Puppy Sitting Benji

This past week I have been puppy sitting a 6 month old black lab/golden retriever cross named Benji. He was such a wonderful puppy to have around during my spring break. He was so mellow and, frankly, a little lazy. Sometimes, he wouldn't even get up to get pets and love.

It was a little weird for me. I have never had what anyone would call an "easy" or "mellow" puppy. Even during a puppy sit. This was my very first experience. Needless to say, I was a little bored with him for the first few days. He was interested in the leaves blowing in the wind and birds and other dogs, but I just had to say "leave it" (not even firmly sometimes) or put very, very slight pressure on his collar and he was back on focus. It was...just weird. But after a few days he became a little more comfortable around the house and at the office and his personality came through a little more. He was still an easy, lazy, mellow boy, but he definitely had a silly side as well. Really, he was a nice puppy to have around. But I don't think I could have such an easy puppy full time. Well, maybe I could. I would probably get attached to the puppy the longer they stayed around. And if the puppy was a absolutely adorable as Benji, I'm sure I could get over it.

Saying that, he did have one issue; filth eating. He didn't exhibit this behaviour in the first few days, but around Wednesday he started eating other dogs'...waste...when we went on our free runs. I tried a few things and he got a little better, but it really was the only time he didn't listen at all. And he didn't do it on lead either. At least there was a little bit of a challenge. I made sure that his raisers were aware of it and they were. They said it started recently and that it only happened occasionally and that they were working on it. He really is such a good boy though that I imagine he'll get it eventually. 

He left yesterday. And, while I do like having a puppy around, it was nice to sleep in for as long as I wanted this morning. Especially since it was snowing outside when I did wake up. Totally ready for spring to get here. 

Benji in the living room sitting like a good boy

Benji running with a toy in his mouth. All four paws are off the ground in this one.

Benji in front of the topiary at the park. Tradition to take a picture of the puppy here.

Benji playing. His bouncing with the toy in his mouth. 

Benji running towards me at the park.

Benji sitting in the grass on the one pleasant day we had.

Benji at work on his blanket under my desk. 

Handsome boy Benji posing in front of the blue, clear skies. 

Benji on the River Don path yesterday morning before leaving.

Benji up on a hill. Benji like to climb and bound up the hills.

No new news on Frankie as of yet. he's been gone for a little over a month so I'm hoping to hear a little something more in the next couple of weeks. Also no news on when they will be getting their new puppy and in return I will have a steady puppy sitting gig.

Holiday Update

It's been a long time since I last updated. I've been so busy with class work and even now I should be studying for my upcoming exams (yes we have them after the winter holiday). I just haven't been able to bring myself to start though. Maybe it's because I'm still recovering from having to wake up super early everyday for just one class. Or it might be that little black lab sleeping in the corner. Either or really! 

First off I'll start you off with an update from my puppy group back home. Both TITUS and HANK went off for formal training two weeks ago. They are both still in phase 0 which means that they still have to finish up their preliminary health exams. I'm guessing that Christmas may have slowed down all the specialized vets that come in to check their whole body over. My guess though is that they are both free from any dysplasias and the GDB vets check that out themselves.

Titus (black lab) in his kennel run at GDB when he raiser dropped him off.

Hank (black lab) in his kennel run at GDB when his raiser dropped him off.

Also, ELI his phase 8 this week! Good boy! Now he's just waiting for that perfect someone to come along.

Eli (black lab) in his kennel run the day that Hank and Titus were dropped off.

DARRELL was transferred back in October. I know he stayed in California but I just don't remember where. Hope he's doing well in his new raiser home.

We welcomed a female yellow lab named TINA to the group about two weeks ago. She went to a first time raiser. Her parents are Peidmont/Cognac, so if you have littermates we'd love to hear from you! Also, on the 22nd Nita welcomed her second puppy. Another male black lab named CAMINO. His parents are Bosworth/Lucille and we'd also like to hear about his littermates if you know of any. Manda will be getting her 2nd puppy in four days. A female black lab, litter letter "S" born to Sid/Maeve.

Tina (yellow lab) at her first puppy meeting.

Camino (black lab) wearing his itty, bitty puppy vest.

Now on to an update from here. Do you guys remember Vale (pronounced like valley)? Well we found out a few weeks ago that he qualified as a Guide Dog! Hooray! Now, they don't have graduations here. The person who your pup is paired with is given your contact information and if they want to contact you they can. Otherwise, you just have to be content in the fact that your pup is making a difference to someone out there. You do find out where your puppy is guiding though. I think Vale is somewhere in England but I can't really remember.

Frankie is getting bigger every time I see him. I had him for a weekend before the holiday and he came over on Boxing Day to get his present. A new nylabone that he really, really loved. He'll be a year old next month which means turn in day is just around the corner. He's pretty much ready which I can tell by the fact that I don't have anything to talk about in regards to improvement. He really is such a nice dog and is solid as a rock, but also a sweet, sensitive guy. I can't wait to see him again! Probably not until after exams though.

Frankie (yellow lab/golden cross) lying with our little holiday shrubbery.

Finally, I've been puppy sitting a little black named named Major. He's super mellow, super cute, and super sweet. Best part is, he lets me sleep. I mean, as soon I took Freya, Rocco, or Hilly out in the morning it was time to eat and play. Major likes to take a long after breakfast nap in the mornings which means I usually go back to sleep. When he isn't sleeping though, he's a pretty bad garbage mouth. He'll be going back to his raiser today or tomorrow (I honestly can't remember) but I think we'll work on not picking up dropped food, slippers, and my stuffed animals today.

Major (black lab) amoungst his toys.

Major (black lab) sitting patiently in the kitchen for food.

Major (black lab) sitting on his mat in the living room.

Oh, I said finally but I have one last picture to share. Freya got to go on a cruise to Hawaii this December as a GDB alumni cruise. Do you think she enjoyed it?

Freya lying on a deck chair on her back on the cruise ship.

 

Also, while I have no recent picture of her, Hilly is doing really well. We skyped over the holiday and she's loving having all the people coming in and out of the house. She still goes to the church with Marion once or twice a week and is a real help there. She become such a lovely dog and I can't wait to see her again.

2 Hours with Rachel

About a week ago I had the opportunity to watch a little 8 week old puppy for a couple of hours. The raiser needed a sitter for the whole weekend, but I wasn't available Saturday or Sunday so I said that I could watch her for an afternoon if she couldn't find anyone to do the whole weekend. It turns out that she had two separate things to do so it worked out well for me to take her last Friday for a couple of hours.

Again, the only thing I knew before the puppy came to my house was that she was a female 8 week old puppy. What I got was an adorable golden retriever named RACHEL. She was super tiny and super cuddly.  I kinda wished that she could stay the whole weekend, but I had a fun weekend with friends.

Rachel walking toward the camera

Rachel standing in an alert stance when she heard barking on the TV

Rachel chewing on the bunny

Rachel turning away form the camera with her eyes closed

Rachel is a dark golden retriever who is not as fluffy as others, but still a fuzzball

A closeup of Rachels face with the bunny in her mouth

Wilma's Visit: Part 2

First, some pretty pictures of gorgeous Wil sitting in our front room.

Wilma looking like she is rolling her eyes.

Wilma starring straight at the camera.

Wilma looking up at the camera.

Wilma with her head cocked to the side.

Now, after those pictures here are a few during our free run. On the last afternoon she was with me, I decided that I was going to try Wilma on a free run. If I haven't mentioned it before, we are allowed to take the pups on "free runs" which basically means off leash play time. There are, of course, some rules to follow when doing this. I really enjoy taking the pups on free runs especially when I know that they are able to handle it. I was a little nervous about taking Wil because I wasn't too sure how great her recall would be when she was distracted. I knew she would come when called when not distracted so I decided that I could probably, eventually, get her back. Turns out, I didn't need to worry.

I brought the no stuffing bunny for her to fetch and run around with. As soon as I told her to "run free" she took off with it in her mouth and made a huge circle before returning to me so that I could throw it for her. She totally loved it.

Now here comes the really funny part. I try and do free runs when there are not many dogs in the park. It usually means that the puppy won't be too distracted and increases the chance of them coming when called. When we got there, there was only one dog who was so engrossed in his ball that he didn't even notice us walk in. So, I took Wilma quite a ways away from him before telling her to play. She didn't even noticed him either at first. I'm fairly sure that he noticed Wil first and started walking towards us. Any other dog would have seen him noticing them and ran straight for them. What did Wilma do? She noticed him, looked, and sat down with the bunny in her mouth. Haha! She sat there until he got within five feet of us and just couldn't take it any longer. She ran straight towards them and they started playing and playing and playing. After they were done playing quite a few other dogs started pouring in so I decided it was time to leave.

She was just fine with that, though our walk home was considerably slower since she had tuckered herself out. Of course, I didn't leave without taking some pictures. She's such a photogenic puppy.

Wilma in a "sit/stay" looking at the camera

A picture of what Wilma did when she noticed the other dog walking towards us. She is sitting with her ears perked and a forgotten stuffed bunny in her mouth. Notice, she doesn't have the leash on and I did not tell her to sit, she just did it.

Wilma after playing with her new friend

Wilma with her giant tongue hanging out because of how tired she was

Wilma with her tongue hanging out of the side of her mouth

Wilma with her tongue hanging out of the side of her mouth and her ears perked

I was totally sad to see her go later that afternoon. I also don't think it helped that Lisa left for home that morning which meant that I was left in an empty flat. But mostly I think it was because I really liked her and wished she could have stayed longer. I guess it also meant that I would never see her again because she'll be going back in for training next month when I'll be home.

I think, as long as she passes her medicals, she could definitely make it. She does have a softer, golden side. But she settled after a second or two after every loud noise that startled her or just needed a little encouragement at points. But as long as you said "good girl" or "Wilma forward!" in a happy voice, she would realize that there was nothing to be worried about. *smiles* I wish her well and a part of me wishes that she needs to be sitted again before I leave. Haha!

Wilma's Visit: Part 1

I got a call a little over a week ago from a raiser asking if I could watch her puppy from Monday evening to Saturday afternoon. All I knew before she was dropped off was that she was a thirteen month old yellow lab who was very sweet and very good. I was so excited especially since I am finished with exams and second year. That meant that I could do anything with her without having to worry about classes.

When she was dropped off she started to explore the house right away and paid little attention to her "mom" standing in the door. Since she was happy as a clam her raiser decided to slip away without her seeing. Before she left she did say that the puppy's name was Wilma. Immediately I started calling her Wil because every time I said Wilma I thought of the Flinstones.

Turns out that she was very sweet and very good! And very, very silly. It didn't take her two hours for me to fall in love with her. She loved her crate, she let me sleep until I work her up, and she had a wonderful pace and listened really well to all of the commands. She loved her crate so much that she would wonder in there in there to take her afternoon nap...but not before trying to make it more comfortable.

Wilma sitting in the crate with the bed under her chin and covering her

Wilma trying to get comfortable with the crate mattress

And the best part was, her raiser wasn't lying. Wil was very, very good! First, she had wonderful house manners. She would grab onto a nylabone and lie on her bed and just go to town on it. Sometimes she would grab the rope and get me or Lisa to play tug with her. Poor thing was so persistent even though we have wood floors. Or she would bring us one of the stuffies and have us play fetch in the house. And when she was feeling particularly needy she would sit on our feet and wait until we scratched her ears. But she wouldn't bother us too much and when we needed to stop she would just sit at our feet.

Wilma on her first day with me looking at the camera

Wilma lying near the bed

Second, she had wonderful leash manners. She didn't pull too hard and listened when I said steady, forward, leave it, hopp up, and left and right. Now she did have a little trouble with her "right" but mostly she was great. When we went to puppy class on Tuesday morning she was wonderful. She was a little excited when we first arrived, but she settled down eventually and listened really well. She even got super excited when she returned to me after we did a puppy swap. That made me feel special.

Wilma sitting near my feet while watching TV

Wilma

Wilma showing off her golden nose

Now, I knew that she was a yellow lab but some of her mannerisms just screamed golden retriever. She always had to be touching someone and she had this great smile she would give me this silly smile that reminded so much of Colorado (I mean it was scary how much that she looked like him when she looked up with me and smiled). She also used her paws when she played and talked with her bones. And she had lab fur in a stripe down her back and golden fur on the sides. Haha! When she was picked up I asked and she is half golden and half lab.

Tomorrow I'll put up pictures from our free run.

Vale's Visit cont.

As promised, here are some pictures of Vale from his visit. Vale is a yellow lab and is fairly small for a male. He is a lighter yellow with a white chest. He has a nice, square head. Oh, his name is pronounced like the word "valley". It's short for "Valentino". He's a sponsored puppy (by his raisers) and they wanted to name him "Valentino" but Guide Dogs wouldn't allow this because it at the word "no" at the end. So, they shortened it to Vale.

Vale standing in the park with his serious face. This is before I told him to "go free".

Vale with his goofy grin.

Vale doing a sit and wait. We saw a real Guide Dog doing some some run yesterday afternoon so I was testing his obedience by calling him to me and having him wait until I told him it was ok to run again.

Vale sleeping on the big bed. He was really tired after our run yesterday.

Vale was such a good boy and, in the end, he did come to like the flat and wandered into different rooms on a whim. Last night he mostly slept in the living room as we watched TV with a couple of friends. However, I did wake up at three in the morning feeling uncomfortably warm and constricted. Why? Because Vale had decided that I needed a cuddle. Now, before I went to sleep he had tried to get on the bed, but I kicked him off right away and, while looking rejected, did go and sleep in his bed. I guess at some point during the night he realised I was asleep and took full advantage of it. I'm definitely going to miss him when I go to next month's puppy class and he's not there. I wish him all the luck in training.

Also promised, here are some pictures of Frankie from today's puppy class. Frankie is also a yellow lab. He's really little at 8 weeks old but was so good today. He sat when he was suppose to and slept in my lap when it was our turn to sit out. He was just a gem and I hope to spend a lot more time with him. Yep, this cute face is what I got to spend all morning with. Jealous?

Frankie standing in the all purpose room. He's really little.

Frankie running toward the camera. Too bad it's in shadow or it would have been a really nice picture.

Me holding Frankie. He's such a sweetheart.

A super close up of Frankie.