I took my first Titer test

Well, it is not the kind of test with a written portion. A titer test is a simple blood test that shows your puppy's immunity levels against nasty things like parvo and distemper. Then you can know if your puppy's immunity is low towards any particular nasty thing. It also ensures that your puppy doesn't get vaccinations that aren't needed. You can get the titer test done annually to prove your puppy's immune system is strong, instead of giving all those shots over and over and over. Why get it if you don't need it, right?

Jenn took me today to get my blood drawn so I could have my first titer test done. We'll see what my results are on Monday.

Check out this article from Whole Dog Journal about titer tests and protecting your puppy from overvaccination.

Great Minds Think Alike...

My Newfoundland girlfriend Holly is so smart and we have a lot in common. We both have a great love of carbohydrates,

we both like to sleep upside down
we both like to snuggle,
we both love to be outside in the elements (rain, wind, ice, mud, and snow)
and we both have blogs. Holly's blog has lots of information about Newfoundlands and all the fun things she is doing. Here is the link to Holly's blog so you can check it out.

Holly the Newf's Blog

We have a Bread Thief!

Eric says there is a bread thief in the house! That's just silly. I heard him tell Jenn that he put a nice crusty loaf on the kitchen counter with some olive oil last night. He left the room and came back and the whole loaf was gone. Well, don't tell Eric, but I totally snarfed that bread and it was so good! I mean, he left it right on the edge of the counter and I was really jones-ing for a snack. Jenn was teaching class, and no one was watching. Heck, he practically tied a bow on it just for me.

Jenn says that without knowing who the bread thief is (for sure), she and Eric have to really manage the kitchen so the thief doesn't strike again. It only takes being rewarded one time for dogs to learn that being a bread thief is super fun. They have to make sure the counters are clear and anything on the counters is pushed way back. Hmmph!

Want to learn more strategies to keep your home free of a bread thief? Click here.

Snow Day!

I woke up yesterday morning to a snow day! Everything was cold and white. I got to romp in the yard with Bernie and Eric took me for a walk in the snow. I got ice all over my belly! What fun!

My message for the future is....ORT!

Everyone is so happy around here! Me included. I feel like I have a lot to look forward to and I want to spread my seal bark around to let everybody know. ORT! ORT!

Meet Holly and the Rein-dogs

Jenn was telling me about a very special dog named Holly and her puppies. Just before Christmas, Holly was found outside of Triangle Veterinary Hospital in Durham, dirty, hungry and so pregnant. The nice people there cleaned her up and found a foster home with Independent Animal Rescue just in time to have eight puppies. She is a super great mom and the puppies look pretty darn cute.

She and her puppies need homes. Maybe you can help them? Maybe you know someone that is looking for nice puppies or a wonderful, gentle adult dog like Holly.

Check out Holly's Blog for more info about her and her puppies.

Back to School with the Drill Team

I started back to "school" today going to my first Drill Team practice of 2009. It was so much fun to see all my Drill Team friends and their people. The Drill Team does group obedience routines set to music. It is a fun and low stress way to practice all my commands and tricks and learn to work in a relaxed way around other dogs. The Drill Team will be practicing for our spring demonstrations. I'll let you know when you can come see us!

Please don't use a shock fence on your puppy

Jenn and I walked past a house the other day with a very scary dog that barked at us. The dog was in it's yard and ran right at us, stopping at the edge of her yard. Then she yelped in pain, then started barking at us again and again exposing all her teeth. I knew she meant business and we walked away fast. The strange part was she had no fence that I could see, just a little black box on her collar. Jenn said the dog was trapped in the yard by an invisible fence that shocks her when she tries to leave the yard. I thought about how horrible that would be to have to live like that. I felt really sorry for the dog and can understand why she gets so upset when people and puppies walk past her. She has learned that things on the other side of the fence cause her pain and now she gets violent whenever something goes by. People think that shock fences give their dogs more freedom, but what they really do is trap them.

It made me really happy to go home and run around in my yard with a real physical fence. The fence protects me from other animals and keeps me in my yard. Jenn doesn't recommend that shock fence and works with lots of people with dogs that have developed all sorts of problems with their behavior and their health, even heart problems from using shock fences. She says we'll never have that shock fence. Whew!

Click here to read Jenn's Dog Star Daily article on invisible fencing.

Happy Happy 2009!

We are finally back from our holiday travels through Virginia and Maryland and I was such a good puppy. I didn't lift my leg on anything while we were away (other than outside of course which is OK), I didn't chew anything I was not supposed to, and I was generally a calm boy. Jenn and Eric took me on lots of long walks, filled my Kong and Squirrel Dude to give me some projects, and kept me crated when they couldn't watch me. And I got to hang out with my Newfy girlfriend Holly at Jenn's sister's house.Big Sandy, Bernie and I took turns swishing ourselves into Bailey the poodle's itty bed.I wish all my friends a happy, happy New Year filled with learning new things, taking more fun training classes, chasing more squirrels and deer out of the yards, spending quality time with our humans and seeing friends new and old. I've learned this past year how lucky I am to live with humans that give me such a safe, joyously active, and consistent life. I wish every puppy in 2009 could have the opportunities that I have had. Happy 2009!

Going on a Safe and Happy Holiday!

We're going to see Eric's parents on a holiday trip! I've only been to their house once and I was three months old at the time. This time I'm an adult with Big Sandy and Bernie going with us too. Jenn is going to help me be a good guest so they will invite me back again. I guess that means that I shouldn't lift my leg and leave my mark all over their house like I did at Jenn's parents. I have a feeling that people will be watching me the whole time and not letting me get away with anything. Hmph! No fun.

Traveling with your pet takes extra thought and planning as Jenn and Eric have been doing. You need to think about feeding us, taking crates, taking chew toys and mental toys, and planning to keep us well exercised.

DIET It's a good idea to keep your pets on their normal diet while traveling and being a guest to avoid stomach upset. It's also not a good idea to give us too many holiday goodies. I'm sure that last thing anyone wants to deal with is doggie diarhhea at your in-laws. Jenn definitely doesn't want to experience that.

CONTAINMENT/SUPERVISION Be sure to take sturdy crates with you so your dog can travel in safety in your vehicle and so that you will have a way to contain them wherever you are visiting. Crates also serve as a quiet place for your pet to retreat to if they want some alone time and keeps your pet out of harms way when you can't supervise them. That will help me not get into things like the tree and the tinsel and the presents, etc. There are lots of holiday hazards that puppies can get into so be careful and supervise, supervise, supervise.
PHYSICAL AND MENTAL EXERCISE Tired dogs make the best house guests. Jenn knows there are nice walking trails nearby where we can go everyday on our holiday and that we will be walking many miles. Try to keep up with your dog's exercise routines while you are traveling so that your dog will be a calmer, less anxious guest. Additional exercise will keep down stress levels. Take mental activity toys with you so you can give your dog something to do when they need it.
And lastly and most importantly, don't forget to have your pet's ID tags on wherever you go. So, lets see if Jenn follows her own advice on our holiday. I'm looking forward to all the excitement of traveling! For more holiday pet safety tips, click here.