Wordless Wednesday: No Paparazzi Please

1,000 Words

Clean Up, Clean Up...

All of Dante's toys are divided into two buckets.  One contains toys that are durable and he is allowed access to freely, and the other contains "special" toys - plush, outside, high-value - that is kept out of his reach.

The bucket of toys he is allowed to have anytime is kept under an end table, and he knows to go get one if he is bored.  Last night, I walked into the living room to this:

This is only about 2/3 of what was in the bin.

My sister informed me that apparently Dante found it completely necessary to, one by one, empty the entire contents of his toy bin to find "the one."

My mom has been getting on me that I need to teach him to pick up his own toys.  I guess it is true: how can he become a service dog and help someone else if he cannot clean up after himself?  ;-)  So, I sat down, and commanded a "fetch."  One by one, Dante brought every toy back to my hand, and I deposited them back into the bin.

All cleaned up!

If only that were the end of our quaint little story.  

Ha.

I then "release" Dante and go back into my room.  Only to be summoned back minutes later by my sister exclaiming, "I can't believe he did that!"  

Yup.  It seems that this too-smart-for-his-own-good puppy realized that if he dumps all his toys out onto the floor, he gets a rousing game of Fetch, AND a couple tasty treats.  So he would be crazy not to do it again, right?

I think I've created a monster...

Bringing in the Year

Happy New Year, everyone!  Dante and I had a lot of fun (and some not-so-fun) on this first day of the year.

It has been raining so much the last couple weeks.  Our back yard is a muddy mess, and just having a bath a last week, Dante is not playing out there.  

We started our day later than I will admit here, and then took a trip to Target.  Usually, this is pretty mindless for Dante who has been here about a billion times, but today we got some good training in.  I went down this isle, and a hula hoop fell off and really startled Dante, so we stopped and walked through it upright and then practiced commands in it.  I decided to take advantage of the bouncy balls and add in some distractions.  

I love how he tucked his paws in

He did really well and became more comfortable with the hula hoops (some treats helped too!).   We also practiced lots of commands.

He is getting really proficient with his "ups."  I can now step away/behind him and he will stay.

We decided to go to the park where I could let Dante loose in the tennis courts so that he got in some good play/run time and there is no mud.  He was so happy to be able to RUN as he hasn't had really good, totally free play time in almost a week.

Dante is very smart.  He knows what his leash is, that it controls him, and when it is attached and when he can get away with something.  We have been working really hard on this and his independent attitude lately.  One thing that I noticed is that for the first fifteen minutes we were there, he would not come near me or let me approach him, for fear that I might put him back on-leash. 

I know it's really blurry, but it's such a funny pic!

Like I said, it took Dante about fifteen minutes to trust me that I wasn't going to put him back on-leash.  After that, he did many wonderful "here"s and even played Fetch for quite a while (he is also having a hard time getting the Fetch concept, as he prefers to run around like a madman).

"Dante, HERE!"

Watching some dogs walk by (and inviting them to come play with him.  Unfortunately for Dante, they kept going).

Ready for me to throw his ball.

We played for about 45 minutes and Dante was really slowing down.  Tired puppies are good puppies!  But we also noticed that he was limping.  When we got home I sat on the floor to cradle him and get a better look at his paw.  Turns out, he must have slid too much on the court and skinned his two front paw pads in four different places.

After talking with the wonderful people at CCI, my mom ran to the store to get some "liquid bandage" adhesive to put on them.  His paws aren't too bad, as he walks on them OK, but he is definitely cautious.  

Tired out.  You can see by the way he is laying, that his paws are hurting :-(

I had to put his Gentle Leader on to help control the licking.  Poor baby, I feel so bad.  The person from CCI that we talked to made us feel much better by sharing about the exact same thing that happened to their puppy.  They said that it is fine to take him back, but check him every little bit to make sure he doesn't do it again.  But, this means no walks for a few days, and no playing outside for a little while.  

What a way to bring in the new year!

Oh dear.  I am sorry that posts on here have been rather sporadic.  I think I have been posting just frequently enough that you know I have not fallen off the face of the earth, but not as much as I should.  Busyness, school, lack of interesting things going on - call it what you may, but mostly Dante's life is pretty routine right now.  

Dante has not been on many new outings the last couple weeks, just learning to be out longer and at multiple locations.  he really loves being out with me, but for one reason or another, he doesn't do so well when we have multiple stops to make, so, recently that has been my focus outing-wise as opposed to so many new places.  And he is showing progress.

Most of Dante's time is consumed re-learning A LOT.  Like house manners (read: he's on-leash at all times right now), not chasing the cat, not stealing my yarn when I crochet, etc.  Oh and also his commands.  Examples given: "dress" means put your head through your vest/GL now, not 45 seconds from now; and "heel" means go directly to my left side, do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars.*

I must say that it is hard not to get frustrated with Dante, 'cause really dude, you DID KNOW all of this stuff!  But he still gives the best "hugs" (he is sooo cute and leans into you as close as he can get), and is my best cuddler, so, I guess that makes up for it. :-)

And enjoying the cooler temps with lots of play time, where he's actually tired before he wants to go in, instead of just too hot.  (Mid-Speak)

"Just throw it already!"

"My" happy boy! :-)

Also, as a quick side note, you can now follow Days with Dante by email!  Just check out the sidebar!

*for those of you who play the real Monopoly.  It is the best, and no electronic nonsense can compare ;-)

The crate.  Before Dante came my mom and I spent a lot of time trying to find one that would work.  the one that we ended up with is nice and sturdy and has a door on three sides or it.  Yeah, it sounds like a good idea - you don't have to worry about where you put it and where it will fit as much because it can be accessed from the short or long sides.  Typically, we only use the door on the short side (right of this photo).  

The other day, I was working with Dante on his "kennel" command and using all sides of it.  I must not have latched the doors, but just let them swing shut.  Well, later that day another member of my family put Dante in his kennel, latched his normal door and shut my bedroom door.  You probably figured out what happened, right?  Yeah.  This has happened once before, but my bedroom door was not shut, so Dante came running out three minutes later.  Not this time.  He was in there for an hour-and-a-half.  By himself.  Unsupervised.  Thankfully there wasn't much that he could get into unless he jumped on the bed, and nothing was out of place (even the trash was untouched).  He was just laying in the middle of the floor asleep when we found him.  Moral of the story: don't buy a crate with so many doors unless you are SURE all but one will be inaccessible.  But still, even though we hit a rough spot in his behavior, there still are days that I have faith that he'll make it in this service dog gig!

Sunshine and Roses

I wish I could start this post by saying that I have been insanely busy and just do not ever have time to blog, but that's not entirely true.  I have been busy, but most of it is chalked up to just not feeling like writing.  I guess it's about time I get over it and start again.  I don't want to write because I "have to," I want to do it because I want to, and I just haven't felt like it lately.  But anyways.

I will spare you all of the "catching up" that I could do, and just start from now.  

I don't know how to put it delicately, but Dante has pretty much been a pain in the neck lately.  I know it's just his age, but man does this pup have an attitude!  I do love Dante, but right now he's pretty hard to like. He has spent a considerable amount of time in his crate lately.  And I am thankful for my awesome mother who has taken him for me more than once so I could get a break from him.  I think it's one of those times when you're like "if I could just get a couple days away from you, I'd like you a heck of a lot better when you get back!" 

I don't want to make this blog a place for venting or complaining, but puppy raising is not all sunshine and roses.  And it's the truth so I don't want to keep it out either.  

The one thing that I have noticed is that it is only at home that he is so bad.  He has great manners almost all the time when out in public, but when we get home he heads South.  I think it is maybe because he does not have the same level of expectation for behavior at home then when out.  No, I don't let him get away with stealing things and being a maniac, but he usually is loose and free to do pretty much what he wants: play with toys, sleep, etc.  But he's not "controlled" by me.  Or at least he doesn't think so.  So he will get really sassy and think he doesn't have to listen to what I (or anyone in the house) tells him to do.  Today he spent a good part of the day on-leash (gentle leader and  all).  he was a little better, but man, does he put up a fight when he's not in the mood to listen.  

Patience, patience, Hannah.  This too shall pass. . .

A Letter to Dante

Dear Dante,

We need to set some things straight right now, Mister.

Now, there are some very good things that you do, in fact a lot of the time you behave relatively well.  You don't rush through doors, or bark in stores anymore, and you can settle very well under the table at restaurants now.  When you want to, you perform all of your commands fantastically, and you don't try to eat the rabbit poo anymore (YUCK!).  You don't even destroy your toys in typical Retriever fashion.


But there are a few things that we need to talk about.  I am not enjoying your puppy brain lately.  You're not necessarily bad or not listening, but you walk around as if you're aloof of me and all around us; like your brain is in a fog.  That doesn't work so well when we are walking around lots of people, and you go one way, and I another. 


Next up is that you are sassy.  Oh, so, so sassy.  This cannot go on any longer.  I do not like the way that you put your paws on my knee like you're hitting me when you don't want to listen.  And I most certainly will not condone you rolling around on your back throwing temper tantrums.


Please stop rubbing your Gentle Leader.  You stopped a long time ago, and now are picking it up again?!?!?  

Stop stealing socks.


And last but certainly not least, I would like to know at least 24 hours in advance when you decide that you don't want to listen ALL day long, so that I may plan my schedule accordingly.  


One last question:  could you please speed up this phase of your puppy-hood?


I still love you,
Hannah

Pouty Face

Dante is NOT happy about not being allowed to pick up this shoe.  I tried to redirect him, but he just sat here and tried to look pitiful.  a minute before, he had his nose about 2 inches away from it and was just staring.  His house manners are still not the best, hence he has to drag a leash.  50% of the time though, the leash is in his mouth... 

In this picture, Dante had been free in the house, and I had to put something together on the floor that I knew he would get into.  So, I put him on a tie down just far enough that he couldn't reach me.  Even with all his toys, he pouted like this for 45 minutes until I was done, and let him free.

One word that would describe Dante at this stage in his puppy-hood: Drama!

Miscellaneous Ramblings

I am sorry that I have not written in a while.  It has been one of those weeks.  Dante is at that age where he can be quite a pill.  Honestly, I have not been wanting to write because I didn't have very many positive things to share, and it is not my point to highlight or dwell on Dante's troubles, so I thought it best to keep shut.  I know he just needs time to grow out of it, but a few times per day, he heads to his crate because I need a good amount of "no puppy" time.

Right now, Dante is sprawled  out on his back at my feet sleeping - finally.


Some things this week:  Dante took another trip to Petco and got to see a really friendly ferret.  It was so funny to watch them because the ferret was not the  least bit afraid on Dante.  They followed each other back and forth along the glass.  They were so cute!

Dante also got a "big boy" collar.  His little one was starting to look so funny on him, and he was almost grown out of it.  At over 40 lbs. I am surprised it was strong enough to hold him.  I swore that I would not buy a personalized collar, because I want to remind myself as often as possible that he is not mine, therefore, was just going to keep a plain blue one on.  But my mom and sister talked me into it.  It is brown, and I think it looks really nice against his fur.  

Okay, okay!  It might have a small floral design, but you cannot tell from afar, and it was on sale (I also have a plain brown one that looks nice).  I think Dante is secure enough in his manliness that he can pull off a few flowers!  ;-)  He is looking SO grown up!

Too Much Excitment for One Night

Well, on Monday I had written a post all about how Dante's house manners are improving, and how is being allowed more freedom in the house.  It was all set to go until last night.  I promise I'll post it later, but for now...

Dante and I had a quiet day yesterday, just home doing school.   About 5:30, my mom, Dante and I left for a meeting at a church.  It was only a mile from our house so we decided to walk.  Dante did great while we were there.  It was a little more crowded then I expected, but he handled it all very well.  Dinner time for Dante was right in the middle of it.  These last two weeks I have been trying to mix up his schedule, so he won't get too set in his ways.  I decided to bring his food, and see what he thought of eating somewhere else.  He's part lab.  Need I say more?

Dante eating under the counter in a bathroom at the church.

We stayed for another forty-five minutes, so that his food could settle before we headed home.  I don't think we walked 1/4 mile before my mom and I looked at each other and said, "There is no way he is going to make it all the way home!"  He was so tired!  My mom called my dad to come pick us up, and Dante curled up in my lap right on the sidewalk:

We got home about 7:30, and Dante was let off-leash in the family and dining room.  Poor pup was so tired, I thought I'd be fighting to keep him awake until bedtime.  My dad and sister were in there with him while Mom and I went to get dinner.  About ten minutes later, I hear "DANTE, NO!"  Apparently, Dante had jumped up on the couch and grabbed the cat's toy that nobody realized was there.  It was a little stuffed monkey about 1 1/2 inches big.  By the time he let us catch him, it was gone.  I shoved my fingers all the way to his throat.  Too late. 

So, to the emergency vet we go.  We have never been there before, but we got there fine and Dante slept the whole way.  We arrived a few minutes after 8:00, got all signed in, and led to a room to wait for the vet.

Poor Dante just kept giving me this look that said Why are we somewhere else?  I just want to go to sleep!  Have I gotten across how tired he was?

Dante asleep, waiting to see the vet

 After talking to the vet and making the much dreaded anticipated call to CCI, they decided to induce vomiting.  The vet took him back, and within five minutes came back with monkey in hand. 

Dante at the counter, ready to go home.

 We got home about 10:40, and Dante went straight to bed.  I don't remember what they had to give him, but it made him extremely sleepy.  He slept until 7:00 this morning, ate, then has slept most of the day. 

Lessons learned:  1.  Don't dread the call to CCI, because they really are great (would you expect anything less from CCI?) and  2.  Sorry Jack, but all of your toys smaller then 6 inches are going in the trash.

Busy Weekend

 Dante and I have had an especially busy weekend these last two days.  


Yesterday, we went to a park where a "field day" was taking place for the elementary-aged kids, and my jump rope team was going to help and show the kids some stuff.  Dante came too, and did extremely well.  It lasted longer then intended, so Dante's lunch was about an-hour-and-a-half late, but he was a trooper.  He was tired, but he never got cranky.  I guess it's a good thing that he gets used to his schedule getting changed up. 


Dante is such an easy puppy to take out.  He loves to explore with you, but he also settles really well.  He spent a lot of time hanging out under a picnic table, and didn't even pay attention to spilled food.  He is also getting really good with his people-greeting, although he still tries to lick, he is great about checking in with me when he's getting pet.

Dante under a table ignoring some dropped cheese a foot from his head.

 
This morning Dante had puppy class.  I don't know why this is the first post about class, but I guess I forgot.  Dante has been doing really well, but when I got him up this morning I knew there was something off.  I think after such an exhausting day yesterday, he was just having an "off" day. 

Puppy class has been really good, and our trainer is great about understanding what we do differently.  But not being in a CCI specific class has been a little challenging.  Just trying to filter the information we're getting, and substituting the commands we use through what is different in how we are teaching Dante has been pretty mentally draining. 



My mom worked him for the first time during class today, and I was planning on getting some good pictures, but ended up getting some not-so-good pictures between the bad lighting, and helping "deal" with Dante. 

We start with play time.  Dante is always intrigued with this little puppy, and she stands her ground:

Dante, Scout and Max

Dante and Scout

After this, Dante spent some "quality time" trying to rub off his gentle leader:

Then it was on to working through the tunnel.  My mom lured him in.  He was not afraid, but he didn't know what he was supposed to do, so he turned around.  Then I got on the other end and called him through, and he was fine with that.

This was his fourth time through, and he did it like a pro!

After this, he did some good "sits" and "downs" even with temper tantrums thrown in throughout.

When we got home, Dante (and I) took a much-needed nap, then spent most of the afternoon outside with the family, playing fetch, practicing "here," running, and getting out his wiggles.  

Dante looking rather grown up and regal.  Taken by Rebecca.

How to Make Your Dog Think You're Sleeping in 6 Easy Steps

(Slight Disclaimer:  While I am not by choice a morning-person, know that Dante's need have never been neglected or ignored, and that this post is written in all fun and games (-:  )

1.  Make a plan.  Preferably consisting of the following five steps:
2.  Make sure that they cannot see your face from the crate.  If you don't read the rest of this post, know that this is the most important.
3.  (Continued from #1)If you think that they might be awake, do not look at them!  The worst thing you can do is make eye-contact.*
4.  Be a statue.  I used to move a lot when I sleep, but if your dog even thinks that they hear the slightest movement, then it's all over.
5.  If you like to leave a few extra minutes for the "snooze" button, only leave your phone alarm on vibrate, preferably as far away from the dog and as close to you as possible (I have found that if I wake up before my alarm, then hold my phone under covers, then it is almost impossible for Dante to hear it).  
6.  If all else fails (this part is inevitable), then you have no choice but to get up.  But, hopefully, the above points have prolonged this step as long as possible.

*Caution:  If you break rule #3, and see a face this cute, it may send you into pity mode and you'll get up even after only three hours of sleep:

Dante at 8 weeks asleep, with is chin resting on my lap

Happy Easter!

Well, Dante has made it through his very first holiday with us!  It was a slow day for him, but he did really well.

My family went to church early, so Dante didn't have much out-of-crate time before we left, but he didn't whine at all!  After we got home I let him play in the yard, then we watched a movie, and I kinda forgot to feed him his lunch.  Oops!  It wasn't until about 3:30 that I remembered.  I felt SO bad, but Dante just slept away, I guess that's one way you know he's not 100% lab (besides the fact that he looks mostly golden)!  I was surprised that he didn't "remind" me or get grouchy about not getting fed.  I wonder if he'll even notice when he switches to two meals-a-day.  Sorry Little Buddy, your a trooper!


After dinner, we went outside and hunted for our "Resurrection Eggs"  (yes, you're never too old for a good Easter Egg Hunt (-; ).  Dante LOVED this and came all around with me before I turned him loose.

Dante is such a little stinker when he is loose.  He will come running as fast as he can when you call him, get within 2 ft. of you, then veer off to the side.  Just in case I don't already know that he knows what he supposed to do, but he makes sure I know that HE has the choice to do it.  Does any of that make sense? ;-)  I think I have my work cut out for me...

Happy Easter!

Take 2: Outside

First of all, I know I have been very sporadic on here the last two weeks, but with spring break and lots of visitors coming, it was hard to stay consistent.  But I'm back in the swing of things and hopefully will be more regular from now on.

In my last post, I did a lot of venting.  It's really not that bad, but after talking with my mom and receiving some great advice from other raisers, Dante has made great progress this week.  I decided to pretty much let him have at it and see if the novelty of being "free" would ware off.  

Dante and I have spent a LOT of time outside this week - about 2 hours everyday.   Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I attached his 30 ft. leash to a tree (it's a lot easier to play with him and not have to manage his leash).  He was doing really well!  He has pretty much stopped eating grass and will now just pull it up and spit it out.  It takes a lot to get him interested in his toys, but he LOVES his Kong Wubba and will chase that thing around for a half-hour straight.  Dante is also getting better with his "here," and will come most times I call him (if he sees I have treats ;] ).

So, today I decided (OK, my sister had to talked me into it) to let him off his leash in the yard.  I still left his 6 ft. leash on because we could get him out of trouble easier with that on. He barely noticed it, and when he did, he enjoyed the freedom of walking himself ;). 

He started with a crazy run in his favorite plants:

Then some "fetch."  OK, he really doesn't get the idea of bringing it back yet, but he loves to run with it, and I love watching him because he still has a little of a "puppy run." 

Then, later this afternoon, we took him out again, and I got some pictures.

Blurry, but a good "here"

I don't think I have a single non-blurred picture, but he was having fun!

 Blurry again, but I still love this picture!

:-(  Dante is losing his puppy shape...

this just makes me laugh!

Sweet and couldn't be happier!

Outside Time

Dante has an obsession with grass.  He loses all the sense he has whenever he steps foot on it (or, for that matter, sees it).  The last two weeks he has gotten really bad.  I am having a hard time figuring out what to do with this.  On one hand he is a puppy and needs lots of play time to get his "crazies" out; but on the other hand, I can't have him eating everything he comes across and playing "catch me if you can."

I have tried letting him out for a longer amount of time (20-30 minutes), to see if he would calm down, but he never does.  I hate to keep correcting him and digging in his mouth when it's supposed to be his play time.  For the last week I have only been letting him out for 5 minutes at a time, four or so times a day, in hopes that it will keep him from getting too crazy, but I'm still not seeing any progress.  Sometimes I wonder if he is ever going to be able to go off-leash in the back yard. 

This is the reason I have almost no pictures of him outside.  The above picture is the only on I have of him sitting still, and if you look closely, he has a "foreign object" in his mouth, that I didn't even notice until after I saw this picture.  Most of my attempted photo-shoots turn out like this:

I try to not get frustrated with him, but when all I want is to play with him, it's hard to remind myself that he is still learning and needs time before it will "click" in his mind.  

I have decided I am going to try taking him out after a long walk and when he's really tired.  Maybe it will help if I don't take him out when he's full of energy.  But, we'll see how it goes...

Monday Ramlings

Jack is starting to accept tolerate Dante and will even get withing a foot or so, of him when he's eating (and distracted).

Progress is the word of the week! They'll be snuggled up together in no time...maybe!

Some of the not-so-fun moments this weekend included an entire day (like all stinking day) of torrential downpours, and standing for two-and-a-half hours in it (yeah, we still can't find any of our umbrellas), trying to get Dante to go #2.  Poor baby had to go so bad, but just couldn't in the rain.  I couldn't bring him in because I knew he couldn't hold it any longer.  We were both shivering, soaking wet (come to find out my "water-proof" jacket isn't so water proof), and Dante was covered in mud by the time we came in.  He got a bath and we were both so exhausted by the end of the day. 

Back to more positive things: I love looking down on this face when I cradle Dante:

He is getting so big.  Sigh, he's as long as my legs already.

No, it's not 75 degrees anymore, the warm weather only 

lasted two days.  I guess that's TN for you... 

This little guy can fall asleep in the most uncomfortable positions:

I know it's really blurry, but I finally got a picture of him "smiling"