happens if puppy is in a box? can they stand on a box? put a foot in a box? there is a great shaping game - 101 things to do with a box - that inspired the title of this blog post
89. Kongs - wubba kongs, kongs on ropes, plain old kongs fuzzy kongs 
90. Frisbees - soft is best if you are going to try throwing them to be caught- but my guys like chasing down plastic ones rolling on their edge too!
91. Watch and interact with things that beep, shriek and otherwise are unpredictable
92. Play dress up: coats or teeshirts on,
93. boots or socks, 
94. hats or head gear, 
95. funny collars, again whatever you can think of. 
96. expose puppy to new smells - what can you find that pooch won't know the smell of? open bottles and let them sniff - their noses are much much more sensitive than ours so be gentle with this one 
97. work tricks and training in a new spot - again a bathroom and a kitchen are very different places - let alone outside or somewhere the dog hasn't been before - three great ones to work on follow this suggestion.
98. Doggy Zen (also known as It's Yer Choice by some) just a game of self control - fun to try with new things and in new places. Quiz loved this game. 
99. hand touches - I don't ever use a verbal cue I need to do my own video on this apparently. 
100. go to place/mat/bed (great video - tho I no longer "charge a clicker"
101. Find your own new things that you can enjoy with your dogs - agility became a passion of mine simply through the desire to have fun with happy, engaged dogs! We also enjoy curling up on the couch together- don't doubt that power either!

It's quite funny as I type this Sam is watching out the window for Big T's return (they've been together for 13 days and nights straight) Sam is turning the radio volume up and down as he rests his sad head waiting. Not phasing him at all - so it seems we did an ok job on that phase of exposure for him!

The precursor to the post to follow ....

the next post is ridiculously long even with out this bit so I decided to splice it off  - I nearly axed it then decided that the way Thea came to join us may amuse you ... 

When I send people home with their adopted puppy (or under socialized young dog) I tell them the story of Thea.

How I adopted a chihuahua partly because of a message from beyond and partly because of a bet.

 I dropped Thea's very pregnant mother, Emma,  off at her foster home (one of our amazing vets!) the same day as I picked up Joe's ashes. Joe was a 6 pound chocolate chihuahua monster. He was also a dear, sweet, loving soul that had congestive heart failure (and all associated breathing issues) when he was dumped at a shelter. He did not, to be polite, show well there. He came home with us to assess and by the time he died three + years later he was a huge part of our life. He actually became much more social with everyone and his adoration for people he knew was absolutely touching. Once Joe's friend it was for life - however he was a little "funny" until he knew you. 

When Emma came in we knew her "puppy father" was a chihuahua - we had him too! As I dropped Emma off at the vets I joked quite loudly that if she had a chocolate female we'd know Joe expected the puppy to live with us. 

Well 

Yup three chocolate girls were born. We didn't want a puppy. We had Laurice and Brody and were fostering whatever was in need. Two dogs were plenty and Brody was my heart dog. No room at the inn. Then I started screening homes for the puppies. Idiots poured out of the woodwork; well intentioned folks who had never had a puppy before; gentle good people who lived on farms and didn't think dogs should be indoors; people who worked 10 hours days then hit clubs all night; youth who lived with their parents and weren't allowed dogs; we had one applicant whose reference told me they wouldn't adopt a rock to them. The foster parents wanted one puppy. A client at the clinic wanted one puppy (the non chocolate male went to them). Another amazing vet was dithering over adopting one puppy. One puppy was going to be left. Back to screening. Back to calls that left me shaking my head. The number of people who wanted to be just like Paris Hilton astounded me. 

Then somebody made me a bet. They bet a chihuahua could not be as friendly as other dogs and could certainly not do agility.(I wasn't an addict then but I was a little curious about the sport- hard to imagine life before agility now). 

Challenge on! 

Thea came home permanently! (She and her sisters had spent time with us prior to adoptions happening to give Emma a break). Her first day with us my Mum and aunt and I drove to Montreal, stayed in a no dog allowed hotel and had dinner out. Thea was all of 1.5 pounds then so she just snoozed in a handbag. Yup - i ended up channeling my Inner Paris!

I was determined that Thea would be the best socialized puppy on the planet. I read voraciously and decided that she was going to do 10 new things every day for 2 months. Then 5 a day until I was out of things to do. Thea is the best socialized chihuahua on the planet. In fact she's an exceptionally happy well socialized any breed of dog. 

measuring up, down and all around ...

“Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement.” 
Brian Tracy

"Life can be pulled by goals just as surely as it can be pushed by drives."
Viktor E. Frankl

"Who aims at excellence will be above mediocrity; who aims at mediocrity will be far short of it." 

Burmese Saying

Yup it's that goal setting time of year, but wait ... what's this I see?

Well, not me, but the dogs sure are perfect just as they are. I had a great year in agility land. Brody is running better and better and I'm truly, deeply grateful every time he zooms around a course. He's loving it and I get so much pleasure from every run.  We did 1 AAC trial (2 jumpers Qs - 1 title) and 4 CPE trials earning 27 Qs in that venue  out of 29 classes  - both errors were entirely mine. Brody is running at level 4 CPE nothing to sneeze at - the missed Qs have been my fault too, as usual! 

Thea astounds me. Much of the winter, and July and August she was in full time residence elsewhere .. I think she did 3 CPE trials - 19/20 Qs - her only miss was a snookers Q that I skipped # 3 in the closing for. Really would like to get her weaving in place. Will look for a couple of CPE trials for her to keep working on our Level 1 point title - I think she's about half way there. 

Sally was fantabulous too. 1 AAC trial - gamblers Qs and a snookers Q. Advanced jumpers eluded us mostly due to my inexperience running over 5 yps! She came to each of the CPE trials so 4 of them over the year. 20 Qs of 26 efforts- the missed Qs were too often missed contacts.

Sampson got to do a little more work than I had planned and he was lots of fun to play with train. 

For the number crunchers among us that means a whacking lot of Qs ... and a pretty successful year by that measure. Good dogs! More importantly to me I embraced my mission! 

 "To run every run with intention, passion and commitment; to hone my handling skills and maximize my dogs' potential for excellence." 

Lawn 'gility, Farm 'gility, Regionals, CPE trials, AAC trials, Nationals - it didn't matter where I was - with very, very few exceptions I grabbed the mission and hung onto it - and made it work for us all! (Well actually the dogs made it work - I like to think I helped a little!)

Looking forward I am excited to see how living the mission plays out for us in 2012. It may be a year of change for us all. As I am very serious about not letting Brody have one bad day at agility - his retirement looms large on my horizon - in fact given the issues around AAC regionals in Ontario I suspect he's already retired from that organization. I'd like to get Sally to an AAC trial or two this year if it works out - would be fun to finish a title with her there - and we are only one starters snookers Q away from a SGDC. 

2012 holds great promise for us and the ride should be fun!

Happy New Years to you all :)

Thanks for being part of the journey!

2011 In Review ...

"The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things." Henry Ward Beecher

"Happiness is not having what you want. It is wanting what you have."

 Unknown

"Happiness is as a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but which if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you."

Nathaniel Hawthorne

"Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared."

Buddha 

 

2011 was a year of reflection, grieving, hope and planning for us. It was a good year in many many ways. Losses as always in this crazy fostering life (Lizzie, Kizmet, Mama) but fewer than in recent years.
The video runs 4 minutes - Enjoy! It's agility + 

Snow is here and so is the cold

Puppy people around the province are suddenly noticing that well house trained puppies don't know that snow is a good place to potty. Cold toes, unknown surfaces, new sounds, and anxious humans all contribute to the issues. Not to mention bodies physically react to cold. The need to potty can vanish in the cold. Then it returns right after warming up. In and out is often the name of the game as the puppy works through this.

Natural? Yes. Frustrating as all get out? Yes.

I'm sure there are lots of brilliant trainers out there who never have set backs. I have never professed to be a trainer though - and set backs seem to be part of the learning curve for house training around here.

Set backs I now expect:

Weather - pottying in rain, snow, extremes of heat all affect systems!
New surfaces - any change poses a question - grass is not mulch is not concrete is not stone etc

New places - my classic classic example of this was poor Rufus (our first golden).We were visiting my Dad's apartment and Rufus needed to go out. Rather than indicating in any way at all he quietly snuffled around until he found a tree (a tall indoor houseplant) and very happily watered it. It was his only house training error ever with us but it looms large in my mind and means that every where new I am I am diligent about  making sure all dogs know where the correct place is to potty -no matter how much I trust their cleanliness generally!
New diet - or change in activity level... both of these affect frequency - if you aren't aware you can put your dog in an uncomfortable position .. you will learn your own dog's habits ... I promise



and the grandfather of all them -complacency! Once a dog seems to "get" it it's very easy to let up on the vigilance and that's a prime time for mistakes to occur.











** and thanks to those I worried - yesterday's pictures are ones I managed to get over the holidays - just don't have some pictures of somethings I am very grateful for - cousins, mum, in law siblings, god sons,friends and other furred and feathered family - the core group of us is together ... see Wordless Wednesday is tough for me.. should have left title at Gratitude ...which is what it started as....