Adventures of Rachele - Puppy

Doggie Sleepover

nospam@example.com (Rachele Cawaring) — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 15:03:51 -0700

Milo is worn out after a day of playing

This weekend, I had Dixon's cousin, Milo, over. Right now, Dixon is completely passed out and resting for his next playtime. Poor Milo is a couple years older than Dixon and had a hard time keeping up...he just wanted to nap after a few hours. I know I can't commit the time to training a new companion for Dixon, so we'll have to settle for inviting his doggie friends over.

Training is Working

nospam@example.com (Rachele Cawaring) — Fri, 7 Mar 2008 13:01:10 -0700

Yes, they can stay down quietly...after a day of play and several treats to bribe them.

After a couple days, Neah and Dixon learned to slow down. We're both practicing for the Canine Good Citizen test. It is comprised of 10 test items and the biggest challenge for Dixon is "Test 8: Reaction to another dog

This test demonstrates that the dog can behave politely around other dogs.
Two handlers and their dogs approach each other from a distance of about
20 feet, stop, shake hands and exchange pleasantries, and continue on
for about 10 feet. The dogs should show no more than casual interest in
each other. Neither dog should go to the other dog or its handler." Yes, this means that he has to ignore another person AND another dog at the same time. Given that Dixon thinks every dog should play with him (even the growly dogs), we have to break down this test into more managable pieces.

It is so much easier to continue with the training with another person/dog team. Misery loves company, right? Actually it's pretty inspiring when you can see success in others...it gives me the strength and hope to continue. Plus, there is hope if these two can calmly sit next to each other (they're good buds) and resist the temptation to play.

Staying in one place is so hard!

Oh, it took a few hours before we got to this point.

Our trick...let them play until they get tired, and then ask them to calmly follow commands.

Training is Working

nospam@example.com (Rachele Cawaring) — Fri, 7 Mar 2008 13:01:10 -0700

Yes, they can stay down quietly...after a day of play and several treats to bribe them.

It is so much easier to continue with the training with another person/dog team. Misery loves company, right? :) Actually it's pretty inspiring when you can see success in others...it gives me the strength and hope to continue. Plus, there is hope if these two can calmly sit next to each other (they're good buds) and resist the temptation to play.

Staying in one place is so hard!

Oh, it took a few hours before we got to this point.

Our trick...let them play until they get tired, and then ask them to calmly follow commands.

What 12 weeks of puppy class accomplished...

nospam@example.com (Rachele Cawaring) — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 19:19:24 -0700

Last week Dixon and I finished our Intermediate Puppy Class. Unfortunately, Dixon isn't obedient as the other puppies, so I'm trying to practice with him more before I feel comfortable enrolling in the next class. The advanced class is mostly off-leash, which is a little too challenging for my Fox Terrier. Puppies and other people with new treats are much more interesting than my commands! The frightening thing is that multiple people tell me that Dixon is much more well-behaved than other fox terriers they know. I can't imagine what that would look like. We tried to end the class with four puppies lying still for a picture while all the people stood away from them. Let's just say it was just a bunch of people pleading with their puppies, and puppies squirming ...it was just too much to get them to stay still next to each other.

Luckily, Dixon can manage to sit still for photos at home. Well, he can do it MOST (not all) of the time.

Nice sit.

oops

Okay, maybe he can only hold still for a few seconds...

You even know "down!"

Dixon's First Coat

nospam@example.com (Rachele Cawaring) — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 06:32:12 -0700

If you know me, I love my puppy, but I refuse to dress him up like a doll. I've even resisted my friends pleas to dress him up for Halloween...he'd hate it and probably chew up the costume before I could snap a photo. Anyways, it's been getting chilly and rainy. Not only does Dixon hate the rain, he's started to shiver outside. He hates it so much that he digs his heels in, so he won't have to go out in the rain. So, I decided to get him a raincoat to keep him a little more dry and warm. There aren't as many choices for boy dogs, and I cringed when the salesperson showed me something in camo. In true Seattle fashion, my puppy has a little red raincoat.

New Puppy

nospam@example.com (Rachele Cawaring) — Thu, 6 Sep 2007 07:00:10 -0700

Last Saturday, I welcomed home my new puppy, Dixon. Dixon is 11 weeks old and a Smooth Fox Terrier. Here are a few photos when Tim brought over Milo to play with Dixon. Milo is 2 1/2 years old and from the same breeder, so it's almost a before and after picture.