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...