Rainy Day Fun

What to do on a rainy rainy day?  Play "It's Yer Choice."

Cookie Train

Balancing cookie #4 on an elevated paw

I know I'm doing a terrific job!

stack-o-cookies

Now, if you think Mom was hovering over me in case I had mischief on my mind, think again.  She took each of these pictures from 3 feet away (to keep the flash a safe distance from my eyes).

First Day of Autumn

Goodbye Summer

Air Temp: 32c       July 31       Water Temp: cold

Hello Autumn

Watching the downpour from under the sun shade

Air Temp: 17c      Sept 23      Water Temp: cold

The Big Yellow Peanut

On Tuesday, I met the big yellow peanut (FitPAWS Canine Conditioning Equipment - www.balldynamics.com).  According to FitPAWS, working on the peanut will:

- improve reaction and control

- increase trunk and core strength

- stabilize weak areas

- improve balance and proprioception

- increase range of motion in joints and elongation in the muscles

- improve sensory and body awareness

Of course, as I am still a puppy, I will only be doing short sessions and exercises on the peanut that are safe for growing puppies.

I like it already - it comes with treats

Standing while extending neck to reach for a treat

Balancing on 2 legs while I change direction

In a down

Sitting up straight

As this was just supposed to be a "meet and greet," Mom wasn't fully prepared to videotape (wow, is she ever going to take a lot of training!).  As the instructions say that it may take a puppy/dog several sessions to be comfortable on the peanut, it didn't occur to her that I would be up on the peanut and twirling around (unaided) in under a minute.  I initially scrambled up onto the peanut (and jumped off) a few times as she was snapping stills but when I started leaping onto it, she finally came out of her daze and hit the video button.  Here's a really short video of me leaping onto the peanut.  You can see how much the peanut moves even though one end is being stabilized.

Caught in the Act

Editing photos for a future post

22.5 lbs

From 11.2 oz at birth to 22.5 lbs in 16 weeks.

4 days

112 days

Sunday in the Country

Yesterday was a great day to be out running in the woods with Tunder, Diva and Miska Mom.

 

Here I am jumping over a log.  This is a rare shot of me running alongside Diva.  She runs soooo fast that the only time I can keep up with her is when she's been running flat out for quite some time (look at that tongue) and even then it's only for a few strides.

                                                  Taking time out for a family portrait

Tunder, Miska Mom and Me

Starting to get fidgety

OK, I'll behave

So much for the family portrait

                                         Climbing the rocks of Grandma Sylvia's waterfall

                                                     (atleast I didn't jump in (this time))

Pets on Furniture

Check me out in today's "Pets on Furniture: Part I" section of this very cool website:  http://www.desiretoinspire.net/

Proprioception

Proprioception:  "The unconscious perception of movement and spatial orientation arising from stimuli within the body itself."   (thefreedictionary.com)

Here I am familiarizing myself with balance discs.  Working with balance discs will help improve my proprioception.  Better proprioception = better coordination = better balance = more efficient athlete.  Performing low-impact exercises on discs is puppy-safe and is good preparation for future agility training (when I am much older).

Jiggly wiggly - balancing with all 4 paws

I did it!  (Do 3 paws still count?)

Take a Bow

Here are 3 short videos of me working on my latest skill outdoors. This may seem like just a cute trick but bowing is one component of a full body stretch.  Stretching (in a correct manner) is as important for a canine athlete as it is for a human athlete.  Being able to stretch "on command" is very useful when training for a rigorous sport such as agility.   Knowing what my body looks like when I bow is also important as not being able to bow fully or bowing in a funny way may be an indicator of a tender spot or an injury which might otherwise go  unnoticed (we can be very good at hiding such things).

           (vocalizations have faded)

Bells

Here I am demonstrating how I ring bells when I need to go outside.  Although I like to ring them with gusto, I usually don't bonk my nose into the door.

Mini Tunnel

This kid's tunnel is a lot more portable than the real thing and it's just my size (but not for long).

Who shrunk my tunnel?

Drive with Control

We play a number of games that simultaneously build control and drive (to engage in play with Mom rather than run off and play/chew alone).  In this short video, I am playing the tuggie game on the deck for the first time.  As this is a new setting, the "picture" of the game is new so you will notice that I am displaying a little confusion/frustration (vocalizations) as I am working out how to play the game in this setting.  When you see how nicely I can hold a sit in the presence of a toy that I find very exciting, keep in mind that I am only 14 weeks old.

[There is a longer video in a higher resolution but it couldn't be edited down to fit the 100MB limit.  By the time the camera was adjusted and this portion was shot, we were both too hot to play any longer.  Even a few minutes of vigorous tugging in high humidity can be exhausting (especially for the human).]

Speaking of control, I've become so accustomed to waiting in a relaxed manner for my meals that this morning I pushed my bowl over to the mat and finished my breakfast in this fashion:

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Diva and Miska Mom running in near perfect unison

Miska Mom jumping off the rail fence she had been walking across

I know the shot of Miska is out of focus - but how cool is it to have caught her balancing on a mere stick of wood!

Boys having fun

The Fearless Retriever

WHAT !?!?!?!  The green bags smell like lavender!

Water Babies

Before my very first class ever, I went for a country romp with Tunder, Diva and Mom Miska.  Tunder and I had great fun drinking from the water hose.  (Click on the full screen symbol (4 arrows in lower R corner) then sit back from your screen for best viewing. ...  Slideshow is very grainy - working on the solution.)

Shake a Paw Redux

Here's a video taken this morning since the previous video has poor lighting (someone forgot to: (a) put a light cover over the back of the couch and (b) turn on the lamp).

Shake a Paw

A new trick!  Today, Mom added the cue "Shake a Paw" for the first time.  Lost track of how many "shakes" she asked for in this session but I do know my success rate was 100%! 

P.S.  The first word you hear in the video is not "no" but the tail end of "here we go."

My First Trick

Mom is all excited today because after just one "shaping" (with a clicker) session I learned my first trick Sunday evening.  First thing this morning, I remembered what to do when I heard the cue word in 3 different places.  I showed off my new skill throughout the day to a variety of people and in the presence of varying levels of distraction (including my brother Tunder).  Mastering simple tricks teaches me to become a problem-solver (especially, working through the frustrations associated with learning something new) in a fun and exciting environment.  This foundation will help me later on when I tackle the more complex skills necessary to compete in Obedience, Rally-O, Agility, Field ...

Learning Self-Control

I am learning life skills through positive training techniques. One of the games we play is Susan Garrett's "It's Yer Choice." This game teaches self-control and we play it many different ways in many different locations. Possessing self-control allows me to make appropriate decisions in life (eg., not running off with the Xmas turkey or anything else that may be on a kitchen counter). Here are a few images of me showing great control in the presence of food.

Playing 'Yer Choice' for the first time at age 8 weeks

Patience in the presence of two cookies

Waiting for lunch for a count of 30 !

Playing the game with a cookie on my foot

Tolerant Tyro

Uncle Tyro is sweet and easy-going. Although he dealt a few swift and much-needed corrections (not nearly enough according to Mom!) my way while he was visiting, he let me get a way with A LOT! These shots were taken seconds apart. See what I mean...what a swell guy!

A Few of My Favourite Activities

It's September, and apparently, just like all the other little ones, I start school next week.  What is school?  Will I like it?  Will it make this list?  Stay tuned...

A Few of My Favourite Toys

JW Hol-ee Ball (especially when there are cookies inside)

Retrieving the Bumper fresh out of the package

Kong Ballistic Ring - let's see how truly indestructible this is