training classes

When Piper was little (as in, three months old), we did a puppy class at Elite Dog Training, located in Kitchener. It was good to get Piper out around all the other puppies at such an early age.

We worked on sit, down, name recognition, etc., and the last 15 minutes of every class was playtime! However, there were 16 puppies in the class, so for many of the puppies it was just too overwhelming. Personally I think the attendees should have been capped at ten, 16 was just way too many.

I also didn't like the way she handled puppies that were fearful or snappy. Her method was to hold the screaming puppy until it stopped screaming. Even for puppies who didn't want their mouths touched, she would hold the puppy's mouth open until it stopped struggling and screaming. I'm so glad Piper was pretty good at everything, because I would not have allowed that to happen to my puppy.

I learned from trying to force Willow to sit still so I could trim her nails, that force does not work in dealing with an issue where fear or resistance is involved. A much better way is to use treats to make the experience positive, and gradually work up to being able to complete the task.

Piper growing up! This week she weighed just 38lbs, at around 6 1/2 months. She only put on three lbs in the last month, so she will definitely be a small little girl! Just what I wanted :)

In November we started the Competition Puppy 1 class at Companion Dog Training. I've done probably three classes there with Ace and always enjoyed them, although I sometimes found that I just didn't understand what they were trying to accomplish. Starting with Piper from the beginning has made all the difference! I understand the basics much better, and am actually looking forward to taking more obedience-style classes.

In the Competition Puppy class, we started by learning competition-style sits and downs. Piper and I are still working on the down! Lots of other things as well, like set-up, get-in, front, around, over, wait, recall, and trot. Thinks I'd never done before as well, like how to properly play tug and use it as a reward, fetch work with a dumbbell, and beginning scent discrimination. I very much enjoyed it!

We were signed up for Competition Puppy 2, but there were not enough people so the instructor had to cancel the class. I've already paid, so I'm hoping there will be another class running in March. We may have to switch into the Attention 1, but that would be ok. It's all practice anyways! And now we have two months to fix all the things we didn't have time to perfect in the class.

home for christmas

This year I made the 3 hour trek to my parents house for Christmas. Ace, Piper, Archie, and I spent 3 very interesting days there. Overall, I think it was a success!

Archie sitting on the tile at the front door.

Piper survived her boots, and was not even fighting them by the end of the trip. They are a little big for her, so they would fall off once in a while, but overall the boots were a success.

Ace was his normal, lazy bones self. Cuddling with anyone who would give him space on the couch. He is always a hit with my parents.

Archie was also good, with one exception. The first morning there he pooped and peed under my dad's work bench. My dad doesn't like cats to begin with so this was not a good thing to happen. I moved his litter box to a more open spot and Archie decided that now the box was where he wanted it to be, he would use it. He also had a good cuddle with my 86 year old Grandma, which gave him lots of points.

My Aunt and her partner also brought over their 7 month old Australian Labradoodle (aka lab x poodle x cocker spaniel x irish waterdog x something else I can't remember) on Christmas day. He was very cute, and played well with Piper when they were running around in the basement, but when they were around all the people he was getting pretty snappy with her. He seemed to be possessive over toys (which were actually Piper's) and also his space overall. It was kind of odd, considering how well they played together in the basement. Hopefully my Aunt will work on whatever issues he may have so they do better next Christmas.

Ace being forced to dance with my sister. He's clearly thrilled.

I have the whole next week off, so I'm looking forward to doing lots of hikes and training with the dogs! Oh yeah, and schoolwork. Blah.

goals

Dog-related goals that is.

Piper is 5 months old now, so it's time to set some realistic goals for what I want to accomplish with her.

We are currently enrolled in a Competition Puppy class, working on tuck sits, stands, and learning to love the heel position! So far I'm finding the class a lot of fun - way more fun than the Attention class I took with Ace. Maybe if we start at the bottom, I may actually be motivated to compete in traditional obedience? We'll see.

Anyways, my first goal is to do the Canine Good Neighbour (CGN) test with Piper sometime this winter. Ideally in January or February. It's easy to practice for it in my neighbourhood pet store, so I have no excuse not to do it soon!

Before she hits a year, I would also like to have her complete a Herding Instinct Test, and a Disc Dog Proficiency Test. Both are simple tests, and look at natural abilities more than training. But I think they would both be good things to have under her belt! It looks like there are lots of local Disc Dog events, so it might be a convenient sport to pick up, although I don't have a lot of desire to get really competitive with it.

Finally, I would like Piper to do her Rally Novice, and Ace to do his Rally Advanced sometime in the spring or summer.

Now that I've written it down, we'll see how I can keep up with it! It looks like an awful lot of things to do. We'll all have to work very hard to accomplish it all.

we survived!

Well, we officially survived our first weekend at my parent's house. You remember, the one with the precious floors?

Lucky Ace got to wear his mut-luks, he's very stoic about it. Honestly, he takes it like a champ. I just have to watch that his dew claws don't get stuck above the boot, since I'm guessing that would be pretty uncomfortable.

Archie acquired a lovely set of black nail caps. He's all dressed up for halloween now! Actually, I think this is the most manly Archie has ever looked. Well, it will be once I take off his collar with the flowers and heart-shaped ID tag :)

And lucky Piper is apparently too small for her nails to scratch the floors, so she got away with bare feet the whole two days we were visiting! I'm guessing she won't be so lucky next time, but maybe the long fur on her feet will help protect the floor? The only catch was that she was not allowed to run. As you can imagine, trying to keep any four-month old puppy from running over a two day period would be a challenge. Let alone an active dog like an Aussie? Wishful thinking!

they grow so fast

Puppies, that is. Piper is 16 weeks old now, and growing like a weed. When I got her at 9 weeks she weighed about 9 lbs, when she was weighed at 15 weeks she was 22 lbs. Cute as a button still though! She's starting to mature into a beautiful dog - she is good on leash and off.

Piper runs through the forest, with lots of rocks and exposed roots to jump over.

She is still a voracious chewer, but more and more is choosing appropriate chew toys. And accidents in the house are a rare occurrence. Piper will also sleep through the night, up to 10 hours! The lazy person in me is ecstatic. Tug and fetch are always popular games, although I have to separate Ace and Piper during fetch.

The only thing Piper is less than stellar about is respecting the other animals. She pesters Ace to no end, I feel bad for the poor guy and generally have to step in so he can nap in peace. She is a little better with Archie, bugging him less often, but she will on occasion tackle him as well, which I can't imagine he is thrilled about. I believe this is herding instinct run wild. I keep waiting for the day that both Ace and Archie will stand up to her. Hopefully it happens soon!

Piper herds Ace on our hike

Who me? Piper's guilty face.

   

lost

Archie has been with me for about four and a half years now, and in that time I've been very cautious with him. He is a strictly indoor cat, once or twice a year I will take him out on a leash. He loves hanging out in windows and looking out the door, but has never really pushed his luck in his escape attempts.

Yesterday was different. I was taking my garbage out and had both dogs on leashes. I didn't even see him get outside. I put Ace in a down-stay by the garbage cans and was clearing everything out, when he broke his stay and raced towards the apartment. The guys doing work on the apartment beside mine said he chased an orange and white cat up the stairs. I thought "That's weird, I've never seen a loose orange and white cat in this neighbourhood". I got my trash to the curb and went inside to feed the animals.

I poured the kibble into the dish...and Archie was nowhere to be seen. Uh oh. An orange and white cat that ran up the stairs? Uh oh.

So I go back outside and check the staircase - no cat. I check in the yard, my neighbours yard, and took a quick walk down the street, shaking the kibble dish as I went. No luck.

The humane society didn't open until 9:00, so I had half an hour before I could report him missing. I made up a poster with his picture and contact information, and would take short walks around the block, shaking his kibble dish.

By the time I got through to the humane society, I was distraught. I kept thinking that I had lost him forever - he would get hit by a car, get in a fight with another cat, or just get lost and not be able to find his way home.

The woman who answered the phone was very helpful. She took down a description of him, and my information. She explained the best way to make a LOST poster, and suggested I sprinkle some old litter in the yard and leave the door cracked open, so he could smell his way home. I was also provided with the number of the microchip company, so I could update Archie's information.

I immediately followed her instructions and propped the door open (dogs in their crates, so I didn't have other escapees). I called the microchip company to give my address and phone number, and they made a note on his file that he was missing. I went out side to sprinkle litter in the yard...and who do I see sitting at the side of the road?

Archie. My super intelligent cat was sitting on the road with his nose stuffed in my neighbours catnip plant. I walked over and picked him up - tragedy averted. He was out in the world for a total of an hour and a half.

I am so grateful to have my little kitten back, and truly appreciate the kindness of the people at the Guelph Humane Society and Microchip Solutions. And I will definitely be more careful closing my door from now on!

introducing piper!

Meet my new addition, Piper! She is a Red Merle Australian Shepherd, and my new (hopefully) sport dog. Bred by Wendy at No Rulz Aussies, she was born on June 20th, 2012, to parents Jynx and Riggs. Registered name is No Rulz Red Alert.

Piper side profile, looking up at a treat!

Piper was the first puppy born in a litter of eight, four males and four females. She is certainly full of beans, always running around with the zoomies! I brought home some little tennis balls for her, and she is already consistently retrieving them, which I'm so excited about!

Piper looking into the camera. Her eyes are changing from blue to hazel.

Her first night home, she slept a full 9 hours! Unfortunately it appears that was a fluke... it looks like we'll be getting up around 5am for the next few nights, until she has more bladder control. She eats good, poops good, and has only had a few accidents, which is to be expected from a nine week old puppy.

Napping on the floor! Her coat has a really striking pattern.

Further updates and pictures to come soon!