The thief:
Decibel 'found' the empty big dog food bag on the back porch/entry. She dragged it all the way to the living room, with me taking pictures, instead of telling her no, because she was so darn cute. Don't worry, though, she eats her fancy dog food, none of this stuff for her; that is just for her brothers and sister.
This pillow by the way used to be Maggie's spot. Decibel likes it too.
Puppy tale
I should apologize in advance, because this is a long brag. I can't help it though, since Decibel is such a smart and wonderful girl and that is not just my opinion.
Well, Decibel went to puppy class for the first time, although that is a misnomer, because it is our regular dog class, and she had been there once before for a visit. Still, this time she was there to work. At first the other dogs were a bit of a concern for her still, she much prefers people to anything else in the world. She tried to figure out how to get near the people without having to go near their dog.
Then we went to work.
Amelia, our instructor, blinded her a few times, taking pictures of her. Harold was taking Ralph through his paces, it was his turn and he had been really good that day, even letting me give him a good grooming without the usual whine and dash, and he knew it was for class. Those damn dogs can read the calendar.
Anyhow, Decibel had a light choke collar on for the first time, since I knew she was a bit skittish about other dogs, and might back out of her usual collar. And all of our dogs like wearing their 'school clothes', it tells them that we are there for a purpose and not to roughhouse.
As usual, the class started with heels, turns, halts - automatic sits- and a few down-in-motion, stand-in-motion, or sit-in-motion, where the owner walks off, leaving the dog behind as positioned, walks the room, and returns, and then the heeling resumes. A lot of the dogs there were the star pupils, two German Shepherd Dogs, an English Cocker, some bird dog-type (I am not good with 'naked' smooth haired breeds), a Papillon, all good enough to earn or have the CGC or higher obedience titles.
And Decibel.
She heeled! I was surprised, because even though we walk a lot on the leash, she tends to switch sides on me, in spite of my efforts to keep her on the left, and she pulls or drags behind, because she is a puppy, and since I am not always that worried about form at home, because I have other things to do, our heeling had not been heavily enforced. After all, a puppy can't heel all the time, and I actually appreciate that she goes off the path to poop and such. Anyhow, here Decibel heeled.
The hotdogs helped, because she sits when she wants something, so as soon as I stopped walking, she would sit, and get a tiny piece of hotdog. I tried not to bribe her too much, and in truth it wasn't all that necessary. Decibel liked the game. She forgot about the other dogs.
She was working for hotdogs!
She did the 'in-motions' at my side, sitting, standing, or down, while the other dogs were all in their places around the room. She did not bark, or try to meet the people as they passed by. She was very good. She did long sit stays and down stays, with me being able to drop the leash and stepping in front of her and away for a pace, before I got back to her. Obviously she couldn't go the whole time yet in a sit stay, after two minutes she kept trying to lie down, but she didn't wander off either. The others left their dogs and hid around the corner, but all the dogs were good.
Then I took Decibel out and she pooped, and when we returned they were still doing recalls, so we watched that.
Now Decibel's recalls at home are still wiggy. She might come back, or she might ignore me for a piece of manure. She sets priorities to suit her. She is familiar with her name, likes to come well enough, but that it is an 'order' well, she debates the fact. I train dogs with the notion that you never get punished for a come, no matter what you just did before. If I call and say come, and you show up, you are safe. It doesn't matter how mad I am, but (and this is a BUT) if I have to chase your butt down, then watch out.
This means that the smart ones (Maggie) know exactly the last time I will say 'come' and come then. The dumber ones (the boys, let's face it) come when I get irritated, because they are afraid of the BUT. Or like Skeeter, he likes to show off how fast he can come! He also knows that he won't get corrected too strictly for jumping up, because the 'come' gives him a pass, and so he jumps up, with me trying to praise and pet him, and keeping him off. Maybe he is not so dumb after all. Anyhow, he is getting better about getting me to bend down to smooch him without jumping up.
Decibel will be in the Maggie category, and unless I can establish the come a bit better with her she might have to learn about the special collar that can zap you long distance, even when I am too slow to get her.
But in school she did a passable sit stay while I backed up, and then called her, while backpedalling, seriously, the dog class is tiring for people too, and she came pretty well, to hugs and kisses, and then I went and reloaded on hot dog pieces.
After that it was figure eights, and Decibel didn't do so well, because Ralph and Harold were one of the poles we were to walk around, and she wanted to say hi. I took her back out and she peed. That might have interfered with her concentration as well. Then it was sitting and meeting a friendly stranger, who was all the people in class, they leave their dog in a stay and pet all the other dogs, after receiving permission. The dog has to stay in a sit. Since they are all nice friendly dogs, they tend to want to get up, jump up or such, but that is all they try to do. Obviously the petter waits until the dog is in a sit. Harold will try to get the GSDs to break position by 'accidentally' dropping food, moving funny, and such, but that is okay, because their owners want the dogs to be good even around dumb people. We train for real life, here!
By this time Decibel was a bit tired and her sit became a down, but I didn't correct her. I am more concerned with keeping her from jumping up or trying to climb on people's laps when it comes to that, or piercing their ears. She will still try that, or paw them, and those paws will become big and heavy sooner than we think. She has already grown taller than Skeeter, and she was definitely shorter than him only a week ago.
After that it was another break for Decibel, this time for some water, then a bit more heeling with stuff, and then we traded dogs, and I took Ralph around one time, although he was pooped, and Decibel had trotted around the room like a show dog. Really, she moved!
Harold worked with her, only he didn't work, just smooched, but that was okay. Decibel would have done the same for him, as long as he had hotdogs!
(By the way she only got tiny pieces of them, more like hotdog molecules, and only occasionally as much as a quarter of a slice for a big reward, so it wasn't all junk food driven. It is good practice for her to nubble things off fingers without eating the fingers. All my dogs know how to take stuff gently. It is also the precursor to letting me take things out of their mouths, and giving pills, which Decibel doesn't mind. She had to take her Heartworm preventative and only seemed to regret that I made her swallow it without tasting it.)
More water, and a few hello's to the nice dogs, and now Decibel wasn't shy at all, and barked at them, and started to play (we made sure it was fine with the owners, and it was). On the way out Decibel even got fresh with the female GSD, and I was glad the owner let us do that, because I do not want her to be afraid of a breed or size of dog. Cautious is fine, but not afraid.
I have to admit that I didn't think Decibel could do this well, and for almost the whole hour of class. She looked like this was her third or tenth class, not her first. When I think back on our other first class puppy experiences... well, there was a whole lot of drooling involved, and much less everything else.
Everyone remarked on how good and smart she was.
Now, sure they haven't seen her 'independent' side, which is not nasty, only assertive, and she knows how to push buttons. But at least we can train her to be a super dog before her adolescence, when things will go backwards for a bit, as they usually go.
Next week is off, but after that Decibel will go regularly. I hope we get a lot of the super dogs, who can do distance commands and off leash stuff, because she would learn that just by watching. If she sees a whole lot of goof balls, she would become one, since that would look like fun to her.
Ralph was tired after class, and both slept all the way back home.
Slow week
I do not think there are enough words to thank you for this girl; she is more than we could have wished for. I still miss Barley of course, but there is a part of me that thinks, how like the old boy to pick the time to die so we could get Decibel. If he could have planned that, he would have, because he was my perfect dog. I know that is silliness, on one level, and on another, if I believe in anything, then it is in dogs knowing us better than anyone.
Well, we had a slow week for the dogs, and a busy one for me. Harold was on a meeting in St. Louis, and that left me with all the chores, so Decibel only went to one new place, one 'old' and then we got rained out too. Still, it was a good time to practice being in the crate, and to consolidate some things. Decibel can do a lot of things, but as with all smart ones, convincing her of the necessity will be interesting. Not that she is unwilling; she just has her independent moments, where her name can be ignored, because she found some manure to eat, or the like. Still, in spite of the busy week, we worked more on her 'come' and she could walk to the barns without the leash on occasion, or at a heel for short stretches. The whole, pay attention to the human thing. Her enthusiasm for swimming is still there, and I am careful to check her ears and dry them if needed. It has been hot in between storms; so drying has not been a problem. By the time we get home she is no longer even damp. No mildew between the ears, either. I do check.
Decibel is now a full inch taller than Skeeter, and will soon pull even with Maggie. She is becoming more sure of herself, and is learning when to bug the big dogs and pester them to play with her, and when they mean 'no'. Maggie plays with her in short stretches. Ralph is still a bit iffy, but he is relaxing about her. In the mornings Decibel jumps all over him and paws him in the face, and I make sure he gets plenty of loving from me and ear cuddles, so puppy is a good thing. Like all Briards, Decibel uses her 'hands' a lot, and it is difficult to correct her for slapping you, because it is cute too.
She was very happy to have Harold back, at the end of the week, but she had not moped during his absence, which made both of us feel good. I like a dog who can be with either one of us and be happy.
Decibel can now drink milk outside of her crate, without stealing her siblings' allotment. Again, while that is a negligible achievement, it is the sort of thing I like to see. I don't want food fights. Bowls are only to be licked when the 'owner' stepped away. All my dogs have managed to understand that, and Decibel is well on her way. She eats in her crate, but sometimes the treats (milk or cookies) are handed out with the dogs at a sit or down around us. One funny thing... it was Ralph's birthday, so there were hotdogs to be earned. We did sit-shake down the line, starting with Maggie, then Decibel, then Skeet, then Ralph, and what-do-you-know, Decibel ran around the back of me, and sat next to Ralph, for the next hand out. She is so funny. Not even Maggie had come up with that one before.
Oh Decibel discovered mulberries and those she likes. We have a tree in the backyard, so there is no keeping her from eating the berries, and let's face it, it is better than her bug eating. All the wild animals fill up on mulberries this time of year, from coyotes to possums, so I don't think they will do her any harm either.
We are still not hooked up to the 'net at home, so email is sent when I remember or Harold sends it from work, so I have not been checking out Terry's blog lately. I did read some when I was still working, and really enjoyed the dog class observations. As you can tell, we will never be 'obedience' dog owners, but we do try to have dogs we can live with, and that can be polite. Different problems/ solving approaches do help, since no two dogs are the same.
That's not to say I don't like the dog show stories or observations about the Briard breed.
Thank you again for sending us such a treasure.
Pushing her limits
Ah, she is a normal pup after all. This week we had a number of outings, dog class and rotten weather. And Decibel has decided to 'explore her limits' in gobble-speak, or tried to find out just how big these human suckers are. She is becoming quite vocal and tries to imitate Ralph, when he is barking at the sheep, which is not exactly good behavior. Usually she waits until we are bottle-feeding the lambs and thus cannot do much other than be annoyed.
She likes to jump on Ralph and Maggie and see if Mom and Dad will protect her from the wrath of the big dogs. Skeeter has long been demoted as play thing. He has to get quite mean to get some peace or jump on the couch.
Here was Decibel's weekend stunt... she went into Ralph's crate in the kitchen and peed on his bed. In full view of the humans! She did not feel our response was deserved at all. Now she knows the doggie door, gets praised for outside peeing/pooping, and I don't think we have accidentally made it okay to pee on your brother's bed, no mixed messages here. Really it was just being the devil.
Decibel continues to do very well in dog class. She likes going, they have hotdogs and people. She does not seem to mind the other dogs. She did get carsick twice last week, and puked right when we got to our destination. It was very different trips, at different times of the day etc, so I am not sure she is really carsick or just nervous because we are somewhere new.
She does not mind new people, but new places are still not her favorite thing to explore.
She got a bath, which she also thought was unnecessary. Then she antagonized her siblings, when it was their turn in the bath.
Below are a few pics to show how she has grown.
Almost nose to nose with Ralph now. Also note, different collar. She outgrew her purple one.
Her swimming is coming along fine, now we don't worry about the goldfish pond, only the goldfish.
Decibel would insist on hugs and smooches,
Slopping hogs is my department.
It isn't nearly as much fun as it sounds. We have 6 pigs (Boston, Chicago, Socks, Snooty, Kinky and Brain) to help out with the excess milk. Four will go to some exclusive restaurant as milk fed pork. Naturally Decibel volunteered to help with the milk all by herself, but I think even her appetite would be challenged by 2 or 3 gallons a day. For the last eternity it has been raining and storming, at night or making the day into night, it is sure dark a lot. Since the ground has been saturated since August 2008, a river ran through my pig sty. Now in the ancient Greek mythologies, that cleans out stables, but no such luck. Harold and I get to bail out the liquid pig muck. Since the trough for the milk keeps filling up with water, we have to dump that before slopping them, or they would end up with skim milk, yuck!
Decibel got to come along for our haircuts and she was good just lounging in her crate while we were getting beautified. She was very good, and even did her sits and her still shaky shake for Janel.
She is very interested in the sheep and chickens lately, but more in the hurting not the herding sense - she tries to eat them. Okay, even Barley tried flossing with sheep, but Decibel left the chicken coop with a few feathers in her mouth. She wasn't trying to kill just pluck them a little... the chickens didn't notice all that much, they are dumb and not very excitable. I had Decibel on the leash, and the hens know that they are mine, and dogs are not supposed to eat them. Now we just have to teach Decibel. It is funny, last week all she cared about was chicken poop and chicken feed. She didn't even notice the hens then.
Still, her nose is awesome.
I walked her by herself and saw a rabbit about 300 yards off. Decibel was trying to grab the end of the lead and was not paying attention, but as we got closer, wham, her nose was down and she traced the rabbits flight very precisely. I will have to get with Melinda the GSD gal, and see about tracking. I always thought that would be fun, only Melinda talks about the MILES she ran after her dog on a track, and just jogging next to Decibel so she maintains that pretty trot she has makes me huff and puff. I may have to act dumb and have Melinda do the running... there's a thought.
more later...
Later
well, never a boring week with the girl. She was very busy the last week. We went to garage sales on Saturday, but had to run home due to the storms. Then we practiced 'waiting out the storm' in the storm shelter. We had only straightline winds and no damage, but I thought it was a good time to make the shelter fun, and eat cookies there. The rest of the weekend was stormy as well.
Tuesday Harold and I had to load up some steers and send them to the butcher, then we made apricot jam and I left him in charge of the house while going to the dentist.
On Wednesday it was time for me to go to work one last time. I started the day out early, to get all the chores done. The cow cooperated, the donkey didn't make trouble, the sheep were compliant, the horses were good, and Decibel, she was wonderful, but did not feel the urge. We walked and walked, and no poop. Finally I put her in the crate and left. I only worked a half day, since I have plenty of sick leave, and it won't get reimbursed, if you are not sick, you end up paying for it. Naturally Decibel had not kept her crate clean, but I couldn't blame her too much, and it got to be funny when I thought that I quit a job for cleaning up dog poop for free, and it wasn't a bad trade.
In the evening Decibel got to come along for my retirement party, it was at a park, and there were lots of new things to see for Decibel, a train, a playground, ducks on a pond, which were only scary at first, then the bread fed to them won Decibel over, a really sneaky and frightening fire hydrant (really? I thought those are doggy newspapers, but it took Decibel a bit to check it out), and balloons. Decibel did fine, she just gets a bit quiet when she is in a new setting, but in the end there were hotdogs, and that was all it took. Decibel prefers large humans to children.
At home she is getting far more assertive and when the big dogs grouch at her, she no longer cries and needs hugs. She might yip and roll tummy up, and then go right back and annoy them some more. She also handles new things differently, by barking at them, and letting me convince her to 'go check it out' as long as I am close by.
However, both Harold and I agree, she seems more of a hunter than a herder. I think she will join Maggie on her hunts, if we let her. She chases the water from the garden hose, frogs, toads, bugs, and her nose is always sniffing.
Swimming is her all time favorite thing. She loves the pond. It has been very hot here, so I don't have the heart to keep her out. I just make sure her ears are dry, and by the time we get back home, the rest of her is dried out.
Then it was time for puppy class.
Decibel is really very good in class. For one and a half times she did a sit stay while I walked the room, and I can get further away from her on the stays. She caught on to the stand, even though it was the first time we had her do it. What is funny is that she already knows to act really good in class and then it is back to normal as soon as we leave. There is no 'heel' on the way back to the car, it is let's get out of here, come on already. She loves class, but like all of our dogs, it is an exhausting hour for her. Everyone sleeps on the way home. Harold and I switched dogs half way through, so Decibel learns to listen to the guy as well.
Finally it was another visit to the vet. Maggie needed her ears checked, and I wanted Decibel to go to Dr. Ann's without getting shots. We weighed her instead, 32 pounds, and she is skinny!
In between Decibel learned that she likes blueberries, and will eat a few apricots, staying clean for shorter times alone in the crate, (she is fine when I can get her to do her piddles and poops on time), and even to stay away from the lawnmower and not to bite wagon tires. Harold has taught her not to steal milk while the other dogs are still at their bowls, and she is getting very good at that.
Hugs,
Angel and devil
This week Decibel has had either one on her shoulder. She is brilliant one moment and naughty the next. Surely it is not yet time for being a teenager? Here are some examples:
Brilliant
-Decibel did the whole hour of puppy class. She held her business until afterward. She did all the tracks that Melinda set up for her in the parking lot. (Gobbling up hotdog pieces is such a task!)
Naughty
-Decibel jumped up on almost everyone in puppy class, including (gasp) me! She KNOWS better. She did it even after a correction.
Brilliant
-Decibel slept right through a grooming session. She is the only dog that doesn't disappear when I pull out the comb and brush. What a good girl!
Naughty
-grab a mouth full of brushed out hair and make a game of chase and try to eat the hairball before Mom gets it
Brilliant
-She was outstandingly good in the house all week, going out when she had to go, even without company.
Naughty
-sleep in Ralph's bed. He feels displaced.
Brilliant
-she can get up on the couch by herself
Naughty
-so she can pull the covers off and try to eat the quilts
Brilliant
-she got a bath, and she was really good. Then she watched all her siblings get a bath. What a sweet pup
Naughty
-Bark! BarketybarkBAAAARK! Stranger in the house, MOM! ALARM! (Ralph was wet and Decibel barked and barked at him. Seriously. She had just seen him get a bath too. Okay, it was funny too!)
Brilliant
-her shakes are wonderful. Soon we will do high five and wave bye bye. Her paw comes up so nice. What a smart puppy!
Naughty
-down? Huh? Never heard of such a thing. Why are you pushing me down? I don't like the floor, eek. Oh, down! Okay, she plops down and rolls over.
Brilliant
-Decibel come! She comes.
Naughty
-Decibel come! She goes.
Seriously, she must be one of a kind.
Oh PS:
Brilliant is licking the ear, naughty is biting it.
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