Here are some pictures of Venom enjoying his first Kong. Since this was his first time working on this puzzle and he really likes food, I just filled it with kibble.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Kongs and Other Interactive Toys
My dogs love their Kongs! I use Kongs and other interactive toys to offer my dogs some mental stimulation and enrichment. Venom's first Kong was stuffed with kibble which is what I put inside most of my dogs interactive toys, but you can get very creative in how you stuff the Kong. Many people tell me that they got their dog a Kong but the dog "didn't like it". When I ask what they stuffed it with I find they usually put a hard biscuit or two in there which the dog simply didn't feel was worth working for. If I am stuffing a Kong for my senior Chihuahua Chico, who only has two teeth left, I put only kibble in there because it would be too hard for him to get anything else out. If I am filling it for my Dachshunds, I fill it with kibble and then top it off with a little cheese whiz. If I were filling it for a young active dog, like a Labrador puppy, I would fill it with kibble, then top if off with peanut butter and freeze it making it even more challenging which will cause the dog to think more and work harder. For Jenny, my young Basset Hound/Eskimo mix, I use different toys that are a bit harder to get the food out of such as an Atomic Treat Ball or Kong Genius toy because she is young and active and benefits from that puzzle solving work! I also use some of the more challenging Nina Ottoson toys particularly for rainy days when the dogs need to exercise but really can't get out too much.
Here are some pictures of Venom enjoying his first Kong. Since this was his first time working on this puzzle and he really likes food, I just filled it with kibble.
Here are some pictures of Venom enjoying his first Kong. Since this was his first time working on this puzzle and he really likes food, I just filled it with kibble.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Venom Gets a Bath!
Whenever I am raising a new puppy I try hard to make sure that all of their experiences, particularly "first" exposures to certain things are good, fun, happy experiences. This is true for all firsts, getting a bath, going for a car ride, meeting new people, etc.
A few weeks ago I was out of town for a three day training seminar. While at the seminar I received a video on my phone from Rick of Venom getting his first bath. I was a little concerned when I read the text because Rick and I had not discussed how to go about this. Then came the video.... It showed Venom, in the tub clearly uncomfortable, standing there frozen while Rick taped him. I quickly called Rick and proceeded to have a mini meltdown. "What are you doing? He is so afraid!". The truth is he was mildly uncomfortable, not "so afraid". Poor Rick. It wasn't awful but it wasn't how I had planned for it to go. Today, several weeks later I gave Venom his second bath, and I did it my way!
When I give new puppies their first baths it is important for me to make it a positive experience. Here is how I do it. I put some warm water in the tub, about 1/2 way up the puppies legs. Then, I smear peanut butter along the inside of the tub. I put the puppy into the tub and sort of "attach" them to the peanut butter. This does two things, first it gives the puppy something to do while you wash him and second it builds a positive association with the bathtub because he learns bathtubs = peanut butter. I also don't put shampoo on the puppies head for their first bath or two. This is because I want to ease them into being rinsed off. Most dogs and puppies are mostly afraid of the water on their head, by not using shampoo on their heads at first, I don't have to worry about rinsing them and can just run some clear water over their heads. If there is shampoo on their heads I know I will HAVE to rinse it thoroughly, so I save that for later bath lessons! Also, I don't use the sprayer from the shower at first. Eventually I will but for now, I just want to use a large cup and pour the water over.
Venom's second bath was a success! Look at him enjoying the peanut butter while I start washing him! By the way, I say it's his first bath, but it's really his second bath, just his first one with me!
The other day I stacked Venom and we took a few pictures of him. He is currently 12 weeks old and 9.8 pounds.
A few weeks ago I was out of town for a three day training seminar. While at the seminar I received a video on my phone from Rick of Venom getting his first bath. I was a little concerned when I read the text because Rick and I had not discussed how to go about this. Then came the video.... It showed Venom, in the tub clearly uncomfortable, standing there frozen while Rick taped him. I quickly called Rick and proceeded to have a mini meltdown. "What are you doing? He is so afraid!". The truth is he was mildly uncomfortable, not "so afraid". Poor Rick. It wasn't awful but it wasn't how I had planned for it to go. Today, several weeks later I gave Venom his second bath, and I did it my way!
When I give new puppies their first baths it is important for me to make it a positive experience. Here is how I do it. I put some warm water in the tub, about 1/2 way up the puppies legs. Then, I smear peanut butter along the inside of the tub. I put the puppy into the tub and sort of "attach" them to the peanut butter. This does two things, first it gives the puppy something to do while you wash him and second it builds a positive association with the bathtub because he learns bathtubs = peanut butter. I also don't put shampoo on the puppies head for their first bath or two. This is because I want to ease them into being rinsed off. Most dogs and puppies are mostly afraid of the water on their head, by not using shampoo on their heads at first, I don't have to worry about rinsing them and can just run some clear water over their heads. If there is shampoo on their heads I know I will HAVE to rinse it thoroughly, so I save that for later bath lessons! Also, I don't use the sprayer from the shower at first. Eventually I will but for now, I just want to use a large cup and pour the water over.
Venom's second bath was a success! Look at him enjoying the peanut butter while I start washing him! By the way, I say it's his first bath, but it's really his second bath, just his first one with me!
The other day I stacked Venom and we took a few pictures of him. He is currently 12 weeks old and 9.8 pounds.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
A lot of "firsts" this week!
Living with Venom has been exciting and busy! He is doing great and progressing beautifully, he also had several "firsts" this week.
On Thursday I took him with me to the kennel to teach classes so that he could spend some time playing with his brother Slick and sisters Pearl and Stella. It was interesting to see how he interacts with his siblings as opposed to the adult dogs at my house. At home he plays almost constantly with Jenny (1 year), Ribbon (6 years) and Winnie (11 years). He also plays a little bit with Sonic (3 years) and Ivy (14 years). At our house he seems almost relentless sometimes. He is confident and bold. With his littermates however, the dynamics are different and he seemed to feel less confident and bullied at times. I had to hold one of them part of the time so that he felt comfortable. It is probably because they all still live together and play together constantly and quite roughly. The adult dogs at my house temper their play with him and while they can get rough from time to time, they are generally pretty gentle and careful with him. It's fascinating to observe the change in Venom with both groups of dogs. It just confirms the fact that a dog's confidence or lack of it depends not only on him or her but also on the other dogs they are interacting with at the time and the relationship between the other animals involved.
After my two classes were finished, Yvonne, my friend and co trainer decided to do some nose work practice with our own dogs. We did some box work outside (a first for Venom) in the training yard. Yvonne used soft, smelly tripe as the hide. He loved it and confidently and quickly found each hide!
The next day I took him with me to my nose work group practice where I am working with my cattle dog Bill. Venom did several runs there, inside my training building, and was again confident and happy. We finished the morning with a play session with my two friends Kathy and Mary. I love that Venom is happy and outgoing with everyone he meets.
That evening, I got a UPS delivery. As the truck pulled up, I decided to grab Venom and some treats so he could meet the UPS man and have a good experience with a "scary man in a uniform". It went great. He ate cookies and wiggled and happily greeting him!
We are also doing training with him on some basic stuff. I have started leash walking, stacking, sit, recall and name recognition and he is doing really well. I will get some pictures this week!
On Thursday I took him with me to the kennel to teach classes so that he could spend some time playing with his brother Slick and sisters Pearl and Stella. It was interesting to see how he interacts with his siblings as opposed to the adult dogs at my house. At home he plays almost constantly with Jenny (1 year), Ribbon (6 years) and Winnie (11 years). He also plays a little bit with Sonic (3 years) and Ivy (14 years). At our house he seems almost relentless sometimes. He is confident and bold. With his littermates however, the dynamics are different and he seemed to feel less confident and bullied at times. I had to hold one of them part of the time so that he felt comfortable. It is probably because they all still live together and play together constantly and quite roughly. The adult dogs at my house temper their play with him and while they can get rough from time to time, they are generally pretty gentle and careful with him. It's fascinating to observe the change in Venom with both groups of dogs. It just confirms the fact that a dog's confidence or lack of it depends not only on him or her but also on the other dogs they are interacting with at the time and the relationship between the other animals involved.
After my two classes were finished, Yvonne, my friend and co trainer decided to do some nose work practice with our own dogs. We did some box work outside (a first for Venom) in the training yard. Yvonne used soft, smelly tripe as the hide. He loved it and confidently and quickly found each hide!
The next day I took him with me to my nose work group practice where I am working with my cattle dog Bill. Venom did several runs there, inside my training building, and was again confident and happy. We finished the morning with a play session with my two friends Kathy and Mary. I love that Venom is happy and outgoing with everyone he meets.
That evening, I got a UPS delivery. As the truck pulled up, I decided to grab Venom and some treats so he could meet the UPS man and have a good experience with a "scary man in a uniform". It went great. He ate cookies and wiggled and happily greeting him!
We are also doing training with him on some basic stuff. I have started leash walking, stacking, sit, recall and name recognition and he is doing really well. I will get some pictures this week!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
The First Fourth
Venom survived his first Fourth of July!! I was so impressed with him although I am not surprised he did well, he is proving to be a very stable individual. Fireworks are illegal in our city but of course people do what they want and spent half the night setting off super loud bombs and other fireworks. A couple of our dogs were stressed and worried, but not Venom. He slept or played through all of it. I am really happy about that and super proud of him.
No matter what anyone says all individuals are a product of both their genetics and environment. We are doing everything we can to expose Venom to lots of different things in a fun and positive way and I think that will help shape him into a stable, confident, outgoing individual. The other thing we did to ensure a dog with the temperament we want is to choose a puppy from two dogs with stable temperaments.
I met Neena when she was already an adult, about 3 years old. As soon as I met her I could see that she has a very outgoing and sweet temperament. I worked with her only a few times before showing her for the first time and walking away with a major! She is a really great dog and super fun to show. Casey is the same way. Outgoing and friendly with people and other dogs.
No matter what anyone says all individuals are a product of both their genetics and environment. We are doing everything we can to expose Venom to lots of different things in a fun and positive way and I think that will help shape him into a stable, confident, outgoing individual. The other thing we did to ensure a dog with the temperament we want is to choose a puppy from two dogs with stable temperaments.
I met Neena when she was already an adult, about 3 years old. As soon as I met her I could see that she has a very outgoing and sweet temperament. I worked with her only a few times before showing her for the first time and walking away with a major! She is a really great dog and super fun to show. Casey is the same way. Outgoing and friendly with people and other dogs.
Friday, July 1, 2011
First Nose Work Sessions!
After coming home from the K9 Nose Work Instructor Certification training last weekend, I was excited to get Venom started on Nose Work. I videotaped these two runs from his first session ever! I didn't tape the first run, but at least I got these on tape. I love how brave he is with the boxes and how he already trusts his nose!
The Dog Door has been Mastered!
Yesterday, I couldn't find Venom, who had been running around playing with the dogs. I went into the backyard and called him and he came running over. He had went out the dog door! What a smart puppy! When Rick came home I told him and he informed me that he had been teaching Venom to use the dog door each morning.
Today, he went missing again and I looked out the door to find him sitting on a dog bed in the backyard chewing on a Nylabone. What a good boy! Then, he and Jenny were playing with a tug toy. Here are some pictures and a video.
Today, he went missing again and I looked out the door to find him sitting on a dog bed in the backyard chewing on a Nylabone. What a good boy! Then, he and Jenny were playing with a tug toy. Here are some pictures and a video.
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