Baja Brag

I've been looking through all my pictures of Baja and trying to choose a couple to send in for the turn-in slide show. I found this picture of Baja when I went out to the Maltby Cafe for breakfast with a friend of mine a couple months ago. We were seated at a table where children had obviously been sitting some time before us, since there were Cheerios on the ground all around the table. Baja laid down in the middle of them and went to sleep, and didn't touch any of them for the entire time we were there (over an hour). What a good boy! Here are some pictures to prove it :-)

"Howl"-O-ween party

Today was the annual Halloween party at my work for clients who have taken obedience classes or done Board & Train with their dogs. We had a costume contest (of course), a "pie" eating contest (actually rice and cottage cheese), a pool where dogs could bob for treats, a Tricks for Treats station, Limbo contests for big and small dogs, some agility equipment, and a Haunted Walkway with motion-activated things that made noise and moved - such as a bat that dropped down and then flew back up again, a dancing/singing skeleton, and a floating ghost.
Baja wasn't afraid or really even interested in anything in the Haunted Walkway, and OMSI was curious about all the stuff for a couple seconds and then just looked at me for a treat. So, neither dog seems sensitive to sudden noises or movements :-) OMSI had a great time bobbing for treats in the pool, and Cody won a pie-eating contest.
All the dogs had a great time on the agility stuff. Baja has been on agility equipment before, but this was OMSI's first experience with it. He LOVED it! There was a baby teeter that was probably 6 inches off the ground, but he wasn't phased by the movement at all. He seemed to really like all the contact obstacles and he would run up them everytime we walked by. So, if a career as a service dog doesn't work out, he has some promise as an agility dog!
I took pictures of the dogs doing agility, but not of the other stuff.

Birds at the Park

Today I took Baja and Cody to a local bike trail/park where there are LOTS of birds - pigeons, ducks, and chickens - who swarm around people expecting to be fed. Cody was very good and only needed a couple corrections before he remembered to pay attention. Baja was great, even though he was just on his flat collar. He was very relaxed and while he looked at the birds, he wasn't focused on them at all. Both dogs got to practice down-stays (separately) while I pretended to feed the birds so they would go close to the dogs. And since it was a nice, sunny day there were other people and bikers around who would walk through the birds and make them fly around. Baja also barely looked at the bikers, joggers with dogs, and roller bladers. All in all, it was a great outing and both dogs did great with their obedience.

Concrete "Hurry" party

After being reminded of how important it is that service dogs will relieve themselves ("hurry") on any surface at the Puppy Seminar, I decided to see if Baja and OMSI would "hurry" on concrete. Baja used to be fine with this while I was at school, but I haven't had him "hurry" on concrete for months. I've never had OMSI "hurry" on concrete, but little puppies don't seem to be too picky. I decided to do this last Sunday after I had already fed them breakfast, so Baja had already done both "hurries" that morning. Well, poor guy didn't go again until that night when he couldn't hold it any longer, and then he acted like he was doing something wrong. So we had a big party after he went. And of course I had to choose a day when it was raining, so I had to stand out in the rain waiting for my dog to "hurry". But, on the positive side I now know that neither of my pups have a problem with umbrellas. The next day at work I took him to the far side of the parking lot every time I took him out, and it took him until 4:30pm before he would go (and he didn't go that morning at all). So we had another party (one of my co-workers even asked what I was so excited about). By Tuesday he was fine and was going immediately when I told him "hurry", both at work and at home. Phew! I'm giving him a couple days going on grass or gravel like usual and then I'll test him again to make sure he will go on concrete. OMSI was much easier. The first time I took him out he whined a little and tried to pull towards the grass before he squatted. It only took him one day before he stopped trying to get to the grass and seemed comfortable "hurrying" on the concrete.
OMSI went to the vet today and weighed 18 pounds! He seems a bit small for 14 weeks, but he's healthy and eating well so I'm not complaining.

Puppy Raiser Seminar

Yesterday I went to a CCI PR seminar. It's the first one that's been held for us Washington PRs, and there was 100+ people and dogs there. I took both dogs along with crates with the plan to have one out with me and the other in a crate. Fortunately, there was a PR there who is taking a break between pups and she volunteered to take one of mine. So we took turns with Baja and OMSI. Both Baja and OMSI were so good! Baja was a demo dog in one of the seminars and he was very good, except for getting one correction for sniffing another dog. OMSI has amazing focus and was able to walk next to me on a loose leash watching me the whole time, even with all the people and dogs around. He also would do this for the other PR that took him. When I stopped to talk with people he would lay down and watch me. He was held by LOTS of people and he participated in an "appropriate play" demonstration. I put him in his crate while I ate lunch and then later to feed him lunch, and he didn't bark at all!!!
I decided to take him to church with me today, and he was a little pistol. He didn't sleep the entire time and he was very busy (fortunately he was quiet). I guess being good all day Saturday left him with lots of energy on Sunday :-)

Puppy class

We had puppy class again last night after a two week break, so this was OMSI's third time at class. He has improved a lot in the last two weeks, and he was so good at class this week! He's doing really well on his gentle leader. When we were practicing leashwork, OMSI trotted next to me watching me the whole time (so he was ignoring all the other dogs and people :-). He also automatically sat next to me when I stopped. I think he's improved most on Stay. When I got him he could barely hold still for a couple seconds, and now he can Sit or Down stay for a couple minutes (getting lots of treats as he's doing it :-), even if I walk around him, squat down in front of him, put some tension on his leash, or toss a treat by him. He also has an amazing recall! We did a recall exercise where everyone lined up in 2 lines about 6 feet apart and we took turns calling our dogs down the center. OMSI came running as fast as he could and ignored all the dogs. He did stop twice and sit in front of someone else until he realized they weren't me (he seems to look for the first pair of legs he can find), but I could tell he was trying to figure out where I was. Our contract trainer even commented on what a great recall he has!
So here's what OMSI knows so far:
Sit and Down on verbal cue only (no lures) and doing well with Stay
Stand with a little help, working on short stays
Shake
Speak (and working VERY hard on Quiet)
Let's go with a GL and lots of treats
Bed (from about a foot away)
Wait
Here
Heel (still needs a little lure)
Hurry
Kennel
Sit while I put his food bowl down and waits for the Okay so he can eat
Back (he's surprisingly coordinated and backs really well)
Dress (with food lure...haven't really worked too much with it, but he doesn't avoid the GL)
Drop (does well when I'm intentionally working on it, not so well when he's outside with a twig in his mouth)
Roll (with lure)

Pretty good for a 12 week old puppy, huh? He is the most food motivated puppy I've had since my first (Pasha), and he is very smart. We have a CCI puppy seminar on Saturday, so I'll try to get some pictures of him in his cape.

First real bath!

I gave OMSI a bath today at work, which was his first time (with me at least) in a bath tub, using a blower, and being in a drying cage. He was really good! He didn't really mind the bath, didn't react at all to the force blower, and played in the drying cage. This puppy is not phased by anything!

Breakthrough!

This morning OMSI was loose playing with Cody while I was eating breakfast so he could burn off some energy before going to work. OMSI then ran into the other room to the door and nosed the bells hanging there to indicate he needed to go outside. I had been working on him ringing the bells before I take him out, but this is the first time he's done it all by himself without me leading him over and standing next to him. I was so excited that I let him outside without getting his leash first (it was in another room). OMSI ran outside, down the steps, through the backyard and into the "puppy pen" where he hurried (my parents don't want the dogs going on the lawn). Yay!! What a good puppy!! So, he got to run around outside for a little while before we came back in.

Nothing much new....

OMSI now weighs 15 pounds! Nothing very exciting has happened lately...just ordinary stuff like work. Since OMSI is too young to go anywhere, he goes to work with me then chills at home the rest of the time. Since I work at a boarding kennel, OMSI and my other dogs get to play with the dogs that are in for board and train (size appropriate, of course - OMSI probably thinks he's a terrier now :-). OMSI also gets to go to the playtime for the kennel's puppy class three times a week, so he's meeting lots of new dogs and people. Since we haven't had CCI puppy class for the last couple weeks, this has been a good place to practice his commands with other puppies around. He's doing SO well learning his commands. I thought Stay would be hard for him because he is such an active puppy, but he has amazing concentration and self-control when he wants to. He is a very smart puppy (ok, I know I'm biased, but that doesn't mean I'm not right!). But, he still loves to bark. (sigh). I keep telling myself that he is barking less, but I think it's more wishful thinking than reality. I'll try to get some pictures up soon.