Crate kids!

My daughter was having fun in Tandy's crate the other day, then he wanted in too! Just thought the pictures were cute of the two of them. She informed me again that her best friend is Tandy! (PS, she was not in there for long, nor did she actually sleep in it!)

Wordless Wednesday!

A walk in the park..

So tonight we had puppy class in our local park that houses all sorts of animals, chickens, llamas, deer, ducks, goats, ponies, turkeys etc. The class intention was to get the dogs to remain calm and focused while acknowledging their presence but not zoning in on them (the animals). Except for one moment where Tandy sorta dodged at the turkey he did pretty good. The goose poop was quite hard for him to resist as well. As always it was fun to watch all the various puppies reactions and see how much they have instinctive behavior. Tandy has a thing for squirrels and its constant work on walks to get him to "leave it", he is doing better, but off leash if he see's a squirrel he will chase it for miles and nothing else can enter his mind during that. Funny and annoying, i am sure we can all imagine! I live like a 15min walk from that park so i will be able to try the techniques out we learned.
It was refreshing to do some different training with him, and apparently from now on we will just be meeting in public settings like this.

We are getting closer to our final days together, Tandy and I, he has been in our home a little over 8 months and has grown and learned so much (so have I) when the winter comes back it will feel so weird, we got Tandy in the dead of winter all cute and tiny, and we will see him off this winter all grown up and ready for advanced training. Its amazing how fast a year can go! ♥

Rainy day

Sitting on the porch watching the rain storm, getting a little bit wet, being the good boy he is!

Just another day.

Not much new or exciting going on around here lately. Tandy has been visiting a lot of different puppy sitters as we have been camping a lot. He has been doing great at the sitters and they all tell me how wonderful Tandy is, of course we know that but it is good to know he is well behaved and awesome for others as well.

So another heat wave is here, and Tandy has been relaxing under the fan not asking for much. Walks are minimal as it is so damn hot, we wait til the evenings and even then he walks so slow taking care not to over heat, poor furry guy.

Hanging in the yard!

Training dog

(playing with his bone, even without thumbs!)

We had puppy class last night, first one in a month or so. I guess things are all messed up with summer vacations etc. I have to admit i was a little worried at how Tandy would be, as we have not been training too much here, a bit for sure here and there but now as much as i should be! Summer seems to have added a different touch to training. Either way, Tandy amazed me once again and i felt confident in my training after it was over. Whew! I always feel a little funny at puppy class, cause while Tandy will never be "mine" i know him so well and feel sometimes as though i can read his mind and communicate with him in other ways then just giving him commands. Not unlike the way a mother and child communicate with one another when the infant does not speak. Its funny and i often find myself laughing at/with Tandy during class and talking to him so softly about what he is doing. (this may sound so strange, but whatever!)

Its fun to watch all of his siblings, now almost 10 months old doing so well and listening and obeying so wonderfully (Titan, Tawny, Tali, Tootsie). We did the "visit" with the trainer back and forth calling him from me to him to visit and i felt worried and shy for Tandy going to him and listening to him, even though that is exactly what he should be doing and he did well with it. I guess i have been thinking of Tandy more as my pet or my companion of sorts and doing this exercise reminded me that some day he will be working with trainers and doing an awesome job with them, because i was able to raise him to do so.

Tandy is feeling much better now that his "hot spots' have cleared up and i only had to put the cone on him once at night and never again. It was good for a photo op!