So, when my landlord gave me my answer he was over in person to look at some mold that was appearing in my flatmate's room. I was also in the middle of washing the dishes in between studying for two exams this week. So, I guess I was in sort of numb shock. I was so hoping he would say yes. And foolishly I had visions of my birthday gift to me being an email to my supervisor putting in for a puppy as soon as he could get me one. Guess I will settle for some material possession.
Even though I have two more exams in this next week, today was my second one for this week and I finally had time to really think about it. And, I'm confused and sad. Obviously I am sad because I will have no puppy. But also because German Shepherd. *sad face* Now I'm just hoping that GDB back home starts using them again. Haha! We'll see. What confuses me the most is his answer to why he didn't want me to raise. He said, "We just don't think a dog belongs in student residence."
Now, that's fair enough. Really and truly I understand that. You don't know if someone will move in in a few years time that is allergic to dogs or they could ruin the carpet and the students can do that already. But, it makes no sense to use that argument when he's allowing me to board. I've had a puppy here every month. Usually it is just Frankie, but with the prospect of different puppies with different relieving habit coming in and out of the house I just don't see the logical grounds for the argument.
I mean, he came to fix the boiler when I was out and I had left Major home because he would relieve and you always avoid situations where there will definitely be an accident and he didn't even realise that I was on a puppy sit because we keep the house so clean.
I'm not going to bring this up to him because that would be like looking a gift horse in the mouth and I might just get it taken away from me. And obviously, it's his decision as it's his house so I'm not going to push it or anything. So, I'm not complaining. I'm just very confused.
The Complete Adventures of Raiser Erin and a couple of naughty puppies.
Showing posts with label Puppy Boarder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Puppy Boarder. Show all posts
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Friday, June 15, 2012
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.
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| Rachel walking toward the camera |
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| Rachel standing in an alert stance when she heard barking on the TV |
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| Rachel chewing on the bunny |
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| Rachel turning away form the camera with her eyes closed |
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| Rachel is a dark golden retriever who is not as fluffy as others, but still a fuzzball |
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| A closeup of Rachels face with the bunny in her mouth |
Monday, June 4, 2012
Wilma's Visit: Part 2
First, some pretty pictures of gorgeous Wil sitting in our front room.
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.
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!
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| Wilma looking like she is rolling her eyes. |
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| Wilma starring straight at the camera. |
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| Wilma looking up at the camera. |
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| Wilma with her head cocked to the side. |
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.
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| Wilma in a "sit/stay" looking at the camera |
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| 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. |
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| Wilma after playing with her new friend |
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| Wilma with her giant tongue hanging out because of how tired she was |
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| Wilma with her tongue hanging out of the side of her mouth |
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| Wilma with her tongue hanging out of the side of her mouth and her ears perked |
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!
Sunday, June 3, 2012
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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| Wilma sitting in the crate with the bed under her chin and covering her |
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| Wilma trying to get comfortable with the crate mattress |
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| Wilma on her first day with me looking at the camera |
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| 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.
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| Wilma sitting near my feet while watching TV |
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| Wilma |
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| 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.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Some Good News
Well, we got the house. That in itself is some good news since we all now have somewhere to live next year. The house is small, but it's a nice kind of small. It has three large bedrooms and one medium sized bedroom and a bathroom with no bath tub. The no tub thing is actually the only part of the house I'm not fond of. I really like taking my books and taking a long, bubble bath. Oh well. The house is also right next door to some of friends and a short two to five minute walk from campus depending on where you need to be on campus.
I like the house and I'm super glad that the lease is being drawn up as I type. Hopefully, this will be my home for the next two years.
Now for the really good news. I asked the landlord about puppy raising again. And, before anyone gets too excited, no I didn't ask whether I could raise a puppy full time. I asked if I could keep my status as Boarder. He said that he would be fine with me watching a dog from time to time! Which means that I won't have to be completely puppyless for the next two years!
Not only is this good news because I will be able to get a puppy fix from time to time, but because it means that he might be open to the possibility of me having a full time puppy in the future. I might bring it up with him before the Winter Holiday. I think that if we prove to be clean tenants he might open up to the idea.
I have a theory that him finally meeting us helped him see the kind of tenants we would be. We were discussing the state of the house at the moment (let's just say that it had been cleaned and was still what I would call a complete mess) and I said, "If they would just vacuum it would look so much better. I mean, it's not hard to take twenty minutes out of your day every two or three days to pick up all the fur." I think the landlord picked up on my exasperated tone. In all honesty, I wasn't even trying to make a good impression or try and persuade him to allow a puppy. It's who I am. I let things get a little the few days before a deadline, but that's about it. I just like things clean...
Anyway, that's my good news for the day.
Oh! And I can start planning my summer travels! Who knows where they'll take me? *grin*
I like the house and I'm super glad that the lease is being drawn up as I type. Hopefully, this will be my home for the next two years.
Now for the really good news. I asked the landlord about puppy raising again. And, before anyone gets too excited, no I didn't ask whether I could raise a puppy full time. I asked if I could keep my status as Boarder. He said that he would be fine with me watching a dog from time to time! Which means that I won't have to be completely puppyless for the next two years!
Not only is this good news because I will be able to get a puppy fix from time to time, but because it means that he might be open to the possibility of me having a full time puppy in the future. I might bring it up with him before the Winter Holiday. I think that if we prove to be clean tenants he might open up to the idea.
I have a theory that him finally meeting us helped him see the kind of tenants we would be. We were discussing the state of the house at the moment (let's just say that it had been cleaned and was still what I would call a complete mess) and I said, "If they would just vacuum it would look so much better. I mean, it's not hard to take twenty minutes out of your day every two or three days to pick up all the fur." I think the landlord picked up on my exasperated tone. In all honesty, I wasn't even trying to make a good impression or try and persuade him to allow a puppy. It's who I am. I let things get a little the few days before a deadline, but that's about it. I just like things clean...
Anyway, that's my good news for the day.
Oh! And I can start planning my summer travels! Who knows where they'll take me? *grin*
Monday, March 26, 2012
Vale's Visit
Well, Vale is here for a visit. He's only here for tonight and then will be going back with his raisers tomorrow when they pick me up for puppy class tomorrow. I know that it isn't a very long stay, but we've been planning this visit for a while and it hasn't happened yet. I'm pretty excited that it's finally happening because he leaves for training in 10 days! It's still weird for me because he just turned a year old and they're already pulling him back in for training.
I've known Vale since he was a tiny thing. It's really hard for me to realise that I have in fact been in Scotland long enough for that to happen. His raisers like to overlap a little and just got a new puppy named Frankie. I hope I get to meet him tomorrow and he and I become best friends like Vale and me.
Vale is definitely not as comfortable with coming to a new house as Quiz was. She saw the toys and the bed and dog bowls and started playing and jumping and having fun. Vale doesn't really want to venture past my room. Odd, but hopefully he'll get a little more comfortable by tonight. He's also about ten times as mellow as Quiz. Haha! Right now he's taking a nap after walking to the grocery store and doing the shopping. Hopefully, he'll perk up a little when he realises that he gets food here.
I'll post some pictures of him tomorrow.
I've known Vale since he was a tiny thing. It's really hard for me to realise that I have in fact been in Scotland long enough for that to happen. His raisers like to overlap a little and just got a new puppy named Frankie. I hope I get to meet him tomorrow and he and I become best friends like Vale and me.
Vale is definitely not as comfortable with coming to a new house as Quiz was. She saw the toys and the bed and dog bowls and started playing and jumping and having fun. Vale doesn't really want to venture past my room. Odd, but hopefully he'll get a little more comfortable by tonight. He's also about ten times as mellow as Quiz. Haha! Right now he's taking a nap after walking to the grocery store and doing the shopping. Hopefully, he'll perk up a little when he realises that he gets food here.
I'll post some pictures of him tomorrow.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Mostly Wordless Wednesday
Sorry, I haven't had many pictures. I've recently lost my camera and, while my phone takes pretty good pictures, it's not as good as my camera. Anyway, here are some pictures of Quiz.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Quizie's Time
Well...it's official. Quiz will be leaving me this Friday morning. Not because I emailed Graham about anything. Nope. After these past two days I actually thought that she could stay for the extra two weeks.
Quiz got pulled back in for formal training early. One dog got sick and another got pulled in. That one was Quiz. I'm actually a little sad that she won't be with me the rest of the time she was suppose to be. Through all the frustrations, she really is a very nice puppy.
One thing I have learned this past week though is that my schedule works really well with having a puppy that can't go places. Big plus. Haha! Graham is coming on Friday morning, early I might add, to pick her up. I'll be talking to him about my own puppy then and seeing if he's got any news about it. Should be fun though even though I'll miss Quiz.
Quiz got pulled back in for formal training early. One dog got sick and another got pulled in. That one was Quiz. I'm actually a little sad that she won't be with me the rest of the time she was suppose to be. Through all the frustrations, she really is a very nice puppy.
One thing I have learned this past week though is that my schedule works really well with having a puppy that can't go places. Big plus. Haha! Graham is coming on Friday morning, early I might add, to pick her up. I'll be talking to him about my own puppy then and seeing if he's got any news about it. Should be fun though even though I'll miss Quiz.
Monday, February 13, 2012
A Semi Success
I really wanted the title of this post to be "SUCCESS!!" but we'll just stick with little victories.
I've mentioned that I can't take Quiz to classes with me due to her unwillingness to "down". Well, today was my first day with her that I had classes*. Today's classes were a psychology lecture from 12-1 and then my psychology practical from 2-4. If I left Quiz in her crate from the time I left to the time I got back she would have been in the crate for four and half hours. If I were back home, this wouldn't have bothered me so much because we're allowed to leave them alone for four hours. Here we're only allowed to leave them in the crate for three hours. So, I came home in between my two classes.
*Note: I have my schedule worked out to where I can easily come home in between classes if need be. I can also skip classes if I really need to be with a puppy because all of my lectures are recorded. As long as I make it to my tutorials and practicals I'll be fine. I thought it would be good to have some wiggle room if I got a baby puppy.
This morning, for about an hour, Quiz and I tried the outside in the relieving area for ten minutes then in the crate for ten minutes and repeat. I ignore her completely from the time we leave the relieving area to when I take her out of the crate again. She didn't end up going before I left the house. So, when I got home between classes, I gave her the chance to relieve again. It took her about two minutes to pee. She got lots and lots of praise and was allowed to play in the house. Then right before I left I let her out again and guess what! She pooped! *does a little happy dance* I was a little sad that I couldn't give her a real reward right then and there because I had to leave for class, but I gave her so much praise.
When I was done with class for good I came home and rewarded her with a free run. My first free run...didn't go too well. When we first got there there weren't any other dogs and she had a grand time chasing the leaves (she actually looked like a cat). Then some kids with a soccer ball game around and she kept trying to steal their ball. Then a dog came around and she tried to steal her ball. One thing I've found the same; these dogs aren't allowed to play with balls. Her recall got pretty bad around the balls as well. We cut the run short. She pooped on the way back to the house. She was completely ignored (my new thing as well, I'm not giving her any attention when she relieves when she's not suppose to).
We went home and she played a little and then it was time to be off again. I took her out to the relieving area and she looked like she peed. It was dark so I really couldn't tell. Darn dog tricked me. Right when we were getting to my friend's house she peed on the sidewalk.
All in all...it was a semi successful day. She pooped for the first time in the relieving area so I have hope which is more than I had this morning.
I've mentioned that I can't take Quiz to classes with me due to her unwillingness to "down". Well, today was my first day with her that I had classes*. Today's classes were a psychology lecture from 12-1 and then my psychology practical from 2-4. If I left Quiz in her crate from the time I left to the time I got back she would have been in the crate for four and half hours. If I were back home, this wouldn't have bothered me so much because we're allowed to leave them alone for four hours. Here we're only allowed to leave them in the crate for three hours. So, I came home in between my two classes.
*Note: I have my schedule worked out to where I can easily come home in between classes if need be. I can also skip classes if I really need to be with a puppy because all of my lectures are recorded. As long as I make it to my tutorials and practicals I'll be fine. I thought it would be good to have some wiggle room if I got a baby puppy.
This morning, for about an hour, Quiz and I tried the outside in the relieving area for ten minutes then in the crate for ten minutes and repeat. I ignore her completely from the time we leave the relieving area to when I take her out of the crate again. She didn't end up going before I left the house. So, when I got home between classes, I gave her the chance to relieve again. It took her about two minutes to pee. She got lots and lots of praise and was allowed to play in the house. Then right before I left I let her out again and guess what! She pooped! *does a little happy dance* I was a little sad that I couldn't give her a real reward right then and there because I had to leave for class, but I gave her so much praise.
When I was done with class for good I came home and rewarded her with a free run. My first free run...didn't go too well. When we first got there there weren't any other dogs and she had a grand time chasing the leaves (she actually looked like a cat). Then some kids with a soccer ball game around and she kept trying to steal their ball. Then a dog came around and she tried to steal her ball. One thing I've found the same; these dogs aren't allowed to play with balls. Her recall got pretty bad around the balls as well. We cut the run short. She pooped on the way back to the house. She was completely ignored (my new thing as well, I'm not giving her any attention when she relieves when she's not suppose to).
We went home and she played a little and then it was time to be off again. I took her out to the relieving area and she looked like she peed. It was dark so I really couldn't tell. Darn dog tricked me. Right when we were getting to my friend's house she peed on the sidewalk.
All in all...it was a semi successful day. She pooped for the first time in the relieving area so I have hope which is more than I had this morning.
Frustrations
As the title states, I'm a little frustrated. Not so much with Quiz, but with little habits that she has and issues she has presented.
The first is still the relieving issue. I gave her 45 minutes yesterday to relieve. Then went back inside, let her wait for about 10 minutes, and gave her another 10 minutes. Then I repeated the waiting for 10 and circling for 10 another 2 times. (Yes, that is in total, an hour and five minutes she had to relieve). I was getting worried about her so I decided to take her on the shortest walk ever (to the house next door and back) just to loosen everything up a little. Just past the bushes of my house she decides to pooh all the pooh she had refused to get rid of the five times I had taken her out to the relieving area. Yes, it's very frustrating. My new rule (which was actually instated yesterday) is that I'm not taking her anywhere unless she relieves and to give her an extraordinary amount of praise when she does (even if it's just pee). So far, we have not had one successful walk where she does not relieve and I'm giving her plenty of time to relieve out back. In fact, she has not pooped once in my back garden. At 13 months, this should not be the case. So, if she doesn't relieve she'll have to stay in the crate while I go out. I hate doing it, but it's better that she learns that she needs to relieve out back before we leave or wait until I find an appropriate place for her.
I know what you all might say. Freya was a really finicky reliever and at 13 months she sometimes didn't go when given the opportunity. And Rocco didn't like relieving anywhere but at home. All this is very true. But they knew that if they didn't go when I gave them the chance they needed to wait. Both Freya and Rocco would go for the entire walk and relieve upon returning home. I mean, Rocco held his pooh for the entirety of Fun Day because he didn't want to relieve in the hotel parking lot. Then only went when I gave him the command. And he was only 6 months old.
Secondly, she does not do "down". Point blank refuses to do it. Which means that I can't take her to class, restaurants, or the cinema until I teach her "down". This is also a little frustrating because when my supervisor told me I was getting a 13 month old puppy, I was expecting one that knew all of the basic commands so I could take it places. The only places I can take Quiz are grocery stores and malls and places like that where I won't need to lie down and be still...but I can't take her there because she won't poop when given the opportunity.
Lastly, she's a forager. In the past, when we've been walking, my hand has constantly had to pull her away from bushes, the ground, poles, and everything. I've had to give her a few strong corrections because verbal commands with a slight tug don't work. She is intent on smelling or grabbing whatever is there. Of course that won't be an issue because she can't go anywhere unless she poops.
Honestly, it feels like I have a really well house behaved 5-8 month old puppy in a 13 month old puppy's body. She's an excellent worker and loves to go out. Her whole body starts to wiggle when she sees her puppy jacket come out. But, I can't take her anywhere until she learns to relieve out back. I really didn't think I was going to have to teach her how to relieve on command or the command "down." Those are things I expect a 13 month old puppy to know already. She's a wonderful dog and, like I said, has really nice house manners but it's hard to being able to take her anywhere. At 13 months old they really should be able to go everywhere and need the exercise of walking and running outside.
See, I set up a lot of stuff in these last weeks of February so that all the things I needed to do would be sure to be done by my spring break. I knew that having a little puppy would mean needing to be more flexible with my time schedule so I told all of my friends that I would have to just take things as they came during and after spring break, but made plans up until spring break. The reason I agreed to take Quiz was because she was older and could fit into this busy life style that I have created at the moment so that I can be super flexible when my little one came. But, she doesn't. The main reason I said that I had to wait until spring break for my own puppy was that I needed time to prepare...I needed to get ready for some of the issues Quiz is presenting.
What this all sums up to is that, if she doesn't get better about her reliving and about her "downs" I might tell Graham that I can't watch her for the entire time. A week is absolutely fine, but the entire three weeks of not being able to take her anywhere, right before her recall, would be really frustrating and she would lose a lot of the training she received with her first raisers. All of it makes me really sad because I really, really like Quiz. But in honesty, three weeks of not being able to take her anywhere and running myself ragged when I didn't think I would have to might be too much. I didn't plan for a baby puppy right now and I'm not ready for it. Spring break I'll be ready for it.
I know Quiz needs time to adjust, so this could just be her adjusting period. Which is why I've decided to let it go for a week. If after a week she hasn't pooped in the back garden I'll definitely need to talk to Graham about it. It all boils down to I am not ready for a baby puppy yet (I will be though) and that's what it feels like with Quiz sometimes.
With all that said, I'm going to review the commands in the puppy raising book and make sure that I have them all right. I'm not opposed to the idea that all this is my fault, but I'm doing all that I can at the moment. Hopefully, it'll all get better and this is just Quiz adjusting.
The first is still the relieving issue. I gave her 45 minutes yesterday to relieve. Then went back inside, let her wait for about 10 minutes, and gave her another 10 minutes. Then I repeated the waiting for 10 and circling for 10 another 2 times. (Yes, that is in total, an hour and five minutes she had to relieve). I was getting worried about her so I decided to take her on the shortest walk ever (to the house next door and back) just to loosen everything up a little. Just past the bushes of my house she decides to pooh all the pooh she had refused to get rid of the five times I had taken her out to the relieving area. Yes, it's very frustrating. My new rule (which was actually instated yesterday) is that I'm not taking her anywhere unless she relieves and to give her an extraordinary amount of praise when she does (even if it's just pee). So far, we have not had one successful walk where she does not relieve and I'm giving her plenty of time to relieve out back. In fact, she has not pooped once in my back garden. At 13 months, this should not be the case. So, if she doesn't relieve she'll have to stay in the crate while I go out. I hate doing it, but it's better that she learns that she needs to relieve out back before we leave or wait until I find an appropriate place for her.
I know what you all might say. Freya was a really finicky reliever and at 13 months she sometimes didn't go when given the opportunity. And Rocco didn't like relieving anywhere but at home. All this is very true. But they knew that if they didn't go when I gave them the chance they needed to wait. Both Freya and Rocco would go for the entire walk and relieve upon returning home. I mean, Rocco held his pooh for the entirety of Fun Day because he didn't want to relieve in the hotel parking lot. Then only went when I gave him the command. And he was only 6 months old.
Secondly, she does not do "down". Point blank refuses to do it. Which means that I can't take her to class, restaurants, or the cinema until I teach her "down". This is also a little frustrating because when my supervisor told me I was getting a 13 month old puppy, I was expecting one that knew all of the basic commands so I could take it places. The only places I can take Quiz are grocery stores and malls and places like that where I won't need to lie down and be still...but I can't take her there because she won't poop when given the opportunity.
Lastly, she's a forager. In the past, when we've been walking, my hand has constantly had to pull her away from bushes, the ground, poles, and everything. I've had to give her a few strong corrections because verbal commands with a slight tug don't work. She is intent on smelling or grabbing whatever is there. Of course that won't be an issue because she can't go anywhere unless she poops.
Honestly, it feels like I have a really well house behaved 5-8 month old puppy in a 13 month old puppy's body. She's an excellent worker and loves to go out. Her whole body starts to wiggle when she sees her puppy jacket come out. But, I can't take her anywhere until she learns to relieve out back. I really didn't think I was going to have to teach her how to relieve on command or the command "down." Those are things I expect a 13 month old puppy to know already. She's a wonderful dog and, like I said, has really nice house manners but it's hard to being able to take her anywhere. At 13 months old they really should be able to go everywhere and need the exercise of walking and running outside.
See, I set up a lot of stuff in these last weeks of February so that all the things I needed to do would be sure to be done by my spring break. I knew that having a little puppy would mean needing to be more flexible with my time schedule so I told all of my friends that I would have to just take things as they came during and after spring break, but made plans up until spring break. The reason I agreed to take Quiz was because she was older and could fit into this busy life style that I have created at the moment so that I can be super flexible when my little one came. But, she doesn't. The main reason I said that I had to wait until spring break for my own puppy was that I needed time to prepare...I needed to get ready for some of the issues Quiz is presenting.
What this all sums up to is that, if she doesn't get better about her reliving and about her "downs" I might tell Graham that I can't watch her for the entire time. A week is absolutely fine, but the entire three weeks of not being able to take her anywhere, right before her recall, would be really frustrating and she would lose a lot of the training she received with her first raisers. All of it makes me really sad because I really, really like Quiz. But in honesty, three weeks of not being able to take her anywhere and running myself ragged when I didn't think I would have to might be too much. I didn't plan for a baby puppy right now and I'm not ready for it. Spring break I'll be ready for it.
I know Quiz needs time to adjust, so this could just be her adjusting period. Which is why I've decided to let it go for a week. If after a week she hasn't pooped in the back garden I'll definitely need to talk to Graham about it. It all boils down to I am not ready for a baby puppy yet (I will be though) and that's what it feels like with Quiz sometimes.
With all that said, I'm going to review the commands in the puppy raising book and make sure that I have them all right. I'm not opposed to the idea that all this is my fault, but I'm doing all that I can at the moment. Hopefully, it'll all get better and this is just Quiz adjusting.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Quiz's First Day
Again I say that Quiz is doing so great. She let me sleep in until quarter past seven this morning and probably would have let me sleep longer if I hadn't said her name. Lesson learned I guess. She's also pretty content with just laying on her bed or pile of blankets and playing with a toy. It's absolutely great because that means that I can sit at my computer or watch TV and not really have to worry about her. I think it's fair to say that she's pretty much adjusted to how things go here which is wonderful.
For those of you who aren't puppy raisers it's important that a puppy is very flexible when it comes to where they are living. This is why we do things like puppy swaps back home. Since we have no idea who they are going to go to we don't want them to get so wrapped up in their routine that it can't change without the dog completely freaking out. We also don't want them to get so attached to one person that they can't function with other people since they'll be going to a few different trainers while in formal training and eventually going to their blind partner (their blind partner is the one person that we expect them to get so attached to that they are confused when they aren't with them). Confused puppies are ok. Stressed puppies are not. So if a puppy is stressed when they are with another raiser, it's something to work on.
Quiz isn't at all stressed. She's got food and toys and attention. In order of importance, it's all a Lab really needs. Haha!
Of course, when a puppy does go to a different raiser it is expected for them to be thrown off a little. So Quiz does have a few issues that I need to work on while she's here. The first is not wanting to pooh when I give her the "busy busy" command. (For those who have been reading this blog for a long time will know that 'poop' is a big, important topic in puppy raising circles). I totally expected this for the first few days because Freya and Rocco didn't like to pooh anywhere but at home. Hopefully by Monday she'll get the idea. She's also an alert barker. One thing Erin doesn't tolerate after the puppy is four months old? Barking. Now, if someone is trying to break into my house I want the dog to bark. If there's a small noise in the next room I would rather the dog not alert me to it. So, we're working on it. Finally, she smells. I don't really think her last raisers gave her a bath for a while. I'm one of those people who makes sure that the puppy is bathed once a month because they have to be out in public a lot and I don't want them offending anyone's nose. It just add fuel to the fire of, "you shouldn't be allowed to bring that dog in here." A bath is in her future.
Other than those three things (one of which isn't her fault and another I expected) Quiz is wonderful. I'm really, really enjoying her. She makes me laugh. She makes my flatmate laugh (and my flatmate isn't a dog person...well, she's not a pet person). She especially made me laugh when the postman came today. Quiz must think that he loves her because when he left she had two food bowls (almost as important as the food itself) and two new toys. She spent a good twenty minutes showing off her new toys to my flatmate and me. This included a flipping routine. It's so excellent I should sell tickets.
Pictures will come soon. I'm just trying to get a good one. She doesn't really like sitting still for them.
For those of you who aren't puppy raisers it's important that a puppy is very flexible when it comes to where they are living. This is why we do things like puppy swaps back home. Since we have no idea who they are going to go to we don't want them to get so wrapped up in their routine that it can't change without the dog completely freaking out. We also don't want them to get so attached to one person that they can't function with other people since they'll be going to a few different trainers while in formal training and eventually going to their blind partner (their blind partner is the one person that we expect them to get so attached to that they are confused when they aren't with them). Confused puppies are ok. Stressed puppies are not. So if a puppy is stressed when they are with another raiser, it's something to work on.
Quiz isn't at all stressed. She's got food and toys and attention. In order of importance, it's all a Lab really needs. Haha!
Of course, when a puppy does go to a different raiser it is expected for them to be thrown off a little. So Quiz does have a few issues that I need to work on while she's here. The first is not wanting to pooh when I give her the "busy busy" command. (For those who have been reading this blog for a long time will know that 'poop' is a big, important topic in puppy raising circles). I totally expected this for the first few days because Freya and Rocco didn't like to pooh anywhere but at home. Hopefully by Monday she'll get the idea. She's also an alert barker. One thing Erin doesn't tolerate after the puppy is four months old? Barking. Now, if someone is trying to break into my house I want the dog to bark. If there's a small noise in the next room I would rather the dog not alert me to it. So, we're working on it. Finally, she smells. I don't really think her last raisers gave her a bath for a while. I'm one of those people who makes sure that the puppy is bathed once a month because they have to be out in public a lot and I don't want them offending anyone's nose. It just add fuel to the fire of, "you shouldn't be allowed to bring that dog in here." A bath is in her future.
Other than those three things (one of which isn't her fault and another I expected) Quiz is wonderful. I'm really, really enjoying her. She makes me laugh. She makes my flatmate laugh (and my flatmate isn't a dog person...well, she's not a pet person). She especially made me laugh when the postman came today. Quiz must think that he loves her because when he left she had two food bowls (almost as important as the food itself) and two new toys. She spent a good twenty minutes showing off her new toys to my flatmate and me. This included a flipping routine. It's so excellent I should sell tickets.
Pictures will come soon. I'm just trying to get a good one. She doesn't really like sitting still for them.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Quiz is Here
This afternoon my supervisor dropped Quiz off with me. He was a little late in getting here so I had to rush off to my English tutorial and leave Quiz in her crate. I felt a little bad about it, but at the same time I don't because I had left two hours between classes.
Anyway, she's a very nice puppy. She was napping in the crate when I came back in and now she is just laying on the bed playing with some toys. Seriously, she's been so good. I couldn't have asked for a better puppy. But of course, I might be counting my chickens before they hatch. She could turn out to be awful. Haha!
Now on to the slightly confusing news. When my supervisor came in he said that I should have 3 weeks with her. I was confused because I thought that I would only have a week with her. But I decided not to say anything until after the first week. If she is really, really good then I won't mind having her for another two weeks.
However, I was instructed to get her to lose some weight. Haha! She's a bit of a chunk.
Anyway, she's a very nice puppy. She was napping in the crate when I came back in and now she is just laying on the bed playing with some toys. Seriously, she's been so good. I couldn't have asked for a better puppy. But of course, I might be counting my chickens before they hatch. She could turn out to be awful. Haha!
Now on to the slightly confusing news. When my supervisor came in he said that I should have 3 weeks with her. I was confused because I thought that I would only have a week with her. But I decided not to say anything until after the first week. If she is really, really good then I won't mind having her for another two weeks.
However, I was instructed to get her to lose some weight. Haha! She's a bit of a chunk.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
At Last...I Think
Right, so I emailed Graham again about whether or not I needed to sign one more thing. This was the second or third time I had emailed him about it, but I'm assuming the other emails got lost and are now floating aimlessly about the interweb. Anyway, he said that yes I did have one more thing to sign and that he needed his colleague to draw up the agreement. At least I was remembering correctly.
I have no idea when I'm going to sign this agreement. I hope it's soon because I really want to be able to say, "Hey Graham, I know I signed up to be a boarder but the best time for me to get a puppy of my own would be end of March. Think you can make it happen?" But I really don't know how. I would, of course, take the time between now and the beginning of my spring break to puppy sit as many times as possible, but I just can't take being puppyless much longer. I've waited a year and half (not including the summer with Hilly) to have my own puppy again and I'm so ready for that to happen. I went over to Erin's blog and she said something that really rang true. Not having a puppy is really BORING! Haha! I guess no one understands the puppy raising addiction quite like other puppy raisers.
Perhaps I should just say that? I'm ready for a puppy. I'll throw in a pretty please too just in case. I don't know though. I want my saying it to be perfect and I just haven't found the perfect way of saying it. I'd also like it to be in person if possible...but the next time I see him will be at the meeting on the 31st of January. Maybe I should just send him an email.
I have no idea when I'm going to sign this agreement. I hope it's soon because I really want to be able to say, "Hey Graham, I know I signed up to be a boarder but the best time for me to get a puppy of my own would be end of March. Think you can make it happen?" But I really don't know how. I would, of course, take the time between now and the beginning of my spring break to puppy sit as many times as possible, but I just can't take being puppyless much longer. I've waited a year and half (not including the summer with Hilly) to have my own puppy again and I'm so ready for that to happen. I went over to Erin's blog and she said something that really rang true. Not having a puppy is really BORING! Haha! I guess no one understands the puppy raising addiction quite like other puppy raisers.
Perhaps I should just say that? I'm ready for a puppy. I'll throw in a pretty please too just in case. I don't know though. I want my saying it to be perfect and I just haven't found the perfect way of saying it. I'd also like it to be in person if possible...but the next time I see him will be at the meeting on the 31st of January. Maybe I should just send him an email.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
FlipFlopping
I keep flip flopping over whether or not I should stay here for the winter holiday or fly back to California. You see, I could go home and see Hilly and Arwen and Rosie and meet all the new puppies we've got in our group or I could stay here and I have a puppy to puppy sit all winter break. I think staying here and puppy sitting would be a great opportunity for me to learn how to handle a puppy here as I'll have it for a long period of time. BUT! I miss Hilly a lot. I would very much like to see her and I would feel horrible picking a dog I don't even know over my own Hilly-Bean. It's not like I won't be able to puppy sit during next semester but on the other side of that coin, it's not like Hilly won't be there over the summer.
Any suggestions, comments, advice?
Any suggestions, comments, advice?
Friday, November 4, 2011
Staying Strong
I haven't gotten any word yet about my status as a puppy boarder here. I'm thinking that I should hear something in the next couple of days.
My biggest issue in this will be staying strong in that, "I want to take it slow and make sure this is the right thing to do before jumping head first into it." This is my new rule so that I can make sure that I have the proper amount of time to devote to a puppy before I get one. I think it's a sensible rule and apparently, so did Graham.
But I know that if I stay here over Winter Break, then I'll want a puppy. Hmm...I wonder if there's a German shepherd litter available over the winter holidays.
My biggest issue in this will be staying strong in that, "I want to take it slow and make sure this is the right thing to do before jumping head first into it." This is my new rule so that I can make sure that I have the proper amount of time to devote to a puppy before I get one. I think it's a sensible rule and apparently, so did Graham.
But I know that if I stay here over Winter Break, then I'll want a puppy. Hmm...I wonder if there's a German shepherd litter available over the winter holidays.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Home Interview
Today was my fateful home interview.
I woke up this morning and started my cleaning frenzy. I always hate having people think I live in a mess even though in reality my room is often cluttered. I cleaned the kitchen, bathroom, my room, and swept the flat. I also finished mowing the lawn. So...our flat was pretty frickin' clean by the time Graham and Jim got here.
It was all pretty standard. We talked for a while then Graham asked me some questions about the flat and my schedule. He asked me a few questions about raising in America. One of them was, "Are you as obsessed with making sure the dog doesn't relieve on walks as we are?" I did laugh at that. My group back home had a lot of bad relievers for a while so the simple answer was, "Yes, probably more so." Haha! He, as I suspected, had some concerns about our backyard but ultimately said that since I was just a boarder it should be just fine. Then we went for a walk with Vale. I'm glad I got to walk around with a dog that I knew well. It is still a little strange for me. I'm using commands I'm not use to using and the dog is allowed to pull a little.
I learned sort of how to handle the dog here, but I'm sure that I'll learn more throughout the next few months. Graham said that I handled well. That's good! Now all that has to be done is for the paperwork to become official. I was told that as soon as that happened I could have Vale for a week!
My only real question for his was, "Would it be easy for me to switch to being a puppy walker full time or would it take some real effort?" He said that it really would be just as simple as telling him that I wanted to be a puppy walker full time and he'd schedule me for a puppy. Hooray!
Better get to buying things like dog beds and toys and a crate.
I woke up this morning and started my cleaning frenzy. I always hate having people think I live in a mess even though in reality my room is often cluttered. I cleaned the kitchen, bathroom, my room, and swept the flat. I also finished mowing the lawn. So...our flat was pretty frickin' clean by the time Graham and Jim got here.
It was all pretty standard. We talked for a while then Graham asked me some questions about the flat and my schedule. He asked me a few questions about raising in America. One of them was, "Are you as obsessed with making sure the dog doesn't relieve on walks as we are?" I did laugh at that. My group back home had a lot of bad relievers for a while so the simple answer was, "Yes, probably more so." Haha! He, as I suspected, had some concerns about our backyard but ultimately said that since I was just a boarder it should be just fine. Then we went for a walk with Vale. I'm glad I got to walk around with a dog that I knew well. It is still a little strange for me. I'm using commands I'm not use to using and the dog is allowed to pull a little.
I learned sort of how to handle the dog here, but I'm sure that I'll learn more throughout the next few months. Graham said that I handled well. That's good! Now all that has to be done is for the paperwork to become official. I was told that as soon as that happened I could have Vale for a week!
My only real question for his was, "Would it be easy for me to switch to being a puppy walker full time or would it take some real effort?" He said that it really would be just as simple as telling him that I wanted to be a puppy walker full time and he'd schedule me for a puppy. Hooray!
Better get to buying things like dog beds and toys and a crate.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
The Adventure Begins (Again)
I'm pretty excited this morning. Guess where I'm off to in about an hour (I shouldn't shower and get ready huh?). Go on, just take a wild guess. No guesses then? Well, I'll tell you anyway because I'm so excited. I'm going to puppy class!
Now, I know what you're thinking. "Erin, I thought Tuesday mornings you had class. Are you being a bad student?" You are all probably using your disappointed voices as well, but that doesn't matter. Yes, I'm skipping an English lecture to go to puppy class today and I might very well be late for my Psychology lecture. But I haven't been in the best of moods lately and I'm thinking that (besides my new laptop battery finally getting in which doesn't appear likely) what I needed was a good puppy fix. Also, I need to talk to the leader about when they're going to get my house visit done and about becoming an actual raiser when a litter of German Shepherds becomes available. It should be a lot of fun and I'm totally stoked. I haven't been around puppies in far too long.
I've also got a volunteer's meeting planned for Friday afternoon (I forgot the fact that I was going to plan on meeting my Psychology group to get our poster started but it isn't due for another four weeks so that can wait a little). Basically what's going to happen on Friday is I'm going to get out of class at 1pm and then run all the way and run all the way to the meeting. Thankfully it's only a thirty minute walk from my flat. I'm still debating on whether or not to call a taxi to get me there. The night before will have been our Halloween party and whilst I'm not one who drinks all that much or often...I will still probably drink a little and stay out late. But, I'm going and starting my job as a puppy sitter so I'm totally willing to make a sacrifice like afternoon naps or ten quid for a taxi.
I'm off to shower now so I can be clean for puppy kisses.
Now, I know what you're thinking. "Erin, I thought Tuesday mornings you had class. Are you being a bad student?" You are all probably using your disappointed voices as well, but that doesn't matter. Yes, I'm skipping an English lecture to go to puppy class today and I might very well be late for my Psychology lecture. But I haven't been in the best of moods lately and I'm thinking that (besides my new laptop battery finally getting in which doesn't appear likely) what I needed was a good puppy fix. Also, I need to talk to the leader about when they're going to get my house visit done and about becoming an actual raiser when a litter of German Shepherds becomes available. It should be a lot of fun and I'm totally stoked. I haven't been around puppies in far too long.
I've also got a volunteer's meeting planned for Friday afternoon (I forgot the fact that I was going to plan on meeting my Psychology group to get our poster started but it isn't due for another four weeks so that can wait a little). Basically what's going to happen on Friday is I'm going to get out of class at 1pm and then run all the way and run all the way to the meeting. Thankfully it's only a thirty minute walk from my flat. I'm still debating on whether or not to call a taxi to get me there. The night before will have been our Halloween party and whilst I'm not one who drinks all that much or often...I will still probably drink a little and stay out late. But, I'm going and starting my job as a puppy sitter so I'm totally willing to make a sacrifice like afternoon naps or ten quid for a taxi.
I'm off to shower now so I can be clean for puppy kisses.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Almost There
Well everyone! I finally got an email back from the "leader" in this area. He told me where to go and what to do and who to contact. The day I got the email from him I went to the website and sent in my application to become a puppy boarder. I was told that it would probably be a while until the information would be passed on to the "leader" here, but he also already knows that I'm interested in doing this and that I'll be attending the meeting at the end of the month.
So...hooray! Almost there!
So...hooray! Almost there!
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