Homeward Bound Puppy

    Well our first day of school was last night. We were very excited as we searched high and low for a class, let alone one that wasn’t taught using traditional methods. We were a bit concerned that noone called us until Monday and the class started Wednesday, especially when our deposit check was cashed only days after we dropped it off weeks ago. Well it seems we were duped.

Not only is the class not taught using clicker training, the instructor believe in using prong collars. She also failed to note the 86lb Boxer had on a Gentle Leader that was too small for him, and boxers normally aren’t good in Gentle Leaders because of their facial structure. She asked to use Bo to demonstrate how to teach your dog to walk on a loose leash and proceeded to yank, I mean “milk” the leash in the opposite direction causing him to cough up kibble and cower. And thats after she told us he was clearly submissive. I don’t see how scaring the crap out of a submissive dog is going to do us any good. We were only one of two puppies in the class as it was a Basic Manners class not the puppy class since she felt he had too much knowledge for Puppy One but no social interaction for Puppy Two. She was also supposed to “evaluate” him for placement but since the classes run back to back I didn’t get a chance to chat about it, in fact we could barely get out the door to the stairway leading out of the basement room and to freedom. She sent us home with homework and a booklet that was copied from paperwork that was copyrighted in 1977. So clearly its not about the kind of training we are looking for, let alone updated in the past decade.
So we came home and called the other trainer we found literally a couple days after we dropped off our deposit. Their classes started yesterday too so I knew we could catch someone “in” before they went home. Tim had a nice chat with the site owner who explained she has a trainer come in wednesdays for training, as they are primarily a doggy daycare facility. A Gentle Leader is included in your class price (which is how Brenda used to run hers) and lasts 8 weeks not just 4. We will be going out there next week to participate in a class, and if we like it we will go with them for the remaining six weeks.

If not we have one last option the next weekend. The place we originally wanted to use starts its puppy class the 8th and although he’s too old by their parameters they promised they would have one the month before when he would be young enough so I think we can convince them to let us in anyway. It runs Saturday mornings which would be better than weeknights as well, but the important thing is we get out of the first one. I spent the morning making it up to Bo for letting the mean lady yank on him.

So we ordered some Christmas stuff for the boys Friday. We originally tried to order Wednesday but something went fubar and after much effort we managed to reverse a pre-authorization and re-order. Hopefully it will go out Monday and get here by Friday. Along with stuff for presents to be put aside we ordered some stuff we really need now as Boris is growing. We were so excited to find a good price on the Kong toys, and Cherokee will be so thrilled to get his own Kong. For $48 USD we have the following arriving:

1 Senior Kong (purple/white type) in large

1 Senior Kong snaps mini

1 Stuff-n Paste in mint

1 Extreme Kong (the black type) in large

2 canisters of Kong squeaky tennis balls

2 medium puppy Ziggies by Kong

1 Stretch and Fetch fire hose toy

1 Orbee Snowball toy from Planet Dog

2 Triple Crown Clickers

1 Triple Crown All Flavors treats

*UPDATE-Our package arrived yesterday and the boys were very excited once they figured out there was stuff in there for them. They were each allowed one toy/chew for now and the rest got put away for later/Christmas (although Tim insists Cherokee celebrates Chanukah because of Auntie Elaine). They wasted no time in enjoying their new toys.

Being from Mississippi we were anticipating some fun when Boris first got to try out snow. It snowed for the first time yesterday, unfortunately it was rather small in amount and Tim’s idea to take pictures without Boris on a leash was rather…hard. I did try my best and among the half pups, moving pups, etc I got a few gems. I can’t wait for it to snow more to get some decent pics of him in it.

We decided Boris has just about outgrown his crate in terms of comfort for sleeping in. Its ok for in the car or a quick trip, but not really big enough to sit up in anymore. So we dug out Cherokee’s old crate from the spare room and cleaned it off. Which required taking it apart, scrubbing/sanitizing, and drying it as well as de-rusting some bolts. But in the end we have a nice clean crate for Boris in the bedroom. He’s already looking to jumping from the bed to the top of it. Cherokee is a bit confused by the whole thing. He knows its his crate and often gets in it with Boris now, because he knows he’s supposed to go “in” when told. Boris’s old crate is also acceptable if he can’t reach his own. Needless to say its rather funny to watch.

Yesterday was the Petco Fashion Show with prizes for general Best in Show and Best in Show in a Petco fashion. We bought a matching set of t-shirt and Jacket from Target. They have a skull and crossbones with a santa hat and “Naughty” written on them. I spent a good part of Friday knitting a little black scarf to match the winter theme.

After a quick stop to dump off the garbage we headed over to Petco in anticipation of some biscuits and at least a participation certificate. Cherokee stayed at home which we figured was better this time. After parking halfway across the parking lot in the first available space we made our way over to Petco. Not only was it the Fashion Show it was also the Greyhound Adoption table day. Luckily the lady who runs the table is a great lady and has two wonderfully socialized animals who take children and other dogs with a grain of salt.

We headed in to sign in and join the motley crew of dogs and cats to wait our turn. Everything from a pair of chihuahuas to a 20lb cat was there. There were different judges and the “press” guy had a digital camera smaller than most cell phones, but everyone seemed to be in good spirits. We watched as people coerced their animals up onto the catwalk and drug them down the length. Boris of course jumped right up and ran straight to the other end. Where he got a polaroid taken before running back down to me and jumping off.

We didn’t win the general Best in Show, that went to a nice big mix named “Boo” in a tux with tails. The Petco Fashion Best in Show went to a pair of chihuahuas in fluffy pink sweaters. We would have liked the pretty purple rosette, but the tube of meat wouldn’t have been good or bad. It would have been nice for training treats but nothing we couldn’t do with hot dogs. We got a couple mini meat rolls for entering anyway. It was still chea socialization and there was a bigger crowd.

1/2 cup cooked pumpkin pulp
1/4 cup applesauce
2 eggs
2 tblsp powdered milk
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup apple cider
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Mix together pumpkin and applesauce.
3. Add eggs and whisk till smooth.
4. Add powdered milk and cider.
5. Slowly add flour and mix till a firm dough forms. Dough should not be sticky. If it is add more flour slowly till it is no longer sticky.
6. Roll on floured board to 1/2 inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters (we used an autumn set of acorns/leaves/fruits) or a pizza cutter.
7. Place on parchment paper covered cookie sheet. They don’t need to be spread out too far but they shouldn’t touch either.
8. An optional egg wash of one egg and a tblsp cider can be prepared if you’d like.
9. Bake for 30-40 minutes in preheated oven. When done they will be dry throughout to keep longer. Allow to cool in oven thats been turned off to ensure dryness.
10. Keep in airtight container.