Rainy Tuesday

Poor Bria didn't get to do a whole lot today. But she did learn Roll Over in about 30 seconds this morning. I'm starting to use clicker training with her, and she's picking up on it so fast! I also see the start of learning Bow this evening. I'm thrilled with the pup.

Why do I have a feeling I will never be able to own a "normal" dog? =D

A Day at the Library

Little Miss got to go to town with me today. I figured it was safe as it was overcast and not too warm. Took the truck to have the transmission checked. Guy came back from checking it and said, "that is the cutest pup I've seen". *grin* She had to wait patiently in the truck while I went into the DMV, then we headed for the library to pick up a few books.

I had some border collie books and a search and rescue book on hold, so when I picked those up, the obvious question was, "is someone getting a new dog?" I said yep, she's in the truck. Oooh! Bring her in!!

So the wee pup got to go into the library and meet the ladies there. It was a great experience for her. She got lots of positive attention, and I think I made the one woman's day. Bria was great. Sure, she was overexcited at first, but she calmed right down and even showed off sit, down, and shake, which very much so impressed the ladies. They were amazed that a 14-week-old puppy had learned it! So I'm happy.

Also played some fetch this evening. I've started incorporating Sit or Down to our game. I started just asking her to Sit, praise for correct movement, then throw the ball. Well, I have progressed to getting her excited, asking her to Sit, praise, then throw the ball. She's doing very well with it! I started asking for Down, too. She doesn't quite have that yet, but it'll come, I'm sure. I'm hoping it will translate to listening when she's excited over meeting a new person or greeting me.

I guess that's about it for now.

Happy Sunday

So I guess I missed a day. My computer died temporarily. *grumble* It is fixed now and working fine. *knock on wood*

Miss Bree is 14 weeks old today.

Day before yesterday, I built a bridge. It doubles as a teeter-totter for the pup. I have some video of that. I will see how or if I can post that. It's really cute. I also have video of Little Miss walking across the makeshift bridge over troubled waters (read board over mud).

 I've been working on recall with Bria. The other day, I whistled for her. I use a certain whistle for the horses. I used it without thinking for the dog, didn't expect her to follow, and walked away. Seconds later, there is a pup walking next to me, asking, "s'up?" So I've started using that as general recall. Whistle, make sure I get her attention, and start walking away. Works 75% of the time so far.

As far as her other "tricks", she's doing sit, down, shake 99% of the time. I'm very happy with it. I haven't really had the time to work on loose leash walking, but that's okay. I have started getting her excited to chase the ball, then asking her to sit or down. She does it quite accurately. I'm impressed. She is fetching pretty accurately, too, these days. And I'm certainly learning how to read her. She doesn't bring the ball back when she's done. Which right now, that's only after a few tosses. Oh well. Then we're on to playing tug. When she "wins" and doesn't give the other end back to me, I know she's done with that.

Thar she blows. I'm quite pleased with it for salvaging wood and nails and an afternoon of work.

TGIF (didn't I just say that?)

No pictures up yet, sorry. Check back tomorrow.

Bria had a lot of time out and about on the farm today. Through paddock cleaning and rock picking and my DIY project. I can definitely tell physical exercise is not enough because she is still a crazy little pup when I feed her supper and put her in her pen. Need to play with her more tomorrow.

Speaking of supper, Little Miss doesn't seem interested in her food anymore. At breakfast, I let her out to do her business, feed the horses real quick, then go to put her food down. I generally sit with her, pet her, stick my hand in her bowl, and such so she doesn't get protective over her food, but for the past couple days, I've noticed it takes a lot of urging for her to eat. Now I suppose this could be good in some ways. She usually eats quick, but does not inhale her food. But for the most part, I'm a little worried she hasn't wanted to eat her dry food. I was looking at her today, and she looks like skin and bones. This evening, I got out the canned puppy food I bought for her when she came home in case she didn't like the dry food yet, and she gobbled that right up. I think she was hungry! Silly dog didn't eat all day. So I guess for now, I'll feed wet food and dry food and see how she does. Also need to look into actual dog houses now that it's getting cooler at night.

Picture Time!

Bria got her first taste of hoof trimming this morning. She likes the hoof trimmings. She also enjoyed playing in the draw. Not much else to say, but I will have pictures later.

Dog Days of Summer

The wee monster...I mean lassie has been in my care for exactly three weeks today and is 13 weeks and 3 days old.

After a frustrating training session last night (trying to teach loose leash walking LLW), I was just about fed up with the pup. But I must remember she is a baby! And she is trying to figure out what I want just like I am. In any case, it was blazing hot out today. After a couple days of cooler weather, it just wasn't fair! Even in the shade, I was melting. No breeze. So the pup did not get too much interaction aside from a trip to town.

Bria did pretty well, though. We went into the local feed store. She actually walked with me up to the door, but then decided she did not want to go in there. Had to pick her up and carry her. But once inside, she got attention and even a puppy treat! She was ready to leave after we checked out, but walked patiently with me to the door, waited for me to open it, and walked (with a little encouragement) over to the truck to go home. I am proud of her! She was a little shy of people in there then got a little overstimulated when another customer came to say hi to her, but overall, she did great. A few more visits, and I think we'll be well on our way to getting her socialized. Okay, probably a lot more visits.

So I was finally able to go out and spend time with her this evening when it cooled down some. I thought maybe she would still be mad at me over the training session from last night, but she didn't really seem to be. She was excited to see me, which reminds me that she is re-learning the command Relax. She has to be calm, usually sitting or laying down in order to get attention if she is in her pen or on the leash in the yard. In any case, she was quite happy to see me and quite happy to play. She fetched several times. Also ran through her basic obedience stuff real quick. She did fine. Knows Sit quite well. Down is next best. Shake is coming. Play Dead is still in the works. She even sat with me and cuddled for a bit. I guess I won't give her to the next person who stops by. Kidding, of course. She's not going anywhere!

Water Doggy!

First things first...I attempted to weigh the wee monster today. Since I couldn't even read the scale while holding her, I did actually manage to get her to stand on it and stand STILL long enough to sort of see. She's about 13-14 lbs.

We had a lot of water coming down the draw this morning. Bree is becoming a water dog! Sort of. She splashed around in it, dug in the mud, and had a grand old time. Still doesn't like getting caught under the sprinkler or the hose. After slogging through water and mud, she decides to come over and jump all over me while I'm sitting on the big rock in the horse paddock. Well, thanks dog. Glad to let you wipe your paws on me. *chuckle*

I was going to try to take the dog for a ride again today. Went up to use the bumper of my truck as a mounting block for the horse...well, dog scampered off and refused to be caught. Wandered out across the road again. *mumble* Note to self: tie dog before she gets anywhere near the front of the property.

Bria has become a very sweet, cuddly dog. I'm not complaining! As long as she can keep from nipping my face, ears, or neck, I'm perfectly content with her to snuggle. So far, she really likes to plop in front of me when laying on my stomach in the grass and cuddle up under my chin. It's quite sweet.

More may be added later.

Go Fetch!

Bria is officially, by date, 3 months old. In fact, I believe she is 13 weeks and 1 day old, but who is counting.

But as the title of this post suggests, Bria has learned to fetch! Yesterday, actually, she brought the ball back, and I was able to reward her for it. Since the, she gladly brings it back. I need to teach her to bring it a little closer, though. She was doing well with bringing it to my feet, then decided a few feet away would be okay. Oh well.

I've been able to spend time playing with her in the evenings, and she seems to really be enjoying that. It's cool enough for horse play.

I was sitting outside in back of the house playing with her, and she heard a noise on the southern border of the property. She got up, gruffed, and looked that direction. I got up and went to look. Little Miss took this as leave to go chase a scent she found, which took her to the road and across. Thankfully there are very few cars around. Just scares me that she does that. I am hoping I can figure out a way to discourage it. Or at least improve her recall. She is going to give me a heart attack one day.

I must add that Bree really likes her tail. She bites it and grabs it and chases it! Just now, she got it in her mouth and was spinning circles. I think the silly thing made herself dizzy. What a laugh I had!

Clear as Mud

Bria is sure enjoying the water and mud in the draw these days. She goes and plays while I clean the horse paddock. Then I call her over and she jumps up, happy to see me. Oh, look. A puppy paw print on my clean shirt.

Oh, it's not that bad. She enjoys her playtime, and she can dig and wallow to her heart's content. And it keeps her out of my hair, but still in sight! One thing I do love about having a short coat Border collie is that once the mud dries, it comes right off. Within 10 minutes of playing in the mud, she is usually mostly clean.

I saw Little Miss dig her first hole to bury something today. She got half of a dog biscuit. Gnawed on it for a bit, then went under the bush, dug a hole, and buried it. I wonder if she will find it again.

The dog also discovered that she can wander across the road to the neighbor's field when we walk around the property. *eye roll* Thanks dog. This evening, she did it again, but this time, stopped smack dab in the middle of the road and stared down it. Fortunately, there is not much traffic, but I guess I will have to put the leash on her again. She won't like that.

Also tried to start some SAR pregames with her. Basically playing with a toy, then hiding it behind your back and praising the dog for finding it. She did it once, then was less interested. I will see how it goes. Definitely need to clear our area of other toys before we start again. She saw it disappear, looked at me for a second, then went for another toy. Oh well. I should have known better, I guess.

Pup has pretty decent recall. It doesn't work every time, but it's getting there.

I guess that's about it unless I should write about the dog sinking a sharp little canine into the half-healed rubbed off blister on my thumb.

In any case, time for pictures!

I just love her little face! Pity it's a little blurry.

TGIF

Bria is quite enjoying being back on the farm where she can run around a bit more. She was a wonderful supervisor as I washed the car. We went for a "run" around the hay field this afternoon. That was quite enjoyable.

Now after hearing not to stroke or pull puppy ears too much (cartilage is very soft), I came out this morning to find Bree's left ear kinda floppy. I am sad. I think it was from spending so much time sleeping in her crate. Her ear got mashed. It's not too bad. Her ears still stick up straight when she is very intent on something, but when she relaxes them, the top half of her left ear flops a bit. Oh well. Not a whole lot I can do about it other than try not to make it any worse.

Traveling with the Dog

To a dog, motoring isn't just a way of getting from here to there, it's also a thrill and an adventure. The mere jingle of car keys is enough to send most any dog into a whimpering, tail-wagging frenzy. ~Jon Winokur

I guess my dog isn't most any dog. Sure enough, she's interested when you have jingling car keys and going towards a car, but once she's in there, she just conks out! I'm not complaining, of course. This little feature on the 2010 Border Collie is definitely worth the extra money.

I am simply amazed by this little dog. She settles down right away in her kennel and hardly makes a peep. She doesn't get sick or make a mess. And Little Miss got to ride in style in the passenger's seat of my '92 Chevy Silverado today. Lucky dog. =D

Little Miss logged about 8 hours in the car in the past three days. 3+ hours to the coast on Tuesday. Out and about with me helping a friend pick up hay for her horse. And another 3+ hours on the ride back to the farm. Bria did spectacularly. I'm so proud of her. She is exactly what I've always wanted in a dog of my own. Basically...constant companion.

Bree got to be an indoor dog for a few days, too. With cats! The big male cat wasn't fond of her, but the two females didn't seem to be bothered by the pup at all. Her first night as an indoor dog, I ended up watching some movies, and Bree asked to be on my lap. So I had a lap dog for several hours. She just lounged across my lap like it was old hat. And yes, I know letting her sit on my lap now is a very bad idea once she gets older. But it was one night, and I enjoyed it.

She got to meet my friend's dog. Tex is a big ol' Husky/German Shepherd mutt dog (adorable!). He was very nice and patient with Miss Bria. Only gave a warning growl a time or two when she got overly excited, but over all, it was a good experience for her.

Little Miss did run into her first fleas yesterday. Goodness sakes. The dog was nuts! She'd gone crackerdog! ...to quote Mrs. Pomfrey with Trick-Woo from the James Herriot books. I walked her up and down the driveway for ages, and she didn't settle down at all. Ended up going to Walmart at 1am to buy her a flea collar. I think that is helping some.

So we're finally back on the farm, and Grandma and I were unloading some things from the truck. Grandma remarked that Bria has seemed to learn to stick around pretty well. Pup was off-leash while we carried things inside. Bree just chilled in the shade of the pickup. Even when some dogs barked across the way and a horse across the road startled her and she wuff-wuffed, she didn't go anywhere. She sticks to me pretty well. I'm quite pleased with it, even though she doesn't really know Come yet. If you walk off and call her name, she'll come a-runnin'...or at least she does when I do it! Haha. Good pup.

In any case, that pretty much brings us up to date with the goings-on. Perhaps I will have some pictures or video of the Little Miss tomorrow.

Monday Monday

Not a whole lot happened today, but I thought I'd post about it anyway. Little Miss was a lot better about biting today. Still did it a little (including my ear twice today!), but I am getting better at reacting to it, and she is learning.

She is such a good dog. Quiet and patient and simply adorable.

Today was the day we actually did it. Bree got to go for a horse ride. It was only probably 10 minutes max, but she did spectacular! She just laid down over the horse's withers (I rode bareback) and was very quiet and patient. Then we ran into the kid down the road with his stupid motorized bicycle. Dundee was mostly fine, the dog was mostly fine, but I didn't want to risk it, so we turned around, and Bree went to her pen for a bit while I went back out for my ride. I'm so proud of both my horse and my dog. They were wonderful this evening!

The Art of Lounging #3 by Bria

I have discovered a new way to lounge. A lap built of two! Simply coax your person to sit close to another person. Lounge first on your person's lap, then, when she is not paying attention, crawl one paw at a time across to span both laps! Spectacular lounging for those hot days when you need a little extra breeze.

Happy lounging!
♥ Bria

Spoiled Rotten

My dog is going to be spoiled rotten soon. Since she is chewing like crazy, I went to get her some rawhide twists. Did you know some have artificial chicken flavor and coloring? EW!

In any case, I picked up some rawhide twists. And a 94¢ rope bone (it's purple! and perfect for playing tug...she loves it).

I went to find my grandmother, and I ran into her while she was looking at dish soaps. She didn't find the one she wanted, so I suggested Ajax, which I have used before. Well, there was a guy crouched down about to grab some soap. He looked up and said that he worked at a butcher shop and they use Ajax. Cuts grease really well. My ears perked up at that. I've been meaning to find a butcher shop to get some bones for the pup. I pipe up and ask. Yep, they give away dog bones. No payment, just "bring an ice cream bar some time". He also mentioned they had some coming out of the smoker tonight. So I ended up running over to their place this evening to pick up a sack of smoked dog bones! She's having a nice bone for supper.

Bria is a spoiled rotten puppy. She got a new toy, some things to chew, smoked beef bones, and Mom even brought her some dog biscuits. Lucky duck!

On a note about the biting. I came home from church and went to see her while I was still in nice clothes. She was all jumpy and bitey, so I just got up a left. Didn't want to have my dress bit or get dirt all over myself. Came out a while later, and she wasn't biting at all! She still does some and did with Mom when she played with the dog, but overall, it seems like it may be out the door already. Makes me happy.

Little Miss is such a good pup. She's so smart and sweet. I just love her. =)

The Joy of Puppies

Little Miss (as I have started randomly calling her) did the sweetest thing this morning. I was a bit late getting out to feed the animals this morning, and she was, of course, sooo excited to be out and see me. Well, I played with her for a few minutes.

She went bouncy bouncy plop...right into my lap. She did some wiggling and some nipping (man, I am tired of saying "ow"), and then settled down. Didn't squirm, just laid there on her back in my lap and let me cuddle her. I thought it was very sweet. She's never offered to do anything like that before and frankly just wiggles to get away when I tried to do it before. I hope she does it again. I liked it.

Bree went out to play in the mud of the horse paddock today. She got quite dirty! Didn't get very good pictures, but I'll post a few.

Sweet, Sweet Puppy Breath

9:45am

So I've heard that puppy breath is the best thing on Earth. Well, I've tried sniffing Miss Bria's breath. It smells like puppy kibble. With a touch of horse manure. And just a hint of the lovely aroma of decomposing mouse corpse.

Yes, that's right. Dead mouse number 3...or maybe 2...she could have found the same one twice. Well, this time, she led me a merry chase around the side of the house. I would swear she was saying, "Neener neener, I gots da mousie!" Once I finally caught up to her, I ordered her to Give.

Well.

Not today! It's MY mousie! I'm gonna EAT IT! *crunch*

At which point I shuddered and walked away. Ew.

Needless to say, I am at the end of my daily allotted rope...and it's not even 10am.


11:45am

After my time out, I went back out to play with the pup. She's doing well with Sit and Down. I noticed her go after things in close proximity, she crawls on her belly, so I am taking advantage of that and teaching her "Army Crawl". It's pretty cute.

I also need to invest in a Tug rope or toy. Rags don't quite do it anymore, and I don't want to play Tug with her racoon! I don't want it to get all ripped up!


3:45pm

After the rocky start to the day, things have improved. I've broken through on two new tricks. Army Crawl and Shake! I'm so excited for her to figure out shake. I ended up having to hold a fist with a treat in front of her nose to make her put her paw on my hand. HUGE breakthrough. I have figured out that I just need to watch what she's doing and how I cause her to do it, and it's simple to teach her things.

What the Future Holds

I've been giving some thought to possible "jobs" for Miss Pup. The standard sheep-dog or cow-dog obviously. I think she'd be great at that. She already tried to herd the horses! But I am also considering search and rescue (SAR). I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to commit the time to it, but I think it could be quite...dare I say fun. Dogs have important roles in SAR. Well trained dogs can take the place of 20-30 SAR-trained humans.

It would take I guess about a year and a half to two years to get all the training required, then continued training until the dog retires. Big time commitment there. On top of that, I suppose you could be called at any time of day or night to go search.

But still, it would be helping people. Which is something I think I may be called to do in one way or another. I don't think I'll make it to chiropractic college. I'm not very good at teaching. So maybe I can do this with my dog?

Just a few thoughts.

Bree is learning a new trick today. I will try to get video of it once she has it down a little better! I don't want to spoil the surpirse!

The Honeymoon is Over?

At about 3:30pm today, I will have had Miss Bria for exactly a week. 7 days of dog ownership, and the honeymoon is mostly over. Don't get me wrong, I still love the pup to bits, but combine a bad night's sleep and a less than stellar mood/attitude and the little pup's antics dive from amusing to downright obnoxious. I cannot say that the dog is dumb. Quite the contrary, she's insanely smart. Smart enough to know she can push every issue. And smart enough to watch for when my back is turned to do something she's not supposed to...such as sneaking into the horse paddock.

Tsk tsk to me for not having the patience today to shoo her back out. Instead, she got to be attached to my belt while I finished cleaning the horse pen. If she wants to be in the pen, I guess she can be right next to me.

And what is it with Miss Pup and dead mice?! Twice now, I have caught her with dead mice in her mouth. She isn't hunting them, simply finding the smooshed dead things and deciding it's her new toy and proudly prancing around with it dangling out of her mouth. Thank goodness she will come to me and knows "Give", although I would prefer she could "Give" or "Drop it" without me putting my hand near her mouth. I suppose I cannot have everything. And at least she does it with a little insistance. I have to make sure I kick it or stick it somewhere she can't get to again, or 30 seconds later, she's found it, and we start the whole circus over again.

Speaking of "Give", she has also pretty well learned "Sit" and "Down". Now for being only 11 weeks and 3 days old, I'm quite pleased with her. I have to remind myself, however, that she IS only 11 weeks old and that she has her whole life to learn things. Don't push the training sessions. I have been trying to teach her to "Shake Paws", but that's not going so well. Oh well. I shall persist, and she will learn eventually.

My big problem is pushing the training too much. I've really backed off the training sessions and just ask her randomly to Come, Sit, or Down, as well as using Give when I'm playing tug or whatnot. She's learning. I don't think it'll be long before I can start teaching her tricks. She is, after all, a brilliant Border Collie.

So there are my thoughts for this morning. I may have more to add this afternoon, but I figured I better write it while I thought of it.

The Art of Lounging #2 by Bria

Not lounging related today, but I've noticed my person has started some bad habits. She has started using phrases like "What do you have now?" I am trying to train this out of her by taking whatever I have out of her sight. Out of sight, out of mind. But she has also learned my favorite phrase (or not) "Not for puppies". My technique for training her out of that is to reach for it again and again every time she says it. I will eventually convince her that she is mistaken. Though I do let her have whatever she asks for at least for a few seconds so she feels better about it.


Happy lounging!
♥ Bria

The Art of Lounging #1 by Bria

When riding in the car (which I am very good at by the way), it is preferrable to ride in your person's lap. This is an optimal time to practice the art of lounging. Lounging parallel with your head on your person's knees is nice, though you might slip forward a little. I found this to be a little uncomfortable after a few minutes. The much preferrable position is to lounge across your person's lap. Now, you must train your person to put her arm around you to keep you from falling. Once you have done this, you can trust her to hold you while you lounge with your tail centered on her lap with your front half and head hanging down off the side.

Happy lounging!
♥ Bria

Introductions

I have found myself the proud (and nuts!) owner of an 11-week-old Border Collie pup I have named Bria.

Because I put effort into her name, I feel like I should explain it. =) I was trying to think up names a while before I ever met my pup, and I decided a musical name might be interesting. Well, I came across Con Brio which means 'With Spirit' or 'Vigorously'. I thought that would make a decent, perhaps ironic, name for a border collie. Then I had the idea of making it more feminine, so it ended up as Bria.

When I met my pup (Aug 4, 2010), I didn't have a name in mind. I had to drive 3.5 hrs to get her, so by the time I saw her, I was kinda tired and not thinking about names. Driving away, I wasn't really thinking about anything in particular, and I saw a car go past with the license plate "Con Brio". I turned to Mom and said, "Her name is Bria." I am a believer in 'signs' such as that. Like my horse, Dundee. A week before I could even go to meet him, I was driving to a band concert, and I saw a sign for "Dundee Apartments". In any case, her name is Bria.

Bria is a black and white Border Collie pup out of cattle-working parents. She was born on May 23, 2010, on a ranch out in Grangeville, ID and now lives on a farm in Central WA with me.

I have had her for 5 days now, and I still love her to bits, even when she drives me nuts with her BC puppy ways. She is learning her name, Come, Sit, Down, Give/Drop, and Get Out (of the horse paddock).

I'm hoping this blog will be a place to record my life with her. Training documentation and such as well.