Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Monday, December 14, 2015
Squeak Attack
 |
| The remnant |
It lasted about a day. Within
minutes of receiving it, she was licking and tugging on the tail. Sounds of
cloth ripping prompted me to distract her attention from it. The plush pink
puppy lasted one more day. Sandy witnessed the horror and shared the account
with me.
In a moment of savagery, the tail
was pulled back, stuffing was strewn about, and the squeaking mechanism was
removed. Sandy removed the loose stuffing and closed the wound. The pink plush puppy is
still among us, but it is less than it used to be.
We decided we could no longer
sacrifice plush toys to The Destroyer, so I went out Saturday and bought some
plastic/rubber squeak toys which were marked down considerably for Christmas.
She played with one a little, occasionally squeaking it, but mostly holding it.
I have yet to see any damage done.
That evening, Sandy went shopping
and returned with a
ChuckIt!® ball, the Ultimate
Squeaker. You may remember that Jenny LOVES to fetch balls. It quickly became
her favorite toy as she chewed and squeaked and chased to her heart’s content.
We feared she would chew it throughout the night, causing much disruption to
our silent night. Gratefully, there was a reprieve, and the night passed
without the tiniest of squeaks.
Sunday afternoon, as I waited for lunch, I picked up
the Squeaker and squeezed it. Nothing. No squeak, whether full or partial, was
heard. I shook the ball and heard something bouncing around inside. The
Destroyer struck again, rendering it silent.
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Do You Wanna Go Outside?
I don't recall when exactly, but Jenny has developed a new habit.
She loves to go outside and chase the ball, but she still struggles to just be outside by herself when
one or both of us are home. Sandy saw her go out a time or two, but normally she stands by the door and waits for us to join her. Forrest was very good at going through the dog door whenever he pleased and spend 30 minutes or more just laying in the grass. I long for the day Jenny finds that freedom and comfort.
But now she has this habit. Mind you, she has full access to go outside via the dog door. But what does she do? It starts with some tail wagging and eye contact as she stands where I can see her. It's so obvious she wants to go, but something in her brain says she needs a chaperone. Next, she jumps up on the couch and sits right in front of my face. I start petting her, not letting on that I know exactly what she's doing. I may convince her to lie down next to me, which lasts about two minutes if I'm lucky. A minute or two later, the torture begins. Every few seconds, she presses a paw on my arm, right in the "elbow pit," where it hurts the most. I try more aggressive petting. Sandy calls her over and gives me a 30-second reprieve before Jenny returns to sit very close to me and tap my arm.
I can't take it anymore. As if I suddenly understand her motives, I excitedly ask, "Do you want to go outside?" She attains a new level of excitement, jumping off the couch and "dancing" back and forth, waiting for me to get up and walk out with her. If I delay, she approaches the couch again, threatening a new round of torture for my arm. We head outside and start playing fetch.
Now, you would think after all that effort, she would stay outside quite awhile. But we seldom spend more than five minutes outside. She may relieve herself after the first throw; she may not. I haven't made a firm connection between her tapping and a need for a bathroom break. But she will chase the ball at least twice. Sometimes five or more times before she confidently pushes through the dog door.
We also have yet to resolve what alarm or trigger goes off in her head that leads her to repeat the cycle over again, sometimes three or more times in an evening.
With football season days away, the question is who will break first. Will I miss an amazing play, or will she learn to go out by herself? I anticipate pausing the TV a lot more on Sundays and Monday night, silently conceding the battle.
Maybe we should rent a kid to go outside with her for a few hours each evening. Jenny, I love you, but why won't you go outside by yourself?
She loves to go outside and chase the ball, but she still struggles to just be outside by herself when
one or both of us are home. Sandy saw her go out a time or two, but normally she stands by the door and waits for us to join her. Forrest was very good at going through the dog door whenever he pleased and spend 30 minutes or more just laying in the grass. I long for the day Jenny finds that freedom and comfort.
 |
| A rare moment of contentment |
But now she has this habit. Mind you, she has full access to go outside via the dog door. But what does she do? It starts with some tail wagging and eye contact as she stands where I can see her. It's so obvious she wants to go, but something in her brain says she needs a chaperone. Next, she jumps up on the couch and sits right in front of my face. I start petting her, not letting on that I know exactly what she's doing. I may convince her to lie down next to me, which lasts about two minutes if I'm lucky. A minute or two later, the torture begins. Every few seconds, she presses a paw on my arm, right in the "elbow pit," where it hurts the most. I try more aggressive petting. Sandy calls her over and gives me a 30-second reprieve before Jenny returns to sit very close to me and tap my arm.
I can't take it anymore. As if I suddenly understand her motives, I excitedly ask, "Do you want to go outside?" She attains a new level of excitement, jumping off the couch and "dancing" back and forth, waiting for me to get up and walk out with her. If I delay, she approaches the couch again, threatening a new round of torture for my arm. We head outside and start playing fetch.
Now, you would think after all that effort, she would stay outside quite awhile. But we seldom spend more than five minutes outside. She may relieve herself after the first throw; she may not. I haven't made a firm connection between her tapping and a need for a bathroom break. But she will chase the ball at least twice. Sometimes five or more times before she confidently pushes through the dog door.
We also have yet to resolve what alarm or trigger goes off in her head that leads her to repeat the cycle over again, sometimes three or more times in an evening.
With football season days away, the question is who will break first. Will I miss an amazing play, or will she learn to go out by herself? I anticipate pausing the TV a lot more on Sundays and Monday night, silently conceding the battle.
Maybe we should rent a kid to go outside with her for a few hours each evening. Jenny, I love you, but why won't you go outside by yourself?
Monday, August 3, 2015
Rocky Mountain Howls
Recently, we took Jenny on vacation with us to Colorado. We were concerned about the length of the road trip (14+ hours) after she had some accidents in the house a day or two before the trip. We rented a card and put some blankets in the back seat to help control the dog hair and any other messes that might occur. We left early and soon learned some things about her.
First, as long as the car is going 50mph or faster, she stayed calm in the back seat. As we slowed through each small town along Highway 287, she stuck her head between the front seats, then slowly inched her self forward. If we didn't pay attention, she was suddenly within a step of climbing in my lap while I was driving. With elbows raised we pushed her back to a safer position. Thankfully there was never a sudden stop or other activity that put her at risk.
We arrived at the cabin at dusk. Once we got everything moved in from the car, we took her for the first of many walks. There were other cabins where we were, and several of them had dogs. So as she is walking around, she's sniffing and growling and barking at other dogs. She's still showing that behavior. We don't know why she feels compelled to bark/growl at dogs and not people, but that's her.
The first night, and every night, Jenny continued her habit of waking us up several times. Because she'd had the accidents, we were quick to respond and take her out. At 3 a.m. Sandy rushed to get dressed and take Jenny outside where she promptly sat next to Sandy and looked at her. That was it. Just looked at her, like she didn't know why she was suddenly outside.
We went for a hike later that day. Just over a mile in length, but we likely gained few hundred feet in elevation as well. Jenny pulled us up that trail. You would think she had grown up in the mountains. I tried to catch my breath every few feet, often lingering several steps behind. We found a bench and enjoyed a view of the valley and mountains beyond before she pulled us back down the trail.
We left her at the cabin while we went to dinner. We returned to find yet another accident waiting for us. It was at this point we determined it was the new treats we had bought. We won't buy Blue Wilderness treats again. Once we stopped giving those treats, things greatly improved. Except she still woke us up several times at night. By the second full day we had arranged a system to keep her from running off, but also have freedom to move around. If the front door was open, she barked at people walking by.
Overall, it was a great experience. Jenny saw geese. She tried to pick a fight with other dogs. She chased chipmunks. And she survived two very long road trips. I love you, Jenny. Thanks for making our vacation even more memorable.
First, as long as the car is going 50mph or faster, she stayed calm in the back seat. As we slowed through each small town along Highway 287, she stuck her head between the front seats, then slowly inched her self forward. If we didn't pay attention, she was suddenly within a step of climbing in my lap while I was driving. With elbows raised we pushed her back to a safer position. Thankfully there was never a sudden stop or other activity that put her at risk.
We arrived at the cabin at dusk. Once we got everything moved in from the car, we took her for the first of many walks. There were other cabins where we were, and several of them had dogs. So as she is walking around, she's sniffing and growling and barking at other dogs. She's still showing that behavior. We don't know why she feels compelled to bark/growl at dogs and not people, but that's her.
The first night, and every night, Jenny continued her habit of waking us up several times. Because she'd had the accidents, we were quick to respond and take her out. At 3 a.m. Sandy rushed to get dressed and take Jenny outside where she promptly sat next to Sandy and looked at her. That was it. Just looked at her, like she didn't know why she was suddenly outside.
 |
| Jenny and I on the trail |
We left her at the cabin while we went to dinner. We returned to find yet another accident waiting for us. It was at this point we determined it was the new treats we had bought. We won't buy Blue Wilderness treats again. Once we stopped giving those treats, things greatly improved. Except she still woke us up several times at night. By the second full day we had arranged a system to keep her from running off, but also have freedom to move around. If the front door was open, she barked at people walking by.
Overall, it was a great experience. Jenny saw geese. She tried to pick a fight with other dogs. She chased chipmunks. And she survived two very long road trips. I love you, Jenny. Thanks for making our vacation even more memorable.
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Training Days Concluded
Wow, ok, so I'm not doing one of these posts every week or every other week as I had hoped.
Last Saturday, we had our final training session for Jenny. She did reasonably well with the new commands, but we were surprised how much encouragement it took to get her to run to one another following the "Come!" command. She steadily improved with each attempt, though.
So now we have a perfectly trained and well-behaved dog.
Um, no.
One thing we learned during this training is the importance of consistency in working with Jenny. Sandy and I are inconsistent with each other, but also at times inconsistent with ourselves.
Jenny has proved she knows every command and will obey in a timely manner if not distracted by anything at all. So we get to spend time reinforcing the commands until they are second nature to her and to us. We have no aspirations of attending competitions, but we would like her to stay, heel and come on command for her safety.
Through all of these efforts, Jenny has also been training me! At the most inconvenient time (for me) she will sit very close to me on the couch and tap my shoulder or arm with her paw. I envision these thoughts going through her mind:
"Hey, you realize what time it is? It's time to go out and throw a ball so I can chase it and maybe pee.
"You aren't getting up. (harder pushes) Put your phone down and take me out.
"Yes, I realize the door is open and I can go outside whenever I want, but I want you to watch me run after the ball and then sniff the ground for five minutes before I squat."
Sometimes the tapping/pushing turns to scratching; other times she just stares at me with the ball in her mouth, allowing the drool to slowly pool and drip onto the couch or me. I consider it a brilliant training method, and she has experienced great success in interrupting our evening.
I love you, Jenny. Thank you for training me to take care of you so well.
Last Saturday, we had our final training session for Jenny. She did reasonably well with the new commands, but we were surprised how much encouragement it took to get her to run to one another following the "Come!" command. She steadily improved with each attempt, though.
So now we have a perfectly trained and well-behaved dog.
Um, no.
One thing we learned during this training is the importance of consistency in working with Jenny. Sandy and I are inconsistent with each other, but also at times inconsistent with ourselves.
Jenny has proved she knows every command and will obey in a timely manner if not distracted by anything at all. So we get to spend time reinforcing the commands until they are second nature to her and to us. We have no aspirations of attending competitions, but we would like her to stay, heel and come on command for her safety.
Through all of these efforts, Jenny has also been training me! At the most inconvenient time (for me) she will sit very close to me on the couch and tap my shoulder or arm with her paw. I envision these thoughts going through her mind:
"Hey, you realize what time it is? It's time to go out and throw a ball so I can chase it and maybe pee.
"You aren't getting up. (harder pushes) Put your phone down and take me out.
"Yes, I realize the door is open and I can go outside whenever I want, but I want you to watch me run after the ball and then sniff the ground for five minutes before I squat."
Sometimes the tapping/pushing turns to scratching; other times she just stares at me with the ball in her mouth, allowing the drool to slowly pool and drip onto the couch or me. I consider it a brilliant training method, and she has experienced great success in interrupting our evening.
I love you, Jenny. Thank you for training me to take care of you so well.
Monday, June 15, 2015
Training Days
So I haven't posted for a couple weeks. Part of that was a work event that kept me busy the first week of June. But that's not about Jenny. And I regret that I forgot to take pictures. I'll try to remember next week.
Jenny is enrolled in 5 weeks of classes to teach Sandy and I how to interact with her better. I can say confidently that after 3 sessions we have learned much more than Jenny. Issues we've experienced: pulling/sniffing while on a walk; barking and growling at other dogs and certain people; chasing rabbits. We've learned some key techniques and purchased some additional equipment to help with these and other issues. She's very patient with us as we learn, too!
Last Saturday, we met our trainer, Bill Whatley (http://www.bwdogtraining.com), for the second session with Jenny. (The first week was two hours of teaching us what equipment to buy and familiarizing us with terms.) After a period of adjustment, where we let Jenny walk around on a 25-foot leash, we did a review of the previous lesson of "Heel" and "Sit" which Jenny seems to do well in front of Bill but regresses with us during the week.
After the review, Bill asked if we would like to work on the "Sit and Stay" lesson. He told us it is one of the hardest lessons. I don't think we grasped what he meant by hardest at the beginning. Sandy had done some preliminary work with "Stay" during the week, so I suggested she "go first." We didn't realize there would only be a first.
Bill set up the cones and went through the concepts with his dog, Ares. Ares is a Chesapeake who seems to read Bill's mind. Bill wouldn't even get the word out and Ares was promptly sitting. Throughout the demonstration, it was as if Ares was a statue for 5 minutes as Bill demonstrated and explained the lesson. Then Sandy worked with Ares with success. The time came for Jenny, who had been watching intently with me, to enter the ring and start one of the greatest battles of will ever witnessed.
Sandy started well, with an obedient Jenny sitting and staying for the first phase of the lesson. Bill continued to relay the next step and Jenny dutifully sat. After about three phases, Jenny stood. The Battle is on! Over the next 30-40 minutes, Jenny waffled between obedience and disobedience as she sat, then stood, then resisted, then sat, then stood. Sometimes Sandy and Jenny had to start over from the beginning. Sandy struggled with errors she was making, certain she was leading Jenny astray. Jenny continued to disobey whether Sandy did it "right" or not. At one part Sandy wanted a water break, but Bill said to break now would undo all the effort.
We had almost lost hope that this lesson would stick when Jenny seemed to "get it" and stayed seated through the whole rotation. She even watched Sandy as she circled behind her. Once complete, there was much rejoicing and petting as we declared the lesson over. We were instructed not to do any more training that day, as it was an intense lesson. We soon parted ways with Bill.
I was proud of Sandy for her effort. She repeated the exercise Sunday morning and had no trouble. Evening came and we decided that I would have a go at this lesson. After a couple loops around the court, and the departure of some very distracting trucks, I led Jenny to a spot in the middle of the driveway. I issued the "Sit" command; Jenny obeyed. I began working through the various steps of the rotation; Jenny didn't flinch. I completed the rotation with no problems and commenced with a shower of praise and affection. Sandy quickly reminded me it was all her hard work that allowed such an easy go for me. I agreed and thanked her for her determination and patience.
I love you Jenny! Thank you for your patience as we learn.
Jenny is enrolled in 5 weeks of classes to teach Sandy and I how to interact with her better. I can say confidently that after 3 sessions we have learned much more than Jenny. Issues we've experienced: pulling/sniffing while on a walk; barking and growling at other dogs and certain people; chasing rabbits. We've learned some key techniques and purchased some additional equipment to help with these and other issues. She's very patient with us as we learn, too!
Last Saturday, we met our trainer, Bill Whatley (http://www.bwdogtraining.com), for the second session with Jenny. (The first week was two hours of teaching us what equipment to buy and familiarizing us with terms.) After a period of adjustment, where we let Jenny walk around on a 25-foot leash, we did a review of the previous lesson of "Heel" and "Sit" which Jenny seems to do well in front of Bill but regresses with us during the week.
After the review, Bill asked if we would like to work on the "Sit and Stay" lesson. He told us it is one of the hardest lessons. I don't think we grasped what he meant by hardest at the beginning. Sandy had done some preliminary work with "Stay" during the week, so I suggested she "go first." We didn't realize there would only be a first.
Bill set up the cones and went through the concepts with his dog, Ares. Ares is a Chesapeake who seems to read Bill's mind. Bill wouldn't even get the word out and Ares was promptly sitting. Throughout the demonstration, it was as if Ares was a statue for 5 minutes as Bill demonstrated and explained the lesson. Then Sandy worked with Ares with success. The time came for Jenny, who had been watching intently with me, to enter the ring and start one of the greatest battles of will ever witnessed.
Sandy started well, with an obedient Jenny sitting and staying for the first phase of the lesson. Bill continued to relay the next step and Jenny dutifully sat. After about three phases, Jenny stood. The Battle is on! Over the next 30-40 minutes, Jenny waffled between obedience and disobedience as she sat, then stood, then resisted, then sat, then stood. Sometimes Sandy and Jenny had to start over from the beginning. Sandy struggled with errors she was making, certain she was leading Jenny astray. Jenny continued to disobey whether Sandy did it "right" or not. At one part Sandy wanted a water break, but Bill said to break now would undo all the effort.
We had almost lost hope that this lesson would stick when Jenny seemed to "get it" and stayed seated through the whole rotation. She even watched Sandy as she circled behind her. Once complete, there was much rejoicing and petting as we declared the lesson over. We were instructed not to do any more training that day, as it was an intense lesson. We soon parted ways with Bill.
I was proud of Sandy for her effort. She repeated the exercise Sunday morning and had no trouble. Evening came and we decided that I would have a go at this lesson. After a couple loops around the court, and the departure of some very distracting trucks, I led Jenny to a spot in the middle of the driveway. I issued the "Sit" command; Jenny obeyed. I began working through the various steps of the rotation; Jenny didn't flinch. I completed the rotation with no problems and commenced with a shower of praise and affection. Sandy quickly reminded me it was all her hard work that allowed such an easy go for me. I agreed and thanked her for her determination and patience.
I love you Jenny! Thank you for your patience as we learn.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Rabbit Season!
We've started walking Jenny in the morning. The hope is if we burn off energy then, she won't be so amped up the next night when we want to sleep. Thus far it isn't working.
This morning was my first go of walking her. She has had a tendency to run away from me when I try to attach the leash to her collar in the house. I decided I would let her outside first, then get her on leash.
The plan was working. I had closed the door and was preparing the leash when we saw it: down by the sidewalk was a small rabbit. BOOM! off like a shot, Jenny gave chase. The rabbit sprinted toward the neighbor's yard. I reasoned I would never catch Jenny, so I waited to see if she would return. After about 30 seconds, back she came, sniffing the ground and looking energized. My guess is the rabbit went under a fence.
I attached the leash and began our walk. She pulled at first, but we found our stride and enjoyed our ten-minute adventure. No other rabbits dared show themselves, for which I was grateful.
I love you, Jenny, but please be careful when chasing rabbits.
This morning was my first go of walking her. She has had a tendency to run away from me when I try to attach the leash to her collar in the house. I decided I would let her outside first, then get her on leash.
The plan was working. I had closed the door and was preparing the leash when we saw it: down by the sidewalk was a small rabbit. BOOM! off like a shot, Jenny gave chase. The rabbit sprinted toward the neighbor's yard. I reasoned I would never catch Jenny, so I waited to see if she would return. After about 30 seconds, back she came, sniffing the ground and looking energized. My guess is the rabbit went under a fence.
I attached the leash and began our walk. She pulled at first, but we found our stride and enjoyed our ten-minute adventure. No other rabbits dared show themselves, for which I was grateful.
I love you, Jenny, but please be careful when chasing rabbits.
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