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| About 5 months old, October 22nd |
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| Watching Uncle Ry running in the marsh. |
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| Barely caught his face. |
9 weeks
I'm so cute!!
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Thursday, October 11, 2012
5 Months Old
Not much to report on this month. Re is starting to look more like an adult dog (a skinny adult dog) every day. He still has silly puppy behaviors. He and Ry are getting along great, they would play constantly if I let them. Clara is even getting into the play though I think she wants to pretend that she's not. More on Clara later.
Monday, September 17, 2012
September 17
How did time move so fast? I haven't recorded anything in a very long time!
So, a lot has happened since I last wrote about what we have been doing. Remus has been pretty consistent with his responses to cues, the environment and people. He still tinkles when he greets someone if he hasn't had a chance to pee first. (I'm trying to work through this without creating a long lasting problem.) Ry's (and my) cat Lily passed away at the beginning of September after an almost 2 week battle with kidney failure, infection and blood clots (we're presuming since she had so many problems at the time I had to put her to sleep.) We miss Lily very much.
Re is 5 months now. His attention span is much longer than it had been! Since Lil had gotten sick and then died, I have been slacking a lot with Re's socialization outings. We had gone to Norris a couple of times but not anywhere else that I can remember. This month my goal is to venture out of our old places and go to some new ones. So far, we have gone to Cobb's Corner and Derby Street Shops. These are great places to venture to since they are big enough that I can take him to different parts and it will be like visiting a new place again! I also noticed that Re may becoming stressed when he sees people when we are out walking. He sits or starts to lie down when they come close to us while he looks up at them (I'm not 100% sure that he's not staring) and I do not want this to escalate into a reactive behavior. So, behavior modification it is. Now whenever we see someone I ask Re for eye contact and attention then reward him for doing so (because really, he doesn't need to say "hi" to every single person he sees.) I am teaching a reactive dog class with Katrin and have decided to teach Re the emergency cue: Quick so that in the future I have it if I need it. It's really just a way of getting your dog to follow you immediately to prevent any reactive behavior from happening.
I am so happy with Remus' loose leash walking! He walks very close to me most of the time (like 50-75%), he does still get distracted and will pull when he decides he needs to sniff. On the whole though, he is the best at walking on leash of the dogs that I have had. I was pondering this today- is the way that I teach my dogs to walk on leash getting better or is Re just picking up on it better than the other dogs? Probably a combination of both. We click together. :-)
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| Lily let Ry rest his head on her while she slept, how happy she was with him! |
Re is 5 months now. His attention span is much longer than it had been! Since Lil had gotten sick and then died, I have been slacking a lot with Re's socialization outings. We had gone to Norris a couple of times but not anywhere else that I can remember. This month my goal is to venture out of our old places and go to some new ones. So far, we have gone to Cobb's Corner and Derby Street Shops. These are great places to venture to since they are big enough that I can take him to different parts and it will be like visiting a new place again! I also noticed that Re may becoming stressed when he sees people when we are out walking. He sits or starts to lie down when they come close to us while he looks up at them (I'm not 100% sure that he's not staring) and I do not want this to escalate into a reactive behavior. So, behavior modification it is. Now whenever we see someone I ask Re for eye contact and attention then reward him for doing so (because really, he doesn't need to say "hi" to every single person he sees.) I am teaching a reactive dog class with Katrin and have decided to teach Re the emergency cue: Quick so that in the future I have it if I need it. It's really just a way of getting your dog to follow you immediately to prevent any reactive behavior from happening.
I am so happy with Remus' loose leash walking! He walks very close to me most of the time (like 50-75%), he does still get distracted and will pull when he decides he needs to sniff. On the whole though, he is the best at walking on leash of the dogs that I have had. I was pondering this today- is the way that I teach my dogs to walk on leash getting better or is Re just picking up on it better than the other dogs? Probably a combination of both. We click together. :-)
Monday, August 13, 2012
Monday, August 13th
I was off work today, as usual. I decided to work on teaching Re that sometimes we go back to bed and sleep longer than 7 or 7:30. He was fine with that idea, had his breakfast in his crate, played with his toys and was pretty happy until about 8:30 when I started getting ready to get up. The heat and humidity has been really hard for me to deal with so we have been hanging out indoors a lot! I had a Dr appointment today, which meant Re had to stay home with the big dogs. I heard him barking as I walked out to the car, but was quiet when I got home. I really need to make a point of leaving him home everyday or so to make sure he doesn't develop separation anxiety since he is so attached to me. Early this evening we drove over to Carol's house to practice leash walking on her street because it's quieter than mine. Re had a hard time paying attention to me when we first started walking but, on the way back he did much better- able to look up at me for more than one or two seconds, taking treats from my hand, and staying close to me instead of at the end of his leash. Things were going fine, we met two of Carol's neighbors, they both seemed very nice until one of them told me that "I need to put a different collar on him if I wanted to train him right." I asked, "do you mean a pinch collar?" "Yes," he replied. Long story short, I thanked him for his unsolicited advice and said that I don't use pain to train my dogs. ("Well, it really doesn't hurt them." "Then why do they yelp when they get to the end of the leash?") I should take Ry for a walk over there, excellent leash manners without having used a pinch collar.
Anyway, on to tonight. Ryan and I took a walk in the neighborhood where we live. We were happily walking down the busy street when I saw the cars slow down and stop in both directions, then I saw a very scared dog running between the sides of the road. I was hoping she would get close enough to Ry and me so that maybe I could lure her to the side of the road and keep her there. Unfortunately that is not what happened, someone (I'm assuming her owner or a family friend.) jumped out of a pick up truck and chased her into a driveway. Well, that was a terrible idea since she ran away more scared than before. I dropped down into a squat to see if I could encourage her to come closer. Ry was pretty focused on her, which may have kept her at a distance to me. The poor girl was so frightened.
The reason why I'm posting this on my blog is to remind people to NEVER CHASE A FRIGHTENED DOG!! Actually, never chase a friendly one either, especially if you want to get closer to it. If you need to get your dog to come closer to you, jog the opposite direction of where he is. If you have a puppy, teach it to come when called in a variety of situations using positive reinforcement techniques including food rewards and play. When Ry was a puppy I started running towards him when I called him and then rewarded him heavily when we reached each other, just in case we were separated and someone else was trying to get him.
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| I was trying to walk and photograph Ry walking close to me with eye contact. |
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| Close walking on left side without eye contact. |
The reason why I'm posting this on my blog is to remind people to NEVER CHASE A FRIGHTENED DOG!! Actually, never chase a friendly one either, especially if you want to get closer to it. If you need to get your dog to come closer to you, jog the opposite direction of where he is. If you have a puppy, teach it to come when called in a variety of situations using positive reinforcement techniques including food rewards and play. When Ry was a puppy I started running towards him when I called him and then rewarded him heavily when we reached each other, just in case we were separated and someone else was trying to get him.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
August 1st, 2012
Life with Remus is a ton of fun. He is growing up so fast, it seems like it wasn't that long ago when I brought home that little 10 pound pup (okay, it was only the end of June). He is growing "like a weed," weighs about 22 pounds and has gotten pretty tall. I know, pups grow and that the time it takes is pretty short in comparison to other species. He is still acting like a pup which is the way it's going to be for the next 18 months or so. Vizsla's seem to take a long time to grow up, at least that was my experience with Ry (and what Patsy has told me), so it's what I am expecting with Remus. Ry didn't really settle down until last year or so. Now, he is AWESOME- very reliable with responding to his commands, behaves consistently- I know what to expect from him in a variety of situations and he is able to fall asleep before we actually go to bed (he's asleep on the couch next to me. And, yes he is allowed on the couch and can also sleep on my bed- and no, he is not asserting any dominance over me with the privileges I have offered him).
I have been continuing with Remus' ongoing socialization experiences- I have brought him to 2 parks for off leash runs, he has gone swimming (sort of, he was retrieving a stick and happened to swim a little) and we are venturing further on our walks when we go to the waterfront.
We are practicing our obedience cues, I am constantly finding that there are not enough hours in the day. Work has been incredibly busy; it is increasingly more difficult to get 20 to 30 minutes to myself to play and work with Remus. Today, for example, I only had 15 minutes to eat lunch and had to go immediately back to work. He only had outings to go potty. Poor little guy was CRAZY, I'm exaggerating, when we left for home.
Today is the 9th of August, my computer has been down which is why I haven't had a chance to finish this post. We went to Plymouth last Sunday morning which turned into an outing I had to salvage. Remus was having a fearful day, he was nervous of my sister which was unusual, when we got to Plymouth he was super distracted, tail down and sniffing like he had never smelled anything before. We walked for a few minutes (longer than I would have liked to once I realized he was having a problem), caught up to Gary and Carol- much to my surprise, she doesn't normally get up early, and let them know we had to go back. Remus was pulling on the leash, sniffing, yawning and doing full body "wet dog" shakes. (Someone was staring at us as we tried to walk along to go back to the car.)
All has been well since then, this morning we walked at the bogs prior to going to work. That was one of my smartest ideas that I've had in a long time, LOL! Remus slept all day at work unless he needed to go outside.
I have been continuing with Remus' ongoing socialization experiences- I have brought him to 2 parks for off leash runs, he has gone swimming (sort of, he was retrieving a stick and happened to swim a little) and we are venturing further on our walks when we go to the waterfront.
We are practicing our obedience cues, I am constantly finding that there are not enough hours in the day. Work has been incredibly busy; it is increasingly more difficult to get 20 to 30 minutes to myself to play and work with Remus. Today, for example, I only had 15 minutes to eat lunch and had to go immediately back to work. He only had outings to go potty. Poor little guy was CRAZY, I'm exaggerating, when we left for home.
Today is the 9th of August, my computer has been down which is why I haven't had a chance to finish this post. We went to Plymouth last Sunday morning which turned into an outing I had to salvage. Remus was having a fearful day, he was nervous of my sister which was unusual, when we got to Plymouth he was super distracted, tail down and sniffing like he had never smelled anything before. We walked for a few minutes (longer than I would have liked to once I realized he was having a problem), caught up to Gary and Carol- much to my surprise, she doesn't normally get up early, and let them know we had to go back. Remus was pulling on the leash, sniffing, yawning and doing full body "wet dog" shakes. (Someone was staring at us as we tried to walk along to go back to the car.)
All has been well since then, this morning we walked at the bogs prior to going to work. That was one of my smartest ideas that I've had in a long time, LOL! Remus slept all day at work unless he needed to go outside.
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| Remus watching Uncle Ry in the grass in front of him. |
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| Yep, looks like he's biting a cigar, LOL. Nope, no smokers here! |
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| Remus swimming for the first time, fetching a stick!! |
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Sunday, July 22
Remus is 13 weeks old already! Where has the last month gone? The summer is flying by, especially since bringing Remus home.
I have been keeping up with Rem's ongoing socialization. Yesterday we had Puppy Kindergarten, Rem was in a class by himself: the other puppy couldn't make it :-( It turned out to be very good for us, though. We were able to try out the A-frame, walk across the dog walk and the teeter (see-saw). After we explored those surfaces outside, we went into the basement to walk across an ex-pen that was laying on its side, walk across a round sled, a round balance circle with traction brushes, step onto an aluminum crate pan and on a foil and tarp shade cover- Rem had trouble offering a sit and down on the ex-pen and crate pan. Next we were able to "play" with some motorized children's toys- the dinosaur was Remus' favorite, he was worried about the police car and thought the "spider" was interesting. We practiced fetching a metal and a leather obedience dumbbell, he was initially resistant to picking up and carrying the metal one but was happy to after he had carried around the leather one. Before we left, Katrin demonstrated with Remus how I can teach him to sit straight and not back into it. We are practicing it and will be for a while...
Today, we had a busy day! This morning we got up around 6:45, went to breakfast with Gary (my brother-in-law, my sister won't get up early to go for breakfast), then we drove to the Jenny Grist Mill and walked through Bradford Park and just past Plymouth Rock- Remus did great. He needed to take a few "sniff breaks" then he would happily come back to work with me. After we walked back to the car we drove to pick up coffees for Gary and me, then we went home and I put Remus in his crate for a nice nap. (Ryan and I went back to Plymouth and walked the waterfront and to the end of the jetty and back, we stopped at Pebbles to get some water, then walked the rest of the way to the car. We were soo hot! I had to turn the a.c. on in the car when I would normally have had the windows open.) After we got home I put Remus on the tie-down in the living room so that he can learn that he doesn't need to be at my feet all the time. Initially Remus did not like being tethered, (I don't know that he ever really enjoyed it), but by the time I let him off of it Remus was laying on the dog bed chewing on a toy. (He chewed on some of the door molding, I thought he was chewing on a toy, hmmn, I was wrong. OOPS! Gotta sand and repaint it.) Tonight, Remus and I went to the elementary school to take a walk, play on the playground equipment and for me to feed him his dinner. We were able to walk on the sidewalk without any fear of the cars or noises. Then we walked past the gym where some men were playing basketball, I think Remus wanted to play with them (or the ball). We finished playing on the playground- Remus walked across some benches, went up some stairs, through a tire a few times AND down the slide! He walked up to a bouncy horse (supposed to be a rocking horse?), he walked right up to it, (though, he was a little nervous) sniffed it and turned to walk away and did a whole body shake- Good Boy!
After we got home I let Rem and Ry out in the back yard to run for a minute when much to my shock and surprise the gate was wide open!! I called Ryan with as little fear in my voice as I could manage since my heart was in my throat and I really wanted to scream "RYAN COME HERE NOW!!" but called "Ryan Come :-)" and he immediately turned around and came running into the backyard with Remus happily on his heels. PHEW! That could have been a disaster, no collars/ tags, it was completely dark out and our street has very few lights on it. The boys have been reminded to make sure the gate is always closed.
I have been keeping up with Rem's ongoing socialization. Yesterday we had Puppy Kindergarten, Rem was in a class by himself: the other puppy couldn't make it :-( It turned out to be very good for us, though. We were able to try out the A-frame, walk across the dog walk and the teeter (see-saw). After we explored those surfaces outside, we went into the basement to walk across an ex-pen that was laying on its side, walk across a round sled, a round balance circle with traction brushes, step onto an aluminum crate pan and on a foil and tarp shade cover- Rem had trouble offering a sit and down on the ex-pen and crate pan. Next we were able to "play" with some motorized children's toys- the dinosaur was Remus' favorite, he was worried about the police car and thought the "spider" was interesting. We practiced fetching a metal and a leather obedience dumbbell, he was initially resistant to picking up and carrying the metal one but was happy to after he had carried around the leather one. Before we left, Katrin demonstrated with Remus how I can teach him to sit straight and not back into it. We are practicing it and will be for a while...
Today, we had a busy day! This morning we got up around 6:45, went to breakfast with Gary (my brother-in-law, my sister won't get up early to go for breakfast), then we drove to the Jenny Grist Mill and walked through Bradford Park and just past Plymouth Rock- Remus did great. He needed to take a few "sniff breaks" then he would happily come back to work with me. After we walked back to the car we drove to pick up coffees for Gary and me, then we went home and I put Remus in his crate for a nice nap. (Ryan and I went back to Plymouth and walked the waterfront and to the end of the jetty and back, we stopped at Pebbles to get some water, then walked the rest of the way to the car. We were soo hot! I had to turn the a.c. on in the car when I would normally have had the windows open.) After we got home I put Remus on the tie-down in the living room so that he can learn that he doesn't need to be at my feet all the time. Initially Remus did not like being tethered, (I don't know that he ever really enjoyed it), but by the time I let him off of it Remus was laying on the dog bed chewing on a toy. (He chewed on some of the door molding, I thought he was chewing on a toy, hmmn, I was wrong. OOPS! Gotta sand and repaint it.) Tonight, Remus and I went to the elementary school to take a walk, play on the playground equipment and for me to feed him his dinner. We were able to walk on the sidewalk without any fear of the cars or noises. Then we walked past the gym where some men were playing basketball, I think Remus wanted to play with them (or the ball). We finished playing on the playground- Remus walked across some benches, went up some stairs, through a tire a few times AND down the slide! He walked up to a bouncy horse (supposed to be a rocking horse?), he walked right up to it, (though, he was a little nervous) sniffed it and turned to walk away and did a whole body shake- Good Boy!
After we got home I let Rem and Ry out in the back yard to run for a minute when much to my shock and surprise the gate was wide open!! I called Ryan with as little fear in my voice as I could manage since my heart was in my throat and I really wanted to scream "RYAN COME HERE NOW!!" but called "Ryan Come :-)" and he immediately turned around and came running into the backyard with Remus happily on his heels. PHEW! That could have been a disaster, no collars/ tags, it was completely dark out and our street has very few lights on it. The boys have been reminded to make sure the gate is always closed.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
July 19
Remus is 12 and a half weeks now. This week has been probably the most boring one since bringing him home. This past weekend was too hot and uncomfortable for me to take him on any socializing field trips, and it didn't help that he was having a problem with an upset stomach- too much string cheese at puppy class. He was acting like his normal silly puppy self so I knew it wasn't serious.
Today, he seemed a little fearful. I realized this when I was taking him by the doctors' lounge at work and one of the dogs inside was barking- not an unusual occurrence, but Re was worried about it. His tail went down and he started sniffing. I did my usual "good boy" and actually had to lure him away from the area, that was very different since I have been getting an immediate response of "ok, I'm coming" from him.
I have been bringing him to work so all hasn't been lost, socialization speaking that is. No photo opportunities, well I haven't taken any that is, this week. Remus did meet an older gentleman today who absolutely loves dogs- he actually knew that Remus is a Vizsla!! I am always amazed. I usually am asked if Remus is a Rhodesian Ridgeback, a bloodhound (that was the other day) and when Ryan was a puppy someone thought he was a lab/ boxer mix. I did want a breed that is less common- I got what I wanted!!
I'd like to touch on some of how Re's training is coming. He is getting very proficient at responding (and performing) when "asked" to sit, down and come. Out of the three, come and sit are probably the most important to me at this moment, we still practice down, of course. He offers great eye contact, seems to know his name and the mini BAT sessions are paying off. My nephew was placing a ladder and was doing some hammering to stabilize it when Remus became startled and scared, really, of the noise. When I praised him, he immediately came running to me (*I am safe with Lisa and she will take care of me!!*) and we walked away from the noise happily as a team!
I have not taught him that "no" is a word, it truly will not be part of the vocabulary that he is learning. "NO" does not give a dog any useful information as to what he should do, in my humble opinion. My favorite thing to do is spread information. If we (and our dogs) are well-informed we can make good decisions. And, because I get to give Remus all of the information that I think he needs to know, that will be one thing he won't learn. If he jumps on me and I look at him and yell "NO!" one, I am likely to scare him (not what I ever want!), two, I have just given him my attention which is what he is looking for in the first place, if I didn't scare him and three, I have not given him a clue as to what would be better for him to do than jump up on me.
Alternatively, if I am paying attention and see that he is about to jump up I can instruct him to sit instead (head off the jump if you will). If he is too excited to sit, I can cross my arms and turn away from him so that one, he slides off of me, two, he is unable to get my attention because I have turned my face away from him (though I am watching him out of the corner of my eye) and three, I can give him the opportunity to figure out a better way to get my attention (which is really what he wants, anyway) and when he does sit I can tell him "good job! :-)"
I am so very happy to have gotten Remus, thank you Patsy!! Life could not be better or happier. Ry is enjoying having a puppy to play with and Clara is finally starting to accept that he has moved in, permanently.
Today, he seemed a little fearful. I realized this when I was taking him by the doctors' lounge at work and one of the dogs inside was barking- not an unusual occurrence, but Re was worried about it. His tail went down and he started sniffing. I did my usual "good boy" and actually had to lure him away from the area, that was very different since I have been getting an immediate response of "ok, I'm coming" from him.
I have been bringing him to work so all hasn't been lost, socialization speaking that is. No photo opportunities, well I haven't taken any that is, this week. Remus did meet an older gentleman today who absolutely loves dogs- he actually knew that Remus is a Vizsla!! I am always amazed. I usually am asked if Remus is a Rhodesian Ridgeback, a bloodhound (that was the other day) and when Ryan was a puppy someone thought he was a lab/ boxer mix. I did want a breed that is less common- I got what I wanted!!
I'd like to touch on some of how Re's training is coming. He is getting very proficient at responding (and performing) when "asked" to sit, down and come. Out of the three, come and sit are probably the most important to me at this moment, we still practice down, of course. He offers great eye contact, seems to know his name and the mini BAT sessions are paying off. My nephew was placing a ladder and was doing some hammering to stabilize it when Remus became startled and scared, really, of the noise. When I praised him, he immediately came running to me (*I am safe with Lisa and she will take care of me!!*) and we walked away from the noise happily as a team!
I have not taught him that "no" is a word, it truly will not be part of the vocabulary that he is learning. "NO" does not give a dog any useful information as to what he should do, in my humble opinion. My favorite thing to do is spread information. If we (and our dogs) are well-informed we can make good decisions. And, because I get to give Remus all of the information that I think he needs to know, that will be one thing he won't learn. If he jumps on me and I look at him and yell "NO!" one, I am likely to scare him (not what I ever want!), two, I have just given him my attention which is what he is looking for in the first place, if I didn't scare him and three, I have not given him a clue as to what would be better for him to do than jump up on me.
Alternatively, if I am paying attention and see that he is about to jump up I can instruct him to sit instead (head off the jump if you will). If he is too excited to sit, I can cross my arms and turn away from him so that one, he slides off of me, two, he is unable to get my attention because I have turned my face away from him (though I am watching him out of the corner of my eye) and three, I can give him the opportunity to figure out a better way to get my attention (which is really what he wants, anyway) and when he does sit I can tell him "good job! :-)"
I am so very happy to have gotten Remus, thank you Patsy!! Life could not be better or happier. Ry is enjoying having a puppy to play with and Clara is finally starting to accept that he has moved in, permanently.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
11 and 1/2 Weeks
We are over halfway done with this week, each one seems to go by faster than the previous. Work has been extremely busy! Some days I can't seem to find the time to take 20 minutes at lunch to play with Remus, never mind actually being able to eat.
Which brings us to today, it was much better at work, not nearly as busy as it had been! Remus and I had lunch together, went outside to run around and play fetch and have a good time! We came home from work early, let Clara and Ry out then I had some quiet time on the couch after I ate dinner. At 7, Re and I drove to the elementary school for a walk and to my (happy) surprise there was a baseball game going on!! A super great opportunity for socialization- I really was delighted. While we walked behind the school, we met several moms, dads and a 2 year old while a baseball game was being played down the hill from where we were. Re was super happy to meet them (I was feeding him his dinner during all of this); we also practiced sit, down and walking on leash. I realized that Re can perform obedience behaviors with distractions, he does need higher value rewards to though, usually at work and home when it's quiet Re will work for praise and toys. We walked past the front of the school to leave (we need to walk the reverse route the next time we go), through the parking lot and in front of the gym. There was a basketball game playing in the gym, the outside doors were open, and we could hear the sound of the sneakers squealing on the floor and the basketball bouncing. At first, Remus was a little worried (not nearly as noise sensitive as I had previously noted) but when I started praising him he started wagging his tail, his facial expression relaxed and he acted more curious. I offered to him for us to walk away which we did. After a few seconds, I asked Remus if he wanted to check out the gym again, which we did, and he was interested to watch again. Yes, I "asked" Remus; I took a few steps towards the gym and waited to see what Re's reaction was: he started walking with me towards the gym so we went together.
Katrin has asked me if I have been leaving Remus home alone, which I have been. It's difficult during the week to leave him home alone; sometimes after work I just want to wind down and do something with the dogs or watch t.v.. Tonight after our walk, my nephew and I went to Wal-Mart and the grocery store. Remus was exhausted and stayed in his crate in my room while Clara and Ry were downstairs. I had to wake him up when we got home to take him outside to go to the bathroom, sleepy head.
And, no pictures tonight. I'll have to remember to ask Katrin if she has gotten any nice photos of Re during puppy class (she has a mentor student who takes photos during class).
Which brings us to today, it was much better at work, not nearly as busy as it had been! Remus and I had lunch together, went outside to run around and play fetch and have a good time! We came home from work early, let Clara and Ry out then I had some quiet time on the couch after I ate dinner. At 7, Re and I drove to the elementary school for a walk and to my (happy) surprise there was a baseball game going on!! A super great opportunity for socialization- I really was delighted. While we walked behind the school, we met several moms, dads and a 2 year old while a baseball game was being played down the hill from where we were. Re was super happy to meet them (I was feeding him his dinner during all of this); we also practiced sit, down and walking on leash. I realized that Re can perform obedience behaviors with distractions, he does need higher value rewards to though, usually at work and home when it's quiet Re will work for praise and toys. We walked past the front of the school to leave (we need to walk the reverse route the next time we go), through the parking lot and in front of the gym. There was a basketball game playing in the gym, the outside doors were open, and we could hear the sound of the sneakers squealing on the floor and the basketball bouncing. At first, Remus was a little worried (not nearly as noise sensitive as I had previously noted) but when I started praising him he started wagging his tail, his facial expression relaxed and he acted more curious. I offered to him for us to walk away which we did. After a few seconds, I asked Remus if he wanted to check out the gym again, which we did, and he was interested to watch again. Yes, I "asked" Remus; I took a few steps towards the gym and waited to see what Re's reaction was: he started walking with me towards the gym so we went together.
Katrin has asked me if I have been leaving Remus home alone, which I have been. It's difficult during the week to leave him home alone; sometimes after work I just want to wind down and do something with the dogs or watch t.v.. Tonight after our walk, my nephew and I went to Wal-Mart and the grocery store. Remus was exhausted and stayed in his crate in my room while Clara and Ry were downstairs. I had to wake him up when we got home to take him outside to go to the bathroom, sleepy head.
And, no pictures tonight. I'll have to remember to ask Katrin if she has gotten any nice photos of Re during puppy class (she has a mentor student who takes photos during class).
Monday, July 9, 2012
11 Weeks Old
Yesterday Remus turned 11 weeks old. He is doing well, everyday is still a new adventure. It was extremely hot, about 100 degrees out. I decided to bring Remus to the school to check out the playground. When we got there, we watched a softball game, walked behind the school and looked at Remus' reflection in the glass doors.
We found a play set that has steps and 3 yellow slides. Remus jumped onto the lower end of the slide which I rewarded with tossed pieces of treats. We climbed up the stairs and looked down the slides. Remus put his front feet onto the top of the slide so I started tossing treats onto it. He decided to explore the slides and slid down it twice. I ended up getting off the play set and picking up Remus' toy. We climbed back on and when the toy went down the slide, Remus decided that he had enough of sliding and went down the stairs to go get it, LOL.
Today, after spending the morning at the house we drove to Duxbury to go play in the ocean. While playing in the sand, we met 2 nice women who were taking their kayaks out in the bay. Remus and I started wading in the water when he decided that he wanted to check out the kayak. He climbed into the kayak and sat in the front of it for a few moments, long enough to get a few photos of him.
We found a play set that has steps and 3 yellow slides. Remus jumped onto the lower end of the slide which I rewarded with tossed pieces of treats. We climbed up the stairs and looked down the slides. Remus put his front feet onto the top of the slide so I started tossing treats onto it. He decided to explore the slides and slid down it twice. I ended up getting off the play set and picking up Remus' toy. We climbed back on and when the toy went down the slide, Remus decided that he had enough of sliding and went down the stairs to go get it, LOL.
Today, after spending the morning at the house we drove to Duxbury to go play in the ocean. While playing in the sand, we met 2 nice women who were taking their kayaks out in the bay. Remus and I started wading in the water when he decided that he wanted to check out the kayak. He climbed into the kayak and sat in the front of it for a few moments, long enough to get a few photos of him.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Friday and Saturday Field Trips
We've had a busy weekend so far. After working my shift on Friday, teaching my class (and being up since 5:30am) we were off to Plymouth with my sister. We went to the park on the waterfront, met some very nice people and kids (varying in age from about 1 to 10 years). Remus did well, he did get startled and worried about some men coming up behind us laughing and coughing. They were very nice and stopped to say hi and comment on how cute Remus is! He was also worried about a small child and dog walking past us. I happily led him off the path and rewarded him every time he looked at the people and dog then back at me. Yeah! That was the "look at that" game! He is very good about changes in the environment- wooden bridges, rushing water in streams, statues, garbage cans- those things don't bother him. Carol took some photos of him for me but, they are a little blurry- see for yourself:
Today, we drove to Mary Lou's to get my coffee, then decided to visit the ladies at the Healthy Animal. Remus had fun checking out his reflection in the glass doors! The girls loved him, of course, and Dianne (the owner) gave him a chewie. What a great first experience at a store! He laid on the floor to chew his treat, the girls scratched his ears and had a good time playing with him. Remus loved it, visiting them with his chewie in his mouth and his tail wagging happily :-)
After lunch and a couple hour nap in his crate, we went to the bogs. The poor guy would love to keep up with Ry, but not yet. He ventured into the water, ran through the grass. I was able to get a few nice photos of him.
Back home, he walked into the pool! (Finally.) It was extremely hot out.
Today, we drove to Mary Lou's to get my coffee, then decided to visit the ladies at the Healthy Animal. Remus had fun checking out his reflection in the glass doors! The girls loved him, of course, and Dianne (the owner) gave him a chewie. What a great first experience at a store! He laid on the floor to chew his treat, the girls scratched his ears and had a good time playing with him. Remus loved it, visiting them with his chewie in his mouth and his tail wagging happily :-)
After lunch and a couple hour nap in his crate, we went to the bogs. The poor guy would love to keep up with Ry, but not yet. He ventured into the water, ran through the grass. I was able to get a few nice photos of him.
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| Look at Remus' front right and left rear! |
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| This is good. |
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| I'm coming as fast as I can! |
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| Where's Ryan? |
Back home, he walked into the pool! (Finally.) It was extremely hot out.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Up Early
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| How absolutely adorable is he? Beyond beautiful! |
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| Ryan and Remus, the little guy. |
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Wednesday, July 4, 2012
The 4th of July
It's Wednesday, July 4th; we had a slow start to the day. Up at 6 to potty and have breakfast, played for a little while- about a half hour or so, then back to bed for a nap. We rested until 8 when Katrin called to see if I had recovered from some stress and frustration at work on Tuesday, talked about Remus and his ongoing socialization and her plans for the day (off to look at "Berner" pups- so cute!!). Katrin reminded me to keep up with taking Rem to new places, practicing obedience and having fun. I kiddingly said that if she had been reading my blog she would know what we've done so far. The first part of the day was rainy so we stayed at home so I could do some chores, namely clean the cat litter boxes and do some laundry. It started clearing after lunch and by 3 I was able to make plans for us.
On to the fun- We left around 3:30 to go to Mary-Lou's for coffee- a great coffee shop with a lot of choices if you enjoy flavored coffees. My usual is an Almond Joy (Hawaiian Chocolate Nut coffee with mocha mixed with milk= super chocolaty!)
Okay, so after I got my caffeine fix, I had to decide where to go and what to do with Remus. I eventually decided to go to the Plymouth waterfront. I had my treats and my puppy and a positive attitude, what else could I need? (I could have remembered to grab a poop bag or 2; thankfully a nice woman gave me a bag and a "wet one" to wipe my hands with when Rem had to go. That was a little embarrassing, though everyone had a good laugh when Remus tried to grab the filled poop bag from me, LOL.)
So, we arrived at the parking lot to pay for the hour we'd be there (BTW, it's a dollar/ hour during the summer- Memorial through Labor Day). We started to walk towards the jetty, said "hi' to a lot of people which Remus seemed to enjoy, he even was able to meet some polite children. It's really nice how most people are so interested in such a young puppy, though he does rank high in the cute department!! We avoided a boxer who was tied to a tree across the walkway from his family (that was a good decision, after we walked past and were about 50 feet away the dog was staring at Remus). We met a nice couple from R.I., two nice families in town for the fireworks and a youngish couple on mountain bikes. The whole experience was extremely positive, except for the man who was somewhat intoxicated. In a good spirited way (he wasn't being malicious) he came over to see Remus, was wearing a ball cap and sunglasses started tousling Remus' head and ears (and I'm not sure if Remus didn't like the smell of alcohol on his breath). Remus didn't appreciate the rough handling, so I started feeding him treats and changed what he was concentrating on (note- meet lots of appropriate men in hats and sunglasses). We walked on the rocks leading out to the jetty, when he's bigger we'll venture out to the end. Went down to the water to put our feet in then off to Carol's for a quick visit, then home to have dinner and take a nap! That puppy was tired after his outing!! And, during all of this there were cherry bombs or something going off intermittently.
Where we are at for socialization-
On to the fun- We left around 3:30 to go to Mary-Lou's for coffee- a great coffee shop with a lot of choices if you enjoy flavored coffees. My usual is an Almond Joy (Hawaiian Chocolate Nut coffee with mocha mixed with milk= super chocolaty!)
Okay, so after I got my caffeine fix, I had to decide where to go and what to do with Remus. I eventually decided to go to the Plymouth waterfront. I had my treats and my puppy and a positive attitude, what else could I need? (I could have remembered to grab a poop bag or 2; thankfully a nice woman gave me a bag and a "wet one" to wipe my hands with when Rem had to go. That was a little embarrassing, though everyone had a good laugh when Remus tried to grab the filled poop bag from me, LOL.)
So, we arrived at the parking lot to pay for the hour we'd be there (BTW, it's a dollar/ hour during the summer- Memorial through Labor Day). We started to walk towards the jetty, said "hi' to a lot of people which Remus seemed to enjoy, he even was able to meet some polite children. It's really nice how most people are so interested in such a young puppy, though he does rank high in the cute department!! We avoided a boxer who was tied to a tree across the walkway from his family (that was a good decision, after we walked past and were about 50 feet away the dog was staring at Remus). We met a nice couple from R.I., two nice families in town for the fireworks and a youngish couple on mountain bikes. The whole experience was extremely positive, except for the man who was somewhat intoxicated. In a good spirited way (he wasn't being malicious) he came over to see Remus, was wearing a ball cap and sunglasses started tousling Remus' head and ears (and I'm not sure if Remus didn't like the smell of alcohol on his breath). Remus didn't appreciate the rough handling, so I started feeding him treats and changed what he was concentrating on (note- meet lots of appropriate men in hats and sunglasses). We walked on the rocks leading out to the jetty, when he's bigger we'll venture out to the end. Went down to the water to put our feet in then off to Carol's for a quick visit, then home to have dinner and take a nap! That puppy was tired after his outing!! And, during all of this there were cherry bombs or something going off intermittently.
Where we are at for socialization-
- lots of women
- some more men
- some nice children
- more time in/ at the ocean
- listening to cherry bombs or fireworks (not sensitive to them)
- walked on boulders (not sensitive to heights or "broken" surfaces, spaces between rocks)
No opportunities for photos :-( didn't bring a "photographer" with me (had to concentrate on my little guy!)
Though I did get a picture of a deer in my backyard while I was cooking dinner.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Monday, July 2nd
We had a busy weekend! Saturday evening we went to Powder Point Bridge in Duxbury to play in the ocean. We had a lot of fun, met some nice people including a child and watched and listened to the cars drive over the bridge. (And, Remus was so tired that he SLEPT through the fireworks!! That was not what I expected.)Sunday morning we were up early, went to breakfast and visited Jenny Grist Mill in Plymouth. There we walked underneath the overpass, next to the stream going into the ocean. Met some more people, watched a few ducks in the water and walked over the wooden bridge. Teaching (or desensitizing) Ry (and any puppy really) to different places and walking on different surfaces is such a positive thing. I often see dogs who are afraid to walk on our blue floor at the veterinary hospital, it would be so much better for them if they learned they could walk on different surfaces. In class, I will put different materials on the floor for the pups to walk on- a wooden expansion gate spread out flat on the floor, a metal crate pan, a tarp...
Another early morning today, we drove to Plymouth Beach- Dog Friendly!! Yes!!
We spent about 40 minutes there listening to the waves (Remus is a little noise sensitive), met more people and played in the sand (I brought Ry's water toy- an orange fish). Remus likes to carry it/ or something so I encourage that. I remembered to bring my camera and was able to document our field trip. And, we went up and down the wooden ramp.And, late this afternoon we went to the bogs again- Ry went swimming (really he was chasing the ducks). Remus had fun trying to keep up with Ry, well, I think he did. I did get some nice photos of him.
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| Uncle Ryan at about 4 months |
Saturday, June 30, 2012
10 Weeks Old
Remus is continuing to do well. The housebreaking is going well, I've been doing a good job preventing him from having accidents, though he has had a couple (I am human and as I've been told by Deb at work- no one would like me if I was perfect all the time).
We had our 2nd Puppy Kindergarten class today which was very fun!! Before our class started we attended a BAT (Behavior Adjustment Training) Class, (I'm co-teaching it with Katrin), instead of crating Remus I had him on leash. During the meeting (no dogs attended) I worked on down, sit, eye contact and hand targeting which was good; he also got to be a puppy. At the end of the class, Katrin brought out 2 lifelike stuffed dogs which Remus thought were real. We demonstrated BAT to the class using Remus and the larger of the 2 stuffed dogs. He did great, displayed very nice body language indicating that he wanted to increase his distance away from it; I happily praised that and we walked happily away. I think this is a great start to a trusting lifelong relationship. After he had a 30 minute break in a crate, we had our Puppy Kindergarten Class, there we worked on leash walking, preventing resource guarding and making fetch a super fun activity!! Even after all of the activity he had we ended with Remus still wanting to work with me!!! That was huge, for Remus to work for 2 hours with only a 30 minute break and to continue to be willing to work with me- I couldn't have hoped for more!!
Goals for the week- visiting different places
We had our 2nd Puppy Kindergarten class today which was very fun!! Before our class started we attended a BAT (Behavior Adjustment Training) Class, (I'm co-teaching it with Katrin), instead of crating Remus I had him on leash. During the meeting (no dogs attended) I worked on down, sit, eye contact and hand targeting which was good; he also got to be a puppy. At the end of the class, Katrin brought out 2 lifelike stuffed dogs which Remus thought were real. We demonstrated BAT to the class using Remus and the larger of the 2 stuffed dogs. He did great, displayed very nice body language indicating that he wanted to increase his distance away from it; I happily praised that and we walked happily away. I think this is a great start to a trusting lifelong relationship. After he had a 30 minute break in a crate, we had our Puppy Kindergarten Class, there we worked on leash walking, preventing resource guarding and making fetch a super fun activity!! Even after all of the activity he had we ended with Remus still wanting to work with me!!! That was huge, for Remus to work for 2 hours with only a 30 minute break and to continue to be willing to work with me- I couldn't have hoped for more!!
Goals for the week- visiting different places
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Life is fun, intro to Ryan
Remus is doing well. We slept late this morning so he had a harder time being quiet during work, I was extremely busy and didn't get to play with him as much during lunch as I would have liked to. I am continuing to practice "down" with Remus, I really need to make an effort to add in distractions. I am continuing to socialize him and am happy with the number of different people he has been able to meet.
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| Remus at 3 weeks |
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Almost a week
It's Wednesday, Remus has been with me for a week. Everyday is as fun as the previous. I know it's going to get more difficult, I suppose, when he gets a little older and becomes an adolescent. We were practicing down at lunch today, he's doing very well without distractions so it's time to add them in slowly. He is sleeping during work for the most part except when it's time to go to the bathroom or eat lunch. We played "come" in the backyard at work- that was a great idea, not only did I reinforce that coming to me is the most awesome thing EVER; Remus ran a lot and was tired enough to sleep through the majority of the afternoon.
Oh, and he met a nice man in a uniform today and a very nice woman with glasses on her necklace. Everyday we meet someone "new" or do something new or go someplace new. It's all about introducing something or someone new.
Oh, and he met a nice man in a uniform today and a very nice woman with glasses on her necklace. Everyday we meet someone "new" or do something new or go someplace new. It's all about introducing something or someone new.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Here it is Tuesday night, I've been up since 5:30 am which I'm sure to a lot of people is not that early; for me, though, it's early. Remus made it about 7 hours through the night which is great. The housebreaking is going fine, he goes to the bathroom as soon as I take him outside. He will go inside the house of course, at this age he has to go as soon as he feels the need. Bringing him to work helps because he is confined in a crate and doesn't have a chance but to have an accident unless... he has to wait too long. He did jump on the door tonight when he was riled up running around; I'll take that as a maybe cue that I need to go out (or at least praise and offer him a functional reward). He went to the bathroom when we got outside.
Remus and I had a good day at work. Before I punched in we met a client (man with a light beard) at the front door who happily said "hi" to Remus. He met a man and a woman at the office. During my lunch break we practiced the down cue, played "come to me" and practiced ignoring the thunder. Then, Heather brought Morgan in to say "hi" to Remus. Little guy was nervous at first but by the end of my break he was starting to play with her. Later in the afternoon he was able to meet another (woman) client, he loves meeting new people; always wagging his tail!
Then, we came home and the craziness started. I am happy to report that we are fine and the worst that happened was that Remus startled himself a few times. The kitchen chairs were on the table which Remus knocked off when he was jumping around. He ran so fast toward the dining room that he almost jumped over the baby gate. You can not imagine the power of praise. I said "Good Boy Remus!" he turned on a dime and I lavishly praised him and fed him treats so that he would remember the fun we had and hopefully not the chair almost falling on him. The baby gate almost fell on him which was nothing after the chair. When we went outside with Ry, he and Remus were trying to play together. It wasn't very successful since Remus started yelping, not hurt just scared of the big dog (who doesn't really know how to play with a puppy). They are both learning, everyday gets easier.
Remus and I had a good day at work. Before I punched in we met a client (man with a light beard) at the front door who happily said "hi" to Remus. He met a man and a woman at the office. During my lunch break we practiced the down cue, played "come to me" and practiced ignoring the thunder. Then, Heather brought Morgan in to say "hi" to Remus. Little guy was nervous at first but by the end of my break he was starting to play with her. Later in the afternoon he was able to meet another (woman) client, he loves meeting new people; always wagging his tail!
Then, we came home and the craziness started. I am happy to report that we are fine and the worst that happened was that Remus startled himself a few times. The kitchen chairs were on the table which Remus knocked off when he was jumping around. He ran so fast toward the dining room that he almost jumped over the baby gate. You can not imagine the power of praise. I said "Good Boy Remus!" he turned on a dime and I lavishly praised him and fed him treats so that he would remember the fun we had and hopefully not the chair almost falling on him. The baby gate almost fell on him which was nothing after the chair. When we went outside with Ry, he and Remus were trying to play together. It wasn't very successful since Remus started yelping, not hurt just scared of the big dog (who doesn't really know how to play with a puppy). They are both learning, everyday gets easier.
You are taking my picture again?!
It's hard being a cute puppy with a camera around, LOL.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Starting The Week Together
It's Monday, Remus has been with me for 4 days. Tonight we worked on the "down" cue, taught by using the capture method: wait for the dog perform the behavior then- mark, praise and reward. I also started using "free" as his release cue. Capturing can be a preferred method to teach certain behaviors as it allows the dog to figure out what you want. I was hand feeding him his dinner, by the time his bowl was empty, he pretty consistently laying down when I showed him the hand signal. I also started teaching him to nose-touch my hand.
He is doing very well with sit. Since I don't want him jumping on the baby gate, he needs to sit before I come into the kitchen with him. Although, I'm not always very consistent in preventing him from jumping on me when he comes when I call him.
He is also retrieving toys for me. He will run to pick one up and runs back to me with it. So very cute!! One of Ryan's toys is a green and yellow ball with little balls on the inside that you can hear when the ball rolls around. Remus plays with that ball, running, jumping and barking at it.
Today I learned that Remus is nervous in new situations but, he recovers quickly. I need to make sure that I introduce something new every day. So far, Remus has met the girls at work, 3 men, my sister, and has been work, to the cranberry bogs, my sister's house, Katrin's house (and puppy class), her parents' house and he met Katrin's dog Tom.
He is doing very well with sit. Since I don't want him jumping on the baby gate, he needs to sit before I come into the kitchen with him. Although, I'm not always very consistent in preventing him from jumping on me when he comes when I call him.
He is also retrieving toys for me. He will run to pick one up and runs back to me with it. So very cute!! One of Ryan's toys is a green and yellow ball with little balls on the inside that you can hear when the ball rolls around. Remus plays with that ball, running, jumping and barking at it.
Today I learned that Remus is nervous in new situations but, he recovers quickly. I need to make sure that I introduce something new every day. So far, Remus has met the girls at work, 3 men, my sister, and has been work, to the cranberry bogs, my sister's house, Katrin's house (and puppy class), her parents' house and he met Katrin's dog Tom.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
First Weekend Together
Copper-Creek Remus' Workn Lika Dog; Whelped April 21, 2012
I picked up Remus in Connecticut on Thursday night at 9pm from the breeder then started the 2 hour drive home. Remus is a purebred Vizsla, a pointing breed from Hungary that was around at the time of the Magyars; a very old breed. Remus slept the first part of the ride home in Katrin's lap, the second part he cried and slept in his crate. We arrived home at midnight and finally got to bed at 1 am. Up twice during the night then off to work by 7 am. How I got through that day with so little sleep is incredible.
We got to work by 7:30 am (I'm a vet tech and luckily able to bring him to work). Poor little guy didn't know what to think about all of the barking, smells and commotion. I'm happy to report that after an initial shaky start he did fantastic his first day.
Saturday we got up in the middle of the night (yes, I'm going to be getting up at the middle of the night for a week or so) to potty outside, then got up for real around 6 and had breakfast. Around 10 we got into the car and were on our way to our first puppy class. In class we started learning to walk on leash, to sit using the food lure and a capture down. After class we had a nap at home, we were tired!
Sunday morning we had breakfast at 6, went to the bogs for our first off leash run with Ryan, another Vizsla and his uncle. Remus had a great time following (trying to anyway) Ry and running up and down the paths. I had to teach a lesson today (I'm also a dog trainer) so Remus had to stay home in his crate for a few hours with the big dogs- Ry and Clara-10 y.o. Pembroke Welsh Corgi. I came home around noon, took Remus out and then had lunch sitting on the front lawn feeding Remus whenever a car went by. Remus was not bothered by the cars going by. I had to go out again, so back into his crate. After it started to cool off this afternoon, we picked up my sister and drove to the field behind the school for a walk and to play the come game- she and I stood or sat about 8-15 feet apart and took turns calling Remus. He came when called with such enthusiasm, it was so great to see!! We sat in the shade for a little while, Remus fell asleep then we went back to Carol's for a little while. We played with Remus in the back yard for a little while. I went home and fed him and the other dogs, played with them outside and now he's been asleep for a few hours. Gotta go wake him up so that he can potty again, then off to bed. He's 9 weeks old today. Busy first weekend. I love him already!
I picked up Remus in Connecticut on Thursday night at 9pm from the breeder then started the 2 hour drive home. Remus is a purebred Vizsla, a pointing breed from Hungary that was around at the time of the Magyars; a very old breed. Remus slept the first part of the ride home in Katrin's lap, the second part he cried and slept in his crate. We arrived home at midnight and finally got to bed at 1 am. Up twice during the night then off to work by 7 am. How I got through that day with so little sleep is incredible.
We got to work by 7:30 am (I'm a vet tech and luckily able to bring him to work). Poor little guy didn't know what to think about all of the barking, smells and commotion. I'm happy to report that after an initial shaky start he did fantastic his first day.
Saturday we got up in the middle of the night (yes, I'm going to be getting up at the middle of the night for a week or so) to potty outside, then got up for real around 6 and had breakfast. Around 10 we got into the car and were on our way to our first puppy class. In class we started learning to walk on leash, to sit using the food lure and a capture down. After class we had a nap at home, we were tired!
Sunday morning we had breakfast at 6, went to the bogs for our first off leash run with Ryan, another Vizsla and his uncle. Remus had a great time following (trying to anyway) Ry and running up and down the paths. I had to teach a lesson today (I'm also a dog trainer) so Remus had to stay home in his crate for a few hours with the big dogs- Ry and Clara-10 y.o. Pembroke Welsh Corgi. I came home around noon, took Remus out and then had lunch sitting on the front lawn feeding Remus whenever a car went by. Remus was not bothered by the cars going by. I had to go out again, so back into his crate. After it started to cool off this afternoon, we picked up my sister and drove to the field behind the school for a walk and to play the come game- she and I stood or sat about 8-15 feet apart and took turns calling Remus. He came when called with such enthusiasm, it was so great to see!! We sat in the shade for a little while, Remus fell asleep then we went back to Carol's for a little while. We played with Remus in the back yard for a little while. I went home and fed him and the other dogs, played with them outside and now he's been asleep for a few hours. Gotta go wake him up so that he can potty again, then off to bed. He's 9 weeks old today. Busy first weekend. I love him already!
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