Bria
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
That gun is too big, little lady...
So it's been a while. Frankly, I've not done all that much with the Little Miss, but watch her grow. Tsk tsk on my part, I know. I have started making her sit until I get her kennel door all the way open and tell her "Okay" before she can come out. Also working on making her sit and wait until I put her food in her bowl and say "Okay" as a release. I figured these are simple things I've done with the horse (making them wait until I walk away when I let them loose in a big area to run), why not do it with the dog and make my life easier?
Now I'm armed with "Hip Ideas for Hyper Dogs" by Amy Ammen and Kitty Foth-Regner (http://www.amazon.com/Hip-Ideas-Hyper-Dogs-Ammen/dp/B003D3OFRU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1290120107&sr=1-1), and we're back to training! Worked on heel for the second day in a row today. It's going pretty well, though I'm sure there's still a little bit of confusion and miscommunication on my part. On the other hand, Bree seems to me reacting to it well and forming more of a bond!
I noticed she has what I call "crazy eyes". When she's unfocused, her eyes get big and go all crazy. Can't describe it, but it's a definite crazy look to her. She also has "focused eyes" when she's concentrating on something, such as stalking a car (*rolls eyes*) or trying to help me bring the horses in. The best eyes are her "soft eyes" which I am so happy to see more of. Now that I've been working with her and spending time playing with her, I see her "soft eyes" far more often. I think she's actually bonding with me. I can go out, sit down, and give the invitation, and she happily climbs into my lap to snuggle. This is what I've always wanted in a dog!
Here's a picture of her from October. This is her 5 month picture.
Now I'm armed with "Hip Ideas for Hyper Dogs" by Amy Ammen and Kitty Foth-Regner (http://www.amazon.com/Hip-Ideas-Hyper-Dogs-Ammen/dp/B003D3OFRU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1290120107&sr=1-1), and we're back to training! Worked on heel for the second day in a row today. It's going pretty well, though I'm sure there's still a little bit of confusion and miscommunication on my part. On the other hand, Bree seems to me reacting to it well and forming more of a bond!
I noticed she has what I call "crazy eyes". When she's unfocused, her eyes get big and go all crazy. Can't describe it, but it's a definite crazy look to her. She also has "focused eyes" when she's concentrating on something, such as stalking a car (*rolls eyes*) or trying to help me bring the horses in. The best eyes are her "soft eyes" which I am so happy to see more of. Now that I've been working with her and spending time playing with her, I see her "soft eyes" far more often. I think she's actually bonding with me. I can go out, sit down, and give the invitation, and she happily climbs into my lap to snuggle. This is what I've always wanted in a dog!
Here's a picture of her from October. This is her 5 month picture.
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| October 30, 2010 |
Sunday, October 10, 2010
10.10.10
Well, it's been a big week for the pup. She is officially wearing her raspberry-colored harness now. Still a bit big in the chest, but I couldn't see making her wear the little puppy one anymore. Just a little too small. But, she'll grow into her bigger one, I'm sure.
Last Tuesday, Bree got to go into town with me when I had the truck worked on. I walked her down to the library (only a couple blocks). She did quite well! Walked decently on her lead on the sidewalk and everything. She pulled a little and was interested in EVERYTHING, but what can I say, she's a pup. We walked past one building that had those dark, reflective windows. Bree looked, and there was a little dog staring back at her! She was SO excited to see another dog! All of her was wagging. Of course, when she went to sniff at it, it didn't smell like a dog. I got a kick out of it, though.
She got to go into the library and see her friend who works there...who was absolutely thrilled to see her again and kept commenting on how BIG she was and that she needed some cows to chase, lol. Bria got to wander the library a little. She did quite well when there were limited people around. We even sat down to read for a few minutes, and we worked on Down and Quiet when people went past. Some talked to me for a minute and petted her, some walked right on by. In all ways, it was a great experience, and she did very well. Of course, when I went up to check out my book, she was straining at the end of the leash and was just way too overexcited again!
I guess smooth-coat BCs aren't all that common, but a lot of people asked her breed. Some commented that they new dogs "like that" and one person asked if she was "BC/lab cross"! He seemed genuinely interested to know she was pure BC, but short coat. Even had a kid come over (HS, I would imagine) who asked...does it bite? I said no, the worst she'll do is jump on you. So he petted her for a minute and said he'd been attacked by two BCs when he was a kid. Showed the scars on his hand and said they'd been put to sleep afterwards. I have no idea if he had fear issues with dogs at all, but I was glad Bree got to be a good dog for him to pet. She may get socialized yet! Still need to work on jumping when she's overexcited, though. *sigh*
She also got to go in the local farm supply store. She was excited in there, too, but at least she walks in the door now and doesn't act like a scared little pup!
On another note, the dog wanders. Horribly. Road, neighbor's property, everywhere. So she's been on leash for a few days now. She's doing pretty well. I know she's kind of bored with not being able to roam, but it's good for her, not to mention peace of mind for me. I know she won't get hit by a car or shot for chasing chickens this way. It's also giving me an opportunity to teach her to behave around the horses (as in, not biting their ankles or jump at their faces). I must say I am very lucky to have two great horses who really couldn't care less about the little dog barking at them or biting their ankles or jumping at them. They are amazingly patient, and the least I can do is teach her to behave herself around them.
On a small side note here...I started asking her for "Down" and other tricks when playing fetch. As in, pay attention, do what I tell you, go fetch. I've made a whole big game out of it, and she really latched onto it. Not using food anymore, which works a ton better for her. She was pretty food motivated, but she is even moreso PLAY motivated! So I've also started bribing her to come right back to me with her tug rope after she fetches, so the ball gets dropped at my feet instead of over yander somewhere. It's working wonderfully! But with the Sit and Down before I throw it, she's learned to Down with just a little hand signal and voice, and I can even get her to Down from a ways away! I'm so excited!! It is slowly becoming a very nice way to control her when she gets goofy, especially around the horses. Still a work in progress, of course.
I am also using the Down as a means of teaching her to be patient. She doesn't have Stay at all, but she will Down and wait. I can get her attention with it, and she stops what she's doing and pays attention to me. So slowly, but surely, we're creating a bit of control.
I have also been trying to get out and ride in the hay field where I feel safe letting her off leash to run around. She quite enjoys letting us "chase" her up and down, and she sure gets her exercise in! She's doing better about nipping heels, too, and usually listens to "No" or "Stop" when she gets overexcited and goes for the heels. I even had her Sit and Down today while I was on the horse! I am quite impressed with her.
Poor pup has had a bit of a tummy problem recently, I think. She wasn't eating very well for a few days. I think she overate when I gave her the most recent smoked bone and maybe had a problem with that. She never seemed sick at all, just didn't eat. But she seems to be back to normal now with her eating.
I suppose that's it for now. I have a few new pictures to post eventually. She's not seeming to get too much bigger right now, but I can definitely see her starting to look like an awkward teen! Her head and face have changed a lot since she was a wee pup. It's really neat to see her growing up!
Last Tuesday, Bree got to go into town with me when I had the truck worked on. I walked her down to the library (only a couple blocks). She did quite well! Walked decently on her lead on the sidewalk and everything. She pulled a little and was interested in EVERYTHING, but what can I say, she's a pup. We walked past one building that had those dark, reflective windows. Bree looked, and there was a little dog staring back at her! She was SO excited to see another dog! All of her was wagging. Of course, when she went to sniff at it, it didn't smell like a dog. I got a kick out of it, though.
She got to go into the library and see her friend who works there...who was absolutely thrilled to see her again and kept commenting on how BIG she was and that she needed some cows to chase, lol. Bria got to wander the library a little. She did quite well when there were limited people around. We even sat down to read for a few minutes, and we worked on Down and Quiet when people went past. Some talked to me for a minute and petted her, some walked right on by. In all ways, it was a great experience, and she did very well. Of course, when I went up to check out my book, she was straining at the end of the leash and was just way too overexcited again!
I guess smooth-coat BCs aren't all that common, but a lot of people asked her breed. Some commented that they new dogs "like that" and one person asked if she was "BC/lab cross"! He seemed genuinely interested to know she was pure BC, but short coat. Even had a kid come over (HS, I would imagine) who asked...does it bite? I said no, the worst she'll do is jump on you. So he petted her for a minute and said he'd been attacked by two BCs when he was a kid. Showed the scars on his hand and said they'd been put to sleep afterwards. I have no idea if he had fear issues with dogs at all, but I was glad Bree got to be a good dog for him to pet. She may get socialized yet! Still need to work on jumping when she's overexcited, though. *sigh*
She also got to go in the local farm supply store. She was excited in there, too, but at least she walks in the door now and doesn't act like a scared little pup!
On another note, the dog wanders. Horribly. Road, neighbor's property, everywhere. So she's been on leash for a few days now. She's doing pretty well. I know she's kind of bored with not being able to roam, but it's good for her, not to mention peace of mind for me. I know she won't get hit by a car or shot for chasing chickens this way. It's also giving me an opportunity to teach her to behave around the horses (as in, not biting their ankles or jump at their faces). I must say I am very lucky to have two great horses who really couldn't care less about the little dog barking at them or biting their ankles or jumping at them. They are amazingly patient, and the least I can do is teach her to behave herself around them.
On a small side note here...I started asking her for "Down" and other tricks when playing fetch. As in, pay attention, do what I tell you, go fetch. I've made a whole big game out of it, and she really latched onto it. Not using food anymore, which works a ton better for her. She was pretty food motivated, but she is even moreso PLAY motivated! So I've also started bribing her to come right back to me with her tug rope after she fetches, so the ball gets dropped at my feet instead of over yander somewhere. It's working wonderfully! But with the Sit and Down before I throw it, she's learned to Down with just a little hand signal and voice, and I can even get her to Down from a ways away! I'm so excited!! It is slowly becoming a very nice way to control her when she gets goofy, especially around the horses. Still a work in progress, of course.
I am also using the Down as a means of teaching her to be patient. She doesn't have Stay at all, but she will Down and wait. I can get her attention with it, and she stops what she's doing and pays attention to me. So slowly, but surely, we're creating a bit of control.
I have also been trying to get out and ride in the hay field where I feel safe letting her off leash to run around. She quite enjoys letting us "chase" her up and down, and she sure gets her exercise in! She's doing better about nipping heels, too, and usually listens to "No" or "Stop" when she gets overexcited and goes for the heels. I even had her Sit and Down today while I was on the horse! I am quite impressed with her.
Poor pup has had a bit of a tummy problem recently, I think. She wasn't eating very well for a few days. I think she overate when I gave her the most recent smoked bone and maybe had a problem with that. She never seemed sick at all, just didn't eat. But she seems to be back to normal now with her eating.
I suppose that's it for now. I have a few new pictures to post eventually. She's not seeming to get too much bigger right now, but I can definitely see her starting to look like an awkward teen! Her head and face have changed a lot since she was a wee pup. It's really neat to see her growing up!
Monday, October 4, 2010
Friday, October 1, 2010
Bath Time
Happy October 1st! It was in the 80s here today, so despite being fall and October, everyone got baths! So Bria got her first bath. Not idea how she'd do sticking her in a tub since we did the washing outside because I had soapy water left over from the horses. She was none too fond of the sprayer, even though I had it on light mist. I almost thought she was going to bite me for a little bit there. Tried to bite at the sprayer anyway. Poor thing ended up huddling on my lap. The only way I got her to sit still and allow herself to be sprayed down was by holding her on my lap. Needless to say, I got soaked. Thanks dog.
But she got all sudsy. Didn't do a big job of it, just washed her back and sides mostly. The idea was to just ger her introduced to the idea. And I think I did. We'll see what we can do differently about the sprayer next time.
Also, Little Miss just likes to roam so much! Several times this afternoon, she just wandered off. *sigh* I'm not sure if wandering onto the neighbor's property is any better than wandering across the road. Dumb dog. She also found some dead little critter to chomp on today. I grazed the horses after their baths so they had a chance to dry off, and I saw Bree carrying around something. Couldn't tell what it was a first, but then I saw little hind feet and a tail. EW!! I had no way to catch her to get it back, though. I saw her dig a hole for it, then go back a couple minutes later to dig it up again. Then this evening, when I went to put her in her kennel for the night, she just went right in and went into her doghouse. I've never seen her do that before, so I watched her more closely. Sure enough, she was stashing what was left of that dead thing in her house! Ew Ew EW! Made her come out, and I think she dropped it before she went back in for supper. Oh well. What can you really do.
But she got all sudsy. Didn't do a big job of it, just washed her back and sides mostly. The idea was to just ger her introduced to the idea. And I think I did. We'll see what we can do differently about the sprayer next time.
Also, Little Miss just likes to roam so much! Several times this afternoon, she just wandered off. *sigh* I'm not sure if wandering onto the neighbor's property is any better than wandering across the road. Dumb dog. She also found some dead little critter to chomp on today. I grazed the horses after their baths so they had a chance to dry off, and I saw Bree carrying around something. Couldn't tell what it was a first, but then I saw little hind feet and a tail. EW!! I had no way to catch her to get it back, though. I saw her dig a hole for it, then go back a couple minutes later to dig it up again. Then this evening, when I went to put her in her kennel for the night, she just went right in and went into her doghouse. I've never seen her do that before, so I watched her more closely. Sure enough, she was stashing what was left of that dead thing in her house! Ew Ew EW! Made her come out, and I think she dropped it before she went back in for supper. Oh well. What can you really do.
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| Soggy Doggy |
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| Sudsy Doggie! |
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| Clean Doggie! |
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| She has such a goofy little look on her face! |
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Growing Like a Weed
Huh...for some reason my brain just said that like I was solving a Wheel of Fortune puzzle. Ha.
So the little 18 week old Little Miss is officially moved up into the next size collar. This one should last her a while, I think. Her little blue one is so tiny, now! I guess she could have worn it for a few more days, but depending on how her head is held, I think it was a little too tight. So now she's got her new one. Seems to me it's kind of clunky compared to her old one. It's got a nice buckle which clanks her ID tag. I'm also starting to think about getting her one of those really nice lazer-engraved ID tags. We'll see, I guess. Next, I'm hoping she'll grow a little bit and fit into her new harness a bit better. It's still too sloppy, but her old harness is getting to be much too small to last a whole lot longer.
Boy, does that animal like to wander. One minute, she's hanging out with me while I'm brushing the horses, the next, she's traipsing off over to the neighbor's property. And of course she doesn't come when called. At least today, she sort of did. Sort of. After a few minutes, I guess she finally decided to come back. It's so hard to deal with it. I know I shouldn't be mad at her because I don't want to discourage her when she comes back, but trying to teach her not to wander? *sigh* I don't want to keep her penned up or staked out or even on a leash attached to me 100% of the time. She usually just plays in the draw. But I guess I need to change some things. I can't have her wandering off over hill and dale chasing who knows what.
I also need to start working on SAR stuff with her. She's not really a fetch dog. I know she could work livestock, but I'm not sure I want to do that. I think she'd be great at SAR work. I just need to start working on it with her. Doing what I can anyway and seeing what classes or what not I can get into. Poor little thing is going to go absolutely crackerdog. Or just turn into a hole-digging coyote-wanna-be psychotic BC. Yes, that's right, I have heard her howl like a coyote. Thanks to our lovely coyote neighbors who come to visit her and howl all the time. I was out riding, on my way back home, and I heard what sounded like a coyote. We're pretty sure it was Bria. Odd dog.
So the little 18 week old Little Miss is officially moved up into the next size collar. This one should last her a while, I think. Her little blue one is so tiny, now! I guess she could have worn it for a few more days, but depending on how her head is held, I think it was a little too tight. So now she's got her new one. Seems to me it's kind of clunky compared to her old one. It's got a nice buckle which clanks her ID tag. I'm also starting to think about getting her one of those really nice lazer-engraved ID tags. We'll see, I guess. Next, I'm hoping she'll grow a little bit and fit into her new harness a bit better. It's still too sloppy, but her old harness is getting to be much too small to last a whole lot longer.
Boy, does that animal like to wander. One minute, she's hanging out with me while I'm brushing the horses, the next, she's traipsing off over to the neighbor's property. And of course she doesn't come when called. At least today, she sort of did. Sort of. After a few minutes, I guess she finally decided to come back. It's so hard to deal with it. I know I shouldn't be mad at her because I don't want to discourage her when she comes back, but trying to teach her not to wander? *sigh* I don't want to keep her penned up or staked out or even on a leash attached to me 100% of the time. She usually just plays in the draw. But I guess I need to change some things. I can't have her wandering off over hill and dale chasing who knows what.
I also need to start working on SAR stuff with her. She's not really a fetch dog. I know she could work livestock, but I'm not sure I want to do that. I think she'd be great at SAR work. I just need to start working on it with her. Doing what I can anyway and seeing what classes or what not I can get into. Poor little thing is going to go absolutely crackerdog. Or just turn into a hole-digging coyote-wanna-be psychotic BC. Yes, that's right, I have heard her howl like a coyote. Thanks to our lovely coyote neighbors who come to visit her and howl all the time. I was out riding, on my way back home, and I heard what sounded like a coyote. We're pretty sure it was Bria. Odd dog.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
One Point in Overawe
Forgive the obscure RPG reference (Deadlands, if anyone cares).
Bria has found her voice! I'm not sure if I'm thrilled or leary. Yes, she has barked at the horses before and at me if I go off riding without her, but the other day, she started barking at THINGS.
Now I have been trying to teach the wee doggie to "speak" for a while now without success. But she has been growing and becoming more sure of herself, so she talks a bit more. I managed to harness that with the clicker, and she will offer "speak" now when I ask for it.
I was clearing up after supper the other night, and I heard her barking. Not play bark, actual bark. (Funny how I have learned the difference in just two months.) So I went out to see what she saw. Couldn't see much of anything, but then I noticed a couple people walking on the road. So for actually barking at something she got a lot of praise. Of course, not too much later, I went out to play with her, let her off her line, and what does she do? Run out towards the road....which I figured out was where those walkers were, walking back. *sigh* So she had to go pester them and completely ignored recall. I have learned not to run after her when she runs towards the road (that just excites her more), so I was just walking quickly after her. Well, the walkers and the dog went behind the trees, and I heard the woman shriek. Oh great. At least the guy had enough sense to make himself look big and "scare" Bree back from them. Which I actually really appreciated because I don't want her running out at people like that much less going onto the road. I called her again, and she came to me, and I apologized to the walkers. Silly dog got a good earful as I was taking her back around the house.
Day before yesterday (Monday), I suppose it was, I was inside, and I heard Bria barking again. Not the play bark, but an attention-getting bark. I have made a habit of going out to see what she's barking at whenever I hear even a tiny non-play bark (this is to teach the dog that if she barks at something, someone will come out to see and then her job is done), so I went outside to see. Well, Grandma was down at the front of the property. *sigh* I guess at least the dog is showing me that she is aware. But then a little while later, she starts up with the barking again. Now Grandma was over in the orchard. *another sigh* Okay, well at least she's barking. Now I guess all I need to do is start asking her to "speak" when cars drive in. And continue to work on her not running out to the road.
Then last night, I was watching a movie, and I thought I heard a dog barking. Didn't think anything of it, of course, it's the country, dogs bark. Went back to my movie, but it continued, and I started to think...that sounds like Bria. Of course, it was 9:30 at this point, but I went and turned on the porch light and looked out. Didn't see anything, and I don't think it could have been a person or anything too big because what she was barking at seemed to be down by the horses, but the horses weren't doing anything in particular. I didn't go out to check for myself, of course. The thought this morning is it could have been a 'coon down there. Oh well. At least I got to see a really amazing shimmering gold moon. Something I'm not sure I've really seen before.
Bria has found her voice! I'm not sure if I'm thrilled or leary. Yes, she has barked at the horses before and at me if I go off riding without her, but the other day, she started barking at THINGS.
Now I have been trying to teach the wee doggie to "speak" for a while now without success. But she has been growing and becoming more sure of herself, so she talks a bit more. I managed to harness that with the clicker, and she will offer "speak" now when I ask for it.
I was clearing up after supper the other night, and I heard her barking. Not play bark, actual bark. (Funny how I have learned the difference in just two months.) So I went out to see what she saw. Couldn't see much of anything, but then I noticed a couple people walking on the road. So for actually barking at something she got a lot of praise. Of course, not too much later, I went out to play with her, let her off her line, and what does she do? Run out towards the road....which I figured out was where those walkers were, walking back. *sigh* So she had to go pester them and completely ignored recall. I have learned not to run after her when she runs towards the road (that just excites her more), so I was just walking quickly after her. Well, the walkers and the dog went behind the trees, and I heard the woman shriek. Oh great. At least the guy had enough sense to make himself look big and "scare" Bree back from them. Which I actually really appreciated because I don't want her running out at people like that much less going onto the road. I called her again, and she came to me, and I apologized to the walkers. Silly dog got a good earful as I was taking her back around the house.
Day before yesterday (Monday), I suppose it was, I was inside, and I heard Bria barking again. Not the play bark, but an attention-getting bark. I have made a habit of going out to see what she's barking at whenever I hear even a tiny non-play bark (this is to teach the dog that if she barks at something, someone will come out to see and then her job is done), so I went outside to see. Well, Grandma was down at the front of the property. *sigh* I guess at least the dog is showing me that she is aware. But then a little while later, she starts up with the barking again. Now Grandma was over in the orchard. *another sigh* Okay, well at least she's barking. Now I guess all I need to do is start asking her to "speak" when cars drive in. And continue to work on her not running out to the road.
Then last night, I was watching a movie, and I thought I heard a dog barking. Didn't think anything of it, of course, it's the country, dogs bark. Went back to my movie, but it continued, and I started to think...that sounds like Bria. Of course, it was 9:30 at this point, but I went and turned on the porch light and looked out. Didn't see anything, and I don't think it could have been a person or anything too big because what she was barking at seemed to be down by the horses, but the horses weren't doing anything in particular. I didn't go out to check for myself, of course. The thought this morning is it could have been a 'coon down there. Oh well. At least I got to see a really amazing shimmering gold moon. Something I'm not sure I've really seen before.
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