post memorial day weekend...high temps and ticks!

It's been hot here. Hot and dry (finally!). This means that the dogs are getting their exercise in the mornings or when the sun goes down. Even after getting "furminated" they still get hot outside. So, we go for a run in the morning or to the dog park and then they chill all day til their evening jaunt around the block.

The dogs have been behaving fairly well lately - it could be the heat wearing them out - or the fact that there aren't as many dogs in our building right now either. It's probably the latter...but wait - I should be taking credit! Yea, that's right, the dogs are behaving better lately because I've been working with them so much!

But the weekend wasn't complete without Copper getting his first tick! eeew! I just found out that there is a topical drop that I could get that helps prevent ticks, so we may need to investigate that. But, obviously yesterday we had to deal with the task at hand. We used a cotton ball with alcohol to try to loosen the tick and then tried to pull it straight out (without twisting). Did we succeed? Nope! We couldn't get the tick head.

After researching and calling a vet, the plan is to watch for any signs of infection at the site or in Copper's behavior. Apparalently, his body should push the head out like with a splinter. If we see anything strange, then we'll head in to the vet, but otherwise he should be fine.

Lessons:
1. If you've got a furry little guy - check him for ticks (they may be hard to see if you've got an aussie like Copper)

2. The consensus of information I saw said not to use nail polish remover or a match to loosen the tick.

3. There may be a topical prevention method that we can use in the future against ticks!

Thank goodness for the internet and being able to "google" things!

separate walks...finally!

After getting knocked down by a cold and all of my excuses, the dogs got their separate walks this morning and did great!

Sara Beth is starting to respond much better to the clicker sounds again. And-we were even able to get half a block from two dogs that were irritated by our presence! I like that we weren't the trouble dog! While she got upset at first, she calmed down with some commands/rewards.

Copper did excellent today. We didn't encounter any other dogs, but he was very focused on me and following my lead. The only downfall to our walk today was that he ate so many cicadas! eeew!

does this fur make me look fat?

So, Tennessee is different from Colorado in a lot of ways, but one of the biggest things for Copper and Sara Beth has been the heat and humidity. I've noticed since we've been here that my dogs don't have as much energy as they used to and that they get tired easier. At the dog park, they stop (for a brief second) and hang out in the shade much sooner than I've ever seen.

So, I started thinking, "hmmm...maybe we should shave our dogs and make them feel a little better..." And I even called around to a couple places to find out pricing and availability. And then, I thought, that I should maybe research it a little more. And good old google and facebook friends gave me some answers.

Shaving a dog like an Australian Shepherd or Border Collie with a double coat can be more harmful to it. Removing that outer coat can give more exposure to the sun, leading to sunburn. The outer coat also acts as insulation to keep heat out. Not to mention, it's stated too, that the fur may not grow back properly.

So...we busted out our furminator brush and I filled up a bag full of hair. It was amazing how much came off of each dog. I'm sure there's much more that needs to come off of them still. But I think I have my answer for now- no shaving.

update on food aggression

So far things have been going great on the food aggression front!

Copper has been really well behaved at food time. He has even started slowing down a little when he does eat.

Here's what it looks like:

1. Both dogs are fed at night time (so they'll respond better to the leash training)

2. I put the food in both bowls, but only put Sara's down for her to start

3. I let Sara eat the majority of hers first. Then, I put Copper's down.

4. I don't let him start his until I give him his "release" signal.

5. I take away the bowl a few times while he's eating and I don't let him start again until I give him the signal.

6. Then, I will sometimes poke at his side and his back end while he's eating to see if he will get irritated - and so far he's good

7. We'll keep down this path of practice for a long time. I want to make sure he knows he needs my permission before he can eat. I want him to know who is the authority so that we can all get along really well!

back to the basics

With both dogs, we have done puppy class where we taught the dogs basic commands with the use of a clicker, then treat system. My wonderful husband reminded me last week that this technique had worked so well in the beginning, maybe i should try it out again. And I must say, the dogs have responded so well to it! I still have to work with them separately to see the best results, but I am very glad that hubbs suggested it!

enjoying your dog

Last week we had a fairly good time with the dogs. And after a successful walk with the dogs we came back to the condo and just ended up sitting on the floor.

We just rolled around with the dogs and played with them and wrestled. They had fun and we had fun.

I think it's important to remember that in the midst of all of this (frustrating) training that it's important to have fun and enjoy your dog.

roadblock!

the last two days have been not as successful of training days. we made a HUGE scene trying to just get in the dog park last night because my dogs were both in their leash aggression explosion phase. walks and anxiety in the courtyard at our condo have been average- good overall, but still noticable signs of anxiety.

so what's the problem? me

i have had no patience and no desire to work with them. i know it's temporary and that my exhaustion will pass. but, let's face it, there are times when we just are not the perfect dog owner.

it's friday and after this long week, me and my babies will be back on track soon!

bark all you want!

Sweet little Copper... he has always been our barker, but he's developed a new thing since the training...

This morning he saw a dog outside of our window and started barking...He then proceeded to bark to me. Why did he start barking at me? While I'll never know exactly what he was thinking, I think I have some idea. You see, instead of telling him to be quiet, I simply continued eating my breakfast and ignored his initial barking. Then, I continued to ignore his bark toward me. It was as if he was trying to say "hey mom, don't you care that there's this dog outside and I was trying to tell you".

I don't think everyone has the patience to do this, but I have a feeling this is going to be helpful (so I'm gonna give it a try): whenever I can just stand there and let him bark toward me, I will. Then, I'll turn around if he absolutely won't just stop on his own, that way he knows he's being ignored. I want to see if he'll get tired of barking and essentially bored so that he'll calm down.

new dog new day

it's sunny! yay! both dogs got runs today - on their own. not only does this mean that they got exercise, but i got two runs in this morning. so this dog training stuff will hopefully have some personal-selfish benefits too...!

good report on both dogs for the run portion of today's training. let's see if lunch time walks go well...they get individual ones today since it's good weather!

the last few days...

ok...so it's been raining in nashville a LOT! which has not helped the dog training process. Not only can I not take them to the dog park to get their exercise, but I can barely take them on walks without myself getting soaked. So, I've been breaking some rules. I've been taking them on walks together when it's rainy. I know I know. This is one of my big rules- to not take them on walks together until they can absolutely handle it, but when weather gets in the way, I've given myself permission to break this rule.

How have the dogs been doing...?

Copper - poor dog has so much energy that he can't get out because of the rain, but he has been doing better at seeing other dogs in the courtyard while on a leash. We have one neighbor who sits with his black lab on his front porch and copper has seen it from a distance a few times in the last few days and not gotten whiny.

Sara - had a successful play session in the courtyard the other day with three dogs that were hanging out down there. The key was that it was off leash. She got comfortable with them and then when I put her back on her leash, she was fine. Now if only we could do that with every dog in the building....

Walking-wise, they are both great on the leash when there are no dogs. They are paying good attention to me. And we can be half a block away from a non-aggressive dog with the dogs staying in a sit and focusing on me.



What to keep working on...

* they need to be walked separately so that when we do encounter dogs, they do ok. good thing it's supposed to be sunny for a few days
* we need to get the dogs able to be on other side of street with a dog walk by on the opposite sidewalk
* continue to get comfortable seeing dogs in the courtyard area


wheew! i need some more treats for training times...i guess this means another practice session at petsmart soon