I said yesterday that I would be delighted if Winnie let me sleep until 6:15am.....well I shouldn't have been so conservative.....should have asked for 7:30am or something. She woke up today and made a comment which I ignored and then she was quiet. I realized that I was ignoring her and sat up in bed which caused more fussing. I got her up and she seemed typically frantic to get out to the yard. I rushed her down the stairs and to the dirt but she ended back up on the cement rolling around and chewing on a piece of salmon skin bone that had adhered itself to her hair. She eventually got around to peeing when I picked her up and put her on the poodle potty spot. She hasn't pooped yet this morning. She also only ate about 1/2 of her breakfast.....I noticed the other day that she seemed awfully skinny so I decided to feed her 10 nuggets a day instead of 8. The last 2 meals she hasn't finished so maybe I will drop her back to 9 nuggets.
Our neighbor has an apple tree that dumps fruit into our yard. Winnie loves the apples and will carry them around either by the stem or like a ball. I am surprised that she will carry something that heavy but she does! She also pounces on them and chases them around as they roll. Quite cute to see!
Dolce wanted to play this morning..... I have to figure out how to trigger his interest in playing after 7am in the morning!
Saturday, August 25, 2007
The loooooooong awaited
second shot (DHPP) was yesterday morning. We drove out to the vet for our 8:10 appointment. All went well and Winnie handled it all in stride though I am anticipating visit #3 will be less composed now that she has an idea of what goes on in these places. The tech was able to weigh her in the small animal/baby animal scale but not for much longer! Winnie weighs 7lbs 2oz!!!!
Her big brother Dolce weighs 7lbs and 6 or 8oz depending.
Our appointment was for her distemper combo shot but while I was there I asked about her itchy ears (waxing and should resolved with ear wash and hair removal) and he goopy eye (minor infection). I have only seen this vet 2x and I really like him but when he told with to hold a warm compress over Winnie's eye (right one) for 3 minutes and then put in a little ointment I laughed out loud at him. We are going to try the compress this morning and I am sorry that no one will be here to enjoy the show! = )
Yesterday Winnie spent the day and my friend's small dog daycare. I am So very lucky to have this gal as a friend...she is a rock star. Apparently Winnie did very well and her bounce back is getting faster.
At work today, when I was floating along because Winnie finally had her 2nd shot and can now venture more places with less risk, Marti was telling me the horror story of her friend's new pup (a recent shelter rescue with 2 DHPPs) contracting parvo. AAAAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhh.
Winnie got to meet MVM today. She greeted him but then went about her business. He hung out with Dolce who LOVES him.
We went out to a bar tonight had intended to bring W but she was sooooo sacked out from her shot and daycare that she fell asleep before finishing her dinner!!!! We left all poodles home.
Her big brother Dolce weighs 7lbs and 6 or 8oz depending.
Our appointment was for her distemper combo shot but while I was there I asked about her itchy ears (waxing and should resolved with ear wash and hair removal) and he goopy eye (minor infection). I have only seen this vet 2x and I really like him but when he told with to hold a warm compress over Winnie's eye (right one) for 3 minutes and then put in a little ointment I laughed out loud at him. We are going to try the compress this morning and I am sorry that no one will be here to enjoy the show! = )
Yesterday Winnie spent the day and my friend's small dog daycare. I am So very lucky to have this gal as a friend...she is a rock star. Apparently Winnie did very well and her bounce back is getting faster.
At work today, when I was floating along because Winnie finally had her 2nd shot and can now venture more places with less risk, Marti was telling me the horror story of her friend's new pup (a recent shelter rescue with 2 DHPPs) contracting parvo. AAAAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhh.
Winnie got to meet MVM today. She greeted him but then went about her business. He hung out with Dolce who LOVES him.
We went out to a bar tonight had intended to bring W but she was sooooo sacked out from her shot and daycare that she fell asleep before finishing her dinner!!!! We left all poodles home.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Top Priority
I have noticed (and been told by others) that one thing that is especially challenging about puppies is the urgency with which everything is supposed to happen.
Top priorities: (all equally important)
In addition to raising a puppy (chosen specifically for performance) we are (in no particular order):
Winnie was an excellent girl yesterday. I had her at work and Dolce at home because Jennifer was coming to take him to the park for some individual attention and fun.
I set Winnie up under my desk and came and went throughout the day. She peed 2x - once on the floor near her pad (a theme really) and 1x on her wool pad which was next to the dog bed that she was napping on.
Tomorrow is the loooooooong awaited 2nd shot. I feel like a 5 y/o waiting for Santa!
So far she has been excellent in the office. She does fuss occasionally when I come in and leave and she has some some real excitement dancing when I come in (which I try desperately to ignore but it is SUPER cute). No body to play with yesterday as Kim is out on vacation.
I took her to the garage with me to get a soda and a snack so that she can see the maintenance area.
When I got home I let them go to the bathroom outside and hang out while I made dinner. In the evening she does racing laps up and down the house. I have been giving her more and more time outside of the pen and keeping an eye on her. So far, so good.
I had to go down to Frank's for yet another meeting and left the dogs upstairs. They did very well(read were quiet and relaxed). I came up to photocopy some paperwork and took W out to potty - she pooped/peed. Good girl!!
She slept well last night and got up at 6am. I took her out to the bathroom and then back to bed for 30 minutes. She fussed loudly for a minute or so then settled until 6:30 when I got her up.
Today we worked on grooming restraint as she is starting to get fussy/fidgeting about restraint.
I worked on:
Top priorities: (all equally important)
- getting her socialized to people/places/things/dogs/puppies/sights/sounds etc
- keeping her healthy
- teaching her to accept grooming
- alone time training
- confinement training
- house-manners training
- house-training
- starting an obedience foundation
In addition to raising a puppy (chosen specifically for performance) we are (in no particular order):
- welcoming new partners to our building,
- working on a re-fi
- keeping our marriage healthy and happy
- working full time (more than full time in Tim's case)
- and keeping our older dog healthy and happy.
Winnie was an excellent girl yesterday. I had her at work and Dolce at home because Jennifer was coming to take him to the park for some individual attention and fun.
I set Winnie up under my desk and came and went throughout the day. She peed 2x - once on the floor near her pad (a theme really) and 1x on her wool pad which was next to the dog bed that she was napping on.
Tomorrow is the loooooooong awaited 2nd shot. I feel like a 5 y/o waiting for Santa!
So far she has been excellent in the office. She does fuss occasionally when I come in and leave and she has some some real excitement dancing when I come in (which I try desperately to ignore but it is SUPER cute). No body to play with yesterday as Kim is out on vacation.
I took her to the garage with me to get a soda and a snack so that she can see the maintenance area.
When I got home I let them go to the bathroom outside and hang out while I made dinner. In the evening she does racing laps up and down the house. I have been giving her more and more time outside of the pen and keeping an eye on her. So far, so good.
I had to go down to Frank's for yet another meeting and left the dogs upstairs. They did very well(read were quiet and relaxed). I came up to photocopy some paperwork and took W out to potty - she pooped/peed. Good girl!!
She slept well last night and got up at 6am. I took her out to the bathroom and then back to bed for 30 minutes. She fussed loudly for a minute or so then settled until 6:30 when I got her up.
Today we worked on grooming restraint as she is starting to get fussy/fidgeting about restraint.
I worked on:
- front leg holds - c/t for not pulling back(and sitting still) and worked up to gently extending her leg. I am really gonna need her cooperation for grooming!)
- gentle muzzle grabs - c/t for a close reach or brief touch. This is tough for her. again the grooming require her cooperation!
- lifting her ear flaps - c/t for sitting still I need to be able to scissor her ears and pull the hair. Yuck!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Some what like a dream.....
I attempted to make my morning blog entry only to find that blogspot.com seemed to be "down". I considered writing my entry and then pasting it in later on but never got around to it. So now my blog is up and running again and I can't remember all that I wanted to write about (like I can't remember my dreams usually).
A few exciting happenings/things:
A few exciting happenings/things:
- Winnie is starting to tell me when she has to go out!!!! Woo Hoo!
- She can now go down the stairs to the garage (as well as up)
- She is able to be out of her pen more and more. I am impressed that she seems to choose her dog beds. She isn't a lap dog like Dolce.
- She gets her 2nd shot at the end of the week. (FINALLY, MY GOD)
- She gets the zooms in the evening and flies up and down the hallway - literally bouncing off of the walls.
- We have been working on her acceptance of face restraint - a necessary evil for clippering, eye washing etc. She is getting better
- She is already very aware of where food comes from. She is eating 7-9 nuggets of Primal a day. This week it is duck and beef. Last week was lamb or chicken.
- She still tries hard to get Dolce to play with her. He hasn't tried to play since Sunday =(
- She woke me up at 5am to go our but then settled quickly and slept until 6am
- We walked to work yesterday - to be specific Dolce and I walked while Winnie rode in the backpack
- She is about the same size as Dolce now....I am curious to hear how much she weighs.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Vague memories
Monday was not a particularly note-able day with the exception of it being the first day of Winnie's first puppy class.
We had a bumpy morning that involved and early bathroom run (5:30) and then more crate time which was unapproved by her highness. Since she had not approved of the extra crate time there was much fussing which caused much grumping from the husband. I eventually managed about another 30 minutes of sleep but as is now normal I spend the rest of the day tired. Sigh.
We did some training until Dolce woke up (the basics)
Masae came over for her 2nd visit p.w. (post Winnie) and while I was outside Dolce really snarked the pup hard! I don't know what happened but I can guess. Masae is one of Dolce's favorite people and he had 1 of his favorite toys with him to greet her (the carrot). Apparently Winnie tried to pick the carrot up....... oops! Perhaps I should pick the carrot up for a while.... and make it disappear.
We went out and ran some errands leaving the dogs home with Tim. It was so hot today that poor Winnie was miserable. She was flopped out on the hard wood floor panting. I turned a fan on for her and pointed it towards her pen. I also hung a sheet to block off some of the sun. My poor "performance pup" can't cope with the heat! She even threw up this afternoon! (No other real signs of illness)
I am wondering if Winnie has allergies like Dolce - her eyes are sometimes a bit runny and her ears itch. It looks like I need to pull a little hair from her ears which will probably help.
When we got back from errands we did some cleaning around the house and walked/carried the dogs down to get the comforter from the dry cleaners. Winnie was very fidgety in her bag but didn't seem distressed by the neighborhood goings on. She peed immediately when we got back to the yard.
Puppy class was fun. Shannon is an excellent trainer. There are several other small breed pups in class which makes me happy. Winnie did well with focus in the beginning but after the first play session her focus turned more and more away from me. She greeted/sniffed the other dogs but no "playing". She also carefully hoovered the classroom so that Shannon wouldn't have to stay late to clean up lost treats. Very thoughtful. I think it would be a good time to teach her a leave it!
In puppy class we worked on gotcha (collar grab), sit, finish, and cradling. Winnie got very frustrated and did an odd bucking bronco routine while Shannon was talking. I was laughing at Winnie and trying to prevent her from distracting anyone...not sure if I was successful or not. I tried to get her to pee on her pad or in the room but she wouldn't.
During the cradle Winnie pitched a fit - she struggled and cried/whined and moaned and groaned.
After class I was certain that she needed to pee so we stayed for the 1st playgroup of the next class (still no luck). Winnie was much more unsure with these bigger/older pups but she bounced back and cruised the room seeking out both people and puppies. She climbed into the arms of a young boy (8?) who was on the floor. The big SPoo pup (6m and huge) scared Winnie and she told her to buzz off....the the pups mom intervened and all was well.
I took Winnie upstairs to the people bathroom where it was more quiet and she pee next to her pad . Grrrrr. At least she didn't pee in her bag!!
I got home and left the dogs in the house while I joined the TIC meeting in progress. Winnie was passed out and Dolce was quiet.
We came back upstairs for a few minutes and then left to get some dinner - the dogs were great.
We had a bumpy morning that involved and early bathroom run (5:30) and then more crate time which was unapproved by her highness. Since she had not approved of the extra crate time there was much fussing which caused much grumping from the husband. I eventually managed about another 30 minutes of sleep but as is now normal I spend the rest of the day tired. Sigh.
We did some training until Dolce woke up (the basics)
Masae came over for her 2nd visit p.w. (post Winnie) and while I was outside Dolce really snarked the pup hard! I don't know what happened but I can guess. Masae is one of Dolce's favorite people and he had 1 of his favorite toys with him to greet her (the carrot). Apparently Winnie tried to pick the carrot up....... oops! Perhaps I should pick the carrot up for a while.... and make it disappear.
We went out and ran some errands leaving the dogs home with Tim. It was so hot today that poor Winnie was miserable. She was flopped out on the hard wood floor panting. I turned a fan on for her and pointed it towards her pen. I also hung a sheet to block off some of the sun. My poor "performance pup" can't cope with the heat! She even threw up this afternoon! (No other real signs of illness)
I am wondering if Winnie has allergies like Dolce - her eyes are sometimes a bit runny and her ears itch. It looks like I need to pull a little hair from her ears which will probably help.
When we got back from errands we did some cleaning around the house and walked/carried the dogs down to get the comforter from the dry cleaners. Winnie was very fidgety in her bag but didn't seem distressed by the neighborhood goings on. She peed immediately when we got back to the yard.
Puppy class was fun. Shannon is an excellent trainer. There are several other small breed pups in class which makes me happy. Winnie did well with focus in the beginning but after the first play session her focus turned more and more away from me. She greeted/sniffed the other dogs but no "playing". She also carefully hoovered the classroom so that Shannon wouldn't have to stay late to clean up lost treats. Very thoughtful. I think it would be a good time to teach her a leave it!
In puppy class we worked on gotcha (collar grab), sit, finish, and cradling. Winnie got very frustrated and did an odd bucking bronco routine while Shannon was talking. I was laughing at Winnie and trying to prevent her from distracting anyone...not sure if I was successful or not. I tried to get her to pee on her pad or in the room but she wouldn't.
During the cradle Winnie pitched a fit - she struggled and cried/whined and moaned and groaned.
After class I was certain that she needed to pee so we stayed for the 1st playgroup of the next class (still no luck). Winnie was much more unsure with these bigger/older pups but she bounced back and cruised the room seeking out both people and puppies. She climbed into the arms of a young boy (8?) who was on the floor. The big SPoo pup (6m and huge) scared Winnie and she told her to buzz off....the the pups mom intervened and all was well.
I took Winnie upstairs to the people bathroom where it was more quiet and she pee next to her pad . Grrrrr. At least she didn't pee in her bag!!
I got home and left the dogs in the house while I joined the TIC meeting in progress. Winnie was passed out and Dolce was quiet.
We came back upstairs for a few minutes and then left to get some dinner - the dogs were great.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Puppy's first party....
Winnie's puppy shower was yesterday the 19th at Shura's. What a great host she is!!!
Winnie had her second bath and nail clip in preparation for her big moment. This was first time that several of my friends had met her!
There was an initial bit of struggle on the nails. The struggle seemed to be more in protest of being on her back than the nail clipping part. She has beautiful shiny thick black nail so I put her on her back as I can then see underneath them when the quick is. My friend Monterey (Jack Cheese) was a big help!
She did pretty well in the bath and was able to eat cheese on a few occasions. It is tough to hold on to a wet puppy and still offer her treats! No pictures because again - wet puppy + camera = bad things. (wet camera, dropped puppy or ???)
I ran her outside after the bath and she barely made it to the dirt before peeing. Good girl Winnie! The blow drying was tricky but we muddled through. The time has come the walrus said......for Mollie to buy a proper grooming set up! I manage to get her mostly dry and brushed out. I did about 15 seconds worth of d/s wit the electric clippers. I intended to clipper her feet but it was obvious that I have some work to do before that can happen. = )
When in doubt - bite at the clippers = ) Dolce and Winnie agree upon something!!!
Deirdre picked us up at 2pm. I had a hard time leaving Dolce behind....not beause I felt badly but because he was barking like a frantic poodle and he dashed out the door. He was determined that I was not leaving without him!!!! Tim was home so I eventually convinced Dolce to make good use of this Tim-Poodle time.
Winnie and I watched her Uncle Clancy practice is out-of-sight stays for AKC Open class. We agreed with him that this particular exercise is out-dated and ridiculous!
Winnie rode in her Sherpa - she has gotten to be quite good (read quiet) in the car) (KNOCK ON WOOD if you are reading this)
We were the first ones to Shura's which was nice for Winnie.
There were quite a few dogs milling about when we arrived - all dogs that Winnie had previously met at Day care. Percy bull-dozed her a few times which upset me but they got into their rhythm. He was very tolerant and let her chew on his ears!
Winnie and her Uncle C did some nice sniffing/greeting. Clancy even tried to play with her a little which was TOO cute.
As more and more dogs arrived I did pick up Winnie a few times. All in all she was wonderful. She seemed to take exception to the 8m old Golden F Dax and the 2? y/o F GSD Brissy. In the end everyone seemed to get things worked out. I was delighted with Winnie's bounce-back and to see her out there hanging out with everyone.
The party was SO fun and we got a ton of amazing gifts!
Let's see if I can remember them all:
Just to make sure I felt like a bad mom Winnie peed in her bag on the way home! She did however poop 2x at Shura's.
She was tired until about 9:30pm..... ah puppies!
I put her to bed at about 10 and she got me up at 5:50am. She pooped/peed and I put her back into her crate with a chew. She fussed for quite a while then settled for about an hour then fussed again. I ended up getting her up at about 7:20am.
I took her out when I took Dolce out but she wouldn't poop/pee. I checked her crate but found no evidence of soiling so she is on puppy lockdown.
Winnie had her second bath and nail clip in preparation for her big moment. This was first time that several of my friends had met her!
There was an initial bit of struggle on the nails. The struggle seemed to be more in protest of being on her back than the nail clipping part. She has beautiful shiny thick black nail so I put her on her back as I can then see underneath them when the quick is. My friend Monterey (Jack Cheese) was a big help!
She did pretty well in the bath and was able to eat cheese on a few occasions. It is tough to hold on to a wet puppy and still offer her treats! No pictures because again - wet puppy + camera = bad things. (wet camera, dropped puppy or ???)
I ran her outside after the bath and she barely made it to the dirt before peeing. Good girl Winnie! The blow drying was tricky but we muddled through. The time has come the walrus said......for Mollie to buy a proper grooming set up! I manage to get her mostly dry and brushed out. I did about 15 seconds worth of d/s wit the electric clippers. I intended to clipper her feet but it was obvious that I have some work to do before that can happen. = )
When in doubt - bite at the clippers = ) Dolce and Winnie agree upon something!!!
Deirdre picked us up at 2pm. I had a hard time leaving Dolce behind....not beause I felt badly but because he was barking like a frantic poodle and he dashed out the door. He was determined that I was not leaving without him!!!! Tim was home so I eventually convinced Dolce to make good use of this Tim-Poodle time.
Winnie and I watched her Uncle Clancy practice is out-of-sight stays for AKC Open class. We agreed with him that this particular exercise is out-dated and ridiculous!
Winnie rode in her Sherpa - she has gotten to be quite good (read quiet) in the car) (KNOCK ON WOOD if you are reading this)
We were the first ones to Shura's which was nice for Winnie.
There were quite a few dogs milling about when we arrived - all dogs that Winnie had previously met at Day care. Percy bull-dozed her a few times which upset me but they got into their rhythm. He was very tolerant and let her chew on his ears!
Winnie and her Uncle C did some nice sniffing/greeting. Clancy even tried to play with her a little which was TOO cute.
As more and more dogs arrived I did pick up Winnie a few times. All in all she was wonderful. She seemed to take exception to the 8m old Golden F Dax and the 2? y/o F GSD Brissy. In the end everyone seemed to get things worked out. I was delighted with Winnie's bounce-back and to see her out there hanging out with everyone.
The party was SO fun and we got a ton of amazing gifts!
Let's see if I can remember them all:
- Shura - an amazing party with all of the fixings - including pink poodle balloons, a full sushi spread and a dog friendly home-made bone shaped carrot cake!!
- Deirdre - a gorgeous pink collar, salmon oil (she Winnie doesn't grow up dumb), rawhide flips (very popular around here) beef chews, and a strawberry cookie cutter (metal article training)
- Tammy - Very yummy beef jerky chews and fabulous handmade poodle themed greeting cards
- Natalie - 2 big bully sticks and a nice bottle of wine for me
- Amy - 4 bully sticks, a flossie, a barking stuffed dogs and 2 fur mice
- Cerena - a photo bracelet so that I can torment people with pictures of my dogs, a kong (from Cerena or Melody? I combined the gifts into 1 bag and not I am not sure - dumb!), a tricky treat ball (see after Kong), a Winnie-the-Pooh stuffy with a visor that fits my Winnie, portable dog bowls, and a choke chain.
- Melody - Sojos Apple dumpling dog cookies (they smell AMAZING and Dolce will not stop targeting the box (nose and paw) and offering downs to it), and 2 small crazy squeaky dog balls!
- Aryn - a gorgeous flowery, girlie collar
- I hope I am not forgetting anything!
Just to make sure I felt like a bad mom Winnie peed in her bag on the way home! She did however poop 2x at Shura's.
She was tired until about 9:30pm..... ah puppies!
I put her to bed at about 10 and she got me up at 5:50am. She pooped/peed and I put her back into her crate with a chew. She fussed for quite a while then settled for about an hour then fussed again. I ended up getting her up at about 7:20am.
I took her out when I took Dolce out but she wouldn't poop/pee. I checked her crate but found no evidence of soiling so she is on puppy lockdown.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
A list of stuff
Things from last night and this morning.....
- We met our new neighbors - Teddy & Mona the pugs. They are both mellow old pugs 9 and 14 respectively. Initially Winnie cried and hid underneath me but then she greeting and attempted to play with them. Both of them tolerated her advances very well.
- She slept from about 10:30pm-6:40am this morning! I checked her crate 2x to see if she had soiled it but found no evidence.
- Poodles really like to have something in their mouths - both dogs are running around the house carrying various toys/bones.
- Winnie has the most incredible variety of vocalizations
- I did a shaping session this morning - nose targeting a stick (very early baby dumbbell)
- Winnie is getting quite fast at her position changes though stand from a sit is still sloppy. I am struggling to teach her to kick her back legs out rather than having her walk forward into the stand.
- Dolce really, really wants to play with her (in the morning outside). He tried to play with her this morning but he was so loud that I had to make him stop. It was 7:00 AM on a Sunday morning!
- We did our second nail clipping this morning. I did Dolce's nails first and then Winnie's. She struggled for a few seconds when I put her down on her back but I got through all of her nails with very little hassle/effort. (And I didn't quick her!!!)
- I can't believe how big she is getting......
- Today is the puppy party!!!!!!!!!!
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