Just pictures...

Found some of those pictures I was looking for the other day...

Here they are playing with the cat:

... and posing with that silly ball:

Summer fun

My dogs are so weird. We just had about a week of a major heat wave, so we've been spending a lot of time inside. Between entertaining the little one, and trying to keep the dogs occupied, it's been pretty busy. They've fallen in love with a stupid orange road hockey ball, and would fetch it the entire day if I let them. Unless we physically hide the ball somewhere they can't get it when we're done playing, they will grab it like half an hour later and drop it at our feet. Not just once, but repeatedly, until we pick it up and either play again or put it away. Alexandra gets a kick out of watching them race up the hall and back, usually with the ball, but sometimes they have such a wrestle trying to get it from one another they end up coming back without it.

They learned fetch quite a while ago, but with most things they get bored after four or five throws. Even if we're alone at the dog park, they'll only chase a stick or frisbee or whatever for a minute or two. When there are other dogs that are playing fetch, Ace and Nova will chase the dogs, but don't care much about the ball. It's bizarre. I mean, I know they're herding dogs, and aren't really meant to be fetching anyway, but I guess that's what makes it even more strange.

They're also in love with this silly rope toy we got for them for Christmas for a dollar. They originally had two of them, but munched one to bits, and they've got about half of the other one left. If I'd known it'd be such a hit, I would have picked up a few more. But between that and the ball, and wrestling, and of course lots of naps, they seem to be doing pretty well.

I'm up to a foot at a time when I trim their nails. Still lots of treats and partying after, but it's a heck of a lot better than a nail at a time. Nova was going to go for a bath last weekend, but we had some car issues as described in my other blog, so that's going to have to wait a bit. If he does well, and it doesn't seem too 'scary', I'll take Ace later. They're mostly done shedding, so I figured if we do the bath thing now, it'll get rid of the last of the old undercoat and maybe they'll look pretty a little longer. If there's one thing that impresses me about their long hair, it's that it seems to stay surprisingly clean. Even their white parts... I've had them run through the mud and get all gloppy, but once it dries, it seems to brush right out.

I'll see if I can find some pictures, not sure if they're on this computer or mine...

Good days

I must say, I'm extremely proud of Nova. I mean, I love Ace too, but I managed to take Nova out for a whole day, and he behaved himself. There was a big caching event at the beginning of the month, and my dad and I were planning to go. I figured Nova likes people, he likes dogs, he likes caching... and since Ace definitely gets a no on crowds of people, and a sort of on dogs, he stayed home with husband.

It was a bit of a drive to get there, so I put his seatbelt on him, but about halfway there, I peeked around and he'd wiggled out somehow. I swear, he really is too smart for me. He was very excited when we got out of the car, and ran around sniffing everything. There wasn't really much to see at first, a lot of people beat us there, so we had to walk to get to the registration and everything. He was allowed inside, which was nice, and we met lots of other dogs. Dad and I attended a seminar, during which Nova sat at my feet patiently while I occasionally offered him a bit of kibble. Then we were off to find the caches! We didn't get too far before lunch, so Nova still had quite a bit of energy, but all things considered, he was pretty good. I had him attached to my belt since it was a little hard to hold him and my Legend, and sign logbooks all at once. But he was happy to meet people, and patient while we were searching (some of those caches were pretty small!), and was good and tired at the end of the day. Of course, so was I, but that's beside the point.

I felt bad about not bringing Ace, but he wouldn't have liked it, and spent half the day behind my legs, so hopefully he understands. I try to make it up to him by letting him come with me on less interactive outings. They're both good boys, they're just not into the same things. More fun for me, I guess...

Nova at the easiest to find, and most creative cache of our day (the log was in the printer)

Pictures and stuff

Such happy doggies. They've been pretty good lately, loving Alexandra, hardly barking in the house, playing with the cat. They have new bowls now, so we're trying to get them to eat out of separate ones before Nova starts on his new food. I picked a Wellness weight control for him, because it seemed to have the best cost vs. amount to feed ratio in a lower calorie form. The food they're on has a weight control formula, but for some reason the package states that for his weight, I'd have to feed him more of it than he gets of the regular food. That's just to lose a couple pounds, never mind what he'd be eating to maintain his weight later. It made absolutely no sense to me, and would be way more expensive, so we'll just go with the one I understand.

Other than that, everything's pretty much the same. The weather's nicer, Nova's starting to walk better with me, and I'm hoping soon I'll be able to take everybody for a walk together without losing my sanity.

Hooray for the vet

Ha ha, never thought that would be the general consensus. That is why I love our vet though... happy dogs = happy mom. Ace was even a runner up in the clinic photo contest. His picture's right up there on the wall. The girls were all excited to point it out to me when I walked in, although it took me a minute to figure out what they were trying to show me. They were also impressed that both Ace and Nova are social, I guess they have a lot of one Sheltie families, and their dogs are more reserved.

They're both healthy, although Nova's getting a little on the big side. He's definitely bigger than Ace to begin with, but while Ace is right where he should be at 30 pounds, Nova's coming in at just over 42. The vet suggested we try finding a food that's a little lighter on calories, so that's my mission for this week. Also, we've got to do a little more work on their teeth, as they're starting to get some build up right at the back. Hopefully they'll be less upset about that than their nails. After their shots, they both got all their nails done, then had their heartworm tests. Nova had to get a little patch shaved on his leg, I guess he was just too fuzzy for them to be able to get the needle in right.

I thought all the shots would slow them down a bit for the evening, but it didn't seem to have any effect on them. We took a little drive before we came home to visit a friend of mine that I haven't seen in a while. They were more than welcome in the house, but Nova pulled out one of his ancient tricks and waited about ten seconds after petrifying the cats before peeing on a rug. Fortunately my friend was very forgiving and we cleaned up pretty quick. The boys got to explore the deck for a few minutes before coming back in for snuggles and a nap. When they needed to go back out, we took them for a walk around the neighbourhood and they got to go for a good run out by the water. Ace was even enjoying some rock climbing, which he used to be far too afraid to even try. Nova just jumps on everything, so it wasn't anything new for him.

We had a good visit, unfortunately I don't have any pictures, but here's the one that I submitted for the photo contest that's now on the vet's wall:

Snow is gone!

The weather is getting nicer, and the snow is finally gone. It was 28 yesterday! I've been trying to get the boys all brushed up and pretty for summer, but Ace is not a big fan of standing still and being brushed for more than about a minute. I got him settled on the couch yesterday and he let me do one side, but when I tried to flip him over, he pounced off the couch and went looking for his ball. Ah well... guess I'll just have to keep doing a little bit at a time. Nova's always very cooperative, he'd probably let me brush him all day if I felt like it. They're starting to shed again, the BIG shed, so I'm trying to brush lots instead of having cat sized fur balls all over the carpet. Nova always looks smaller after a good brushing, he's definitely got a lot of fluff.

Tomorrow's our big vet day... time for checkups and shots. Luckily I've never had a problem with them getting upset there, so I don't anticipate anything too crazy. I'm hoping maybe it'll be nice out (it's raining today) so we can do some caches on the way back. I guess a little rain never hurt anybody though. We'll see how the boys are feeling. Ace was pretty tired after their last shots, but I think they'd appreciate a hike anyway.

Who's Lassie?

I know it's been a while, but the doggies are good. It's just been people stuff getting in the way. They're happy because husband has been on nights, so they get to sleep with me. Ace usually snuggles up right beside me, then Nova keeps my feet warm. Somehow it makes me feel better about him not being here.

They're enjoying the fact that the snow is almost gone, in the yard at least. Now that it's getting warmer, we'll be able to spend more time outside. The only frustrating part is that now when they look out the window, people are always walking by. They couldn't see most of them when the snow was there because the bank was too high. So Ace gets upset because he thinks people are coming too close to our 'house'. Nova doesn't really seem to care, he just likes laying by the window and watching them. They just really don't like it if other dogs are on the lawn. I didn't realize just how many dogs there are here. Almost every day, I see a new one. Yesterday there was a big goldendoodle. Very cute. I like big dogs.

I had to laugh the other evening though... I took the dogs out after dinner, and they were sniffing around. I have to watch them pretty carefully because there's somebody above us that thinks it's fun to drop their cigarette butts off the balcony, and the last thing I need is one of the dogs eating them. But anyway, Nova's about halfway out to the parking lot, 10 feet or so, and from above I hear 'Lassie! Lassieeeee! Hey Lassie!' This little boy was trying to get his attention, I guess. Sigh. Nova didn't even look up, although I guess if somebody was calling me Brandon or something, I wouldn't pay much attention either. I came in and told husband, and I thought he was going to fall off the couch laughing. It was an amusing moment.

Pictures

Went on a caching adventure with the puppies yesterday. I was even smart enough to bring the real camera this time... enjoy.

Ace and Nova, in to something on the trail

Nova, acting all pretty

Ace, probably watching the sun go down

Feeling better

Ace seems to be getting back to his normal self. He's back to 'licky monster' mode, and playing lots with Nova. Everything's going well on the digestive front, and he's back to his regular food. I'm hoping it warms up this afternoon so we can go out. I know Nova's been a little pouty with all the attention Ace has been getting, and a good outside romp will be fun for them.

Between husband and I, we managed to get six of Nova's nails clipped yesterday. I did two during the day with him laying on the couch beside me, then husband did a foot after work. Man, did we throw him a party. Happy voices, lots of pats, two cookies... I'm hoping he gets the point. I don't think he's ever going to enjoy it, but at least if we can get him to tolerate it with minimal flailing, I'll be happy. With any luck, they won't ever have to be away from us so long again. Poor puppies.


It's going to be fun watching Alexandra grow up with the boys. They're so gentle with her, it's almost like they understand that she's just a baby. She's grabbed their neck fur a couple of times, and they just sit patiently until I pry her fingers away. They give her a kiss, and then they're off playing again. It's cute. They should be great friends.

Antibiotics

The doggies and I went on a hike on Monday. It was actually more like a caching adventure, but since I only managed to find one cache, it felt more like just a hike. Ace and Nova were both super excited to be out. It's been a little messy with the melting, but I don't really mind the mud as long as they're having fun. I guess it was an odd way to spend Family Day, since husband was at home with Alexandra, but either way, it was fun.

The boys encountered a snowmobile for the first time... fortunately he was wise enough to slow down, as the trail was only about 10 feet wide. I'd thought we'd be pretty safe since the snowmobile trails are supposed to be closed because of the warm weather, but I could be wrong. They took it fine though, and sat with me on the edge of the trail until he passed.

That first trail we were on is actually an old rail bed, so it's raised a bit, and normally there's water on either side. I could see the ice was about 2 inches thick in the spots where it was broken, and there didn't really seem to be any water underneath. Even so, I was a little concerned when Nova jumped the little bank. No need to worry though, I had to laugh at him and wish I'd had the camera out. His four little legs were going everywhere at once until finally he got them steady and he just looked at me like 'what now, Mom?'. He posed for a minute, then jumped the bank again and was off after Ace like nothing had happened. Silly dogs.

Unfortunately, I think Ace must have gotten into something bad while we were out. I woke up yesterday morning to a huge mess in their pen... runny poop everywhere, and a startling number of blood spots. I hurried them outside, where I discovered Ace was covered in bits of poop as he proceeded to make another runny little puddle, while Nova had a regular old poop. I cleaned up as much as I could, and we made our way inside. I cleaned out the pen with a ridiculous amount of spray and paper towels while trying to decide my best course of action.

When I talked to the vet, I explained that we were now living an hour away, and asked if I'd be better off to take them to my mom's vet here. She asked how he was acting, and I told her he was pretty normal, other than not really wanting to play with Nova. Interested in food and water, and following me around. Basic Ace behaviours. She gave me an appointment for right after lunch, and said to call right away if he started acting different or vomiting. He made the poo sample sort of easy for me, except that it was on the carpet and the consistency of a raw egg. It came out of the carpet easily though, and at least I knew it was really fresh.

He was fine on the car ride over, and I waited for a bit outside first to see if he needed to potty, then in the waiting room as we were pretty early. They had two scheduled surgeries in the morning, plus three emergencies, so I was expecting we might have to wait a little but figured if anything changed it was better to be there than still here. Luckily he loves all the girls at the vet, so he wasn't as shy as usual. That's pretty much why we still have the same vet even though we moved - I'm comfortable with everybody there, and more important, the dogs are happy.

After checking Ace out, the vet went to have a look at his sample and found some bacterial growth and some bits of white plastic. Something is bothering his colon, so she put him on some antibiotics. It should go away unless he gets an obstruction, so I've got my fingers crossed. The girls were kind enough to trim up his bum so it'd be easier to clean him up, and they even did his nails which I felt bad about because he struggles so much lately. They really are wonderful.

He's been better since we've come home, playing more and less frequent poops. He doesn't even fuss about taking his pills. It's just nice to have my dog. I was worried they'd have to do surgery, or he'd have to stay overnight or something. I do freak out too much about things, but it was pretty scary. I'm glad Nova's been okay too, because he did have a runny poop after I left yesterday, and husband was sort of wishing I'd taken both dogs, just in case.

Hopefully soon everything will be back to normal!

Out and about

It's been a long couple of weeks (again). I've been alternating taking the dogs out, partly because it's good for them to be separated once in a while, and partly because their differing 'interests' make it difficult for them both to have fun doing the same thing. The dog park is fine for Ace occasionally, but he often decides that he'd rather just hang out by me, and that sort of defeats the purpose of going. Nova, however, loves it, whether there's other dogs there or not. The forest is tough for Nova though, because he wants to be everywhere at once, and I can't let him off leash because I know as soon as he sees someone, he'll take off. Ace runs right back to me, so it's pretty safe for him. So Nova gets the dog park, Ace gets the forest.

The other day, there was nobody else at the dog park, so I had to keep Nova busy. It had gotten cold again, so there was lots of that chunky snow. He'll chase that stuff all day, so I'd toss a piece one way, then as he was running back to me, I'd toss one the opposite way. Kept him running, and he loved it. I felt bad because he really enjoys playing with other dogs, although he does tend to get a little carried away with the barking. It was fun watching him though, he's just so happy when he's running. I wanted to get a picture of him in the snow with his tongue hanging out, but it just didn't work out. This was the best I got (the pictures are kind of crappy today because I only had my phone camera, and it's been acting up lately):


I sometimes think Ace doesn't really care where we are or what we're doing, as long as he's with me. It sounds pretty cheesy, but that's just the way he is. Especially when it's just the two of us, he's extremely attentive and will do pretty much anything I ask of him. Almost. I was trying to get him to put his paws up on the logs, and he did repeatedly, but again, the phone camera was having issues, and he got impatient. Not that I blame him. We've had good times though.


Of course, at the end of the day, there's nothing better than a good snuggle in the people bed with Mom. They're not allowed up very often because of husband's allergies, but as long as they behave, I sometimes let them have a nap with me.


It's not very often that they actually snuggle together like this, I usually end up with Nova warming my feet and Ace against my chest. I'm going to try and get the real camera cleaned up this week so I can get some more decent pictures. The memory cards are pretty full, and I don't like deleting from the cards until I have the pictures backed up off the computer as well. I'm pretty sure I have at least enough for another CD by now. The weather's supposed to be nice the next couple of days, so hopefully we can get out lots.

Back to the blog!

It's been a busy couple of weeks. We randomly decided to go on a road trip, then husband's been sick for a week. It's been interesting trying to both take care of everybody and keep them entertained. All things considered, the dogs have been very well behaved. I took them out to the forest again on Sunday, where they proceeded to almost drag me down the first hill, then when I got to a clearing with some good visibility, I unleashed them and they wouldn't go more than 10 feet from me! Silly dogs.

I did finally get them playing and they got a fairly good run in. I wanted to take them to the dog park, but because it was so nice out, there were a lot of people there and I didn't want to get upset. I enjoy the forest, but because it's a multi use type deal with skiers and snowshoers, people pop up unexpectedly and the last thing I need is for Nova to decide he wants to go home with somebody else. Ace has been much more reserved around people lately, but he tends to express his stress by barking and although I know it's harmless, other people might not see it the same way. At least the dog park and forest are close to each other, so it's not a big deal to drive by the park and scope out the situation before I decide where to go.

I need to find 6 foot leashes... all I can find around here is 5 feet, and although they're fine when I've got the dogs walking next to me, on a single file path I end up tripping on whoever's right in front of me if they stop. I'm hoping to make a trip down to Petsmart in the next week or two, but I can't handle Alexandra and the dogs on that kind of an outing yet, so I'll need husband either to come with me or stay home with her. I want to pick out a couple of new toys... the boys didn't really get anything for Christmas other than finally being able to come home, so most of their old toys are getting pretty worn out, and they especially need some new chewies.

As you can see, both Ace and Nova take their 'protecting' jobs seriously... lol

Ace's barking at home is much better. He does have the occasional random outburst, but it's usually at either a strange loud sound or another dog barking in the hall. He seems to be understanding that if we're not worried about the noise, he probably doesn't need to be either. I had to laugh the one day... we met the superintendants on the way out for a walk, and the wife didn't even realize we had dogs! The husband joked with me that I didn't need to be worried about barking if it took her three weeks to notice they were here. I was rather relieved. It's nice that they have a dog and have dealt with separation anxiety as well, so they understand what we've been through and why I get anxious about it.

I'm going to try and get some fun pictures this week. I had Ace and Nova out in our 'yard' yesterday, which is basically about a 5' by 10' patch of grass (snow at the moment) beyond our porch and they loved it. Normally I just have them out there for potty breaks, but it was nice and I let them play in the snow for a bit. They wrestled and pounced and dove into the snowbank. I know they miss their old yard where I could just let them out to play whenever they wanted, but our little patch is better than nothing I guess. We could live upstairs and only have a balcony.

Nova's been playing with Annie a lot. I'm so glad that when we went to rescue a cat we picked her. She was so patient with them as little puppies, and they learned very quickly that when she's done playing, she's done. They sometimes look rough together, but they both love it. I would be thrilled to get some pictures of the two of them, but it happens so fast that I'd pretty much have to have the camera on and ready. Maybe that'll be my challenge for the next week or so.

It's almost warm!

Ace giving Alexandra kisses

It's not above 0 yet, but it's warmer and we've gotten a bunch of snow in the past two days. The dogs love it. They were so excited to go to the park, even though it doesn't appear to be maintained in the winter and we probably got more exercise just struggling through knee deep snow to make it to the gate, which doesn't quite close any more. All the tennis balls are now buried somewhere, so we couldn't play fetch or anything, but they enjoyed the run. I felt a lot better too, I hate being cooped up inside so much. I kicked snow for them, and they wrestled a lot, so they ended up all wet. I can't help but laugh though, they look so funny all covered in snow. Ace is okay until the snow starts getting stuck in his feet, then it's time to go home.

I'm trying to get them used to having their feet handled so I can trim their hair and nails again, but since it wasn't done while they were gone, I'm pretty much back to where I started. Luckily husband's on board with that one, he gently touches and holds each paw while they're snuggling on the couch. I want to take them in for a good grooming, but I'm afraid they'd be a lot of trouble when it came time for the feet, and I'd hate for somebody else to have to deal with a problem I guess I inadvertently caused.

I had a scare the other day, I was taking pictures up on the couch when the fire alarm went off. Alexandra wasn't exactly dressed for the cold, and I certainly wasn't. Then I started freaking out because even assuming I could get us ready, there was still the dogs, the cat, and Jack (he's our guinea pig). I snapped the dogs' leashes on while I was putting Alexandra in the car seat, but couldn't find Annie, and seriously, what would I even do with Jack? Luckily it was a false alarm and by the time I had Alexandra ready to go, everything was back to normal. It got me thinking though... if I was struggling that much when I was actually here, what would have happened if it was real and I wasn't here? The superintendents obviously know we have pets, but so do half the people here. If someone were to open the door, Annie could run, but the dogs are in their pen when I'm gone, so somebody would actually have to come in to save them. The only suggestion I've really had was to put a sign on the doors so people would know they're in here. Hopefully it'll never be an issue, but it certainly made me think. I always want my animals to be safe.

I didn't really get much accomplished in the picture taking department. Despite being stuck inside, I was surprisingly busy. I did get this one of poor Nova though, I need to get some of him playing or something... he always looks so sad...

And his favourite lazy day activity

Pictures

Nova and Ace hanging out in the doorway

This is the best one I've had of Ace in quite a while

So cold

I did take the dogs out the other day. I figured with the forecast for this week, we were going to be spending a lot of time inside, so that was our big 'pre-cold' trip. I'm assuming the area is popular with snowshoers because the paths were great. We tried to take a little side trip because I thought while I was out I might as well see if I could find a cache, but when I stepped off the path, the snow was up past my knees and the boys weren't too thrilled. I decided it was smarter to wait for another day, and just stay on the path. I felt a little bad for Ace since Nova tends to be a path hog. This time of year, it's really only wide enough for one, so Ace alternated between being right in front of me and hanging out behind me. They were very well behaved though, I was proud of them. They haven't been out on leashes much since we moved, except to pee, so I was worried they might pull my arm off, but they seem to be getting better. As long as they had fun, I guess that's all that matters.

It's -30 today. If I wanted Arctic air, I'd have moved to the Arctic. It's supposed to stay cold until Saturday. I guess that means indoor entertainment is going to be the priority. Thankfully Ace and Nova both like the clicker, so we get the added bonus of learning and playing at the same time. I have to hide it from husband though... he doesn't seem quite convinced yet of it's usefulness, and keeps wanting to click it himself. I'm trying to work on some different tricks, because if they learn something really cool, maybe he'll stop thinking I'm nuts. Nova's getting pretty good at the paw shake. He's actually highly entertaining... I don't know if I'm understanding him better or what's going on, but he's been very good for me the last little while. Much more obedient than he used to be. I guess I'm just especially appreciative because he's the one I picked, and I sometimes wonder what 'Chomper' is like now. Chomper was the blue merle I was attached to until the day we had to decide which two puppies we were taking. I got nervous because they had nicknamed him Chomper because he was always chewing on everything. Of course, I know now that's normal, and he probably would have been fine for me. It would just be interesting to see what he's like and if he's that different from Nova.

I might do more pictures today too. I have so many of Alexandra, I think I've been slacking off a little on the dogs. Plus I want to play with some more of my camera features. I bought it because there's so much you can do with it, yet I only use a fraction of the things it's capable of. Besides, it's fun getting down on their level and trying to catch whatever it is they're doing.

Surprisingly, Nova's the one that doesn't mind posing for pictures. If I were to separate the individual pictures I have of the dogs, I probably have twice as many of Nova. Ace just isn't a big fan of sitting still when he knows the camera's out. I guess I can't blame him, I don't exactly love having my picture taken, but it would be nice to get some good shots of him. He's just not very patient, so if I don't get it on the first try, by the time I'm ready for another one, he's across the room doing something else.

Nova's shedding like crazy again. It's funny when he gets up and, where there was just nice carpet before, there's a big ball of fluff. At least when it's in those big clumps, it's easy to pick up. I'd hate to have to get the vacuum out every five minutes. They're okay with it though, I was worried that since we've never had carpet before, at least one of them would throw a hissy fit when I started up the vacuum, but they don't really even care.

We've been to the dog park a few times this week. It's a bit of a challenge these days because here it's at the back of the regular park, and the park isn't exactly maintained in the winter. The first day the path was pretty much all ice... the dogs didn't care, but I was almost on my head a few times. The dog park is double gated, but the first gate is now frozen open, and the second is getting harder and harder to shut. They love to just run though, and that's the only place they're allowed to do it. I think the next time we go, I'll take some extra bags though... I'd like to think that the empty bag dispenser is the only reason people aren't cleaning up after their pets. It's going to be a mess in the spring when all the snow melts.

I must admit, it's nice to have the park to ourselves... when we were taking them right after this particular park opened in late summer, I wasn't super impressed. The people park is lovely, just created in a new subdivision, which is obviously mostly young families. Unfortunately, some people seem to think it's okay to send their dogs to the dog park with like five year old kids without supervision. Either that or they think it'll be fun for the kids to play with dogs, so they show up and don't even have a dog. So you get parents complaining because their kid is racing around screaming and the dogs get upset. My dogs shouldn't have to be 'punished' by having to leave just because people don't get that the dog park is for dogs. Ace and Nova aren't running around barking because they want to bite children. That's just what they do when they're playing. As far as I know, that's not inappropriate behaviour for a dog in a dog park. I'm pretty sure the parents wouldn't be too happy if I let my dogs play on the kids equipment. In fact, I'm almost positive they'd tell the three of us to take a hike. Or direct us to the dog park. Guess I'm going to have to work up some guts for the summer. I'll admit though, there were a few times it was a lot of fun. It really depends on who's there though... I don't think Ace's 'racism' was helped the other day when a big boxer showed up and promptly pounced both him and Nova. Nova probably would have been fine if it had just been the once, but when he came back for more, I didn't want them upset, so we left. I was disappointed because there was a shy dog there and she had just been starting to get comfortable with the boys, even giving Ace a little play bow. Hopefully she didn't get traumatized after we left.

There's a forest I might start taking the dogs to... my dad and I went hiking there a lot, and there are good trails. I think they'd like it, they just won't like having to stay on their leashes. I haven't been there a lot in winter though, so I'm not sure how well it's used and if the paths would be pounded down enough for me to not get too lost. Guess that's what I've got my Legend for though... thank goodness for GPS. Maybe we'll try that this afternoon if it's not too cold.

Success

We ended up going out on Saturday to get husband his new phone. I was extremely worried about it, and freaked out for about the first hour... until I was pretty much driving him nuts and gave up on it. We were gone about three hours, and when we got back, the superintendent was out in the hall. Husband went to talk to him while I came in and got the little one settled. When he came back, he said nobody heard anything while we were gone. I know there's going to be the odd bark here and there - they are Shelties, after all - but I was very proud of them. It's a good feeling.

Husband thinks that maybe while we're here, they're trying to be protective, but when there's no people, they're okay as long as nothing is actually bothering them. Ace is still a little barky when we're here, but Nova's a lot more laid back now. Overall, I'm just glad I can leave the house for a bit without having a hissy fit.

They're doing very well with Alexandra too. They'll come over to say good morning, and give her little kisses throughout the day, but otherwise, they basically leave her alone. Even if she cries, it doesn't seem to bother them. It's just good to have everybody home together.

Baby steps

Yesterday was a little rough. But I did have a couple of good things where the dogs are concerned. When I was going out to check the mail, I said bye to them, put them in their pen, ignored them for a few minutes, and left. The mailbox is just around the corner, but I took my time. I went to our box and said hi to a guy that was standing there. I got the mail, which was less like mail, more like a Subway flyer. I pondered it for a while. I watched two people get off the elevator, desperately struggling with all their recycling... dragging a big box of cardboard, arms full of other random recyclables. The superintendant came down and offered to help them (which really, by that time, I should already have done). Shockingly, the one thing I didn't hear was barking. Impressive. I mean, yes, it was only five minutes, but it's not like nothing happened right outside our door in those five minutes. It had all the elements of a typical bark trigger... people talking, keys, things falling on the floor. I was very proud. Not that it made me want to run right out and go shopping or anything, but it made me feel a little better. There's hope for us yet.

We played some clicker games. I'm trying to get them to understand 'look'. At times, they're much more interested in the clicker than whatever it is I'm doing. But that's okay for now, we're all still learning, and I'd rather have them looking at the clicker than worrying about whatever noises are out in the hall. We'll be okay once I get better at it. I'm still convinced that Nova is too smart for me, and I think that comes off occasionally as boredom on his part. I'm having fun though, so we'll just keep working on it.

Ace meeting Alexandra, after he'd finished licking her hand

A new year...

I've never really been into the whole resolution thing, but occasionally I try to come up with some anyway. You never know, at some point one or two might actually work out for me. I was checking on Dogster and these were the goals we made for last year:

For Nova:
1- Let mommy clip his nails without daddy having to hold him
2- Learn to come to a whistle (so the neighbours don't know every time he's disobedient... bol)
3- Bond more with both mommy and daddy

For Ace:
1- Learn to be more confident without Nova around
2- Kiss when asked and in moderation, instead of every time (and for as long as) somebody is sitting still

For both:
1- More reliable house training so they can stay in the kitchen uncrated while we're at work
2- Walking more gently on the leashes

So, for Nova, he learned he should come when I whistle, although depending on what he's doing, he doesn't always listen. He snuggles more with us, and I think the two weeks we had him without Ace were good, but he's still generally his independent self. The nail clipping is going to have to be an ongoing thing. Not only is he still miserable about it, he's got Ace doing it too.

Ace is much better with the kissing thing, although occasionally he'll forget and just lick until we stop him. His confidence is a little better, but it still depends on the situation and the people around. Yesterday we met two people out in the hall on our way to the park, and he would not come out from behind me. He is much better with children though, he'll sit to be petted, and is sometimes even excited to see them coming.

In general, I'm just glad there's been improvement. Walks are a work in progress. Individually, they're not too bad, but together, a walk is more like a race. They are house trained now though... except for a few marking incidents (embarassingly enough in other people's houses) before they were neutered, they haven't had an issue with that since probably about March. If only I could get Nova to stop searching for any bit of carpet when he's going to throw up...

So for this year, we're going to keep it simple. I'm going to read more books about dogs and training so that I can understand them better and make our training easier on all of us. I'm going to learn as much as I can about clicker training because I think it will work for them. And as our daughter gets older, I'm going to teach her about being good to animals and acting appropriately around them so that she can grow up with the dogs and cat safely.

I want to take an obedience class with Nova, I think it will help our relationship a lot. I think a lot of the time I'm not as strong as he needs me to be in order for us to work well together. I would also like to get him involved in the community. It would be really cool for him to be a therapy dog, but realistically, that is going to be a two or three year goal. He loves people, and it would be great to be able to use that to make other people happy. I guess for this year, I'll settle for improving our relationship and educating both of us so we can work toward that.

I need to teach Ace about when it's appropriate to bark. I've had lots of suggestions from the good people at Dogster, so if one thing doesn't work, I've got plenty of backup ideas. I'm hoping that's more of a short term thing though, so for the rest of the year, I want to teach him new things with the clicker. He's happy just to be where I am, so I want to use that time to our advantage.

I guess that's about it. Much longer than I intended it to be, but maybe that's a good thing. They always say you have a better chance of getting things accomplished if you write them down or tell somebody else about them. I suppose blogging about them is a little bit of both...