Living the working life..

On friday we took Tandy to our weekly Mom to Mom group, as we will every Friday. He is to sit by my feet and be ignored by the kids, learning his life as a working dog. I like him in his little coat!







Tandy is starting to look like a man dog now! I think i can actually see him grow! He sure likes to cuddle. Last night the kids were gone for the night and Thomas and I had the whole house and dog to ourselves. Tandy is so calm and relaxed when the kids are gone/in bed. Lets just say he got lots of attention and when we came home at two am from dancing we let him out and wore him out a bit so we could sleep in! We are learning the tricks of owning a puppy and figuring out how to acquire sleep and quiet time with him safe in his crate.







Today we went as a family to zellers, while one adult took care of the shopping the other handled Tandy and made sure he did his down and sit and stay commands in the store. Luckily no one stopped us, though we do get a ton of looks and wide eyed amazement from people and of course people in the distance are always "oohing and ahhing!" Other then a difficult walk with him fighting me for some reason today and getting all weird and frisky he is doing great and listening well.

We are not alone..

I can't believe how many different puppy raising programs there are out there, i never thought about it until i started this blog. Getting comments from other raisers has led me to find tons of other puppy raising blogs, its amazing to think of all the dogs that are trained each year to help so many people with so many different issues. Its so fun to read and see what they all do different. While our pup has one set of "rules", like no jumping up other service dogs are trained to jump up to get things for their owners who might not be able to reach there themselves. That is one example, i am sure there are more and it is so cool to read and think about. I love that dogs are smart and helpful and that i get to be part of this learning process with a puppy.

In fact yesterday i took Tandy to the drugstore again, i think this was his 3rd or 4th time and he did exceptionally well (okay i keep saying this!) but seriously, he actually stayed down while i walked a way a bit and walked a heel beside me in the cramped isles, even with all the people there, (note to self, 6pm is busy in the drugstore!). Anyway, i felt like such and accomplished puppy raiser, one guy even asked me "Do you train dogs?" I told him i am raising the puppy, but it made me think, maybe i could be a dog trainer some day! Hahaha, oh god, if you ever knew me before Tandy you will be laughing your ass off right now!!

In Monday's class they told us we can now go to the mall, or in the grocery store for a few minutes (not buy anything with him yet!) So i think when i go to the mall i will get my son to take a few photos so we can remember those moments, Tandy still smallish in his purple puppy coat!

(the picture above has nothing to do with the blog entry, but i like to have a photo everyday of him!)

How can he be so cute?

Play date!

Tandy had a play date yesterday with my aunt's dog Hopi! It sure was a new learning experience for me in dog behavior and such. While dogs bark and growl and hoot while hanging out, their tails were a waggin' and a good time was had by both i think! It was very difficult for my son to capture a good picture of both dogs at once!




And while yesterday i was sad and unsure of my daughters relationship with the puppy, today i go to the kitchen and discover the picture here. She was telling Tandy "You are a good boy and i am a sick girl", (she has not been feeling so well lately) and she was petting him and kissing him! So another lesson for me, that i should remember always, just when things seem like they are not working out and i feel inadequate at this, they turn around for the better and we are one step ahead!

Puppy madness!

These last few days have been pretty rough with puppy around here. It could be the fact that it is winter and we are couped up or life with a puppy is not settling in as well as we thought. Either way we love Tandy and he amazes us, even if he insists on chewing through our walls or biting my youngest child all the time. My daughter is having a rough time with the puppy actually, she is jealous of him, like a new sibling taking her time away from me i guess, plus she has this nutty excitable energy that makes Tandy want to chew her up to bits! Its difficult at times dealing with the two of them! But this too shall pass quickly and we will have learned from it in the end. I didn't just want to report the nice cute stuff, i want to remember it all in the end.

On another note we are trying to frequent the public areas more, we had another attempt at the drugstore, it is so close to our house and we can walk there with Tandy and make him tired on the way! We also brought him to our mom to mom group where the kids and adults were really good at ignoring the cute puppy under the table and he was able to sleep for most of it! He is a bright little guy, and was born to work!

(in this picture tandy is focusing on me while learning to ignore the treat in my hand, and doing very well at it!!)

Action shots!

Outings!!

Last Friday we attempted a trip to the drugstore with Tandy. Our first public outing, dawning the purple coat we bravely entered the drugstore, walked in excitedly toward the back of the store and did a few focus and sit commands, walked to the cash chatted a minute with the cashier and out we went! It was as hectic as i thought it would be. I have to do it more and more now to get him used to it, hopefully he will be less excited every time! He is a strong guy! But i am stronger and i am his leader so he has to do what i say!

We drove to training class again tonight, the picture with the two pups is Tandy and Tawny his sister, they ride to class together, it is quite difficult to capture a good picutre of puppies!

The other pictures above were taken by Kale 8 years old, i thought they were pretty good, captured Tandy in his home here with us! He looks so wise in the closeup...well i think so!

Bath time.

Today the kids and I decided Tandy needed a shower after his walk, he was so filthy! It was quite difficult, but another fun adventure with him!

Healthy Puppy!

He is not supposed to jump up on things but he looks so cute when he does this, like "hey guys, can i play?"

We took Tandy to the vet today for his shots. I have never been to a vet before. Tandy weighs 10.3kg and is very healthy and the vet even said he would say that Tandy is above average for a dog his age, the vet was surprised at how well Tandy listens to commands already! He was a very nice animal doctor and Tandy did very well on the table! Just another thing to add to mine and Tandy's list of experiences in life.

Tandy walker!!

Today was a big day for Tandy! Not only did he get to play with lots of kids and adults at a homeschooling play group, today Tandy and I accomplished our first walk!! It was so amazing, he walked beside me on a loose leash all the way up my street down the next and back up to our home! Ever since i knew we were getting him i wanted to walk him, and when i tried it was too crazy with him running on the leash pulling and choking himself, ending up in a stressful ending at home! So this means the kids and i can do more with him now, walks on the path, we can start our weekly trips out to the stores etc, as he can focus and sit when told in different settings!! I can't believe we have done these things in two weeks! I love it, it is rewarding. Of course it helps to have a great tempered, sweet dog like Tandy!

Magic boots!

Today as i glanced over the couch into the kitchen where Tandy spends a lot of his time, i see my boots on the back door mat slowly moving toward the couch, it was the funniest thing i have seen, i could not see the dog dragging it away to his crate so it looked like some stop motion animation happening in real time! Ha!!

We did great together at training class last night, 30 minutes goes very fast and is actually exhausting for the both of us! We drove another NSD puppy raiser and Tandy's sister Tawny, they were able to play in the back all the way! She is so cute, i forgot my camera but will catch a picture next week for sure! We have lots to practice til next week, i am so determined to teach him all these things just as they tell me, even though some of hte force i was showed to use shocked me for such a young puppy.

He is leashed to me right now as i type!!

Tandy today!

Some new pictures of Tandy today, we have had him for 2 weeks today, seems like much longer! Ha! He likes to lick my cupboards probably because i never clean them! I figure if he is gonna be here he has to help out with the cleaning! We have our 2nd puppy class today, i hope it goes better! We have been practicing all the right things i hope!! We have a lot of well versed dog people in the class, i may be the only one who has never really been around dogs before!!

Puppy lessons!

Things this puppy have taught or reminded me:

♥early mornings are crisp and quiet and should be enjoyed by all
♥stuff is just stuff and if it is being chewed on there is always more stuff on kijiji!
♥be patient, great things happen over time
♥never to give up
♥naps are essential
♥its okay to be new to things, learning happens throughout life
♥bordem seriously needs to be dealt with!
♥winter is a good time to outdoors every hour or so
♥we have enough love for everyone/thing in our lives if not more..
♥the best toys are boxes (why why why??)
♥sleep is not constant, and can be interrupted at any moment, hence the point above re:naps!
♥food is a great motivator

Tandy is keeping me on my toes, overcoming his shy new to my home puppy phase, he tests me with growls, barks, nips, chews etc. He shows me love and gets lots of it. He is a great cuddler and fun to massage (he smiles!). Learning new things everyday, and i will be excited when he can walk on a leash beside me without barging on ahead choking himself with his collar!

Puppy mania!

We had our first puppy training class today. We met all of Tandy's brothers and sisters, oh my god they are all adorable! All T names, tootsie, tonka, tali, and more. So cute!! They were allowed to great each other once right away and now after today they will no longer be allowed to. We practiced sitting, laying down, walking on leash and focusing! It was very difficult for both Tandy and i with so many distractions, plus our car broke down just as we got there so it was hard to concentrate! I have a lot of practicing to do with Tandy, getting him to practice all those things in different settings to get used to doing things with distractions around! I am taking deep breaths and trying to remember i have only had him for a week! We have a long way to go and i am sure with time and patience we can both accomplish these tasks!!

Here is a picture of him all tuckered out from class, he always goes to my boots to sleep!!

Nice coat dude!

We are trying to get Tandy to like his purple NSD coat that he will have to wear when he goes out into public places. He does not like it very much, or he loves it so much he wants to eat it, we are not quite sure yet! But everyday we show it to him and put it on him. It usually ends up with him rolling around chasing himself trying to bite it and pulling it off. This is the only picture i could get of him in it, he looks a bit possessed!

On another note i think he and i have figured out a good routine for eliminating outside! I am continuing on with the "hurry up" while he goes and a nice treat for doing so! Maybe there is a light at then end of the poop road!

New year, new puppy!

We had a little new year's party last night, Tandy was the star of the show. I was a little worried about having people over with a new puppy and while it was hard and tiresome for me, Tandy handled it like the trooper he is and will become. You want a dog to be socialized, well i am pretty sure we are the right folks to do it! This puppy is so sweet and calm it amazes me, no signs of stress or being scared at all around these people last night. At one point i put him up in the crate in the bedroom to give him a break from everyone, but i think that was more traumatic then being around us all, when i went back for him he had pooped in his crate and was all messy!! Luckily i had friends to help me and show me how to bathe a dog! My sister in law saved the day and together we showered Tandy and freshened him up for the party! He didn't even seem to mind, at first the water was startling to him but after a while he seemed to enjoy it, he was not however so fond of the hair dryer! (I wish i got photos of it all, but i was kinda busy!)

Today i tried some of the training techniques with him, the first was the sit command, while you don't actually say sit yet you use food to guide his nose up which then makes him sit and be rewarded for it. He was great, did it everytime and was calm and gentle with me the entire time! I am really enjoying all this stuff (well not the house training!) and if i wasn't so damn tired from being woken up so much at night i think i would be a lot better at it. I also tried the command where i call him to me while on the leash to teach him to respond to his name and come when called for, again did it perfectly, like he was born to listen! He is going to be an amazing helper and it just amazes me to think of the things he will eventually accomplish!

So while tired and a bit grumpy due to a lack of sleep the new year has proven to be an adventure of learning and training with a beautiful puppy we call Tandy!