Instead of an exciting update about another visit to Illegal Dog Park and the dog-friendly bar Roosevelt's, I went to the Doctor for an infected spider/bug bite on my leg. :(
If you really want to know (possibly TMI) I've got a bacterial infection so I got some hardcore antibiotics. Not all was lost though because Audrey did get to go to the pharmacy with us. While waiting for my prescription we walked around outside Walgreen's and she flipped out at a fire hydrant.
Luckily since I'm a true Dog "Mom" I had emergency cookies in my bag. I introduced her to the fire hydrant from a short distance away and she ate cookies just fine. Unsatisfied with just that, I placed cookies on the lower level of the hydrant and she reluctantly sniffed and then hesitantly ate them off of the hydrant. Slowly but surely I got her to sit and then released her to eat cookies off the entire bottom circle of the fire hydrant. Still unsatisfied, I put cookies on the top level of the fire hydrant and she jumped up to get them and actually stood on her hind legs balancing her front half on the hydrant asking for more cookies! Success!
I forgot to add that earlier this week she attended PetSmart's annual Pet Birthday party and did WONDERFULLY. She met tons of dogs and people and took everything in stride. She was super outgoing and friendly with the other dogs and was even going up to people to say Hello. She was absolutely great and I was so proud of her progress.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Illegal Dog Park First Visit
I call it Illegal Dog Park because it sounds sneaky and mysterious, but really what we do is go to vacant schoolyard playgrounds and let the dogs off leash.
We don't actually have a real dog park in McAllen, but we do have a group of people and dogs who meet up at another elementary school on Sunday afternoons. Because I work Sunday I haven't gone in a very long time. Working on Sundays is not the only reason I don't go though. The main reason I don't go is because it is an Unofficial Dog Park (see that doesn't sound as cool as Illegal) there isn't a seperate place for big dogs and small dogs. The other reason we don't go anymore is because Spencer is not happy or friendly with Little Kids Who Steal HIS Frisbee. Again because it is unofficial, there are no rules against bringing children to the dog park. But that is a different story/rant for a different day.
Anyway, tonight there were a few people and dogs who are trying to start a mid-week play group at another elementary school on Thursday evenings. So I decided to take Audrey by herself to see how she did. And because at around 30lbs right now she is by far my "biggest" dog and I knew it was likely going to be just large dogs.
The school yard where we met was a small grassy area surrounded by shallow ditches and fenced in on three sides and leading into a parking lot. Since it was 6:30PM or so when we arrived, there weren't many cars so I wasn't worried about it not being totally fenced in since the parking lot was mainly empty with very little action. As we were walking across the parking lot I took off Audrey's lead and we walked toward the other dogs. The dogs were Buster, a very VERY large Lab X, and Grace a 4-5mo GSD (who I just graduated from puppy class) was roughly the size of Audrey just a bit taller.
At first the other dogs hadn't noticed us but when they did Grace came barreling at Audrey and Audrey was OFF like someone had lit a fire under her nubbin. She made it all the way to the parking lot area when I decided to call Grace to me. Once Grace came running towards me Audrey decided no one was going to eat her so she came back. Her recall throughout our time there was fabulous by the way. Every time I called her she would drop what she was doing and run her crooked little bum all the way to me and I would love her up and release her to play again.
For the next half hour or so the dogs (now including a huge Doberman named Brando) chased Grace's Chuck-it ball, played with my water bottle, hung out with each other and were having a lovely time. When the other dogs were getting tired and just laying around Audrey got bored and decided to explore the ditches surrounding the area we were in. She went all the way into the shallow ditch at the far end of the fenced area and I saw her get something in her mouth. I knew if I made a big deal she would come and show it to me so I started yelling "AUDREY WHAT DID YOU FIND, GOOD GIRL? BRING IT HERE, LEMME SEE IT!!" She loved that and came flying back to me with a rabbit carcass (I'm guessing that's what it was) in her mouth.
Once she got to me I told her to drop it and surprisingly she did (good girl!) The other dogs each stole it one by one and got it in their mouths before we covered it with a water bowl. Then they postured and growled at each other while they all guarded it (Audrey was not involved in the guarding, she was already moving on to another adventure). Once we had disposed of it, Audrey could tell things were boring again so she went back to her ditch and brought what appeared to be a jaw bone, or wing, or bone of unknown origin. Again she ran right back to me when I called her like an obedient little hunting dog. After a brief victory lap with the bone in her mouth she dropped it and Buster crunched it up and ate it.
Overall she did really great, aside from her wonderfully naughty retrieving skills. Her recall was amazing and she seemed totally happy and at ease with the other dogs and even the people. She looked like the most graceful, beautiful dog I've ever seen while she was running towards me and again when she would stop and sniff the air or strike a pose.
We had a great time and next week we're going to go again, and then afterwards there is a bar down the street from the school that apparently allows dogs out on the patio. So that will be our next adventure. :)
We don't actually have a real dog park in McAllen, but we do have a group of people and dogs who meet up at another elementary school on Sunday afternoons. Because I work Sunday I haven't gone in a very long time. Working on Sundays is not the only reason I don't go though. The main reason I don't go is because it is an Unofficial Dog Park (see that doesn't sound as cool as Illegal) there isn't a seperate place for big dogs and small dogs. The other reason we don't go anymore is because Spencer is not happy or friendly with Little Kids Who Steal HIS Frisbee. Again because it is unofficial, there are no rules against bringing children to the dog park. But that is a different story/rant for a different day.
Anyway, tonight there were a few people and dogs who are trying to start a mid-week play group at another elementary school on Thursday evenings. So I decided to take Audrey by herself to see how she did. And because at around 30lbs right now she is by far my "biggest" dog and I knew it was likely going to be just large dogs.
The school yard where we met was a small grassy area surrounded by shallow ditches and fenced in on three sides and leading into a parking lot. Since it was 6:30PM or so when we arrived, there weren't many cars so I wasn't worried about it not being totally fenced in since the parking lot was mainly empty with very little action. As we were walking across the parking lot I took off Audrey's lead and we walked toward the other dogs. The dogs were Buster, a very VERY large Lab X, and Grace a 4-5mo GSD (who I just graduated from puppy class) was roughly the size of Audrey just a bit taller.
At first the other dogs hadn't noticed us but when they did Grace came barreling at Audrey and Audrey was OFF like someone had lit a fire under her nubbin. She made it all the way to the parking lot area when I decided to call Grace to me. Once Grace came running towards me Audrey decided no one was going to eat her so she came back. Her recall throughout our time there was fabulous by the way. Every time I called her she would drop what she was doing and run her crooked little bum all the way to me and I would love her up and release her to play again.
For the next half hour or so the dogs (now including a huge Doberman named Brando) chased Grace's Chuck-it ball, played with my water bottle, hung out with each other and were having a lovely time. When the other dogs were getting tired and just laying around Audrey got bored and decided to explore the ditches surrounding the area we were in. She went all the way into the shallow ditch at the far end of the fenced area and I saw her get something in her mouth. I knew if I made a big deal she would come and show it to me so I started yelling "AUDREY WHAT DID YOU FIND, GOOD GIRL? BRING IT HERE, LEMME SEE IT!!" She loved that and came flying back to me with a rabbit carcass (I'm guessing that's what it was) in her mouth.
Once she got to me I told her to drop it and surprisingly she did (good girl!) The other dogs each stole it one by one and got it in their mouths before we covered it with a water bowl. Then they postured and growled at each other while they all guarded it (Audrey was not involved in the guarding, she was already moving on to another adventure). Once we had disposed of it, Audrey could tell things were boring again so she went back to her ditch and brought what appeared to be a jaw bone, or wing, or bone of unknown origin. Again she ran right back to me when I called her like an obedient little hunting dog. After a brief victory lap with the bone in her mouth she dropped it and Buster crunched it up and ate it.
Overall she did really great, aside from her wonderfully naughty retrieving skills. Her recall was amazing and she seemed totally happy and at ease with the other dogs and even the people. She looked like the most graceful, beautiful dog I've ever seen while she was running towards me and again when she would stop and sniff the air or strike a pose.
We had a great time and next week we're going to go again, and then afterwards there is a bar down the street from the school that apparently allows dogs out on the patio. So that will be our next adventure. :)
Adventures
Yesterday I needed to pick up Mackenzie's framed RN certificate with her ribbons and pictures of me and her with the judges at Hobby Lobby. Audrey needed a few treats and I had a $10 coupon for PetSmart so I decided to wait until Mom came home so we could do both errands. I definitely wanted to take Audrey because obviously she needs it. And secretly because I enjoy the comments I get when I walk her. :)
So off we went and lo and behold, Audrey was an Outgoing Friendly Puppy. She was pulling to meet people in the parking lot, and once inside the door steered us straight toward the registers where one of her favorite people was standing (my pal Marianne). She was wary of sudden movements from the young children she met (but allowed them to pet her), and was still slow to greet people when they reached out towards her and over her head. But the highlights were when a few of my friends asked to greet her, they knelt down or allowed her to approach first and she was perfectly calm and accepted petting and high-pitched greetings. She took treats from people, sat when I asked her to, she would down, AND she would Heel. She even got to play with the fattest Cocker Spaniel ever.
Mom was super impressed and said it "made my heart burst with pride to see her act like that" (in those exact words). We've made some incredible progress I think. Although Mom thinks it was because she was with me and Audrey felt more secure with both of us there. Either way it was BY FAR the best she has ever acted out in public and it gives me hope that she will be a normal outgoing friendly puppy in no time.
So off we went and lo and behold, Audrey was an Outgoing Friendly Puppy. She was pulling to meet people in the parking lot, and once inside the door steered us straight toward the registers where one of her favorite people was standing (my pal Marianne). She was wary of sudden movements from the young children she met (but allowed them to pet her), and was still slow to greet people when they reached out towards her and over her head. But the highlights were when a few of my friends asked to greet her, they knelt down or allowed her to approach first and she was perfectly calm and accepted petting and high-pitched greetings. She took treats from people, sat when I asked her to, she would down, AND she would Heel. She even got to play with the fattest Cocker Spaniel ever.
Mom was super impressed and said it "made my heart burst with pride to see her act like that" (in those exact words). We've made some incredible progress I think. Although Mom thinks it was because she was with me and Audrey felt more secure with both of us there. Either way it was BY FAR the best she has ever acted out in public and it gives me hope that she will be a normal outgoing friendly puppy in no time.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Good Friday
I know I haven't written as often as I should, but don't think that just because Audrey isn't going to be a conformation dog that we haven't been working on her. Every week we still have our socialization adventures. At 6mos old she is an absolute terror in the house, but extremely shy when either people come over, or she meets people/sees people outside of our house, or something new and scary happens. So every week we go on adventures.
As I wrote in a previous post, the scariest place on earth to her was the park we go to on Sprague Rd. Since her first time there I always bring her back with Mackenzie. This park is probably on Mackenzie's Top Ten Fave Parks, so she's always super excited and that has really helped Audrey get over her fears. We've gone almost every week for the past few weeks and the progress is coming slowly. There are several different entrances and playgrounds in the park so we've yet to hang out at all of them.
Note: playgrounds by the skateboard park are NOT a good place to take a fearful dog. Sounds of young boys skateboarding = even bomb-proof Mackenzie flips out a little bit.
Other than that park and PetSmart on a weekly basis, she goes with us for a car ride nearly every night either to the pharmacy, or to pick up food. We also go on walks in the neighborhood where she sees/hears other dogs, cars, people, big black trashbags full of horror, and terrifying wooden Easter Bunny lawn decorations.
Her other adventures include several visitors to our house on a weekly basis. In just this past week we've had my best friend Ashlee and her boyfriend Ben visiting from London, Matt's friends Nelson and Robert, and my friend Marianne all come over at different times. She will alternate between coming up to sniff them, running away terrified, and then coming over to sniff again when no one is looking at her. So we're working on that.
Today however, was an extra special treat. Dad and Mom are off from work because it is Good Friday so Dad invited us to go with him to Lowe's. Being the great outdoorsy place that it is, they allow dogs in the plant section outside. Thanks Lowe's!
Overall she did extremly well. There were a few tough spots; the forklift, the birds cooing scared her (worst bird dog ever!), people pushing the big baskets/wagons full of plants, etc. The great thing was, she recovered very quickly from most of the incidents. When we first went in she would spit out her favorite banana flavored cookies. Once we were in though, in between short bursts of flipping out, she was jumping on me asking for more cookies. Several people commented on how beautiful she was and I had a silly conversation with a husband and wife outside on our way back to the car.
Wife admiring the dog (also wearing white pants so it was my turn to flip out that Audrey was going to jump on her with muddy paws): She is soooo beautiful! ::turns to husband:: Look honey, look at this pretty dog!
Me: She's just a baby. She's only six months old and shy so we're working on that.
Wife: Oh My! Six months! She's a big girl! Cocker Spaniel?
Me: No, she's a Field Spaniel.
::Husband finally turns around:: What's the difference?
Me: Field Spaniels are bigger. They are a medium sized hunting dog.
Husband: A what?
Me: Hunting dog.
Husband: Hunting what?
Me: Birds...
Husband: Is that what you use her for?
Me: No. I'm going to show her in obedience... (at this point I trail off because obviously Rude Husband was done being interested and had already started walking away).
She took cookies from another lady's hand (one of dad's friends) and sniffed her and her husband, and she was interested in sniffing people who came up to her. What she really doesn't like is when people reach over her head to pet her. If they would just open their hand and let her sniff their palm first she would be fine. But somewhere in dog history some idiot decided that dogs needed to pet on the head and everyone and their mother tries to do it like that. For the record ALL my dogs hate that, especially Spencer who is the master of avoiding petting.
But overall Audrey was really great. She was panting and smiling by the end (which is the normal goofy Audrey face) and strutted out of Lowe's like a little champ. Then we went to Burger King to pick up breakfast and she got a hash brown for being a good girl and also go to finish the rest of her bag of treats once we got home.
Luckily I think that since Audrey is young, with enough adventures like these she will be fine. I worked on Mackenzie's severe dog aggression/reactivity for years before she was able to be shown at 5yo. So there's always hope. :)
As I wrote in a previous post, the scariest place on earth to her was the park we go to on Sprague Rd. Since her first time there I always bring her back with Mackenzie. This park is probably on Mackenzie's Top Ten Fave Parks, so she's always super excited and that has really helped Audrey get over her fears. We've gone almost every week for the past few weeks and the progress is coming slowly. There are several different entrances and playgrounds in the park so we've yet to hang out at all of them.
Note: playgrounds by the skateboard park are NOT a good place to take a fearful dog. Sounds of young boys skateboarding = even bomb-proof Mackenzie flips out a little bit.
Other than that park and PetSmart on a weekly basis, she goes with us for a car ride nearly every night either to the pharmacy, or to pick up food. We also go on walks in the neighborhood where she sees/hears other dogs, cars, people, big black trashbags full of horror, and terrifying wooden Easter Bunny lawn decorations.
Her other adventures include several visitors to our house on a weekly basis. In just this past week we've had my best friend Ashlee and her boyfriend Ben visiting from London, Matt's friends Nelson and Robert, and my friend Marianne all come over at different times. She will alternate between coming up to sniff them, running away terrified, and then coming over to sniff again when no one is looking at her. So we're working on that.
Today however, was an extra special treat. Dad and Mom are off from work because it is Good Friday so Dad invited us to go with him to Lowe's. Being the great outdoorsy place that it is, they allow dogs in the plant section outside. Thanks Lowe's!
Overall she did extremly well. There were a few tough spots; the forklift, the birds cooing scared her (worst bird dog ever!), people pushing the big baskets/wagons full of plants, etc. The great thing was, she recovered very quickly from most of the incidents. When we first went in she would spit out her favorite banana flavored cookies. Once we were in though, in between short bursts of flipping out, she was jumping on me asking for more cookies. Several people commented on how beautiful she was and I had a silly conversation with a husband and wife outside on our way back to the car.
Wife admiring the dog (also wearing white pants so it was my turn to flip out that Audrey was going to jump on her with muddy paws): She is soooo beautiful! ::turns to husband:: Look honey, look at this pretty dog!
Me: She's just a baby. She's only six months old and shy so we're working on that.
Wife: Oh My! Six months! She's a big girl! Cocker Spaniel?
Me: No, she's a Field Spaniel.
::Husband finally turns around:: What's the difference?
Me: Field Spaniels are bigger. They are a medium sized hunting dog.
Husband: A what?
Me: Hunting dog.
Husband: Hunting what?
Me: Birds...
Husband: Is that what you use her for?
Me: No. I'm going to show her in obedience... (at this point I trail off because obviously Rude Husband was done being interested and had already started walking away).
She took cookies from another lady's hand (one of dad's friends) and sniffed her and her husband, and she was interested in sniffing people who came up to her. What she really doesn't like is when people reach over her head to pet her. If they would just open their hand and let her sniff their palm first she would be fine. But somewhere in dog history some idiot decided that dogs needed to pet on the head and everyone and their mother tries to do it like that. For the record ALL my dogs hate that, especially Spencer who is the master of avoiding petting.
But overall Audrey was really great. She was panting and smiling by the end (which is the normal goofy Audrey face) and strutted out of Lowe's like a little champ. Then we went to Burger King to pick up breakfast and she got a hash brown for being a good girl and also go to finish the rest of her bag of treats once we got home.
Luckily I think that since Audrey is young, with enough adventures like these she will be fine. I worked on Mackenzie's severe dog aggression/reactivity for years before she was able to be shown at 5yo. So there's always hope. :)
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