The weather has been incredible. We're so lucky to have an amazing early spring...

Lola chasing her ball...

View of the side yard...the big yellow bush is coming out this spring...

Pretty Penny keeping watch...

Lola lounging on her lunch break...

"I'm...A...S-P-R-O-U-T...."

It's been a busy week. I still have class on Wednesday & Shelley's class started on Thursday. My birthday was on Friday (Happy 33rd to me!), dinner at Kevin's on Saturday & Sunday was Easter.

I took today off for a extended birthday weekend. Lola went to daycare, but beforehand we stopped by my office to drop off some doughnuts and she got to meet everyone. I was very proud of her...she didn't jump on anyone and turned on the charm. She did take off to explore, but was quickly caught. She started Woofing at people so we left.

My Mom came over & we took S&P to the park for a hike. It turned out to be a really nice day. We hiked for about an hour & then took them home. I picked Lola up around 5:00 & she was pooped! Scotty had a hockey game so the 4 of us slugged out & watched TV for the rest of the night. Perfect end to my birthday weekend!

The first class I ever attended was with Sherman a little over 3 years ago. Clearly he didn't need class...he already new how to sit, lay down, give paw, speak and walk nicely on a flexi leash. But we had just gotten Penny & she was a mess. So I thought I'd start out with my already obedient dog just to get myself into the groove.

Well...was I in for a rude awakening. By the end of the first class, I was ready to give Sherman away. He was a nightmare...trying to jump on the other dogs, completely ignoring me, forgetting he ever knew how to do a single thing I asked. I didn't even want to go back to the second class and for good reason...he was worse! As being cool, calm & collected are not my best traits, I was fortunate enough to have one of the trainers notice my frustration & pull me aside into a separate room. She took Sherman from me and worked w/ him a bit and then gave me the best training advice I've gotten to date.

"Stop...Yelling...At...Your...Dog".

Sherman, NO! Sherman, STOP IT! Sherman, COME HERE! Sherman SIT! Sherman NO! Sherman NO! Sherman NOOOOoooooo!!! I sounded like a broken record. And he could care less...he wasn't hearing me.

Stop yelling at your dog. If what you're doing is not working, change the situation to make him succeed. Stop telling him what is wrong and let him know what is right. Rocket science, huh? Well, to me it was. Because it WORKED! (Thank you, Jan McCune).

So what's my point? Well, for the first couple of months we had Lola, I did a lot of yelling at Sherman. Back to my old stupid ways. But in the recent month or so, I remembered that stellar advice and got back to what I know works. Stop yelling at your dog. I've been focusing more on what he's doing well and putting in more one on one time w/ him and I've really noticed a difference. Does that mean I don't ever yell at him? Hell, NO! But it's fewer & far between...when he really needs it.

Ironically, like tonight. His guarding is still an issue and all three dogs were on the bed w/ me. He had a chewie next to him...but Lola started sniffing him...not going for the bone, but just sniffing near him. Sherman laid into her, pinning her down and biting her face. She really yelped...probably more out of fear than pain, but his behavior is not acceptable. I made him get off the bed and ignored him for the next hour. We made up later and he's on probation for. But I will still keep encouraging the good behavior from him and I will make the effort to stop yelling at my dog.

The weather is finally breaking & I couldn't be happier. Sherman & I took a nice stroll through the neighborhood & he was, once again, the perfect dog. Then Lola & I went around the block & I think she might be going through a bit of a fear period. Things she used to be fine with elicit her big girl bark or she gets real close to me. First it was a gaint blow up Easter bunny (can't say I blame her for barking at that though...I hate those things)...next it was 2 kids popping wheelies on their bikes. Birds are another big thing...far away, she's tough. If they're too close, she gets a little freaky. I just tell her "Oh stop it...let's go". By the end of the walk she was much more relaxed. She's also starting to pull...and I'm nippnig that in the bud. I learned my lesson w/ Penny not to even let that start.

As Penny was going to class, she didn't get a walk. We did leave about 15 minutes early to practice LLW in the parking lot before class. She was a little stressed when we went in the building. 2 staffers wanted to pet her & she was pretty skiddish. Once we got in class, she was better & started to focus. Heeling was fine, attention was fantastic as usual, recalls...bleh! We worked on separation differently in that I left her w/ Jim, told her to wait, walked away & then returned to her (p/t), put her in a sit stay, and then called her to me. First time I left her she was very tense and hesitated on the recall. Second time, she was more relaxed, but when I called her, she kept her butt planted on the ground. What?? Her recall is usually great. Something more to work on. We also worked on Finishes, which we haven't done diddly of in 6 months. That's on the agenda for this week.

Not much to report for today. The weather was signaling Spring is around the corner & Lola was feeling mighty spry.

What a truly marvelous day. The weather is starting to change & while it's still cool, it's sunny & beautiful. We had some major thunderstorms last night & the grass seemed to grow 3 inches overnight.

I took Lola to daycare @ 8:00 am. When I arrived, the staff was very excited to see her. And she loves this place. There was a man in the lobby watching the dogs on the TV and she ran right up to him & put on quite the wiggly show. There was an older couple in one of the gated areas next to the desk. Lola could see their Sheltie & started barking & doing her tough girl routine. The older couple was glaring at me, but I was unconcerned. I pulled her over to the other gated section and the manager came out to take the dogs back. She went to the Sheltie first and the man said something to the manager I couldn't hear. She looked at him and said "No, she's a Boxer". My DoG! He said, "OK", shot me another look & I wanted to punch him. She's not a Pitbull!!!! Ugh. Not that there's anything wrong with that...I love Pitbulls. But the general public is so very uneducated. Makes me crazy. Anyway...off Lola went for her fun day at Camp.

When I got home, I took Sherman for a walk & it was if he was trying to tell me "Hey Mom...I'm the good one". He was such an angel. I walked him on the Flexi and made him stop & sit at every intersection. He usually just has to stop & wait till I tell him "Let's Go". But I decided to have him sit this time & after the 3rd intersection...he was stopping & sitting w/o being asked. At one point, a FC retreiver just walked over to us & sniffed Sherman's butt. He just turned around, looked at her and then back at me. This was a first!! Overall, it was a wonderful walk.

Penny was next. She has developed a very, very bad pulling habit. Even w/ the Easy Walk harness, she's making me nuts. I'll admit...I have never worked seriously or consistantly on LLW with her. Heeling yes, but I don't want her to walk right next to me. I want her to have freedom to explore & sniff, but not pull my arm off. I'm going to set up a program for her & really make a serious commitment to stopping this. Stay tuned for updates. Other than the walking thing, we did stop in some parking lots and do some stays, recalls and heeling.

When I returned to Camp...I told the girl at the desk "I'm here to pick up Lola." Her response..."Um no, sorry, we're gonna keep her". I love to hear that. She commented at what a sweet calm Boxer she is and how much they enjoy having her. I would hope that I have something to do w/ that. They brought her out & she was filthy! PigPen from Peanuts is a close analogy. When we got home, I scooped her up & put her in the tub. She was such a doll. She just stood there & let me soap her up and rinse her off. Being tired was probably part of the reason. I dried her off & we sat out on the front porch & let her dry in the sun. She slept for the remainder of the night.

Let's see...what happened today?

Well, first Sherman tried to jump into the UPS truck on our walk at lunch. He has never left the sidewalk while on the Flexi unless I am crossing too. The truck just pulled out from a few houses down and Sherm went into guard dog mode...barking and lunging and running to get into the truck. I immediately called him back & put him into a Down. The UPS guys laughed and said "Only 1 today??"...my reply was "Don't you think I have all I can handle??!!"

After work, Scott & I decided to take all 3 dogs for a walk. What a mistake. It was a beautiful day and everyone & their dogs were outside enjoying the nice weather. All three were wound up & pretty obnoxious. That is the last time we'll be doing that for a while.

I had my first class w/ Shelley. The group was very attentive and had a lot of questions. This is going to be a much different class than Annette's. Shelley's class is a clicker class, which I am very comfortable with. I have participated in many of Shelley's classes as a student and assisted Shelley's assistant, Rita when Shelley was away, but I've never been her assistant. We get along very well and it should be fun 7 weeks.

Lola had her first encounter with a cat. The neighborhood grouch, 8 Ball, ran across the street to go home on our way back from our walk. One of my nicer neighbors (shame I don't know her name) was on the porch & wanted introduced the little demon spawn. Lola was more than happy to make her acquaintence & then spotted 8 Ball in the yard. As she was safely on leash & 8 Ball is a trooper (and declawed)...I took her down for an introduction. Lola was nothing but inquisitive and ran right up to sniff him. He, of course, hissed and batted her in the face. She backed away, cried a bit and then went back in for another Hello. Another big hiss & couple bats in the face & Lola now knows she should respect cats.

I really want her to become used to cats as she could then stay w/ my Mom when we went on vacation. It's hard to find a dog savvy cat & an owner that's willing to let me "use" it for socialization.

Well, it was back to work for the girls today. Lola is going through a very ~ahem~ "active" stage. And we haven't done a whole lot of anything since graduation. So I took her upstairs and ran through all of the basic stuff she knows, focusing on attention. I never really got around to cueing it so I started introducing "Watch". We'll continue to work on that this week.

Penny was antsy all night. She "knew" it was class day. And she was ready to work. I'm so proud of her. We worked on heeling, direction changes, down, lots of attention & supervised separation. Heeling was great. Her attention is stellar. Down is fine...although she refuses to tip onto one hip. I may try to shape this during the course of the week. The separation is another issue. I suppose I should be happy to have a dog that's so bonded to me. We did two run throughs, leaving her w/ Jim, Annette's assistant. I got about 20 seconds out of her until she started to stress. We're gonna keep at it & hopefully, she'll get better. I'm going to try to work on out of sight stays as well & hope that will give her a job to do while I'm gone, making the whole thing less stressful. I really love this class and love working with Penny.

I realize I don't make any reference to working with Sherman. And it's not that he doesn't get any attention. But Sherman is different than the girls. They really thrive on mental stimulation while Sherman is more content to chew or play with a toy or do some fun basic commands. Which he does get a lot of. He's certainly not neglected.

This morning was the PghDogsRescue brunch. We try to do a monthly thing but life is hectic & not everyone can always make it. While I'm not technically involved in rescue, I represent the WPHS in the whole scenario. It's nice to get together and hang out in person w/ the people you usually only correspond w/ over email. Afterward I drove out to PSP in Cranberry. It was a nice day for a drive. I picked up a new collar for Lola, some more of those achilles tendons the dogs are so fond of and food for Penny & Lola. As she has all of her "big girl teeth", I've switched her to adult food. They're eating Canidae right now & I decided to try Eagle Pack Holistic Select this round. We'll see how they do.

When I got home, I took Sherman & Lola on a walk together. We ran into the neighbor kids and Lola put on quite the show & Sherman was very good with the kids. I'm always careful to warn them that he does NOT like hugs or rough petting. Our neighborhood kids are pretty well behaved, though.

Penny & I went back to the Library to practice some heeling, recalls & sit stays. We played Follow the Leader for about 5 minutes and then went to stays. There were lots of distractions b/c it was so nice out. What you can't see in this picture was...there were a bunch of kids playing around the library and a dog barking on the other side. Not too shabby.


We did some heeling & automatic sits and finished up with recalls. My girl is back in the groove. Maybe it was the weather...maybe it was the liver brownies. Her recalls are right where they should be, including some very nice straight fronts.

We then took a walk around the landscaped side & took some photos. Penny is so photogenic...she should be in print!

Partly b/c I've been sick...partly b/c I've been lazy; we haven't done a whole lot of anything. I haven't done any training w/ Lola other than the usual everyday stuff. We go back to class in 3 weeks & I need to get my act together so she's not the worst one there!

Lola went to daycare today b/c I was off for a doctor's appt. I called to confirm her reservation and the girl on the phone said "Oh yes...we have Lola booked. We can't wait to see her...everyone just loves her so much!" and then added "I was at Petland the other day & they had a white Boxer there...I wanted to get it so bad b/c Lola's such great dog". ~sigh~ All I managed to say was "Well, you wouldn't wanna get a dog from Petland." I didn't go into the fact that color has nothing to do w/ temperment.

Penny & I missed class b/c I have a freaking cold. Ugh!!! I'm so sick of being sick!! Our new office seems to be a germ factory and viruses spread like wild fire. Just as well...Penny & I didn't do any work on our sit stays this week.

I talked to Annette and in addition to the stays, they also did supervised separation...small time pds of 20-30 seconds. I was sooo mad we missed this b/c this is what Penny failed on the TDI test. I was informed, however, that this will be a regular part of class. Good. So I need to lick this cold & Penny & I need to get back to work.

We had a play date at Debby's house today. I took Penny & Lola as Sherman is such a brat w/ Trent. We went for a nice hike in the cemetary and then went back to Debby's for a little romping. Penny & Kera got into a little scuffle, but it was short lived. I think the girls will remain friends.

Lola hiding from Siri on the porch...

Trent saying Hi to Lola...

Everyone wants to say Hi to Penny...

Keeping watch on the porch...

My mom & I went to the WPKA dog show today. I wanted to get there a little early as the Boxers were at 10. The place was insane. Parking was a nightmare (b/c people are stupid...that's a whole other story). But the show was fun...there were lots of vendors and Grandma bought Lola a new collar. We watched some agility stuff, but didn't get to see any of the obedience. I'm planning on going to a couple events this summer...just to watch.

Scott took Lola w/ him to see his Mom for her birthday. I'm sorry I missed it. DJ & Kim brought their two dogs Hannah & Dylon & Lola was introduced to Baron & Panzer. Scott said it was a zoo!

Hannah & Dylon

Baron & Lola lounging

"I'll get you Hannah!"
Panzer & Lola
Baron taking Lola for a walk!

"You can't catch me!!!"

Penny is SO happy to be back in class!! We started Annette's Advanced Basic class tonight. I was a little nervous that Penny would be outta practice & rusty, as we really haven't worked much in the last few months. But I just love my girl! She did super.

We've taken Shelley's AB class at least 3 times. I love it b/c she changes it everytime based on the level of the dogs in class. This is the first time I've actually taken class from Annette. The class was really good too. Annette's approach to training is different than Shelley's. Shelley is a clicker trainer & her class is, for the most part, purely positive...Annette is what I call balanced positive. She does use training collars and leash corrections, but 80-85% of the training is based around a positive approach, using lots of praise & food/toy rewards. I've been working w/ her for a year & have never felt uncomfortable with her methods. She has quite a way with dogs and is an excellent trainer. The same can be said about Shelley. They just have different styles.

Anyway, we did lots of heeling. Penny did pretty well with that...her fantastic attention hasn't changed one bit. She doesn't take her eyes off me. She does get a bit distracted when another dog is up her butt but recovers quickly. We did 'round the room and heeling toward other dogs...no problem there. She also had us all practice attention while a single dog heeled around the room...good with that. We worked on automatic sits & here lies the rusty part. Penny loves to swing out on the sit to face me. Probably from all of our attention work. But she has always done this. So I worked her against a wall & it worked like a charm. Now we just have to practice more at home. Next week is sit stays...oh yeah! (roll eyes). I hate stays...they're so boring! But necessary & we could use the practice. That's what we'll be working on this week.

Puppy class graduation day!!! Lola has come so far since our first class at AF. I am really very proud of her. We did a review of a lot of stuff we learned in the first 5 classes and worked some more on heeling & stays. Lola is really doing well. She's got a ton of potential. She & Penny are very, very similar in how they learn and want to work.

This whole "Down" thing is a piece of cake!


Puppy playtime is still her favorite!



We also did fun play stuff...Marsha had a tunnel & all the dogs had a chance to try it out. Lola went right in & was happy to clean up the trail of goodies the other puppies had left behind!

Back to Camp Bow Wow for Lola today. I love this place. I've signed Penny up for an interview on the 31st. She & Lola will go together but I asked them to keep them in different play groups. I'm trying very hard to keep Lola independent. I've noticed she is doing more things by herself. Snuggling on the couch by herself (rather than laying all over Penny), running outside by herself, wandering around the house alone.

"But I still love hanging out w/ my big sister Penny!"


She is also doing wonderfully on housetraining. Scott & I have been really diligent about taking her out regularly...at least every hour, after playing, after chewing, 15 minutes after eating. We make her go out alone and she's learned the cue "Go Potty". She's also asking to go out. If she's upstairs, she'll run downstairs if she has to go. I have to be really careful about watching her if Scott is on the 3rd floor and talk to her on the way down. But if she does go down alone, she goes to her papers and goes. We have 2 pee pads that we still keep down in the DR. But that's it. We're about 90% there. I'm thrilled.

Saturday night consisted of laying around & snuggling. My favorite activity w/ the pups!

Wow, have I been slacking!! TBH, too much really hasn't been going on. Just everyday normal stuff.

But Happy St. Patricks Day! Scott & I had a little happy hour w/ some friends from work (and former co-workers). One thing that is very apparent is we need to work on Lola's greeting skills. When your standing, she fligs herself at you and nips at your clothes...If your sitting, she dive bombs your head. Not acceptable. I'll have to recruit some neighbors & dog savvy friends to help me stop this crazy behavior.

I am a terrible Dog Mommy. Truly...and I'm quite angry with myself. I didn't even realize how much I've neglected Sherman. He really needed me over the last 2 1/2 months & I really let him down. I've been so consumed with the puppy and so annoyed w/ Sherman (for just being Sherman) that I've lost sight of the bond we've always had. Sherm's always been a Momma's boy...always wants to be with Jenny. He's the perfect Shadow in that he always follows me, where ever I go, but stays out of my way. He's always close, but not intrusive. He just wants to be able to see me. And then he lays down & "rests". And I've forgotten how comforting that is...that's why I got a dog. I wanted a companion. And Sherman is the BEST at that. He's loyal, loving & quirky...kinda like me. And then came Penny & then came Lola. I wanted Penny for him (OK...TBH, I wanted her for me too)...it would be nice for him to have a playmate. The first couple of months were touch & go, but they settled into a nice friendship. I got Lola for me. I wanted another dog...can't explain it. I had this weird void that I could only fill with a puppy (Yes, I'm one of those crazy dog people & normal people wouldn't understand this..at all). So we got Lola and I love her dearly. I hope to do great things with that dog. But Sherman has obviously felt threatened. That's the type of dog he is...I accept that in him. He doesn't want to share... his stuff, his bed, his food, (and what I've been missing), his Mommy!

But lucky for me...he's very, VERY forgiving. Our 40 minute hike...just me & him, was all it took. He needs to know that he doesn't have to fight to share me. I will always make time for him. A walk with him & Penny is not gonna do it. The 3+ walks down the street he gets to do his thing, ain't gonna do it. Me+him+things we both love=happy Sherman.

Last night we all settled in on the bed and normally, one touch...as light as a feather...from Lola, puts him into a growling, snarling, spitting display. But she was pressed up against him & having a dream...thrashing her legs and kicking & grunting in her sleep. He opened his eyes...looked at me, looked at her & went back to sleep. Since Lola's arrived...Sherman finally feels safe.

What a wonderful, marvelous day! Spring is right around the corner! I'm ssoooo excited. Not that I despise winter, but I love the longer days & the sunshine.

Lola had her interview scheduled for Camp Bow Wow at 7:15. So I fed the pups breakfast at 5:30 so she'd be good to go for playtime. My brother told me about this place as he's taken Shamus for daycare & boarding. He loved it. The interview is basically to make sure the dog isn't aggressive and obviously Lola is not. She passed w/ flying colors & I was instructed to pick her up at least 3 hours later (but preferably in the afternoon). So I left her in their capable hands and went home to spend time w/ the other pups.

Penny & I took a nice stroll around the neighborhood. The day was *gorgeous* and we both enjoyed every second of the time together!! When I came home, I checked on Lola's progress on the Camper Cam and she was having a ball!!

Sherman & I then headed for the park. It's been a while & be both needed a dose of nature. Sherm was in his element...

Hunting in the forest...

Taking a break and doing his best Rottweiler impersonation...

"Awwww...come on! There's huntin' to do!!"

Taking a post hike break...well deserved Shermie!

I spent the rest of the day cleaning...got 3 rooms in tip-top shape & then went to pick up the little one. My little white puppy was now brown...and exhausted. She passed out on her blanket on the way home and this is what she looked like after 5 minutes in the house:

I signed us up for the 10 session package. Lola loves Camp Bow Wow!!

Nice weather means Lola is introduced to patroling the neighborhood.

Sherman & Penny have mastered this skill...

As our little Sprout gets older, I've been reviewing how things are progressing...

Cratetraining - Lola still needs to have the crate next to me at night when she sleeps. She is crated through the night but will get up around 1:30 (like clockwork) and start yapping. I don't even bother ignoring her anymore. I just pull the crate next to me and put my finger through the bars. Instant sleep. I've developed a bad habit (bad Jenny!) of letting her out at 5:00 to snuggle in bed w/ me. Little Iron Bladder doesn't have to pee, she just hops up in the bed and crawls under the covers. Gives me 1/2 hour longer to sleep. Bad habit yes...but I'm good at breaking habits too! As for being crated during the day...she runs to the crate in the morning for Scotty, just like Penny did. It's all about the peanut butter. She was still running from me in the afternoon, but we had our first day of..."PB! I'll get in my house for PB!!!" I don't think she'll have to be crated nearly as long as we did Penny (till she was 3), but we may have to separate Sherman from the girls. Fine by him!

Housetraining - we've had some setbacks, but some progress too. She can hold it much longer and I've been much better about taking her outside more often. She did pee on Penny's bed and a pillow upstairs, but I'm hopeful!

Training - This little puppy is the smartest puppy in the history of the world. I'm serious. She doesn't pull on leash, she knows Down, Sit, Stand, Touch, Go to Mat, Leave it, Take it, Cookie Time!! (Come), NO! and Ahhh!!!!!

Sherman - he STILL asks me when she's leaving! Sherman may never like Lola. But she loves him & keeps trying. She may win him over one day.

Handling - I actually cut her toenails! I was more afraid than she was. She got a treat after each nail & it ended up being no big deal. I was so thrilled...I went & cut S&P's nails! She still has trouble w/ tear stains, but we've minimized them w/ the cottage cheese & yogurt she eats everyday & I clean her eyes 2x per day. I looked on the internet under "tear stain removal" and got all kinds of stuff...pastes made of 18 different things that had to be left on for 10 minutes...yeah right! I use sensitive eye makeup remover...no pain, no waiting, minimal tear stains. Her ears have ceased at being as funky as they were for a while...I suppose she's gonna be like Penny & have to have her ears cleaned once a week & will hate every minute of it. Right now...her ears are too big for her body & she's now referred to as Dumbo.



Chewing - As she is teething, she's putting everything in her mouth. Poor thing was chewing on a retriever roll and the thing was all bloody when she was done. I'm sure it feels good though. I keep her PB bones in the freezer so they're good & cold for her mornign chew. She has a bunch of Kong teething sticks & a Premier one, but she's not really interested in chewing on them. She is very good about leaving something if I catch her. She taken a liking to raiding the garbage cans & I've handled that by simply moving them out of her reach. Novel idea, I know. Her little teeth can't do too much damage now, but wait a couple months. I'll need to get my head back in the game.

I've been home for 2 days w/ the flu and have made some very interesting observations. We had a discussion in Sunday's class about puppies hitting that age when the adults feel they are old enough to know better & stop putting up with all of the nonsense. Maddie demonstrated this beautifully with Sadie, the yellow Lab who is the oldest puppy in the class. It was truly amazing to watch Maddie "tell" Sadie that enough was enough. Sadie had outgrown her puppy privledges.

Well...apparently Penny now feels the honeymoon is over. My dear, sweet Penny has been as patient & tolerant as possible. I've often felt she isn't firm enough w/ Lola...as Lola chomps on her legs & hangs off her ears. I've put my arm in the middle of their play to see just how much pressure is applied & there really is none. Penny is a fantastic teacher. But I suppose she now feels Lola is reaching the age where all of this is no longer cute. Penny tolerates play until Lola turns it up...then she puts an end to it. "My...what big teeth you have!!" Princess Penny Wiggles can put on quite a show. If I were a puppy, I'd back away too!

Class #5 at WPHS. This week we worked on LLW, Stand & more on Down. I've really been working a lot w/ Lola to distinguish Sit & Down as two commands. I've been cueing each in random order and only rewarding her if she does the cued command. This week I'll add Stand to the whole thing. She picked up Stand really fast. I've always lured Penny into a Stand but I don't really think she knows what it means. I've been using lots more rapid reinforcement than I did Penny and it's obviously working w/ Lola. Now I have a new approach to use with the other dogs.

Funny thing happened w/ Sherman today. I don't give him a lot of credit for being smart, but he is constantly reminding me...it's not stupid...it's stubborn! I've been doing group recalls from outside & then giving all dogs a treat. Since they're in the "Zone", once they come in, I have them do a few things I know each of them can do to really enforce "Come to Mommy...have some fun!" They always line up in the same order (from L to R), Sherman, Lola, Penny. I have Lola - Sit or Down, Penny - Down or Target, Sherman - Down or Speak. Well...I put my hand out for Penny and said "Penny, Touch"...wouldn't ya know Sherman shot across both Lola & Penny and hit my hand w/ his nose!! Not stupid...stubborn!

Just b/c I haven't posted about our training doesn't mean we haven't been doing any. Lola is still working on Down, Attention, Targeting & Zen. I've officially passed her on Level 1. I'm not really worried about a 3rd party "passing" her...I'd be cheating myself if I progressed faster than I should. The only thing I really haven't done is the Come Game. But I have called her away from playing with Penny & she shoots to me like a bullet. That's good enough for me.

I was reviewing the Level 2 behaviors and we've got a lot of work to do. I also made the decision to enroll Sherman in the CGC class & get his cert. Won't be till the summer b/c I'm assisting in a LOT of classes now, but I really think he can do it. We'll see.

Lola got her AKC registration papers today. TBH, I could care less that I have a purebred registered dog. Doesn't make her any more special than Sherman or Penny. But it is fun picking out her "formal" name.

So...I decided that S&P deserved "formal" names too. They'll be registered under DOJA (Dogs of Jackman Ave). I like using SteelCity as I love Pittsburgh. So my dogs "formally" are:

BCHS's SteelCity Nutty Professor (Sherman)
Rizzo's SteelCity Lincoln Lady (Penny)
K&L's SteelCity Copacabana (Lola)

So there! They are all equal.

Lola lost her first puppy tooth! I noticed that one of the toys, a white stuffed cow/pig thing had bloody ears. I checked in her mouth & sure enough...one of her teeth had fallen out and the new one was pushing it's way through. I put a bunch of bones and stuff in the freezer to help ease the pain from teething. She's on her way to becoming a big girl!

We've continued our training this week working on down, targeting & eye contact (attention). She's getting really good at Down & is now offering it as much as sit. I haven't cued the attention w/ anything other than her name yet, but will start using Watch...as that's what S&P know. It's nice to say Watch & have all the dogs whip around to look at you. If I'm ever gonna walk all 3 at once (no time soon), I'll need this behavior to be very strong.

Where did my little Puppy go????

Lola Sprout is 4 months old today!

I took some shots to compare her to the other dogs...don't know if you can tell how big she's gotten, but she's gaining on Penny...and Sherman!!

I had a doctor's appointment in the morning, so I took a personal day. My appt was at 8:20 & that left me w/ the rest of the day to do my own thing. The weather is turning cold...I shouldn't complain, it is February...and I decided to take all 3 dogs on their own walks.

This is by far Sherman's favorite thing on Earth (besides me!). I walk him on a 16 ft Flexi and he has lots of room to "hunt" in the neighborhood. I know a lot of people dislike Flexi leads, but I wouldn't walk him on it if I didn't think it was safe. First of all, I know how to use the darn thing. So many people forget there is a button that will stop the lead from spooling. Second, Sherman hates the street & will not step foot into it unless I do or I tell him OK. He basically ignores any other people, dogs or cats (unless they have food), but will zero in on a squirrel if it falls in front of his face. But, I have really good voice control over him & that's never been an issue. Basically his main concern is peeing on everything in sight & "securing the neighborhood".

Penny is a doll and a different dog when it's just her. I work a lot on LLW w/o the Easy Walk and she is wonderful. I also make a point of practicing heeling, but give her plenty of sniff time.

Lola is a trip. Eveything is still new to her. She think everyone wants to be her friend. We see someone across the street & it's like "PEOPLE!!"...her butt wiggles and she dances around. Most of them keep walking, but we did get a Police officer & an Ambulance driver to stop. Both were in uniform and she didn't think anything of it. I really need to find a mailman!

This is us at the library checking out the pond...

We had another great class at WPHS...both for what was being taught & what we learned ourselves. Lola had a great play session & is officially out of her shell. Marsha brings her dog, Madison, to class & Maddy is really great w/ the puppies. At one point, one of the black LabX pups was getting a bit too rough w/ Lola & Maddy heard the squeals and flew across the room to correct the Lab. It was really cool to watch. While I was busy watching the other dogs play, Marsha pointed out that Lola got in the middle of two squabbling pups and diffused the situation. Good girl! I'm sorry i missed it.

We continued to review real life things...this week it was more handling, Down & cutting toenails. The toenail part took quite a bit of time as there are 12 or so pups in class and Marsha demonstrated individually how to do each puppy's nails. While she was doing that, Lola & I practiced Downs. I no longer have to lure her w/ food, but do use a hand signal in addition to the cue. She really is getting it. By the end of class, she was offering Down's more than Sit. That is saying a lot b/c Lola Sits for EVERYTHING. It's her default. That was done on purpose and I need to start reinforcing Down as much as Sit this week.

I don't know if you can tell by this picture, but Lola is all long legs & big feet right now. She has gotten so big, I can't believe it. I almost can't lift her!

When anyone asks how Sherman is dealing with our new addition , I reply..."He's waiting for her to leave". Truth is...Sherm is warming to her. It will be gradual, but eventually they'll be buds like he & Penny became. It just takes some time. This picture would not have happened a month ago.

Ok...so he doesn't look thrilled. But that's Sherman for ya! He's in a perpetual state of grumpiness!!

What's that saying...Life gets in the way. I haven't posted in a few days b/c work has been really busy and I really haven't done diddly w/ my dogs. Other than the usual walk, play, feed, sleep.

I realize I have concentrated most of this Blog on Lola and this is "The Dog(S) of Jackman Avenue". I will make sure to post more about Sherman & Penny. Lola is just so new right now...and she's learning so fast and so much. I haven't had Penny in class for many months...but we go back starting March 13th! Penny loves to learn and really loves class. I love taking her to class. That one on one time is really precious & I promise to give her more of that.

Sherman is just Sherman and his daily life is pretty routine. I don't do a whole lot of specific training w/ him other than daily life stuff. He's an old man, set in his ways. TBH, he's not a whole lot of fun to train, esp in a class setting. That sounds terrible but he doesn't have fun & I don't have fun. All he wants to do is jump on the other dogs and I end up frustrated. We do our bonding on our walks, which he gets...just me & him, at least once a week. He would take that any day over a class.

So, while I'm still gonna post lots about Lola...I'll make sure to include the original 2 in my updates!

We graduated from the AF class today! Lola did everything that was asked of her and has made amazing progress from her first class 5 weeks ago. She did her puppy push-ups like a champ (granted...we used a little luring), walked well on leash (believe it or not!), showed that she'd let me take anything away from her & has great food bowl manners (no doubt due to LOTS of practice at home).

And as you can see...she's no longer afraid to run w/ the other dogs!

As if I needed another reason not to want kids...the little brats in my neighborhood gave me one today. Scotty took Lola on a walk & I got to walk Sherman & Penny. As it was a gorgeous day and I knew CA ave would be crawling w/ people walking their dogs, I took them through the neighborhood. Shortly after leaving the house we walk toward two boys riding their bikes. They make no attempt to share the sidewalk & kept coming in our direction. I pulled S&P over to the side as there was no indication that they were going to go onto the street and they just rode past us. I stood there for a minute thinking "Wait a minute...I'm the one that pays the taxes for this stupid sidewalk & I'm the grownup here. They should have stopped & let ME pass".

So we kept going & I was still irked by the whole thing b/c I detest bratty, obnoxious kids. Then about 1/2 a block down the street I hear what sounds like an industrial fan followed by a SSSCCRREACHHHH behind me as the kids hit their brakes & ride up on the hill side right next to us. I jump about 10 feet in the air, Penny whips around...teeth bared, hackles up, fire in her eyes...and the little punk is standing there w/a smirk on his face that I had to restrain myself from knocking right off his stupid little face.

"Ya know...that's a great way to get yourself bit" Still smirking "And if you don't think that my dog is quicker than you, try it again & we'll see how fast it takes her to latch onto your leg" Smirk slowly turns into a frown.

Sheesh! So we continue on our walk & on the way back I have to pass by the same kid...still riding his bike down the sidewalk. So I just crossed the street. More for his safetly than mine b/c if he pulled that again, I would have to level him. Out comes Mom from the house...calling him to come in. Little brat starts giving her more backtalk than I did in my whole career as a kid. Mom continues to call him & he continues to backtalk her. I can still hear them when I'm a block away.

So I start thinking...maybe it's not the kids I hate...maybe it's the parents.

It was incredibly beautiful today & I took advantage of the nice weather by taking Lola for another walk. More of the same from yesterday...she was near perfect. She did start to pull a bit in the beginning, but after two or three times stopping, she got the point. Toward the end of the walk, she really started to lag behind. She'd just stand there & stare at me. I think the walk might have been a bit long for her (about 25 minutes). I picked her up and carried her about 25 steps, put her down & she was fine.

I like this block though b/c it exposes her to lots of different things. If the weather holds out tomorrow, I may drive her up to Bellevue & walk her through that section of CA Ave. She'll get all kinds of exposure there!!

We had a very good training session tonight. I started w/ Attention. She getting really good at this. Of course there are no distractions and I need to start adding in small ones. There's time for that. Then we started working on Down again. I lured it about 10 times & then just started using my finger to target the spot. She was confused at first, but I waited it out & she got it in a short time. Then the phone rang & it was my Mom. While talking on the phone I was careful to
keep my eye on her b/c she was still in the Zone. She offered quite a few Sits which I C/T and then I stopped rewarding Sit. I ignored while I talked on the phone & wouldn't ya know it...she slid into a Down & stared a hole in my head! Jackpot! The last treat I threw away from her so she'd have to get up. She walked back over to me & plopped into another Down! We continued this about 15 more times & then I ran out of food. I threw a toy at her & we played Fetch for a minute or two. She may graduate after all!

I took Lola on her first real walk tonight. My plan was to see how she did to the end of the street & then go further if she wasn't pulling. As I haven't really done any LLW training yet, I decided to put Penny's Easy Walk harness on her & see what would happen. She's gotten so big that if I tighten the harness as far as it will go, it fits her.

We had a blast. Lola was so fascinated w/ everything and took it all in stride. She got to meet the two Bearded Collies that live on our block & was as sweet as could be. When we hit California Avenue, she was exposed to all kinds of new things...kids on bikes, a bus, another dog across the street & a very loud power generator. She also met a nice little girl (and jumped on her more than I would like) and her mom. She didn't pull at all and alternated sticking by my side and getting brave & walking ahead of me a bit. I really like that when she's unsure about something, she turns to me rather than reacts. I reinforced that a lot. I didn't take any treats w/ me b/c I knew she wouldn't take them. Turns out I didn't need them.

We did it! I love this puppy! I was bound & determined to get Lola to get Down tonight. I've tried lots of things short of shoving her on the floor (which I obviously would never do). Luring didn't work, surprisingly...the old fashioned way (puppy in a sit, draw a line to the floor & out), under the knee, on the stairs, under a chair...nada. I tried caputuring a down (ummm...she's 15 weeks, she doesn't lay down much!), but nothing. Admittedly, I really didn't put a lot of time into this behavior, so I'm committing myself to getting a nice Down on cue from her by Saturday.

Took about 3 minutes and a hunk of cheese. Geez. And I thought this was gonna be hard. Looking back, I realized I tried to get this from her in class or while S&P were nearby....too much distraction. I got about 20 Downs & 25 puppy pushups. By the end I was able to fade the lure and use my finger as a target. We practiced Attention and then called it a night.

After a couple of weeks of quiet nights, the last few days have brought on a fun new late night event. Shrill, ear splitting barking at 2:00 in the morning. Started on Friday...Scott was sound asleep (thanks to the Penn Brewery) & slept through the whole thing. She barked for about 15 minutes. I waited it out & she eventually barked herself to sleep. Saturday night, she started at around 1:30. I was willing to ignore her again, but Scotty was not so patient. After about 90 seconds, he screamed "SHUT THE (insert 4 letter word) UP!!!!". Surprisingly, that didn't work (grin) so he went downstairs to sleep on the couch. I pulled her crate next to the bed and went back to week 1 of putting my hand at the front of the door. About 30 seconds of whining & I got the "I give up" sigh and heard her plop onto the dog bed. The snoring started about 60 seonds later. Sunday night I heard her whining & didn't wait for the barking to start. I pulled the crate next to the bed & she was silent the rest of the night. I think I'm getting smarter.

2nd class at WPHS. My mom & I went to lunch at Bravo & then she came with me. I love this class! Marsha is fantastic...and her assistant is really great too. The puppies had a chance to run around at the beginning of class and as you can see...Lola is no wallflower!

She's the white blur in the middle

The brown one is Lola's boyfriend...Chester. He was cheating on her in this shot.

Lola and her buddy Sadie. These two play together for the majority of the play time.

After about 10 minutes, we all got down on the floor and got the puppies into a Settle. I didn't get Lola to lay down, but she was Standing & Sitting w/o any barking or fussing the entire time. Next week we're going to be trimming nails so we also did some handling of feet. Lola's not a big fan of handling yet. We did some more work on Sit & Attention, reviewing what was learned last week. Lola has great attention at home and I need to gradually work on it w/ distractions. This is trying to move from point A to Z! Yet another thing to work on this week. Her Sit is great as she has to do it at least 50 times per day for anything she wants. Two things new for the week were Come & Wait. Marsha empahasised that she wants us to learn real life behaviors and will get to the fun stuff later.

For Come, we basically walked away from the puppies, called them to us and rewarded them. Lola had no problems with this. Wait was "wait at the door for me to go through first". Lola knows wait at the back door to go out, but this has not been transferred to any other doors. But she did fine. The hardest part was getting her to sit when she knew there was a fun puppy right behind her!!

The final thing we did was discuss luring. Marsha demonstrated the concept by having the puppies Spin. This was a piece of cake for us!

4th puppy class at AF. Lola has finally emerged from her shell & loves to play w/ the other puppies. We reviewed Leave it, Come & Drop it from last week and did some more work on Down. **Nope...I am not laying down no matter how much peanut butter is involved!!** ~sigh~ Looks like I need to get my butt back in the bathroom. We WILL be able to down by graduation!!