but geez they are loud!! Right now Buddy and Bryce are in the kitchen playing. I figured they would both be tired out but no way! Im beat though.
I took Bryce out around the block first. I make the block pretty big. Two kids were following us around on their bikes and he seemed pretty freaked. Just wanted to hide me when they came close. I tried to do "friend" but he was too upset and wouldnt take the treats. So I told them that he was scared and not to get too close....then kept walking. We then came upon another lady, about my age...maybe younger, with a 3 month old chocolate lab! OMG so cute!! just wanted to play with Bryce and Bryce wanted to play with him. He did take a treat from the lady so that was a plus. We continued on our way. We got to the busier road and he was a little more scared. His tail though was not pinned underneath....it was not up and wagging but was lose and sort of relaxed!! I find that the more I talk to him while we're walking, the more confident he is. I do let him walk in front of me to help with the confidence but he looks back often to make sure Im there. Id love to walk the three of them together but it is so hard!!
We got back and I grabbed Buddy and Santana and did one more round. Buddy hates the gentle leader and Santana just kept pulling. My hands hurt! lol....Hoping for a good week weather wise so I can keep up the hour walk every day.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
wow, im a slacker...
and im sure that wont be the first time i write that as a title!!
This weekend has been oh so busy!! Bryce hasn't had many breakthroughs but he is doing well. he is still driving me nuts though. Friday night we went for a visit to my friend Carissa's house. We wanted to see how he would do with her cats. He did very well. Interested but no chasing. More just wanted to see waht was up. He met Charlene and Carissa's honey, Karl. He wasnt sure at first but after a while he was able to take treats from them. Not confidently, but he still took them. This was his first long ride not being crated in the car. On the way down, he seemed very worried. Not so much on the way back. When we got home, I figured out why. He used his leash as a pacifier and chewed right through it....Oops!
Saturday, we took a ride to Bangor. He was crated this time!! We stopped at the barn to visit some friends. I wanted him to see the horses but we never got there. Everyone got to get a look at him. There were lots of people there! When Mary Beth was finished riding, I got him out of the car and we sat around and visited with George and Sylvia. He got lots of treats. Rosie and Dog wanted to investigate him, but not so much on the playing. George seemed to be a bit smitten with him. I can see why...Bryce is a beautiful boy that just needs some confidence!!
After the barn, we went to Bob's house. A bunch of my co-workers were there hanging out. I think he eventually took treats from everyone. He got lots of compliments about how beautiful he was and how quiet he was. I told them not to be fooled....once the snail is out of his shell he is a handful!!!
Today we went down to Gray for some more socialization and so I could learn how to help him some more. We learned two new things...."touch" and "friend". Hoping that he will "touch" to tell me he has to go out...and "friend" will come along when he needs to realize people are not bad!
I cant wait for him to spend some more time with Carissa and see how it goes. Im excited to teach her and Bryce these new things too. He's gonna be such a good boy!!
This weekend has been oh so busy!! Bryce hasn't had many breakthroughs but he is doing well. he is still driving me nuts though. Friday night we went for a visit to my friend Carissa's house. We wanted to see how he would do with her cats. He did very well. Interested but no chasing. More just wanted to see waht was up. He met Charlene and Carissa's honey, Karl. He wasnt sure at first but after a while he was able to take treats from them. Not confidently, but he still took them. This was his first long ride not being crated in the car. On the way down, he seemed very worried. Not so much on the way back. When we got home, I figured out why. He used his leash as a pacifier and chewed right through it....Oops!
Saturday, we took a ride to Bangor. He was crated this time!! We stopped at the barn to visit some friends. I wanted him to see the horses but we never got there. Everyone got to get a look at him. There were lots of people there! When Mary Beth was finished riding, I got him out of the car and we sat around and visited with George and Sylvia. He got lots of treats. Rosie and Dog wanted to investigate him, but not so much on the playing. George seemed to be a bit smitten with him. I can see why...Bryce is a beautiful boy that just needs some confidence!!
After the barn, we went to Bob's house. A bunch of my co-workers were there hanging out. I think he eventually took treats from everyone. He got lots of compliments about how beautiful he was and how quiet he was. I told them not to be fooled....once the snail is out of his shell he is a handful!!!
Today we went down to Gray for some more socialization and so I could learn how to help him some more. We learned two new things...."touch" and "friend". Hoping that he will "touch" to tell me he has to go out...and "friend" will come along when he needs to realize people are not bad!
I cant wait for him to spend some more time with Carissa and see how it goes. Im excited to teach her and Bryce these new things too. He's gonna be such a good boy!!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
nothing new today...
He is doing well. Today he got introduced to the Gentle Leader. he has had free run of the house and last night was a holy terror! He got a time out and was better but I wasnt taking the chance tonight. Buddy and bryce both got the GL on and have been pretty quiet. I just need to watch him and make sure he doesnt chew. Although I dont think he will be able to get to it.
Last night was just crazy. They managed to play to their hearts content and in the process spilled the water dish....again. I almost think one of the two of the boys peed on the floor too but its hard to tell with the laminate flooring. They then knocked the gate down and I had had it! I just wanted some quiet time and I wasnt getting it. Once it got knocked down I went into the kitchen and just made lots of noise. Bryce freaked a bit and went into his crate....I had to corral Buddy to his. They were there for just a few minutes. The great thing was that Bryce came right out when I did release them.
He is doing pretty good with his manners. He has to wait before he is allowed his meal. He is allowed to have it once he hears "take it". Other things he has to do, which Buddy is required to do as well, is wait to come out of the crate; sit to have his harness taken on and off; sit and wait to go through the door; sit for treats. Hopefully his forever home will follow through with this. It will definitely make him a better dog.
I cant wait to take him to Gray this weekend. Hopefully I can get some help in curbing his new habit. If you are not paying attention to him when he is excited, he come up and nip the back of your leg. Its not painful, feels like a pin prick. This is not okay behavior though. I have been just turning around and saying "NO!" loudly but it doesnt seem to be working. He mostly does it when you are walking in front of him. Hopefully too he will be able to socialize and we can show Janet the cool things we have learned and how good he is doing. :)
Last night was just crazy. They managed to play to their hearts content and in the process spilled the water dish....again. I almost think one of the two of the boys peed on the floor too but its hard to tell with the laminate flooring. They then knocked the gate down and I had had it! I just wanted some quiet time and I wasnt getting it. Once it got knocked down I went into the kitchen and just made lots of noise. Bryce freaked a bit and went into his crate....I had to corral Buddy to his. They were there for just a few minutes. The great thing was that Bryce came right out when I did release them.
He is doing pretty good with his manners. He has to wait before he is allowed his meal. He is allowed to have it once he hears "take it". Other things he has to do, which Buddy is required to do as well, is wait to come out of the crate; sit to have his harness taken on and off; sit and wait to go through the door; sit for treats. Hopefully his forever home will follow through with this. It will definitely make him a better dog.
I cant wait to take him to Gray this weekend. Hopefully I can get some help in curbing his new habit. If you are not paying attention to him when he is excited, he come up and nip the back of your leg. Its not painful, feels like a pin prick. This is not okay behavior though. I have been just turning around and saying "NO!" loudly but it doesnt seem to be working. He mostly does it when you are walking in front of him. Hopefully too he will be able to socialize and we can show Janet the cool things we have learned and how good he is doing. :)
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
first things first...
If you are reading this blog, click to be a follower! I just like to know that Im not doing this for nothing!! :)
bryce needed a bath....so I gave him one today. he did pretty well....wanted to get out like any other normal dog would do. He loved when he got scrubbed and especially liked getting out of the bath. he was rolling on the towel on the bathroom floor, butt up in the air, head down on the floor. When he shook, he showered the vanity and the walls with water! He also thought being wiped and rubbed down with the towel was pretty neat too. I made sure to give him lots of treats and praise for doing well in the bath.
Last night he finally figured out "down". i was so excited for him! Now we just need to reinforce it and then we can work on "leave it". It pretty much has "leave it" because he always has his nose into something! Nosey nosey boy!
He had an accident last night but I almost wonder if it was because I just wasnt watching. He had just gotten done playing and I usually take him out but didnt. Oh well...just need to watch better tonight. :)
bryce needed a bath....so I gave him one today. he did pretty well....wanted to get out like any other normal dog would do. He loved when he got scrubbed and especially liked getting out of the bath. he was rolling on the towel on the bathroom floor, butt up in the air, head down on the floor. When he shook, he showered the vanity and the walls with water! He also thought being wiped and rubbed down with the towel was pretty neat too. I made sure to give him lots of treats and praise for doing well in the bath.
Last night he finally figured out "down". i was so excited for him! Now we just need to reinforce it and then we can work on "leave it". It pretty much has "leave it" because he always has his nose into something! Nosey nosey boy!
He had an accident last night but I almost wonder if it was because I just wasnt watching. He had just gotten done playing and I usually take him out but didnt. Oh well...just need to watch better tonight. :)
Monday, April 20, 2009
his first walk...
Chris has taken him on a mini walk before but today we went out around the block. We took the usual route...down past the park, by mcdonalds and down the other road. Its pretty busy but a little quiet today since most State employees had the day off.
He did pretty decent for a first walk. I made sure he was leashed on his harness and a second on his collar, for safety's sake. When he realized we were leaving the driveway, he tried to hide behind me but I kept walking. He got scared by one person and a mailbox. He was brave enough though to walk up to it and sniff it, twice! Good job Bryce!!
We walked down by the McDonalds and down the busy road. He was not too afraid though....he sat for me and took treats. I realized that if i just talked to him, he seemed not so worried and moved forward at a better pace. I just let him take in the sights and sounds and we stopped a couple times so he could figure out what was going on. He got scared by a super loud motorcycle and a huge truck. He recovered well though.
Cant wait to see how he reacts after taking him on a regular basis. i dont think he wore himself out but he is sitting quietly with a rawhide now! yeah!!
He did pretty decent for a first walk. I made sure he was leashed on his harness and a second on his collar, for safety's sake. When he realized we were leaving the driveway, he tried to hide behind me but I kept walking. He got scared by one person and a mailbox. He was brave enough though to walk up to it and sniff it, twice! Good job Bryce!!
We walked down by the McDonalds and down the busy road. He was not too afraid though....he sat for me and took treats. I realized that if i just talked to him, he seemed not so worried and moved forward at a better pace. I just let him take in the sights and sounds and we stopped a couple times so he could figure out what was going on. He got scared by a super loud motorcycle and a huge truck. He recovered well though.
Cant wait to see how he reacts after taking him on a regular basis. i dont think he wore himself out but he is sitting quietly with a rawhide now! yeah!!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
our lazy day....
This was the first Sunday I've actually gotten to sleep in. It wasnt too late but was later than what I have been doing.
We got up and let the pups out. Bryce didnt have an accident yesterday...nor did he have one today! We are not out of the potty training woods but this is great progress. There wasnt much of anything done today except for sleeping and watching TV. Bryce has about 95% mastered "sit". He understands the command but sometimes he gets a little distracted and needs to be reminded what to do. Im so excited for him! cant wait to work on "down".
While he is still a little scared of Chris, he has definitely come out of his shell. With that though, comes him being a pain in the rear! he has tons more energy and now just wants to be up doing something ALL the time! Which means I have to be awake and watching him (so there are no accidents) and to make sure he doesnt decide to chew on something that isnt his.
Now that he trusts us more, Im hoping to get some walks in on my lunch or after work. Hopefully this releases some of that energy and he quiets down after dinner.
We got up and let the pups out. Bryce didnt have an accident yesterday...nor did he have one today! We are not out of the potty training woods but this is great progress. There wasnt much of anything done today except for sleeping and watching TV. Bryce has about 95% mastered "sit". He understands the command but sometimes he gets a little distracted and needs to be reminded what to do. Im so excited for him! cant wait to work on "down".
While he is still a little scared of Chris, he has definitely come out of his shell. With that though, comes him being a pain in the rear! he has tons more energy and now just wants to be up doing something ALL the time! Which means I have to be awake and watching him (so there are no accidents) and to make sure he doesnt decide to chew on something that isnt his.
Now that he trusts us more, Im hoping to get some walks in on my lunch or after work. Hopefully this releases some of that energy and he quiets down after dinner.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
another field trip
My friend Penny came down from Bangor today. She brought her 6 year old Belgian Shepard down with her. Acadia is the sweetest, most well behaved girl I know...except for mommy's angel, Santana, that is!
We loaded all them up and headed over to PetSmart. I knew today would be way more busier than Thursday night and I was right. We brought Bryce in and everyone wanted to see him. He of course was very scared but overall, he didn't seem overwhelmed with it. He got to visit with a few of the associates and one of our trainer friends there fed him lots of treats! She thinks he is Chesapeake bay retriever mix....Im still leaning towards Australian shepard/lab mix. He did well and got to meet some new dogs.
Afterwards, we headed over to the nature trails behind Cony High. He seemed annoyed that the other three dogs got to run free and he had to be tied. But there was noooo way I was letting that boy go! He wasnt sure about Penny but after a while he started walking next to her and even sniffing her leg to see what she was all about! He was running and playing with KD, and Santana and Buddy. They all got to play in the dirty brook but that is ok! He got all wrapped up in his leash and fell over into the mud/water. It didnt phase him though; he got up and followed them back into the water. Gotta love dirty, smelly dogs!
We turned around and started to hed back when he discovered a big ol stick! So cute when he grabbed it on the end like puppies do. It was like a foot long and about an inch in circumference. KD took it from him but towards the end he got it back. He likes walking in the woods and Im looking forward to taking him back. Hopefully Ill take some pictures!
He is remembering how to be a puppy. He has learned to jump on me so now we start having to teach "off". Not so bad, cept when he's muddy and smelly!
We loaded all them up and headed over to PetSmart. I knew today would be way more busier than Thursday night and I was right. We brought Bryce in and everyone wanted to see him. He of course was very scared but overall, he didn't seem overwhelmed with it. He got to visit with a few of the associates and one of our trainer friends there fed him lots of treats! She thinks he is Chesapeake bay retriever mix....Im still leaning towards Australian shepard/lab mix. He did well and got to meet some new dogs.
Afterwards, we headed over to the nature trails behind Cony High. He seemed annoyed that the other three dogs got to run free and he had to be tied. But there was noooo way I was letting that boy go! He wasnt sure about Penny but after a while he started walking next to her and even sniffing her leg to see what she was all about! He was running and playing with KD, and Santana and Buddy. They all got to play in the dirty brook but that is ok! He got all wrapped up in his leash and fell over into the mud/water. It didnt phase him though; he got up and followed them back into the water. Gotta love dirty, smelly dogs!
We turned around and started to hed back when he discovered a big ol stick! So cute when he grabbed it on the end like puppies do. It was like a foot long and about an inch in circumference. KD took it from him but towards the end he got it back. He likes walking in the woods and Im looking forward to taking him back. Hopefully Ill take some pictures!
He is remembering how to be a puppy. He has learned to jump on me so now we start having to teach "off". Not so bad, cept when he's muddy and smelly!
Friday, April 17, 2009
bryce
Bryce is our first foster....EVER. I decided to do a blog for him because he keeps doing all these great things everyday. I felt annoying emailing everyone everyday about it but I still wanted to be able to brag. So here goes nothing!
We got Bryce last Sunday after an unintended delay. When we got home, he warmed right up to Chris, taking treats and being a little curious. Santana and Buddy were really excited to see this new creature in the crate. Buddy can be over excited at times so we weren't too sure how he was going to react. He did really great. He was pretty easy in the begining.
We've had a few accidents in the house but Bryce is learning. This morning he pottied outside. This isnt abnormal for a dog but for scared little Bryce, it is a big deal. This morning, he KNEW he did good!! He did the number one and came running for some love with big happy eyes....then he did number two and ran right over again! He was a little too exuberant the second time and jumped, but we will work on that. The big deal is that he knew he did a great job and was very happy.
This week has been full of interesting things for him. The other day, I left 3 pairs of shoes in the kitchen. yeah, im bad...he decided he needed to hoard them for some reason. It was bedtime so when I went over to put him to bed, I noticed a shoe. When I went to grab the shoe, I noticed ALL 6 of them were in the crate! It was just too cute!
Last night, we went on a field trip to PetSmart. Buddy was a jerk as usual but Bryce was really good. You could see he was very scared on the walk in and out but having Buddy helped him realize he just needed to do what I was doing....walking in the store. We met some of the store clerks and Bryce thought one of the girls was pretty sweet. Sweet enough to lick her hand when she put it out to pet him. YEAH!! big deal for him since he still runs from me in the house if I move the wrong way.
I cant wait to see how much more puppy he can act. He loves to play with Buddy and is starting to do some play bows. I cant tell you how much it warms my heart to see him be a dog with confidence instead of a scared little thing that cowers all the time.
We got Bryce last Sunday after an unintended delay. When we got home, he warmed right up to Chris, taking treats and being a little curious. Santana and Buddy were really excited to see this new creature in the crate. Buddy can be over excited at times so we weren't too sure how he was going to react. He did really great. He was pretty easy in the begining.
We've had a few accidents in the house but Bryce is learning. This morning he pottied outside. This isnt abnormal for a dog but for scared little Bryce, it is a big deal. This morning, he KNEW he did good!! He did the number one and came running for some love with big happy eyes....then he did number two and ran right over again! He was a little too exuberant the second time and jumped, but we will work on that. The big deal is that he knew he did a great job and was very happy.
This week has been full of interesting things for him. The other day, I left 3 pairs of shoes in the kitchen. yeah, im bad...he decided he needed to hoard them for some reason. It was bedtime so when I went over to put him to bed, I noticed a shoe. When I went to grab the shoe, I noticed ALL 6 of them were in the crate! It was just too cute!
Last night, we went on a field trip to PetSmart. Buddy was a jerk as usual but Bryce was really good. You could see he was very scared on the walk in and out but having Buddy helped him realize he just needed to do what I was doing....walking in the store. We met some of the store clerks and Bryce thought one of the girls was pretty sweet. Sweet enough to lick her hand when she put it out to pet him. YEAH!! big deal for him since he still runs from me in the house if I move the wrong way.
I cant wait to see how much more puppy he can act. He loves to play with Buddy and is starting to do some play bows. I cant tell you how much it warms my heart to see him be a dog with confidence instead of a scared little thing that cowers all the time.
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