Still a Growing Boy

What a difference six weeks can make!  The photos taken in the grass were taken on November 14, and the snow photos were taken on December 30.  Not only is Cowboy getting bigger, he's also getting darker!  I'm sad to see all of his pretty light gray merle coloring going away; I loved those markings.  It shouldn't be a surprise since him mother is a solid (and dark) merle and his father is a black tri. But who knows, he may lighten up again before he turns a year old. 

At nine weeks he is 16 inches tall and weighs 23 pounds  Only a couple of inches shorter than Kizzy and two thirds her weight.  Kizzy was the runt of her litter and much smaller than the rest of her litter mates but I like her size - small enough to still be a lap dog but big enough not to get stepped on.  Cowboy's mother only weighs 32 pounds but dad is 53, and it appears (so far), that he might be small like his mom, which is ok with me. Of course he'll have at least one more growth spurt before he's six months old so it's really anyone's guess.   Right now his legs are so long that he looks more like a 
   jackrabbit than a puppy. 

   He now knows how to push the big silver handicap buttons - 
   although he's still too short to reach the real ones, but I can
   hold the one I have at home up at my waist level and he jumps
   up to push on it with his front paws.  We're now working on
   the small blue boxes with the red buttons - he has to learn to 
   push on the button with his nose.  He has the concept but now 
   has to learn to push it hard enough to make it "click", which 
   would signify that the door will open. 

   He's also learning to come and sit in front of me when I call 
   him, in preparation for some obedience lessons. He already 
   knows "sit" and "down" on hand signals, and sit on 
   command.  We're working on down with a voice command. 
   Leash manners might be a ways off yet - every time I put him
   on lead he grabs hold of the leash with his teeth.  That in itself
   isn't really all that bad, except he wants to play tug-of-war with 
   it, and almost pulled me off my feet on the snow.  Standing   
   still is very difficult right now as well, as all he does when you 
   touch him is wiggle, wiggle, wiggle.  It's all about play at this 
   stage of the game.

Being a typical puppy, everything has to go into his mouth and he wants to eat everything!  His favorite toys are the cardboard tubes from the paper towels; never mind the nine dog toys scattered about the house.  I'm constantly picking up little pieces of cardboard from the floor, but it's ok since he only chews them up and doesn't eat them. Any food dropped on the floor is immediately claimed.  You know that three second rule?  It doesn't work when you have a one second dog...  Oh, and he likes lemons.

Success!

So far the new feeding technique is working!  Cowboy is not only learning to slow down some when he eats, but is also learning a bit of obedience with the "sit" and "wait" commands.  The first two meals were a little touch and go, but by supper he not only would sit and wait without me even telling him, but I was able to call him off of the bowl with the cheese!  No growling, no snapping, and I was even able to pet him a little bit while he ate.  YAY!  

Now What?

Well the food protection turned into food aggression this morning, and in a repeat of yesterday, he not only growled at me, but snapped as well when I touched him on the top of his head while he was eating.  I know that there are those who would say, "then don't touch him when he's eating."  However, he is already a very dominant oriented dog, and needs to learn that *I* am alpha, not him. What that means in doggie terms is that I have first claim to all of the food in our "pack". He is just under 14 weeks and there is already far too much testosterone floating around in him.  

I've had dogs all my life, and have never had one that was food aggressive, so I am somewhat at a loss as to how to deal with this.  He eats three cups of food a day, but eats like he is starving to death, inhaling it like a vacuum without even chewing.  Because of the way he eats I worry about bloat, so his food gets soaked with water before I give it to him.  He has been wormed three times and eats separately from my other dog, so there is no issue of her stealing his food.  Quite the contrary, he would wolf his own food down and then bully her out of the way so he could eat hers as well.  This behavior is very recent - he did not do this when I got him, and I cannot figure out why this has happened.  

But after speaking to a professional dog behaviorist, I will try something a little different. First of all his meals will be taken back to three times per day.  Instead of giving him his entire meal at once, I will sit on the floor with his bowl in front of me, but the food in another bowl out of his reach.  He will have to sit and "wait" while I put only seven or eight pieces of kibble in his bowl at a time, leaving my hand next to the bowl.  When I give him the ok, then he can eat the food. When he has eaten it, he has to sit and wait again until I say ok.  Interspersed with the kibble, I'll give him a small bit of cheese to see if I can draw his attention away from his bowl. It will take some time, and I'm well prepared to be snapped at again, but something has to be done to modify this behavior.  If we don't do something about it now, it will cause problems when he's full grown. 

Chow Hound

Oh dear, we have been having some serious food issues of late.  Cowboy has started "guarding" his food, and even if I just walk past his pen he hovers over it like an old prospector protecting his gold claim.  And yesterday when I reached down to pet him while he was eating (which I've done before with no ill effects), he growled at me!  I cuffed him hard for that, and rolled him - and then took his food away and locked him in his crate for half an hour. When I let him out and gave him back his food, we had no further incidents. 

Let It Snow!

Cowboy LOVES the snow!  He eats it, rolls in it, and pounces into the drifts and then face plants himself so that the only thing you can see are his ears. I make snowballs for him to chase and he runs under the trees with them in his mouth and leaves them there.  He has a collection of snowballs under the spruce!  I pulled an icicle from the roof of the kennel and gave it to him, and I think that was the best toy in the world!  
 

Simple Pleasures

Oh, the joy of the empty cardboard tube from a roll of paper towels - or a plain sheet of paper. These are now Cowboy's favorite toys.  He can rip them to shreds and not get in trouble. I am now combing the carpet every evening for tiny bits of paper and cardboard, so at least when I get up in the morning the floors will be clean.

Vaccines Anyone?

Cowboy was due for his next booster shot, but being that he is so wiggly I have to make sure it's one of those rare times when he's calmer than usual.  This morning he seemed to be more low key than what is normal for him, so I loaded up the syringe and sat on the floor next to him.  Pulling up a small amount of loose skin, I placed the needle close to him and was preparing to inject the vaccine - when he suddenly jumped up and wiggled sideways just as I was inserting the needle.  The result was that I poked my thumb instead of the puppy.  It wasn't much more than a pin prick, and I had a good hold on the plunger so there was still plenty of vaccine for him, and after I cleaned and sterilized the needle and he did get his shot.  On the upside I now don't have to worry about catching parvo or distemper... 

 

Just a growing Boy

Cowboy is now twelve weeks old and I am slowly (painfully slowly), seeing some signs of settling down in him.  He seems to bother Kizzy a little less – of course it probably helps that she’s getting tired of his pestering and nailed him a few times this past week.    

He is spending more time out of his pen and for the most part does very well, although I do have to keep an eye on him to make sure he isn’t getting into something he shouldn’t be – like electrical cords, or shoe laces.  He does love my soft leather slippers and I have to keep them up out of his reach if I’m not wearing them.  I’ve never had a dog that was so obsessive before.  Shoes, socks, food, toys, it really doesn’t matter; he wants them and no one should have them.  I’ve had to cuff him more than once for aggression with things he should not have.

He can leap up onto the couch now too; oh joy.  Night before last  I was stretched out on the couch reading a book and he leaped up onto me, looking as pleased as can be.  Since he settled right down and went to sleep.  I did allow him to stay, but as soon as he started getting too rambunctious – off he went.  We did this a few times because he jumped right back up and wanted to play.  He will learn that the couch is not his playground and will only be allowed up there if he behaves himself.  As is typical with him, I have to scold him several times before he finally gets it – I’m sure however, that he is only testing me to see what I’ll let him get away with.  What he doesn’t know is that I raised and trained four Siberian Huskies, and there is no dog more stubborn than they are. An Australian Shepherd may be very smart, but I am far more stubborn than he is! 

Today at Puppy Playtime he finally showed more confidence and did not hide under chairs but instead played with three other puppies and even allowed other owners and the trainers to give him commands (for food of course!)  But he did very well and I was proud of him.  We did go out into the “big dog” pen at first, as there were only about six other dogs there, but as more of the bigger kids arrived we moved back to the “little dog” pen. 

Afterward I stopped at Murdoch’s to check on an item I wanted and he was absolutely overwhelmed by all of the people and children there.  He’s never really been around small children and wasn’t too sure about them, but every one of the kids who wanted to pet him asked first!  Yay for those parents for teaching their children to respect the animals and not go charging up to them helter skelter!

To top that off, there were reindeer IN the store!  Fenced off but still – they were a bit frightening to a little pup and he barked at them.  Had I realized they were there I would not have stopped, and I picked him up and carried him out.  I’ll check on that item another time. 

He got his third second booster today; one more in four weeks and a rabies shot, and then he’ll be good for a while.  We’ll have to stop at the vet in the next day or two to get an accurate weight, and so he can feel comfortable there for when he goes in for his rabies vaccine.

We are still having issues with food.  He has to learn that I can take food away from him whenever I want, but that he will also get it back.  As I pull his dish away he throws his face into the bowl and literally inhales the food.  It was suggested to me that when I take it away, I should put some special treat in the bowl so when he gets it back he has something better.  Tried this three times with small liver treats but he didn’t ever care that there was new food in there.  He just attacked the dish and inhaled more food.  After the third time of me taking his food away, he picked up the dish and turned it upside down then sat and glared at me as if to say “There, now try to take my food away.”  I must get creative…

All in all we are finally getting to a place where he and I are beginning to understand each other, and that he knows I am alpha; at least over him.  He is beginning to show signs of dominance over Kizzy.  She doesn’t seem to mind much, unless he steps on her, and then she jumps up and bites him.  But he on the other hand, is not biting so much anymore – thank goodness!

A Month of Difference

I think things are beginning to sink into Cowboy’s little brain.  While he’s been very good at sits and downs, and can push the big, silver handicap button, those have been pretty basic and repetitive exercises, and he loses all capacity for everything else. But today I was actually able to call him off of Kizzy’s food dish – with food in it – and he even brought me his toy and let me take it from him!  In exchange for a treat, but still a huge step for a puppy that has been very possessive of anything he has in his mouth.

The past couple of weeks he’s been very apprehensive at puppy playtime; which surprises me as he is so rambunctious with a friend’s puppy. They bounce around and wrestle like crazy, and she’s bigger than he is.  But yesterday, even though he still ran under the chairs occasionally, he actually came out from under them part of the time to play with the other puppies.  And then I heard him yelp and he started limping pretty bad.  I thought perhaps he would hobble around for a minute and then charge back to the other pups but he didn’t so I cut is short this time. I didn’t think it was anything serious but just in case, I didn’t want to aggravate anything. By later in the afternoon he was just fine, racing around the backyard like a maniac.

This afternoon I had to go into town for a few hours and left him in his crate.  He usually barks incessantly if I leave him – with our without Kizzy, but today as I walked out the door I didn’t hear a peep out of him.  Of course that’s not to say he didn’t scream once I drove off, but at least he was quiet as I was leaving.  Maybe he’s figuring out that I am going to be back and he is not being abandoned…

When I got home I decided to give the carpet in his pen a cleaning and took him out to spray carpet cleaner on it.  He got to run loose in the house for a few hours and did very well!  I kept a close eye on him and had to scold him for grabbing hold of an extension cord (it was not plugged in), and trying to chew on the kitchen rug, but other than that he behaved himself and I was very proud of him!

His new favorite toy is a plastic water bottle.  I took the lid off and let him tear around with it for about an hour and a half, until he chewed a hole in it and bit off a small piece – then it went away. 

Looking at some of the photos I took of him in the past month I couldn’t believe how much he’s grown!  What a difference four weeks makes!  

Growing Like A Weed

Cowboy is growing quickly!  In four weeks he's grown four inches and gained seven pounds.  I won't be able to lift him up over the gate for much longer. 
I'm not sure if his growth is typical for an eleven week old pup - he still seems pretty small to me.  But maybe he'll be on the smaller side; his mom was and if he only tops out at 40 pounds or so I certainly wouldn't mind that at all.  

He's growing enough that he can get up on the furniture however, as he proved to me yesterday. As i was fixing supper for him and Kizzy, my other Aussie, he got so excited that he leaped right up onto the recliner!  He started eyeballing the counter top too, and I just know that he is calculating just how far of a jump it would take to get onto the counter.  He is too smart for his own good!  

For the first couple of weeks I made sure he learned to wait at the top of the back steps until I told him it was ok to go down, because he'd tried leaping off of the porch his second day here!  I was so very worried that he'd injured himself but he just kept right on going.  But now when I let him out, he still stops and waits for me, and turns to look at me as if to say "Now? Can I go down the steps now?" And then when I let him go he takes off like a rocket, racing all over the yard. He is incredibly fast, and not the least bit afraid of climbing over things or going under, and can already jump over Kizzy (she isn't very tall though)..  A new back deck is leaning against the side of the house, waiting for better weather to be installed and he races back and forth through the "tunnel"  - he'll be a good agility dog! 

And apparently teething causes a puppy's ears to do all sorts of strange things. At eight weeks his ears rolled back just like an Aussie's ears should.  But now they stand up straight, fold at the tips like a Border Collie and sit right up on top of his head like a Sheltie. Drives me crazy and I can't wait until they get back to looking like Aussie ears again.

A Horse Drawn Carriage Ride

today mom took me to town and i got to meet some animals that mom said were called horses and they were really big! mom said the horses were called pete and repete and then we got inside a cage that had seats in it and mom said it was called a kerij (carriage) and the horses pulled us down the road. i was cold so mom wrapped a blanket around me and then i wasnt cold no more. it was fun!


This is the team I drove at Paws Up this past summer, and I just had to go visit them and take a carriage ride - although it felt strange being on the inside and not in the driver's seat!  Cowboy did very well meeting the horses. He was very curious and they are very patient.  The ride itself was cold and he was shivering, so a wool blanket came in handy.  Once he was wrapped up in the blanket he watched the horses intently as the pulled us down the street. At one point he started struggling to get away from me and I'm not sure, but it could be that his herding instinct was kicking in and he wanted to chase them.  Needless to say I held fast to him and he settled down quickly.  Maybe one of these days he will get to run along with the horses - provided he learns to stay out from under the wagons and away from the horses' hooves.

Sweet Dreams

It seems now that Cowboy “talks” in his sleep.  Last night at some ungodly hour he started whining and yipping softly, and then barked loud twice.  Thinking that he needed to go out I dragged myself out of bed and started to get dressed to go outside. As I was tying up my snow boots in the dark I realized that it was suddenly very quiet   apparently he’d been dreaming, and had gone back to sleep. As I climbed back into bed I could hear him, snoring!  What do eleven week old puppies dream of?  

He is getting better about the biting, but has constant relapses. At least he isn’t biting as hard anymore. 

At ten weeks he knows “sit” on both hand signal and command, although the voice command isn’t as reliable yet, but he’s getting it.  “Down” on hand signal, and is learning “Off”, although that’s a tough one when you’re so little. He jumps up at me when he wants to be picked up and cuddled, much like a toddler would. And because he is so very active, quiet time cuddling is rare, and I usually pick him up and let him curl up on my lap.  I imagine that will be interesting when he weighs 50 pounds.

His favorite toy is a plush cow, which was as big as he was just a couple of weeks ago. It was pretty entertaining to watch him wrestle that thing around, but he was determined and got it wherever he wanted it to be.  

Winter Fun - Outdoors and Inside

it was very cold out today but mom made me go outside sometimes but i didn't want to. she gave me a stick that bit my tongue and it was hard to keep in my mouth cause it was slippery mom said it was called a icicle. when we went back inside mom blocked of the hall way and i got to be loose in the living room and kitchen and i had fun! i found the dog cookie jar and pawed at it and got a cookie! i crawled under the chairs at the table and ran around and around the little table in the living room and then ran from the living room to the kitchen over and over and then i learned to jump on the couch! mom said oh yay and then put me back in my little kennel i dont think she liked that part.


The temperature was brutally cold today and Cowboy did not want to go outside! But he cannot learn to eliminate in the house so, sorry little guy - life it tough sometimes. There were icicles hanging off the roof of the dog kennels so I broke one off and gave it to him.  What a grand new toy!  Kizzy wandered over to him and he took off with the icicle dangling out of his mouth like a fat cigar. No way was he going to relinquish that to her. 

I've started stretching an old baby gate across the bottom of the back steps - not necessarily to keep him from getting up onto the porch, but to keep him from jumping off...  He tried once already and thankfully he landed in the pile of snow I'd shoveled off of it a couple of days ago and was not injured.  But the little stinker knows that it's only a temporary gate because today he wanted up on the porch and grabbed one of the bars on the gate and tried to pull it away!  That's pretty abstract thinking for an eleven week old pup!    

I blocked off the hallway and let him loose in the living room and kitchen. He actually did very well!  He's discovered that he can run around the coffee table and does so - over and over an over, and at one point kept on running - right onto the couch!  Nice...  I snatched him up right away and he went back into his kennel. At first he protested but as he had pretty much run himself out he soon curled up and crashed.

The Big Silver Button

mom is learning me how to push this button she says its for humans who cant open doors by themselves and she said dogs can learn to do that for them. today i could stand up on my back legs and push on it with both of my front paws. mom got really excited and happy cause i did it just right! she tried to make a movie of it but she had to put her camera on the table and i kept moving around so i didnt get on the movie.
yip yip!

Apparently Cowboy has decided that he does not like the cold weather.  Several times today he’s indicated that he needs to go outside and will follow me down the hall to the back door, but as soon as I open the door he turns around and hightails it back to the living room.

We played the paw press game again this morning with the silver button, and within only a minute or so he figured out that he is supposed to press the button now and not my hand, and did so very reliably!  The second time I held the button up high so he would have to stand on his back legs to reach it.  He figured that out very quickly and now does that just as well. 

I wanted to take him out and work on leash manners with him, but this sudden cold snap and snow deterred my plans, as the temperatures are much too cold for his sensitive paws to be walking on snow and ice. We’ll just have to wait for a little bit warmer weather.

The First Hurdle

I’ve been working on the paw press with Cowboy almost since the day I got him, and he’s very reliable with it so I introduced the round silver handicapped button into the exercise.  At first he just swiped at it, and then he used it to “stand” on so that he could reach my hand, but today he actually touched it with his paw.  We played the game three different times today and by the last time he was touching the button and not my hand – good boy!

He was really trying my patience this evening however. His incessant barking (among other things), was about sending me over the edge. I almost snapped at him but opted instead to clean off the kitchen table.  Somehow he knew I was very upset because – even though I never made a sound toward him – each time I walked past his kennel he backed away from me. He finally laid down and went to sleep while I ranted about on my cleaning frenzy. 

I know he’s very frustrated.  He has all of this energy and no outlet for it, which is resulting in the barking and biting.  He can’t play with Kizzy because he’s too rough and knocks her over, and I can’t keep an eye on him all the time, so he’s stuck in his little kennel in the house.  He has room to move about and play, but still cooped up. It’s frustrating not only him, but me and Kizzy as well.  There’s a lot more stress in the house the past couple of weeks.

I play with him but not as rough and tumble as he wants to play, and I’m teaching him the service dog exercises and other things, but it just doesn’t seem to be enough.  I think Ricochet needs to come over for some play dates…

I need to find a way to channel his energy - I have to find the key that will unlock the great potential in this pup.  And that key is more likely with me than with him.  Maybe I'll try to teach him to run on my treadmill; not only would that help with energy but would keep him in great shape as well.

Let It Snow

HEY! theres stuff falling out of the sky thats like rain but its colder and sticks in my coat mom says its called snow. it bites my paws and i have to lick my paws to make it stop


First snow of the season today, and Cowboy sat and watched it fall for a few minutes and then ran all over the yard trying to eat the snowflakes as they fell.  Temperatures are supposed to drop dramatically in the next week or so - we'll see how he likes the cold.

November 23

mom and me went for another walk today and i saw a HUGE scary monster that roared really loud! mom had to pick me up cause i was really scared of it and i thought it would get me and eat me. there was a lady riding on the monster and she made it stop and be quiet so we could go past it. mom said it was called a lawn mower. tonight we went to a store that sells dog stuff and i got to play with another puppy that looked like me! his human rubbed my tummy and it made my back leg go round.

movenber 22

today was a big day! mom and me went to a place called home deepo with ricochet and autie danette and we saw LOTS of new things and some humans there petted us and gave us treats! then we went to puppy playtime and there were three new puppies to play with but one was not very nice and she went out with the bigger dogs. the other two were bigger than me but not much and they were part aussie too. i had lots of fun!

 

november 20

mom took me for another walk today but we went on a different path. i didn't like it cause there were lots of really big dogs that barked at me and one looked like he was going to jump his fence and eat me! i got really really scared at him and mom had to pick me up and carry me past his yard. im learning how to come to mom when she calls me and sit in front of her and im doing it really good and i can lie down when mom points her hand in the air now. today i learned to stop and sit next to mom when we walk. when we got home i took a nap and then i got to sit on moms lap and sleep more. i like to do that. i was a really good boy today!

nobember 19

i had to go outside on the long leash today because i wouldnt leave kizzy alone and i knocked her down and she growled at me. mom picked me up and i bit her on the ear and she bit me back and i didnt like that at all! mom says i am incorijible today but i dont know what that means. humans use such funny words. i had to stay in the big kennel outside while kizzy walked around the yard but i was a good boy and didnt bark or anything well not much anyway. a big bird made a loud noise and it scared me. mom said it was called a flicker. there was rain falling but it looked different and mom said it was called snow. it felt funny on my paws like something was biting them and i kept biting my paws to make it stop. it was windy and i chased leaves all over the yard and chewed on them. i like leaves!

later i got to go for a walk around our nayborhood it was very big! there were lots and lots more leaves to chase and mom says she has to watch me like a hawk because i want to eat rocks yip yip! she put her finger in my mouth and took one out and i didn't like that. i met a new friend named hoodeenee. she is a lot bigger than me but i like her very much. i took a long nap when we got home. mom rolled me again cause i bit her again i was a bad boy. some other dogs walked by our yard and kizzy barked at them so i barked too. there was more snow and i like to eat it.

Freedom

today i got to take my cow outside and play with it but kizzy kept taking it away from me! i jumped on her and got in trouble. im not supposed to do that cause shes old. mom put the x-pen around my crate so now i can to in and out when i want to and i have a yard to play in when im in the house but theres no grass in this yard and im not allowed to dig in the carpet. i still dont like it cause i want to run all over the house but i cant cause i eat everything. and i can go down the back steps now but i still need help cause i go to fast and fall. mom says i gained a whole pound since friday and grew a whole inch! im not biting so much anymore.

Cowboy has gained a little over a pound since last Friday and now weighs 10.5 pounds!  He’s also grown a whole inch and is 11” tall at the withers. 

I’ve been blocking both the kitchen and hallway with the x-pen and baby gate and letting him loose in the living room, which he just loves.  FREEDOM!  Well, almost. The problem with this is that now he doesn’t want to be in the crate anymore. 

Tonight I placed the x-pen around his crate to give him a little more room to move around, but not have the run of the living room.  That way Kizzy can also move around freely and not feel left out because she’s blocked from the room - he’s far too rough with her.  He knocks her over in the back yard and she can’t maneuver away from him, nor is she assertive enough anymore to stop him and she’s turning into a crabby old lady.

 

Puppy Update

The past ten days with Cowboy have been days of laughter, growling (on my part, not his), frustration, impatience, and pure joy. I have never had a dog with so much drive - he is TRULY a herding dog! Poor Kizzy gets the brunt of his sneak attacks (because I won’t put up with being jumped on and bitten), but she is definitely teaching him some manners and he has a bit more respect for her since she rolled him a few days ago. At times he is an independent little cuss, but I can relate because, well... so am I.

Of course everything has to go into the mouth, get chewed on and, if allowed. will be destroyed. Several toys in his x-pen are well utilized. 

He is incredibly smart and so willing to learn. At nine weeks he will sit and down on hand signals and is learning stay – one baby step at a time. When I call him he comes running and sits right in front of me. I did not teach him that, he did it all by himself – good boy! He knows to go outside to potty but doesn’t yet have the control so he gets carried outside but runs inside by himself and has been able to get up the back steps all by himself by his third day here. He is not allowed to go down the steps however because he wants to jump over them instead (about a two foot drop – not that far unless you’re a tiny pup). Baby gate now block the steps so he can only use them under supervision.

It’s been a long time since I’ve had a puppy, and I have to try and recall the many games I played with Kizzy to teach her (and myself), how to deal with so many behaviors. Remember to throw in some obedience “games” with the play, and ENJOY the puppy time - I know it won't last long! And even though Cowboy really tries my patience at times I remind myself that he IS still a puppy, and he really is doing much better. It's a learning experience for both of us!

november 15

today i got to go to a dog store and mom got me a new chew toy and the lady at the store gave me a treat. then i went to my first puppy playtime! lots of puppies get to run and play for a whole hour! i had to go in a different place where there were littler puppies but they were still bigger than me and i got scared and hid under a chair. then all of the littler puppies went out with the big puppies and i was all by myself but that was ok cause i got to visit with them all with the fence in between and it was not so scary. i met lots of new puppies and new people and i get to go back next sunday too!

First Visit to the Vet

today i went to the vet for my first 'well puppy' exam and i met doctor lindsey and i like her. i gained a whole pound and grew a whole inch since i came to live in montana! mom said she could tell i was growing because my legs are getting longer. they cut my nails because im too wiggly for mom to do it by herself and they took my temperature - i did NOT like that! then i got a micro chip put in my neck with a big fat needle! it looked scary but i only yipped a little bit and did not scream like mom thought i would and i got a cookie from doctor lindsey. i got to meet doctor shoni too and lots of other people there. they were all very nice and thought i was cute - and i am

Cowboy had his first visit to the vet for a “well puppy” exam. He weighed in at 8.8 pounds and is 11 inches tall at the shoulder – that’s a full inch taller and almost a pound heavier than the day I brought him home. I can tell he’s growing too – he’s beginning to look very leggy.

He got his nails clipped and his temperature taken (he did not like that(, and had the microchip implanted.  He whimpered just a little when they first stuck the needle in but other than that he did great!  He also showed off a little bit of what he’s learned with paw press and sits ad downs for the vet and her assistant.

 

Round and Round We Go

ive been at my new home for a whole week now, and mom and i have had a lot of talks about who is really in charge - i think its me but mom says no and i get n trouble when i try to be in charge so i think mom is in charge now. i dont bite so much any more and im getting better about not grabbing fingers when i take treats. i am learning how to do high fives and i already know sits and downs with hand signals! (but sometimes i still need help). today we took a walk and met some new friends. tomorrow i get my booster shots and get to go to the vet for my first puppy check up. and i get a micro chipp - but i dont know what that is.

Well it’s been a week and there have been more than one occasion when Cowboy and I have debated over who is in charge, and I had to roll him a couple of times, but we are making progress.

He pretty much has the “paw press” down and is doing it reliably, and he’s beginning to understand the “sit” hand signal.  He’s still thinking about the “down” but with a little help he does it very quickly and reliably.

We’re still working on not snatching food, and probably will be for longer than I’d like, but it’s a process of baby steps. I’ll have to find the buster cube and he can eat his supper that way.

Dropped him off at Danette’s office so she could keep an eye on him while I reported for jury duty.  I wasn’t selected and arrived to pick him up around 11:30.  She said he did very well in the crate under her desk until someone came in and he thought it was me.  After that she couldn’t keep him quiet and ended up putting him in the bigger crate in her truck.  We walked to the UC for some hot chocolate and he did very well on the leash, got to meet some people and saw a bicycle, which didn’t faze him at all.

Tomorrow he goes to the vet for his first puppy check-up (at no charge!), and he will be micro-chipped.

 

Engaging the Brain

i was a good boy today! i got to go to a place that sold dog biscuits and auntie christi gave me some! i saw a man with a fuzzy face. mom said it was a beard and it scared me. i can run up the back steps now! i was running and running on the grass and ran right up the steps but i dont know how i did that and i stood there looking very confused but now i like it!

I guess Cowboy’s little brain did some thinking last night because he was much better behaved today.  The jumping up is getting better, but we still need to work on the biting and grabbing food.

Today we went to Murdoch’s to get his vaccines, and he did much better on the linoleum floor this time!  Met a gentleman who had a large beard and Cowboy wasn’t sure about him, but allowed the man to pet him.  Christi gave us some cookies and I gave them to people to feed him.  He takes them very gently from strangers – hmm…. 

While out in the back yard today he ran and ran and ran, and ran right up the back steps!   Once he got up there he had a look on his face as if to say “WOW!  How did I do that?!?!”  And then he tried to jump off the porch.  Nice.  I now have baby gates all around it so he can’t get up without me there to keep him from jumping off.  He does put his paws up on the boards along the side – and it won’t be long before he’ll be able to jump over those.  I need to get that ramp done and railings around the porch!

We started working on Service Dog training yesterday.  The “paw press” is coming along; it takes him a few minutes to realize what he needs to do to get the treat, but once he does he remembers.  From face up to face down made no difference to him.  Tomorrow we’ll try it off the ground and in front of his face.

Also working on sit and down, but that may take a little longer; he’s much to excited by the food than by what we’re trying to do.

He gets so very frustrated – in part because he has to stay either in the x-pen in the living room or the crate in the bedroom and the car.  I know he’d much rather be out and running around – and into everything – but until he learns and understands that he can’t chew and destroy everything, that’s where he’s stay. 

He’s so happy when get ready to take him out, his stubby little tale just wiggles.  We’re getting there!

Learning the Rules

today i was a bad boy, and mom had to teach me that jumping up and biting are very very bad. i bit her hard on the hand and it hurt. i didnt make any blood but she got mad and rolled me on my back on the ground and growled in my face! that scared me and i screamed so loud a lady peeked out of her door to see what was going on and laughed when she saw mom kneeling on the ground with her face right up next to mine. i was a good boy for the rest of the day! i guess im not very nice with food either cause i knocked the food bowl out of her hand yesterday cause i wanted that food really bad so now i have to eat my breakfast and supper one piece of kibble at a time and i cant grab it i have to take it nice. sigh.... its so hard to learn manners..

This morning when Cowboy went outside he showed some serious signs of aggression.  He ran up to me and instead of stopping he jumped up and grabbed my pant leg with his teeth, hitting my skin through the pajamas and scratching me.  I immediately rolled him and growled at him – and it didn’t even phase him!  OMG, I will not have an aggressive dog – this needs to stop NOW. 

He is also very intense with food – not so much aggressive, but maybe the “survival” instinct of having to deal with all of the other pups?  He plows into the food dish before I even set it down, and if I try to pick it up he jumps on it.  So last night and today he was fed by hand – one piece of kibble at a time, and he had to sit to be fed.  I hope this works.

 

The Training Begins

ive been at my new home for two whole days and it has been very exciting! yesterday i got to go to a big building where there were lots of people buying stuff but i had to stay in my crate because mom was very busy. but i got to go outside a lot but i had to be carried because the floor was made of linoleeum i didn't like it. I cried and wined a few times because i didn't want to be in the cage but the rest of the time mom said i was a very good boy. today i had a lot of energy and got to play outside for a long time. it was nice and sunny and i ran and ran and ran and ran until i was very tired. big sister kizzy and me played a lot. im not afraid of her anymore. i saw a little animal that hissed at me mom said it was a cat. i ate a dandylion but it was icky.

Well, so much for sleeping through the night…  Cowboy woke me up three times last night.  Once at 11:00 pm.  I usually take him our around 9:30 or 10:00 though, but I was very tired last night and went to bed at around 8:30 so I can’t say much about needing to out at 11:00

He had to go out again at around 2:00 am and then again at around 5:00 am – which is usually when I wake up anyway so again, no problem with that one.  Once he came back in he went right back to sleep so that was good.  I haven’t been putting water in his crate at night – so hopefully that’s been helping with the trips outside.

After being cooped up in the crate for most of the day yesterday, Cowboy was ready to rip and roar today!  As soon as it was light out I let him and Kizzy outside and he tore around the yard like a maniac!  Probably felt so good to him to be able to run around.  He and Kizzy seem to be more comfortable with each other and they played for quite some time.  He would hit her with his nose and then zoom away, run around the Spirea bush three or four times and then run back at her and blast around her, off in another direction.  Kizzy would chase him for a very short distance, but she’s a lot slower than she used to be! 

Last night – and again this morning – he figured out how to get up the back steps!   On one of his “zoomies” around the yard he just ran up the steps, and then stopped and looked around as if to say ‘how in the world did I do that?’  But there is no stopping him now.  No, now I just have to make sure he doesn’t try to run back down the steps, and hurt himself.  Man, I need to get that ramp built!  For now I block the step from below with a couple of baby gates.  Just need to protect him from himself!

The loves the dandelions!  He tries to eat them but then spits out the seeds; the can’t feel very good on his tongue.  Not worried about them, they’re not toxic. 

Right now he’s sleeping in the x-pen and having a dream – I can hear him squeaking.  Wonder if he’s dreaming about playing with Kizzy?  

Cowboy has been very aggressive with his food.  Not being aggressive to me, but pretty much inhaling it, and then grabbing at the bowl when I pick it up.  So tonight he got his dinner one piece of kibble at a time.  AND, he had to sit for each one and take in very gently – not grabbing it and my fingers at the same time in those razor sharp little teeth.  It was very hard for him at first, but he got the idea quickly that he had to sit and be polite of the food was taken away.  We’ll have to work on this many times, I’m sure. 

He learned the paw touch today for service dog training. The first time took about 15 minutes, but the second time was pretty quick.  The third time he was distracted by some people but then did use his paw.  We’ll work on this for the week to start.

First Public Appearance

Cowboy slept all night long last night!  Wow – I was expecting to have to get up at least four times, but was pleasantly surprised.  I think it’s mostly because he was so worn out from the drive to Missoula.  I’m hoping that he’ll sleep like this every night but I think I knew better…

I had already planned a Holiday Craft Market for today, and had gotten permission to take him along and had loaded the car last night.  This morning I put Kizzy in her kennel and Cowboy in the crate in the car, and off we went.  Got everything set up at my booth, and then brought him and the crate in and set it down in the back of the booth.  Thankfully it’s a good sized space so that even though he was way back against the wall he could still see what was going on.

Lots of people noticed him and I did allow a few of them to pet him.  It was great socialization for him and he met some small children too.  Some friends came by and took him outside for a little while – which was also very good.  He needs to get used to someone other than me working with him because when I start competing in agility I may need someone else to run him - so he needs to get used to that now.

He had a few short bouts of “I don’t want to be in this crate anymore!” – mostly whining but a few barks, but other than that he did great all day.

He and Kizzy seemed to feel more comfortable with each other this evening and they even played a little bit, but he was so tuckered out that he didn’t play very hard!