It's a Good Day for a Stuffed Kong

We only have one kong, so I stuffed it for Molly and stuffed and smeared the green American-football-shaped chew toy for Shawnee. Both got peanut butter, kibble, and a bit of bread to block the holes.

It's a good day for it because I am migrained and it is rainy, so neither wants to be outside. Now Molly is busy working on the kong on the living room floor and Shawnee has hers in her crate so she can't smear peanut butter into the rugs (hers is sticky on the outside).

Nice happy, quiet dogs are just what I need today!

Silly Shawnee

ShawShaw still hasn't figured out giving a toy TO a person when she wants to play. She puts it on the floor. Even if Molly puts it on furniture, Shawnee takes it and throws it on the floor. She doesn't just drop it, but throws it down forcefully.

I've done the "I can't reach" trick that worked so well with Molly but to no avail. I've even put Molly into a stay to try to get Shawnee to try again.

But what Shawnee has figured out is to put one paw on the sofa and the other on my SHOULDER to get my attention to the fact that she wants to play! She also has nudged me with her nose sometimes.

These could turn into great alerts if I needed one. She may be too stupid to deliver a toy, but she's definitely creative!

She just pawed my shoulder again...

Taking Turns

Initially we had the girls taking turns by putting Molly into a stay. But recent play sessions have shown that that is not necessary. Molly holds back on her own to let Shawnee have a few turns. She seems to have her own sense of fairness that wants to make sure that Shawnee has enough chances to play.

I am very proud of Molly for figuring this out on her own and I try to encourage the behavior. It is usually Molly that has to return the toy, because Shawnee can't figure out to do anything other than put on the ground and not always within my reach. Although she's the one that returned the toy, she often lets Shawnee chase it again.

We were playing fetch the kong this morning. It was very cute the way Molly would hold back. Molly definitely could easily have overtaken Shawnee and gotten the toy, but she didn't. Shawnee has not yet developed the same sense of fairness. Even after Molly had given her a few turns, she would go after the toy when Molly did and Molly would have to growl to scold her because it was Molly's turn.

Shawnee Reports on True Color Thursday: Black

Mommy sez dat I get ta help wif da blog now dat Im gettin ta be a big gurl n past Level 1 af da trainin program. So dese are my BLAK piks!

Mommy sez dat Im sposed ta say tanks ta Blue fur da idea.

Dis iz me n Molly. Weer tricullur border colliez, so dat meanz we r BLAK n wite n tan. But mostlee we r blak.

Molly iznt vewy happee wif me in dis piktshur cuz Im steelin da bone frum her.










Dis is Molly wif owr blak kong. Sumtimz Mommy puts yummy stuff in da kong fer os, lik peenut budder or pattay.


Molly liks da kong lots, but sumtimz she lets me play wif it too.


She iznt happy wif me if I take it frum her, but uzuly she lets me haf it if i wunt it.

Heer I am sayin, "Pleeze Molly, kan I haf da kong?"





Da krate iz blak. Dis iz me sittin in it. Wen I gets bord, I try ta let me out. Uzuly I'm stuk til Mommy or Daddy cumz, but wonce I got out on my own.

If I haz ta pottee, I wine n cry til dey kom n take me out. Sumtimz I try dat too if Im bord.

Da krat is big nuff fur wen Im big lik Molly, but it haz a wall in it now.


Da next pik iz af me n Molly playin wif da BLAK klude we had urlier. Mommy sez ta tell uz dat "klude" meenz rag ur sumtin lik dat.

Weev playd sa hard wif kluden dat it wuz fallin part. So Daddy gaf us a nu won taday. Itz blak too.


Mommy dropt her fone taday. Molly wuz busy playin soz I pikt it up n gave it ta Daddy. Dey didnt beleef I'd dun it, so dey dropt it igin n took a piktshure da secund time. Mommyz fone iz BLAK too, so heer I am pikken it up.

Working on Watch, Daily Life, and Taste in Treats

Molly and I have been working on watch whenever she wants to play with toys. I've got her past a 30 sec test, but I'm going to work more to improve her response to the command and to solidify it even more. Passing watch is very significant progress for L3 training, because we need it to train two o fthe other behaviors (finish and heel).

Beyond watch, we haven't been training so much. But Molly always is busy being my SD. In a typical week, she has to empty the washing machine once or twice, pick up an uncountable number of dropped objects, fetch my blanket from another piece of furniture at least once a day, and usually also help me strip the bed. Her help is really making it a lot more possible for me to be productive in a day. She generally also gets a few roudy play sessions outside with her human daddy and lots of good inside play with both of us. Additionally, she spends a lot of time keeping me company and helping to keep me warm.

Today we tested mat while I was working in the kitchen. She held a mat command on a kitchen rug, not her usual mat, for 2 minutes. This was wihle I was making some dough and had my back to her a lot of the time. So I am really proud of her for holding it so well while I was ignoring her.

Now we get to the treats stuff. I wanted to give Molly a good reward for her mat and keep her busy for a little while so I could finish what I needed to do and my DH could finish what he was working on without her bringing us toys and putting them down near us. So I took a little bit of peanut butter and smeared it into her kong. That worked really well.

Like her daddy, Molly LOVES peanut butter. She is lucky to get to share some of it with him. They both hope that Molly's American grandmother will send them more soon! We can't get peanut butter very easily here and what we can get is nowhere near as good as the American peanut butter.

Another love she shares with her human daddy is marshmallows. Molly will do, quite literally, anything to earn a bit of marshmallow. My DH has had her heeling for marshmallows for months. Unfortunately he hasn't figured out how to transfer it to a normal nehavior, but at least she gets the idea when marshmallows are involved. But we're out of those again, so Molly will have to wait until DH finds more in a Danish shop (it happens occasionally) or her Grandmom and Granddad take pity on her poor marshmallowless state (and DH's) and send a fresh supply.

We give Molly garlic pills to help cut down the risk of fleas and ticks. These are another thing that Molly considers a treat. She is the same with her fish oil pills. She isn't so keen on vitamin E but she will take them. Fortunately, her willingness to take pills extends to dewormers, antibiotics, and anything else she might need on occasion. No need for tricks or force with this girl!

New Kong and Bone Filling

I got an idea for another filling for Molly's kong and hollow bone. I'd thought about using broth before, but then it would be so messy as it melted. But then I got an idea--GELATIN!

So I boiled 2 cups of water and put a beef bullion cube in it and stirred. Then I dissolved a packet of gelatin in just enough cold water to cover it. Once dissolved, I mixed it into the broth and put the whole thing in the fridge.

After it started to gel, I mixed some with rice and kibble and used that to fill Molly's hollow bone and kong. She LOVED it!

With the rice in it I wouldn't want to give her this bone in the house--rice gets all over too easily. But I filled the bone again later with clumps of set "beef jello" and kibble and gave her that inside on her mat. It started frozen but I didn't have to worry about liquid all over as it thawed. She loved that too.

So now I have an easy new way of making kong and bone filling that is easier to handle than liquids. It is really hard to fill a kong with something that insists on running out the hole in the other end. With a thicker substance, like yogurt, I can block the hole with a rawhide chew stick. But broth would just run through anyway.

Molly Reports "I Passed Another Test"

Mommy trained me at putting my paws up on a chair this morning. I got lots of yummy treats, so that must mean I'm getting good at it. In between "paws up" commands, she had me doing all sorts of things like sitting, lying down, and touching her hand with my nose. I think she's silly, but I'll do it if it makes her happy. She's had a headache, so I really want to make her happy because then she doesn't look miserable.

This afternoon we lay down together out in my fence. Mommy read a book and I chewed on my kong. It had liver stuff in it and kibble and it was SOO yummy! I tried to share it with Mommy, but she'd rather read her book. Silly mommy.

When Daddy got home, he fiddled with fixing something in the kitchen. I wanted to help, but they wouldn't let me. So Mommy played with my kong with me and I got the rest of the yummy out of it. She squeezes it in her hands then throws it on the floor and more comes out. I like it when she helps me.

Then when that was gone, she had me get up on the chair in the kitchen. I haven't done that before, so I did mess up once. It's hard to do this new stuff and be ready to help Daddy at the same time. But Mommy says I did good and this means I pass my test for my trick at Level 3. I'd have started putting my feet on chairs ages ago if I knew she'd make such a big deal out of it!

After Daddy finished, they went out and left me all alone inside. I was good but I could hear them talking to a horse out there. I dunno why they don't let me come and help. I could hear them telling her to stand still--if I'd been there she'd of learned it. I'd be ready to help and stare at her until she did what they said. For some reason they don't like for me to work the horses. I'm just trying to help! Mommy says it's because I could get hurt, but I think they just don't want to share the big beasties.

But eventually they came back and Mommy let me out in my fence again. Daddy was in the garden so I got to be with him for a while. Then it was dinner time and I had to come in again.

Mommy put some rice in my bowl but that's BORING so I didn't eat it yet. Maybe later if I get really hungry. It's better when they play with me and give me food by hand. I was good while they ate and just lay down quietly. Daddy used to play with me during meals but he says I'm too old for that now. Whatever "old" is, I don't like it.

Now I'm going to see if one of them will play with me before bed time. It is cool now and I wanna play.

Molly's Report on the Last Few Days

It's been a hectic few days here. Mommy and Daddy had a lot they had to do, which means Mommy has been tired and hasn't had time to blog. She was supposed to let me at the computer yesterday, but she fell asleep. Oh well.

Saturday--that's what Mommy says it is called anyway--was a pretty quiet day. Mommy rested a lot and Daddy did some things outside. Part of the day I stayed in and took care of her and part of the day I got to run around and play in the pony pasture while Daddy was out there. Then they got showers and put on nice clothes.

I think they thought about leaving without me, but I asked nicely so I got to come along in the car. The sun was shining, so my crate stayed covered to keep me cool. But I could hear lots of things going on and rest. After a while, Mommy came out and sat with me. She was hurting--she said she sat too long--but I couldn't make her feel all better. I did lick her fingers and make her smile though. Then Daddy came and we went home. They said it wasn't a good time for me to practice.

When we got home, Daddy took me for a walk then everyone went to bed. I stayed by the door until they were asleep then went to bed myself.

Sunday was a lot more fun. They slept late and were slow getting moving, but they were both in here with me for a while. I walked around, trying to get something to happen. Finally it did--Mommy got out my mat and trained me.

She put the mat by the wall next to a chair and told me "Mat". The first few times, I just stood on it and she gave me treats, but then she waited until I lay down. Then she was really happy and clicked and gave me a couple treats. So after that I lay down on it when she said "Mat." She kept working me for a little while, making it harder all the time. I kept having to stay lying down longer and longer before I got treats. For example, she'd tell me mat and I'd go lie down on my mat. Then a little while later (mom says 10 secs is a good example), she'd click and give me a treat. I'd stay lying down and she'd wait again (she says she did it the same time for each mat command) before clicking and treating. After about 5 waits, she'd send me off the mat to go get a treat. Then I'd go back to the mat and do it again. Each time I went back to the mat, she made me wait quietly a little longer. Sometimes Mommy and Daddy talked while I lay on the mat--but I knew I had to stay there if I wanted my treats, so I did. Mom says I got up to 30 secs consistently in that one training session. She and Daddy were really happy with me and praised me and pet me a lot.

In the late afternoon, they said we were going out. I got my harness on and my leash and my SDIT vest. We got in the car and went for a drive. When we stopped again, we were at Farmor and Farfar's! Farmor and Farfar are Daddy's parents. So I got out of my crate on leash and walked nicely with Mommy on crutches along the road and into the garden. I pottied on command in the yard. Then we went in the house. I wanted to go say hi, but mom reminded me that I was working. So I went with her to go help get her shoes off. I was a good, quiet girl and sat nicely when mom said. Then daddy took off my vest and mom said I was off duty. So I ran to say hi to farmor and farfar and sat down so they could pet me. They said I looked great in my uniform.

It was a nice evening. Mommy brought my mat so I could practice more and show off how good I was. I got to go outside and run around in the yard several times, but when the dogs in the neighbor's yard teased me so I barked, mom and dad made me come inside again. Farfar dropped a crutch once, so Mommy told me to take it and give it to him. I did it, of course, and got treats and lots of praise. I also practiced down and stay some. Mommy says my mat work is consistent at 30 seconds on one cue (mat only, she doesn't have to tell me to lie down) despite the distractions and all the fun waiting to happen.

When we got home, I helped Mommy get ready for bed then they went to sleep. Daddy got up and went to work in the morning like usual, but Mommy went back to sleep. I finally had to make her get up when morning was almost over. She says she's lucky I did. It wasn't long after I got her up that she had to go to her "training." I helped her get her shoes and stuff ready to go, but stayed home. I don't know what she trains, but she is usually tired and smells like chlorine when she gets home. The good thing is that she often feels better the next few days.

After she got home, she gave me my kong with liver pate and kibble in it. I got to eat and play with that while she started dinner for her and daddy. After I emptied my kong the first time, she filled it up and I ate it all again. Then daddy got home. I was so happy to see him. He took me with him for a drive and mommy stayed home. When we got back, I got another kong of kibble and pate and they ate dinner. After dinner, we snuggled for a while all three of us.

But then mommy fell asleep so I stayed quiet for the rest of the evening. Then they went to bed and I got to sleep in my own bed. Now we are at today. I've already had two kongs of kibble that was extra-tasty because Daddy put soup on it. Mommy promises to train more with me. She is feeling better. I've also warmed her sofa for her while she ate breakfast and we've enjoyed a few snuggles. She even tossed my kong for me and let me chase it.

The weather is really windy and nasty, so mom wants to stay inside. But that's okay, because she is good at keeping us both busy and entertained in here.

Off Leash Reliability

Molly has gotten so much more reliable with recalls and attentive to us that we've started taking her routinely on potty breaks without a leash. Despite being off-leash, Molly has still been doing able to potty on command within 2 minutes.

We've had a few incidents where the dog next door has started barking and she has ignored it and gone about her business. She used to react a lot to the dog next door, so this really shows the progress we've made on that front.

A few little things this morning made me want to write about her progress. She is really showing how far she has come in reliability and obedience.

Molly's main potty area is along the trees at the end of our yard. She prefers to go in the higher grasses and weeds a bit into the trees rather than in the yard itself. But right on the other side of the trees is our neighbor's driveway. The neighbor's with the very noisy golden retriever-looking dog that apparently has serious separation anxiety and other issues that make it bark at everything and pretty much constantly when its people aren't home. This is the dog that's she's been learning not to react to when it barks on walks.

Today it was also the people she was being good about. They were in their driveway messing around with cars and a trailer. Initially she ignored them but at one point she got a bit upset. Her hair stood on end and she started barking.

Very quickly I just said, "Molly, home." She immediately ran for home and stood waiting at the house door until I came. She didn't get to finish her potty outing, but I felt at that point it was more important to avert the barking and the risk of her doing more about her stress than just barking.

I was really proud of her for the prompt response to the command despite her concerns. When she got to the door, her hair relaxed and she just turned to look at me and watch me come. I didn't have to repeat anything. I opened the door and she hurried inside. We found something yummy for her.

A little later she again expressed her need to go out (no surprise there), so we went out again. She started out quickly then stopped to wait for me to get closer. When I got within the range she knows is acceptable, she continued on to the potty spot. Without even being told what to do, she squatted and did her business. Again waiting to stay within the appropriate range, she then turned and ran straight to the house door.

I was so proud of her that I did something I don't normally do. I took her into the fenced area for a little play session. She ran around with a case of the zoomies and I threw her bone and talked to her. Then I came in a filled her bone and her kong with some leftovers and kibble to make it yummy. I froze the kong and gave her the bone outside.

She stayed out chewing on it until she asked to come in. Now she is here by my side on the floor working on her partly frozen kong.

Some Real Work--Laundry Duty

Even an SDIT can't spend her life training. Sometimes she actually has to do some of the jobs she's trained to do. Today is laundry day so that's hard work for both me and Molly. First, she helps gather up my dirty laundry from the floor in the bedroom. There isn't room for a basket in there on the floor and I'm not up to taking it out to the laundry room when I get undressed every night. DH manages to deliver his to the laundry basket, but mine is usually in a pile on the floor (although if he has some on the way to the basket, Molly helps by passing mine on to him). But with Molly's help, I regularly move my pile to the basket when I'm ready to do wash or it just starts getting annoying. Gathering that up is a basic series of take and retrieve commands so I can put it into a basket.

Then Molly pulls the basket into the laundry room for me. I sit down on the floor to sort the laundry and put the right stuff into the machine. I haven't taught her how to sort laundry yet. She could pick up everything and give it to me one piece at a time, but I think it gets a bit ridiculous for her, so usually I just get down on the floor or onto a chair and sort it into piles. We have a sturdy counter there that I can use to pull myself up.

When a load of laundry is finished, it is time for Molly to get to work again. I open the door to the front load washer (we don't have a dryer at all) and say "laundry" to Molly. She pulls things out of the machine and gives them to me. Today's wash was some towels and underwear, so it was a pretty big work load. The towels get tangled up and she has to pull hard to get them out and the underwear she takes one piece at a time and it takes a while. But she keeps at it, sticking her head in the machine to get at them or picking dropped items up off the floor. She gets a tiny treat tidbit every few items and especially after the bulky ones. When she gets to the end, she sticks her head in to make sure she didn't miss anything else in the machine.

In the beginning of learning to do laundry, Molly wouldn't put her head in the machine. I had to start things by getting them to the edge of the washer. But with practice she started sticking her head in more and more. Today is actually the first time she put her head in and looked around for more items when it was empty. I gave her a couple treats and extra praise for that one.

My laundry basket is Molly-ready with an old t-shirt braided onto one side as a tug for her. I put it onto the floor, indicate the tug with my foot, and say "PULL". Molly grabs on with her teeth and starts pulling. In places where it doesn't slide easily, I help with a foot or a crutch, but she's an experienced puller now and knows how to deal with the basket. On easy surfaces, she gets excited and adds extra circles and curves for the fun of it.

We're still working on adding exact directional cues to her pulls, but she definitely loves the job. Today the weather was right for hanging outside, so she happily dragged the basket out there for me. But she didn't want to stop, so tried to drag it off the patio and out into the yard.


With a little more encouragement, she got the basket over right next to the rack so I could hang it up. I need to focus more on guiding her than taking her picture. But her job wasn't finished yet. I needed her to help me get the items out of the basket. All that bending over to take out each one just wouldn't be good for me.

So once again we had lots of takes and gives to get each item out. She worked hard and did well, although some items were pretty awkward and unwieldy for her. Like her bath towels.

But she kept at it and gave me everything so I could get it all hung up to dry outside. She's a hard-working BC SDIT and I love her for it.

After all that work, the girl deserved a break. I'd prepared a kong for her earlier with kibble soaked in meat juices and warm water and chew stick stick. I'd put it in the freezer to chill and get a little more difficult. She got that out in her fence and I lay down on a blanket to keep her company.

Relaxing

Molly didn't get to train much today. Just a little work on "Distance" from Level 2. I've overdone it at the computer with all this blogging and my health just can't take it, so I had to take a long nap to rest.

Tonight she's all dry from her bath so she got her Frontline pipet. We're so tired of all those ticks. They leave bumps that really irritate her. I check for them all the time but the little buggers are good at hiding. I found one today that is too big to have attached itself after the bath and I tried so hard to check. :-(

So she's gotten her treatment and got to run around and play with her kong with DH.



Now it's bed time and hopefully a better day tomorrow.