Ving a Ding

AKA da Ving Nut (spoken with Austrian accent), and Ding Ding.

L'il M pretending to be a dog with Ving

It's hard to believe that Ving has only been with our family for 1 month.  He is such an integrated member!  Ving is 8-months-old today, and has shown sooo much improvement over the past month that it makes me adore him all the more, and shows the potential that I really think he has to turn that corner into a really good dog.  I cannot imagine our house without him anymore.

Dillon and Ving try to get a little of the dog bed that Queen Esme is hogging!

Taking a look at the list of things to work on with Ving that I created last month, improvement can be easily measured:

1. Recall- currently it is horrible off-leash.   Improved, still a long ways to go before I'd have any confidence.
2. End the reflexive keep-away game. This has much improved due to almost continual wearing of a drag line, and much positive reinforcement of good choices he makes.  
3. Settle in the house without a tie-down.
4. Don't pick up things that aren't dog toys in house. Related to #2- much improved!
5. Respond to his name.  I have a horrid cold right now, so maybe this is temporary, as my voice sounds so different from how he usually hears his name. Pretty darn good now, except under exciting distractions.
6. Take food more gently.  To add to the fact that he gets excited about kibble, he has a canine with the tip broken off which makes his tooth really sharp! Rarely is this a problem anymore, but we won't cross it off just yet.
7. Quiet behavior when he wants to do something else.  He has gotten better in the crate during the day, and is great all-night, but early mornings while I am relieving him and Esme are tough (when it's not his turn!) Very good, in general, but near dinner time or if he knows I'm doing something fun, then he sounds like a shrieking monkey.
8. Four feet on the floor.  He's a kangaroo hopper if you hold his collar when he's excited to get somewhere.

Ving has just recently (like in the past 2 days) been freed of his constant drag line.  He no longer plays a circular game of keep away indoors when he gets something he shouldn't have (my floor plan aids Ving in this game!).  I can trust him not to steal attended food on the coffee table.  As long as Ving gets a good outing or an hour of good exercise, he settles in the house as well as any 8-month puppy I've known.  He has even shown that he will take a quiet day (no outing, minimal exercise), and still be chill in the house.  The next day better have some exercise though or he becomes Naughty Ving.

Ving in the snow

Outings with Ving are fun.  He is aware of everything, and requires me to constantly be paying attention and marking/rewarding his decision to stick with me in the face of people, interesting objects, and most difficult, other dogs.  Yesterday's trip to Home Depot was like taking L'il M to a toy store.  Forklifts, Christmas decorations, people, bins with small metal parts that made fun clinking noise all delighted Ving.  Unusual to our local Home Depot, no other dogs were there.  Maybe the frigid 14 degree weather kept them home, but not an adventurer like Ving!

Happy Birthday, Esme!

Esme is 1!

Today that cute, little, black labby turned one!  Playing with Ving in the sunny, snowy yard, a long walk, nap by the fire, and extra doses of love made today the kind of day that Esme loves.

They ran around the swing set and each came running back with a branch broken by the storm

12 Things Esme:

1. She's easy-going and low-energy.
2. Sweet & cuddly are her middle names.
3. Esme is the perfect size- not too big, not too small.
4. She has been an old soul since she was little.
5. Esme is a 2-yr-old's best friend.
6. No outing/environment is too much for her.
7. Zero fear issues, ever.
8. Esme sits so far back on her rump sometimes, that she falls over backwards.
9. She has a love/hate relationship with the car.  She loves to go, but dislikes the ride itself.
10. Esme is a power chewer- she loves her sterilized bones!
11. Her namesake is indeed the Twilight series, but ironically, GDB had an intern named Esme.
12. Only 2-3 months until recall.

The Birthday Outtakes:

This is my happy face.

Can I please go chew my bone now?

Esme  & Ving at the end of a fun-filled day!

Weekend in Aspen

Esme got the chance to prove that she has overcome carsickness this weekend.  Road trip to Aspen, Colorado for a AA youth hockey tournament for my son.  The 6-hour drive was absolutely gorgeous!  Amazing mountain formations that led to beautiful yellow trees that just popped against the brown background.

Views from Hwy 70

The weekend was a busy one for Esme.  Shuttle bus rides, settling under many tables during dinners, screaming parents during very competitive games, lots of dogs (Aspen is very dog-friendly), sitting by the jacuzzi, sleeping on tie-down/loose in hotel room, fun little walks around the hockey rinks while waiting for the games to start.  Esme was a pro.  She is ready to be an easy-going guide dog.

Sitting by the hotel jacuzzi

Esme "chilling" during the game

Esme watching warm-ups

Esme & L'il M walking over a very tall bridge

Esme, not afraid of heights!

Look at Esme's cute pawprints!

The weekend ended on a Rocky Mountain high note with my son's hockey team winning the tournament!

We took advantage of a beautiful fall day yesterday to hike Esme up to my favorite overlook for some pictures (since it will be very snowy when she is recalled!).

What a pretty girl!

Such a nice head for a girl!

Rudy, Esme, and Dillon

Not naptime, Esme...

The Dogs with L'il M who shows promise as a trail runner!

I love how this location gives such different mountain valley views by moving just a few feet in a different direction.

Esme, 1 week later...

Baby Esme knows how to relax!

It is really hard to believe that Esme has been here a week now; that she is 10-weeks-old now.  Esme is a really nice puppy, but...  we have some issues that are not a welcome sight to the household, even though they are quite normal.

First, after 2 fantastic days sleeping all night, and very few relieving issues, the diarrhea began.  I am hoping it is just the transition to a new home (new water, new bacteria, etc).  No matter what I do, she is the queen of poop at night.  Weirdest thing, it begins at 5pm and then continues into the wee hours of the morning.  She cannot help it.  I have witnessed her dead asleep and then she awakens, whimpers just a second and then the squirty poo is on the floor or in the crate.  This seems to continue hourly (and yes, most of the time I get her outside before the deed).  We are back to a bland diet, but this time will reintroduce food much more slowly.

The second issue was a foreseen one, and is already resolving, but involves L'il M and Esme.  As is very common, little puppies see toddlers/little kids as other puppies.  Poor L'il M has her share of puppy bites on her arms and legs!  Esme does not do this to the "older" people in the house!  To her credit, L'il M never holds it against Esme (even though she SCREAMS when she gets bitten), but always comes right back with a toy so that Esme has something appropriate to bite.  I guess she has seen that replacement of inappropriate biting/chewing with dog toys.  This issue was actually a concern of mine in having a Lab versus a Golden puppy this time.  The Goldens really do have a much softer mouth and less of a need to chew.  But, Esme is getting better about taking advantage of L'il M already.  Now all it takes is a verbal reminder for her to take her play down a notch.

The name Esme has proven harder for me to recall than I thought!  About 40% of the time I call her Emse <M.C.>.  Good grief!

Esme is so cute.  She seems to be a quick learner, and resilient.  We love her puppy breath that does not wash away with the baths this week.  :)  I know the "issues" will resolve in the next few weeks.  I look forward to the guide dog puppy that she will become!

Agility trial with Rudy tomorrow!

New Year, New Goals

One of our below zero mornings this week!

Happy 2013!  Things have been crazy busy around our house with the holidays.  Christmas with an almost 2-yr-old is so fun!  The week that the kids had off school was exhausting between the chaos of a houseful and the constant taxiing (is that a word?) of kids to friends and the ski resort.  I am so glad that my kids are able to experience skiing as kids...  it is something I never did until college, and while my husband and I spent the first 6-months of marriage as relatively unemployed ski bums, I never fell in love with downhill skiing.  As a result, our family has never been a ski family.  But when you live in the mountains of Utah, you gotta learn!  Part of the culture here that we can embrace.  :)

I decided this year that I would only resolve to a few new habits at a time, since my previous attempts at new resolutions failed miserably by mid-January.  My goals for January are:

• remember to write 2013 on the checks when I pay them this month- well, there is always 2014!
• use my elliptical machine or run on all school days- this entails getting up at 5:30 AM
• clean off my kitchen table daily
• register for the local 15K (9.3 miles) race on Memorial Day weekend (still looking for the half-marathon that I'll do this year)- this is my accoutability and motivation for the exercise :)
• finish Rudy's agility career (do GSD ever do agility past age 8?)

That's it!  So far, I love getting up at 5:30.  I feel so energized and I LOVE having some time to myself and to get ahead of the day before the constant supervision of Toddler M starts.  I did have to move my bedtime up a 1/2 hour to get enough sleep, which my teenage daughter finds to be ridiculously early.  I like my kitchen so much better with the table clean!  This may inspire next month's new routine...  (more on that later).

It looks like we will be getting our next Guide Dog puppy in the next week or two.  Still a female Black Lab;  no other info yet.  I have to admit that I have really enjoyed having only 3 dogs.  The house does not feel like it has gone to the dogs (although we did have to remove one of the dog beds from the main room to accomodate a play kitchen that L'il M got for Christmas).  The dogs seem to enjoy having the extra attention and getting non-GDB approved play in the house (and treats from Grandpa who was here earlier this week).  But, just when I question whether I should take a bit of a break from raising, I read or hear something that confirms the need and value of puppy raisers, like this post from Becky.  So, we will contiue to open our hearts and homes to the little bundles of energy (and much joy!). 

Pilgrim

The last week with Pilgrim flew by!  I did not get to do any fun outings with him, but we did enjoy a few long and blustery walks.  On Saturday afternoon, my puppy raising group met for some photos with Santa.  I forgot to get one of the group, but here is the one of Pilgrim.

Pilgrim was the first of the group to go.  Santa was so pleased to have him come visit, and after greeting him, I asked if he'd like Pilgrim to sit on his stool by his feet, or next to him.  He said that he wanted to hold him!  After an extremely awkward upside-down hold, we turned Pilgrim over for the picture.  Pilgrim was right at home there!  Santa even asked for a copy to be made for him.  It was a fun outing with a great photo memory.

Right after the outing, we met the raiser that was driving Pilgrim, Placer, and George back to campus for formal training.  I cried before he left, and after I got home, but managed to keep things upbeat as I loaded him into the van on top of plush dog beds.  Pilgrim seemed satisfied by the accomodations, and was so pre-occupied by the bed smells that he did not even give me a good bye kiss. 

Due to some issues with the puppies at Guide Dogs for the Blind, we are not able to get a puppy until January...  it is very disappointing, but probably better in the long run as our big Lab sittee is coming for 3 week over Christmas/ New Years.

Good luck in your next venture, Pilgrim.  You are missed, but we are so excited for your future.

Guide Dog Puppy Update

There is a new member in our home- a big, black Lab named Keiko.  He is a 16-month-old guide dog puppy who needed just a little more time before his October recall.  Since our home is lonely quiet without a guide dog puppy, of course we could not deny him those extra 6-weeks.  Keiko has been fantastic.  He is so sweet, and absolutely incredible on leash, and outings.  He is overweight and grossly out of shape, so we will make sure those things improve before the rigors of being a guide dog.  Keiko has fit in so well and seamlessly into our household that I am more seriously contemplating another transfer before we raise a 10-week-old puppy with needle teeth on the same level as Baby M, who is just getting mobile.


Janetta has moved on to phase 2 of training where she has many difficult challenges including leading a blindfolded instructor through an obstacle course, learning up-curbs, and passing heavy distractions.  It has been such a relief to see her move along now that she has recovered from her entropian surgery.  We miss you, Janetta, but can't wait for you to do what you were born to do!