All the Girls

A quick update on Erin, Roxie 1 & Roxie 2: Erin had a vet appointment this weekend for her skin & her ears. No biggie, just some drops & creams & such. She's getting comfortable with me & starting to test her limits; which is good so I can get it out of the way & she can go back to being a good girl.

Roxie 1 is staying a bit longer with me. I'm starting to wonder if she's not much younger than the breeder let on. . . . . Anywho, she's coming along nicely & starting to respond much better off the leash. She's funny, when I tell her no when she's starts to run through the house at the speed of light she slides on her belly & lays out like a frog & waits until she thinks I'm not paying attention again. It was a very hard weekend for our family so she spent a lot of time socializing & playing. We'll spend the rest of this week tweaking (so to speak) & making adjustments & polishing her up :o)

Roxie 2 sends a Happy Birthday to her Momma!! Roxie had a fun weekend playing & laying in the yard. She's doing really great. I would like to work on place a bit more & work on her ignoring people food, but other than that she should be ready to go home as scheduled!

Thank you guys so much for being patient while we get through the unexpected death of one of our young horses. He will be greatly missed.

Ghost 2001 - 2008

Rock'n Roxie

Roxie 2 is doing so great. This morning she learned to come & sit nicely for praise as well as working on her other commands (heel w/auto sit, sit stays, down at the side & down stays) with more distractions. We worked on her ignoring food again. She had small slip up & she ran right to the table to sniff the food but was quickly reminded it's not her food. She didn't take a second look at it! She looooves being outside. She loves exploring with Cammi & Ruger. She sleeps in the sun & loves to run around.

This afternoon Roxie started on her "place" command. This will be a good command for Roxie to master so her mom & dad can put her on "Place" when they are eating dinner or feeding the baby or they have company over. I think they'll really love this command..... I know I do; it's my favorite! She was quite content on her place. She grabbed a bone & just hung out for about 20 minutes, then it was time for dinner. Time flies when you're having fun :o)

Erin - Day 3

Erin has had a fun day today. She is doing great with learning her commands. Today she learned to "down" at my left side, to hold a down around distractions, & sit from a down at my left side. We also worked on yesterdays commands, heel w/auto sit & sit stays. She sleeps really hard after a training session. Erin has been playing great with the gang & the other trainees. She's doing much better about being outside with the other dogs & not worrying about where I am. She is learning a lot from the other dogs! I hope to take another field trip to on her commands in a new environment.

Roxie 1 - "She Works Hard for the Money"

"She works hard for the money..." That's what I'm singing working with Little Roxie. She is definitely making me work for this one. She absolutely knows all the commands now & she absolutely like to push the envelope. She likes to have the last word, so to speak, when I tell her to do something. She'll do it but she's likes to do it on her time & in her way. Definitely not something I like to see. She's also started being very sneaky when she's on her place. She sniffs around like she's not doing anything & then BAM!! She takes off running through the house as fast as she can at the speed of light & runs back to her place as if to say "I'm on base. You can't get me." She's quite the stinker. She is still doing well with the potty training though. A few times she hasn't been ringing the bell but she whines near the back door. I remind her to ring the bell & then she goes out. She is socializing great with the other dogs. She took a field trip to my mom's house yesterday along with Boomer, Ruger & Chase. Roxie played great with my mom's dog as well as with my guys. She's really coming around. She isn't bothering things in the house that aren't hers.... which is great. We just have to work on her blasting through the house like a maniac. That won't be a good thing when she's much larger. Hopefully we can get her under wraps & responding better off the leash before this weekend otherwise I might need to keep her a bit longer to work out the kinks :o)

Erin - Day 1 of Training

Today was a good day for Erin. She is worn out. She went with me to the barn this morning & was beside herself with excitement about the horses. She couldn't quite understand why they didn't want to play with her. She had a great night with no whining or barking & I even slept in a little! She is playing great with the other dogs & hasn't attempted to mouth, bite or jump on anyone and she hasn't had any potty accidents.

Today she learned to heel at my left side & sit when we stop, hold her sit while I walk around her & throw toys & the other dogs run around. She did great. She is very very willing to please & very focused. She doesn't even pay attention to the distraction around her. She is such a good girl!

Roxie 2's - Food Thief

Roxie 2 & I had a great morning working. We worked on the commands she has already learned but doing them around harder distractions. She is still having a hard time paying attention when exciting things are going on around us. Roxie 2 also has a bad habit at home of stealing food, people food, that is not for her. Food that is left on the counters or table, she feels is fair game..... especially if it belongs to Dad. Today we also worked on teaching Roxie 2 to ignore people food and only accept food from her dog bowl. She did FANTASTIC! We had pizza & pasta last night & I sacrificed my left overs to see if she'd take a steal at them. Luckily for me.... I still have my pasta for later! She went straight for the food, got one good correction & then I offered it to her again & she turned her head & wanted nothing to do with it. Then I left the room & hid around the corner. She didn't even so much as look in that direction & I left the food in the box on the floor in the living room. It's only day one with teaching her to ignore people food but for a first day I'm thoroughly pleased with how quickly she understood! Great job Rox 2!!

Erin - New Trainee!!

Erin, a 4 1/2 month old Harlequin Great Dane puppy, has come to us for the Intermediate Obedience! She is beautiful! We spent the afternoon teaching her not to pull on the leash, no jumping or putting her feet up on people & introducing her to the gang! So far, so good. She's a sweet sensative girl that is very willing to please. Tomorrow is her big day to start training so she'll need to rest up!

Roxie 2 - Day 2 of Training

Roxie 2 did very well today. We polished up the heeling at the side w/the auto sit, sit (stay). We worked on her not biting at hands & no jumping up a bit more. She also learned to "down" at my left side & coming back into a sit from a down & down (stay) at the left side. She was very stubborn about wanting to go down (without a treat) but that's not all that uncommon. She's doing great about socializing with the other dogs & she's coming up to me without hesitation & maybe even a bit excitement! Great job Roxie 2 :o)

Roxie 1 Frustration

Well Roxie 1 has finally hit her stubborn "I don't want to do anything", "I'm too cute Miss Ashleigh" stage. It was only a matter of time.... it was just too easy. She's been quite full of herself & wanting to push every little thing last night & this morning while we're working. Along with being non compliant, she's quite the drama queen. Everything is so exciting or so terrible or so exciting. She's Mood Swing City. We'll get through this.... We're coming into the home stretch; we gotta get through this before she can go home :o)

Roxie's One Week Progress Report

Well, Roxie has been with me for one week. She has come a long way in one week. She has learned all her Basic Obedience commands as well as to kennel up on command, ring the potty bells, she no longer howls when she's left alone outside or in her crate. She is playing with the smaller dogs & starting to show interest in the larger ones. She's definitely knows the meaning of "no". She can stay on her place for over an hour without getting off of it. She'll stay on her place while I leave the room or go out of her sight. This coming week we're going to practice all the commands she's learned around heavier distractions & holding her commands (sit, down & place) for extended periods of time. I'll, of course, continue working on her socialization with the other dogs.

Boomer & Roxie enjoying the nice weather!

Roxie Mania

I have two Roxie's to train!! The new Roxie is mix breed little girl. She's here for the Basic Obedience, some socialization, & potty training. Over the weekend "Roxie 2", we'll call her, worked on getting used to the gang & myself. She has been a bit nervous of being around new people. Today, Monday, Roxie 2 learned her manners to not jump up, no pulling on the leash, to heel nicely on my left side & to sit when we stop. She's a smart girl. She's going to do great!

Roxie's Great Success!

Roxie has been working on her "place" command yesterday & today. She is doing EXCELLENT! She has worked up to staying on her mat for about 45 minutes (continuous). I've also placed shoes, magazines, socks, & such around her while she's on her place as distraction to entice her to move off. She's done very well in learning not to pick up things that are not toys. She's also stayed on her place while I go out of her sight for 20-30 seconds. Roxie went with me today to pick up Lucy, a 5 month old Boxer puppy that is just visiting for a week while her mom & dad are out of town. Miss Roxie has taken quite an interest in Lucy. She doesn't want to play with Lucy, which is unfortunate for Lucy, she just wants to sit next to her & sniff her. But hey, that's progress! They're quite the cute pair.
As well as working on her "place" command, Roxie has learned to hold her heel with automatic sits, sit (stays), down at the left side, go from a down to a sit at the left side, come & sit nicely for praise. Some of the informal commands she is learning include, "kennel", "no", "let's go", "wait", "load up" & of course "go potty". Speaking of. . . she has consistently been ringing the potty bell and she is going out immediately for #1 or #2. Roxie wins the award for learning & applying the use of the potty bell the fastest of any dog I have ever taught. YEA ROXIE!!

Since the weather was so great this afternoon we also had a long playtime outside. We threw the ball, laid in the sun & sniffed all the good smell..... well "we" didn't; they did. Roxie is still very nervous with all the other dogs running & playing around her. She's not quite ready to interact but she's not hiding behind me like she was before & she isn't whining nervously to just be around them. She just watches with great curiosity. We're taking it one day at a time but she's coming along very nicely!!

Roxie Day - 3

Roxie is coming along slowly but nicely on her socialization. We're taking it one step at a time & getting her confident around the other dogs & to be by herself.

She's getting there. She is absolutely excelling at her obedience. She picks up within just a few minutes! We'll see how she does when we start introducing tricky distractions & noises. On another good note, she rang the potty bells today all by herself while I was on checking e-mails. She went outside & went potty right away! I'm tell'n ya. She's one smart cookie :o) She's going to learn her "place" command today. It's a bit earlier than I usually like to teach this command but she needs practice staying in one place away from me & understanding it's not a bad thing. She has a bit of separation anxiety that we're working on. She is becoming much more responsive to the "no" command. She does have a strong willed personality. She loves those kitties!

Roxie's First Full Day

Roxie had a full day yesterday (Monday, Sept. 15). She went to the horses with me. She wasn't scared of them but very curious. She met a few new dogs yesterday which again she was a bit nervous around but she's warmed up to the gang & is starting to interact with them! As far as the obedience goes, she learned to heel nicely on my left side, sit & hold the sit until released while around the distractions of the other dogs & cats. She did well. We haven't had any potty accidents in the house so far :o) I've got her on a pretty strict schedule so I'm hoping that helps her learn. Today, Tuesday, we're going to work on more of her obedience & probably go for a walk. The rain has held us back a bit but we'll work around it. Stay tuned for more pics!

New Roxie Pup for training!

This is Roxie, an almost 4 month old Rottweiler puppy. She has come here to learn the intermediate level of obedience along with some potty training, & socialization with other dogs. Her mom & dad brought her from McDonough....what a trek. She will be with us for roughly two weeks (unless she needs a bit more :o) So far we've just done a bit of socialization with her around the gang. I think she's had some encounters with other dogs on a leash but maybe not one on one playing action because she was very over whelmed & a bit freaked out of the other dogs at first. She didn't have a positive reaction to seeing them so we'll need to work on that. We want her to be friendly with other dogs.

Today Roxie will be joining me on a trip to the horses & a walk at the park. We're also going to work on her manners when she greets stranger, which she already does very well. We're also going to work on her timidness around the other dogs & continue working on helping her to understand the potty bell! Check back in later for progress on Roxie's first day!

Coco's Last Day

Well I'm sad to say today is Coco's last full day with me. His family will be happy to have him home tomorrow though. He's done very well. He still needs to continue his socialization with people & scary noises but he's well on his way! He's doing great not pottying in the house - we've had zer0 accidents in the house & he's successfully been ringing the bell everytime we go out all by himself for the last 3 days!!

Bye Bye Henry

Henry had his go home lesson, which he & his momma did wonderfully! I was very pleased with Henry's turnout. I think he & his momma, Katie, will be great together. Thanks, Katie for allowing me to work with you & Henry! I'll miss him.

Coco is pooped

Coco had a long morning today (as you can see from him passed out on the couch.) He ran errands with me this morning. He met the ladies at the bank & then we had lunch with Tom. He's doing great in public now. He heels nicely while we walk in place & he's less hesitant with strangers now. He's just going to need the constant socialization & going to need to continue meeting new people to keep up his confidence. He's ringing the potty bells about 80% of the time. If I see him sitting at the door I'll encourage him to ring them before I let him out & he definitely knows how to let himself back in :o) I'm happy with his progress & I think he'll be great with a good routine & plenty of socialization!

Coco & the potty bells

Coco, the Man

Coco had a busy day today. He & Henry joined me at the horses this morning & then we made a field trip to the feed store. He was a little nervous about saying hello to the men but he loved the lady who owns the store..... she cheated though...... treats :o) After we got home we worked on his on leash obedience commands. He's become quite obstinate the past few days about minding. Not abnormal..... just one of those things. He has yet to ring the potty bells but he's been very consistent about not pottying in the house either. He's made friends with Boomer since all Boomer can do is lay around & rest. I guess that's Coco's favorite activity as well :o) Tomorrow's another big day visiting the clinic for Boomer's recheck so Coco gets to visit all the Dr.'s & technicians & clients again. The socialization has been great for him!

Henry's Off Leash Continues

Henry had a big, great morning of off leash work at the horses. He did just lovely! He's responding very well to his off leash commands & isn't requiring a whole lot of correction. He stays close & comes back every time you call him. Now if we could just get him to be that smooth about ringing the potty bells.....
He played smoochy face with the horses, some more. The horses have seen a lot of dogs but for some reason they take an extreme liking to him. Maybe it's his Fraggle Rock appearance & cute eyes :o) Either way, they are very taken by him. We went to the feed store for more shavings & Henry said hello to everyone nicely. A little girl, maybe 2yrs, came screaming waving her arms up to him & he was very excited but sat nicely and let the little girl smack his face and try to eat his nose. He was a perfect gentlemen. Since he did so wonderful this morning, I'm going to let him be lazy & hang out the rest of today. Maybe we'll hear the sound of sweet, sweet potty bells ;o)

Henry enjoyed his Nyla bone

Boomer is Home!

I just wanted to update everyone that said prayers for my little Boomer that he is home & seems to be recovering nicely. I think it brightened his spirits to just be home & not stuck at the clinic all those days. He's under strict meds, feeding & activity restrictions but I think he's going to pull through. Thank you to everyone for your support!

Hopefully everyone had a wonderful extended weekend. Back to work tomorrow!