Jenn's vacation at Brosnan Forest

While Jenn is away, I'm staying at Bed and Bone with Big Sandy. I am so jazzed about getting to sniff and wiggle my butt at all the other puppies here. I will be happy to see Jenn and Eric! Bernie is staying with Laura, Anthony and Mona, so I miss him too. I can't imagine what is so interesting without me on the trip. I would have certainly made things even more enjoyable. Anyway, Jenn says that she is enjoying herself biking, hiking, and boating in Brosnan Forest in South Carolina. She says Brosnan Forest is a very special place to see herons, egrets, etc. They have two nesting pairs of bald eagles and many other types of birds including the endangered red cockaded woodpecker. The only puppies allowed are the 50 dogs used to assist in turkey and deer hunts during hunting season. The dogs are very well cared for by their trainer named Mike. He and Jenn talked about dog training and she saw pointers, Brittney spaniels, English setters, Llewellyn setters, and wired haired pointers. The dogs are chosen for their individual hunting abilities and their strong desire to work with people. They are all well socialized, healthy, and love to work. Jenn was very impressed. She's going to post some pictures when she gets back.

I'm nine months old and thinking outside the box

I could just roll over with excitement! I am nine months old today and I am so proud to say that I'm sleeping outside my crate at night. Jenn says that I've earned more freedom and as long as I'm a good puppy, I can continue to sleep in their bedroom on the floor. I'm going to try my best to not get into things that aren't mine and hold my bladder all night long. Jenn says that even though I look all grown up, she and Eric still need to help me make decisions and provide guidance because I am an adolescent, not yet an adult. Be careful not to give your puppy more responsibility than they can handle during this time of our lives. We puppies need you to manage us, particularly when we start having more freedom. Jenn keeps a close eye on me most of the time. I like that she looks out for me.

All About Animals Summer Quest

On Monday, I went to Cary Academy with Jenn as part of their All About Animals Summer Quest. This was the first time Jenn asked me to come with her on an educational adventure. Jenn talked about dog training, and how to use rewards instead of punishments to train puppies and dogs. Everyone was so kind to me and I just felt compelled to wiggle my butt! Thanks to Leslie, who teaches and organizes the program. Jenn said that I could go on more visits and become certified to participate in animal assisted therapy like Big Sandy and Bernie, but only if I really enjoyed going out and visiting people. Big Sandy is going to an English as a Second Language summer camp tomorrow. Stay tuned...

Creative Exercise

Hey-check out my latest creative way of getting more exercise!! Jenn thinks I have some pretty acrobatic maneuvers going on.

Dude, I'm HOT! Keep your puppy cool...

102 degrees. Jenn says that is the forecast for today. This is not conducive to my normal routines of puppy play and activity. So, Jenn's been taking me to the park along with Bernie and Big Sandy way early in the morning. Even at 7am it has been near 80 degrees and Jenn has to watch that I don't overdo it. When we get home, my new favorite spot is hanging out by the air vent the rest of the day. Cool air blows right on me. Eric gives me ice cubes to chew on and makes sure I have access to lots of water during the day. Be sure to take extra care of your puppy in the heat. It's so important to give us cool, clean water and shelter inside when the weather is so hot.
Click here to check out these other summer pet safety tips.

Good Puppies Get Freedom!

I have discovered that our house has a second floor! It's amazing and it has been there all along. Jenn and Eric have been renovating the house since I've been here and the upstairs has been off limits to puppies. This is where their office is and there were lots of electrical cords and wires that had to be configured so they are safe from puppy mouths. She put all the plants behind a barrier so they are safe for now too. I like to dig in the pots! What fun! I'm very happy to be able to have more freedom. Jenn says that I've been such a good puppy that I get the reward of more access to the house. She says as long as I'm a good pup, I can get more privileges and more freedom.

You can help your puppy to learn about respecting all rooms of the house by making sure that all rooms that your puppy has access to are "puppy proofed". In other words, things in their place and anything enticing to put in a puppy mouth is up, up and away. As your puppy matures, you can give them more and more freedom when they demonstrate that they have earned it. In other words, not going potty in the house, just chewing my own toys and not getting into things that don't belong to puppies. Make it easy for us and put your stuff off our level.

It can also be helpful to feed your puppy meals in each new room, so they learn that all rooms of the house are "clean" and not for doing #1 or #2. Puppies will not usually use the bathroom where they eat or sleep so doing mealtimes in other parts of the house can be educational.

Why do herding?? It's what herding dogs do.

If your dog is a herding breed, they probably do some things that drive you nuts, like herd your kids or try to chase moving objects. We can't help it!! It's what we were bred to do. Teaching herding dogs to properly herd is great way to channel their instincts and burn off a ton of energy. And you don't have to be a herding dog to enjoy or do herding. See herding instructor Claire Apple's link in my previous post for info on her herding lessons.

Can't get enough herding?? Jenn has another video she did a while back of my housemates Big Sandy and Bernie doing some high energy herding with Claire. Big Sandy goes first and is about the best three-legged herder out there. Bernie is very young in the video and like to bark at the sheep (like I do). They both had the time of their lives. Check it out!

Sheep Herding with Claire

Jenn said that we were going on a special adventure. Her dog trainer friend Claire Apple teaches dogs how to herd sheep. I remember seeing sheep when I was with my breeder Katrina and my mom in Nevada. But I was only eight weeks old then.

So we drove down to Claire's farm and I not only got to see sheep, smell sheep, and eat sheep poop, but I also got to herd them! First I was on a long leash and that wasn't very fun. I voiced my opinions a bit too loudly. Claire said that I didn't need to tell the sheep off like that. She took me off the leash and showed me what to do with her herding stick. This gave me a boundary and she helped show me what I'm supposed to do. My job is to listen, take instructions, and move the sheep accordingly keeping them in a group close to their person. I really wanted to split up the group and chase them, but that's not the deal. I got to do some calm and steady movements and the sheep responded. Very cool.

And I got to meet Claire's bull Albert. I was kind of intimidated, but he just hung out and let me sniff him. I've never been that close to a cow. Jenn said that I just needed to stay calm and it would OK.

What an exciting experience!! Jenn made a video so you can get a gander at my first herding lesson with Claire. I hope I get to do this again. Check out Claire's webpage for information on her herding lessons.

Memoir Meme

My Gordon Setter friend Niamh has tagged me for a Memoir Meme.

The rules are:

1) Write your own six word memoir.
2) Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like.
3) Link to the person that tagged you in your post, and to the original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere.
4) Tag at least five more blogs with links.
5) Don’t forget to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.
6) Have fun

I am AUSSIE:

Adventurous














Upbeat


















Showy


















Social













Inquisitive


















Engaging

Exercise, Exercise, Exercise...

So what's the deal with all this exercise? I've started getting an extra walk and more physical activity every day. Jenn's putting lots of miles on her new walking shoes and taking me to park to run, run, run. She says that puppies my age need more activity to keep us from getting bored or using our pent up energy in a bad way, like destroying things, digging, or barking a lot. We sometimes have "Crazy Puppy Time-CPT" when we zoom around and kind of go nuts getting into everything. It sometimes comes after we eat, usually in the morning and evening, but sometimes more often. Jenn says that increasing daily exercise can prevent outbreaks of "CPT" helping puppies to behave more calmly. All puppies were bred for a purpose to their lives or to do a particular job, even if your dog is a combination of several breeds. I was bred to herd sheep and livestock all day long so I need plenty of physical and mental exercise. What was your puppy bred to do? Are you providing outlets for those instincts and their activity level? Check out how you can.