Jordan Pond
It’s All About the Love (and the Clicker)
Today was a big day for her – she walked on her leash (which she still doesn’t completely love), went for a car ride, walked and ran around in a field, saw a group of kids throwing a Frisbee, met a big dog who didn’t want to play with her, met a lot of strangers, scoped out the vet’s office (it’s a long story having to do with her microchip – but she’s fine).
Anouk has taken to clicker training much to my relief. I still think I need to make it more fun for her, but she gets that if she does certain things I’ll click and then give her a treat. This is how I’ve been feeding her part of every meal. I’ve even got her doing a sequence of “sit-down-love.” Today I introduced “up” but we have a lot more work to do. “Love” is actually a variation of “touch” but I’ve called it “love” because I intend to use it as an alternative when she nips. If I feel any teeth, she doesn’t get a click. She learned very quickly not to use her teeth, but it is an ongoing project. She’s also learning to do some things outside amidst great distraction!
Since I don’t want her completely food motivated, I’ve replaced treats with belly rubs and neck scratches on occasion. She’s an affectionate little creature, already showing her obstinate side, and I love her to pieces!
The First Day
Confession time – there was a moment last night after I got home, that I thought what am I going to do with a puppy! Cut me some slack – the trip took 10 hours of driving round trip. I spent a couple of hours at the pick-up site. My new dog was covered in feces and still needed a bath (this is how she came off the transport). My elderly mother, who accompanied me on the trip, was worn out and needed help. My contact lenses felt permanently stuck to my corneas. It was a very long day. However, I already began to love this dog (what can I say? She licked my face and cuddled in my arms – we started bonding), and I still had two bathroom accidents to clean up, take care of my chickens, and soothe three cats. I didn’t have time to second-guess my decision.
Fortunately, Anouk slept through the night (the trip was much more fatiguing for her than for me – she had traveled two days from Alabama to New Hampshire!). So did I – the above was not me, that was exhaustion speaking. This morning we started to develop a routine and began playing and training.
I’m using the clicker method. It’s as much a learning experience for me as it is for her. I have to develop my clicker-timing skills, and Anouk has to develop her response skills. So far she has learned to sit without a cue. Even while visiting a friend’s house and dogs, she sat without a verbal cue (she was trying to make me click!) amidst the distraction of new smells and friends. I’ll teach her the visual and verbal cues after she has mastered the sit, but she is well on her way. We’ve also been working on Down, Leave It/Take It, and Her Name/Attention/Come. I suspect “Down” is going to take a while, but she is slowly recognizing her name and coming when called on occasion. Leave It/Take It is a game that we are both enjoying. I don’t use the clicker in this instance, because it is still at the game stage. Once she has the skill down, I’ll use the clicker when I can introduce other items that she has to leave alone (like everything but her toys).
It’s going to take a lot of diligence on my part to train her, but she is smart and grasps things quickly (in between puppy-spastic sessions when her attention is occupied by all things wild and out of control!). Repetition, consistency and patience – this is my new creed.
Oh, she’s up from her nap. I’ve got to go….
Anouk
I couldn’t resist posting this picture an hour after we got home Saturday. She had a bath, something to eat, and something to gnaw on (to replace what she isn’t supposed to gnaw on). So here is my little devil… ahem, I mean angel…
More about the little darling to follow…
Slow as Molasses…
I haven’t felt this way in forever. I sort of felt this way last year while I was waiting for the chicks to arrive. Time seemed to move so slow towards the day they were scheduled to arrive. That was nothing compared to now!
Time is standing still!
Here’s why – on Saturday I pick up my puppy. She is on a transport right now coming up from Arkansas. And the wait is killing me. I’ve kept busy – chores, chickens, cats, mother, work. I’ve stayed on top of everything I have to do normally and filled in the remaining hours puppy-proofing the house, organizing the pet supplies, setting up the puppy area, moving furniture, and more. I’ve kept busy because usually if you keep very busy time passes quickly, right? It’s worked for me in the past, but now not so much.
Did I mention time is standing still?
When my dog Elsa died, I died. It’s not a cliché – a part of me went numb inside. I became very rational. I would wait to get a dog until I moved. However, I underestimated my need to have canine companionship. I wish I could say family, friends and chickens were enough (cats are part of family), but it’s not. I love walking dogs. I like playing with dogs. I like to see them lying around with my cats. I like watching them. I like being near them.
Then I saw her – The Puppy. (Full Disclosure: I never stop looking at petfinder.com – ever. Probably not so wise if you want to wait to get a dog, but I said “rational” not “wise!”)
In this picture, she is 7 weeks old. I don’t know for sure but I estimate now she is around 9 weeks. She’s from Almost Home Rescue of Maine (where I adopted Elsa from), and she is a Catahoula Leopard Dog (sometimes called a Louisiana Catahoula Dog). She is a herding breed like my Elsa (Australian Cattle Dog). They are wicked smart and energetic.
I’ve named her Anouk, and I plan to train her in agility.
I can’t wait to meet her.
Heart Boiled Eggs Originally from Anna the Red
UPDATE: Apparently the originator of the heart-shaped egg technique is Anna the Red (link to the original post) – please see her comments below. Ashley-Cooper Creations did not indicate the source for the idea, so I just assumed it was theirs. My apologies to Anna the Red.
I thought this a very lovely Valentine (or anytime) idea from Ashley-Cooper Creations on Facebook. (The title “Heart Boiled Eggs” is mine – hee!)
You will need:
- Eggs
- A Milk carton or any juice carton (cut open, washed well and dried)
- 1 Chopstick (round one is ideal)
- Rubber bandsHow to make a Heart shaped hard boiled egg:
Step 1: Cut the milk carton and fold it in half lengthwise.
Step 2: Make a hard boiled egg.
Step 3: While the egg is still warm, peel the egg and put the egg on the milk carton, place a chopstick on the center of the egg, and put rubber bands on the both ends.
Step 4: Leave it for about 10 minutes. (Keep the egg in the fridge if it’s summer time.)
Step 5: Take the chopstick off and cut the egg in half.TIP: Make sure the egg is freshly boiled and warm. Otherwise the egg might break from the pressure.
Treasures
On a day when I’ve felt totally discombobulated, it ends on a high note. I found a video I took last July 4. I had created a temporary run out of pallets and chicken wire for the then-pullets to take fresh air. It was their first day out of doors. Elsa and I sat with them for most of the afternoon. I working on my computer, and she next to me sunning herself. I had taken a lot of videos of the new flock in the clover and had completely forgotten that I had filmed this as well:
The Sunbathing Beauty
I feel so lucky to have found this. So very lucky…
Heartbreak and Comfort…
Two years ago, come May, I was rescued by the most beautiful, willful, brilliant dog there ever was. Elsa was diagnosed with cancer two weeks before Christmas, and yesterday I brought her to the vet to have her put to sleep. It was time.
I was going to write a post about all the wonderful things about Elsa and how much we miss her, but then my friend Martie (who fostered and introduced me to Elsa) sent me this email about Belker. It says it all…
Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.
I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt Shane might learn something from the experience.
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker’s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.
The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ‘I know why.’ Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation.
He said, ‘People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life — like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right? The six-year-old continued, ‘Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.’Remember if a dog were the teacher, you would learn things like:
- When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
- Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
- Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
- Take naps.
- Stretch before rising.
- Run, romp, and play daily.
Elsa was the best teacher.
I Hate All Of It…
Elsa is ailing. It is getting more and more difficult for her to eat, but this tenacious dog is still interested in her food. I just got the go-ahead to increase her pain medication, and there is a formal plan in place with the vet for “the end.” But this morning I got home after running errands to find her huddled in a corner, shaking with pain. Those of you who have been through this understand, but I cannot find the words to express it all adequately. All I know is that when I look in her face, it is obvious that the cancer is having its way.
To say I hate this is a gross understatement. I hate to see her suffer. I hate that I don’t have the skills or magic juju or whatever to make her better. I hate that this beautiful, stubborn, energetic, smart dog is being ravaged by cancer. I hate that our time together has been so short. I hate that her life before she was rescued by Almost Home Rescue of Maine sucked.
I hate all of it.
And I love my dog.
The Crockpot
Yup, you can make anything in a crockpot.
Even hand-dyed fiber.
I’ve been wanting to dye fiber in my crockpot for a while, and a few days ago I just did it. I figured I’d start with something I couldn’t accidentally felt (superwash wool yarn) and dyes that couldn’t possibly harm me (Kool-Aid – although I do think that anyone who drinks this stuff has psychedelically pickled innards!).
It was a pretty easy process – soak yarn in a water-vinegar bath for an hour (5 quarts water to 1/2 cup white vinegar), drain and soak again but this time turn on the crockpot. When the water is hot (about 20 minutes), add dye, poke with a stick and wait (about a half hour or so – I wasn’t in a rush). Et voila! Hand-dyed crockpot yarn.
(Tomorrow I’m going to try this with my handspun yarn)
Now for the photo portion of our program:
Soaking the wool…
For this skein, I sprinkled the color powder directly on the yarn as it was soaking. I used a chopstick to help the colors dissolve, but I didn’t want too much intermingling right away.
For the next skein, I used three shades of red and made liquid versions (approximately 4 packets of each dissolved in water and vinegar). I poured the color onto the yarn while it was soaking and let everything freely mingle. Where I saw white, I sprinkled a bit of light pink Kool-Aid and poked it with a stick.
