November 13th

I don't know what to say other than that Apache and I worked on leash training today, and he was afraid at first but warmed up a little and could follow heelwork better. We stopped when he was doing his best, so it was probably 20 minutes today.

November 7th

Time trained: 25 minutes active training with 30 minutes DPT training.
Goal of the day: Bowing.
Achieved: Beginning of bowing but long to go.
Notes: Collar on, changed hand signals for back up and figure eight. Started bowing but need to correct him from laying on his side. The true freestyle training has begun. 

Rapid progress!

I will just skip the long explanation and write down what we did today followed by pictures.

Time trained: 30 minutes active training with 45 minutes relaxation training.
Goal of the day: Leash training.
Achieved: Got collar on without trouble, could loop the leash over his head around the neck on/off. 
Notes: Fetched glove which he played with for the first time, worked on balance with my training ball, refreshed freestyle heelwork which he exceeded in, beginning of leash training, and pressure therapy. 

Strange objects

Apache and I worked on medicine bottles today which was the first time we worked on hard plastic and/or smaller objects and even though it was slobbery he did it really well! We are now working on waiting, command and direction. And despite this, I felt today was an "off" day for him where the will to work was not top notch. That's okay though. :) We got good cuddle.

Ixxi got brushed out, Andy got a haircut which he loves, and I took two separate dog walks this morning. A good doggy day!

Smart pet in Petsmart

I am proud to say that Frodo was very good at the petsmart store today! Since we live on a farm we rarely see people or dogs so he needed a refresher socialization. We brought Ixxi as companionship and just stood around and waited for him to get comfortable, feeding him treats like a food dispenser. And from being tense to paying attention to me and sitting on command, and letting a worker there pass him on short range without being alarmed in 20 minutes, he did great! I need to do this more often but I am sure he will become a really all-round amazing dog when this is fixed.

And Apache, wow. I spent time with him in the basement for some cuddles and decided to finish up my dinner, salmon. He was so good at giving me space (I eat with the food in my lap) and not trying to snatch or anything, so I gave him a tiny piece. And what I discovered was that salmon is the key to his inner puppy! He wagged the tail like he was going to take off like a helicopter, he licked me like crazy, crawled up on me higher than ever before and touching my face with his head, rolled over on his back while still ontop of me, and still wagged the tail like crazy. I have had him almost three years and I have never seen him act this puppylike! It is amazing that I still find out more and more things about this wonderful little dog!

And the cutest thing of them all... the noises he made! I have never heard those noises either. I feel like I have finally worked up his "minus" meter of insecurities and up on the plus side where his personality shows through more than ever before! And it feels like this is just the beginning. Very exciting!

Apache's focused training

Tonight it begins, Apache's new focused training!

I lost my way in his training for a while after feeling like we will never compete like I wanted to do with him. But now I found my way again and I will try to track his training as good as I can. I have focused a lot on his fears and I want to put my focus on something else for a while. Imitation training would be fun but I have other things in mind for now.

First I want to write down the things I want to work on.
¤ Leashwalking, walking next to me with sloped leash.
¤ Better retrieval of more and (to him) stranger things. Different shaped toys, plastic bottle, shoe, etc.
¤ Chin on lap.
¤ Stay off the couch unless invited. I tried this before but I gave up too soon.
¤ Focus.
¤ Attention.
¤ Relaxation/doing nothing.
¤ Sit/stay.
¤ Better down/stay.
¤ Making him more solid in staying despite distractions.

These are things I have intended to focus on but always procrastinated. I really need to work on his self control. I love his enthusiasm but I can't get anywhere if I can't tone him down to be more serious when we are working together and somewhere inside I still hope to compete in a few years. So, today's goal. We will start with strange retrieval just because it has been a little while since I worked him and he is usually pretty calm during this. After warming him up with this I will work on his focus and hopefully succeed in massaging him afterwards for the relaxation.

I will update this post after the training and sum up how it went.

* * * * * *

Time trained: 1 hour in which 20 minutes active training and 40 minutes relaxation.
Goal of the day: Fetch things he finds strange, focus, massage to relax.
Achieved: All three.
Notes: Fetched yellow and black rope/ball/football toy and a heavy ball, down/stay with eyecontact and distance, and massage and successful massage despite earlier fear/stress from Andy's noises.

New goals

So what's new?

Digger is doing absolutely great! He is like his normal self.

Ixxi too is her normal self, she plays, she cuddles and is spick and span healthy.

Andy has been diagnosed with dry eye and glaucoma so he is on daily eyedrops for life. He needs to diet since his eyesight got bad.

Apache is doing great too. We didn't get to work this summer due to my health but he doesn't care. What he doesn't know is that I am in the making of giving him a life purpose. I will get back on the train to challange him to get better and have a clear path on what I want to teach him. Sometimes it's the owner who limits a dog's potential and it is very much true with me and him.

Frodo has grown up to be a fantastic two year old! He has mellowed out, he is attentive to me and there are things he does that seems like he is trying to take care of me during bad days.


I always have so many plans and then they fall through due to my health, but my medication is leveling out and I am so goal focused now with Apache that I don't think it will fall through. I have other future plans in which I need to mend the "issues" of Frodo and Apache first. I really don't want my health to stand in the way of this one!

What's new?

It's been quiet here on the blog for quite some time and it has been a rollercoaster for me healthwise, doctorsappointments here and there. But I want to update what's been going on with each dog.

Digger: He has gained his weight back and his health is really well right now.
Andy: He has improved with his food aggression but still lashes out sometimes over food or what I believe is pain related. He has alot of arthritis in his body and is on pain suppliments. He almost moved to his original mommy, the one that took care of him for 10 years of his 11 year old life but at the last minute that plan fell through so he will be staying with us. His vision in his bad eye has worsened and he is probably completely blind in that eye now. The spot on the ear where he was in poison ivy is naked so it scarred a little but otherwise he healed nicely.
Ixxi: Currently has a double sided eye infection that I am treating with chamomile tea. Otherwise healthy.
Apache: Had a while where he didn't want to work and I thought of retiring him to a pet instead of my workdog but it turned out it was the heat that made him sluggish. Who doesn't? So I got my workbuddy back!
Frodo: Had to be shaved down due to burdocks in his hair and I am now waiting for the crest to grow out again. He lashed out at people when we had visitors so I will be working at his social skills.

That's all. Not much to update but that's it. :)

Difference in the brush

Apache's fur is so thick that the mars coat king tugged the hair and furminator slid ontop of the coat which made it difficult to help him shed. I bought a good slicker brush at fleet farm that could grab the bulk and the other 2 could do the finer job. Here's the result and the huge difference. :) His coat is so thick it takes three or four different brushes to help shed him. Normally I bathe shedding dogs with espree shedding schampoo to speed it up but Apache is terrified of the tub so I avoid stressing him with it if I can. Enjoy the before and after pic. :)

Apaches great success

I will update you all on what's been going on in my dog pack lately but this post is all a celebration of Apache! He was so badly kicked and abused that when I started trainging him he didnt trust humans and could not be close enough to eat a treat out of my hand. Teaching him to trust me and to sit next to me in a heeling position with me standing still was hard, but teaching him to not flee in terror when my leg moved into a step was even harder and the first time I succeeded I cried in joy, it was HUGE!

Here's his first steps that was caught on video but not the actual first steps that made me cry. Still huge!

It's almost difficult to comprehend that it's the same dog I have today. This is our heelwork today.

And he was also beaten with a cane. This is where we started out in february 2014.

And this is what he learned in ONE session yesterday, august 2nd 2015.

I can't believe it's the same dog! I am so proud of his progress that I have tears in my eyes just thinking back on our journey! Apache, I love you! And now that he has conquered his fears of sticks, there is SO much we will work on the rest of this summer! Yay!!

Stress and medication

It has been hectic and stressful in the house. What the vet said was allergies on Andy turned out to be poison Ivy cause Digger got into it too... badly. So I medicated both of them and both were coneheads for a while.

I've started to prepare what life will be after Digger and how the routines will work. And it hit me that many changes will occur, and that I don't want to give up on competing with Apache as I said last year when he limped on a front foot. He hasn't done that since so it probably was just a strain - not the lymes disease. He loves canine musical freestyle and so do I. And he is everything I want in a dream dog for competing in freestyle so I don't want to give up. I want to make him both my personal assistant and my dance partner.

The training for "life after Digger" has begun. And it's not fun but I am glad that I am starting ahead of time. I don't want to think of life without him, but it's part of life and reality.

Andy has become a lover of running, he loves running! And he is getting better at letting us know when he needs to potty too. He even slept through the night in the bed without needing out or overheating (well, panting and wanting down and get restless) after I groomed him the other day.

I took Frodo on a solo walk yesterday to start him in dog parkour but it failed cause it was too muddy to get to where I wanted to work. But he enjoyed the walk very much. :)

Ixxi... I don't have much to say about her. She is just her perfect quiet normal self. <3 But I plan life after her too. I have to. She is such a big piece of my heart that if I don't have a plan if something sudden and unexpected happens I will struggle way more than if I have a plan on what I wish to do after she is no longer with me. And I don't want another mini schnauzer. Not that I don't like the breed, I love it very much, but I can't have a "new" ixxi and compare the pup to her, plus I'd like to try a different breed. It stands between a few breeds but I am pretty sure what I want when that day comes.

As for life after Andy. Yes I think of that too. Probably another peke, we will see. I can't choose all the dogs and Mike really isn't complete without one.

After Apache I might start thinking of my breeding career. Depends on how long he lives. After Frodo I will either get breeding stock or a poodle. :) I like trying different breeds and the poodle has caught my heart among others.

But yes, I plan life after every dog, in case something would happen. If I don't have a plan I might do something stupid and hasty in the middle of grief. The thought of getting a rescue is on the list but we'll see. So far I am happy with our pack, and right now I only need to focus on Diggers last time and how to train Apache since his life will change the most. He won't be able to sleep in the garage anymore which he and Digger does well together. Both love it there so the change will be huge on Apache. he is terrified indoors so the indoor training has started already.

Well, that's the update for now. :) Ciao.

Doggy update

Digger:
Gained musclemass and weight but is still slowing down.

Ixxi: 
Has hotspots and a cold. Had to go to the vet for a shot.

Andy:
Has severe allergies. Had to go to the vet. Found out he is almost blind in one eye. Requires medication.

Apache:
SO proud of him!!! Great progress with him in our training! It was so hot today that he came indoors so I could finally brush some with the furminator.

Frodo:
Proud of him too! He is Finally understanding the whole housebreaking thing and waking me up and telling me. Progress there too! I had to groom him though so he looks like a Xoloitzcuinltle.
But still cute. :)

Canine Cognition

This is so cool. I have heard of this before so I tried it with Frodo. And he imitated the behavior! This works! I will work more with this!

Happy turtle day!

Dog training and scent discrimination

The word "scent discrimination" is most commonly used in high level obedience or schutzhund but it is also used in the military and police to find narcotics, bombs and so on.

People can use this for "pets" too with coffee or tea or other scent. I chose coffee with mine cause I don't drink coffee and we have it around for visitors so might as well use it. Plus it smells strong so I don't need much when I am higher level that I intend to reach when I hide it in the house or outdoors or in cars like narcotic dogs.

But I will talk about how I train this in a different post. I got pictures and videos to share. As for rest of the day... :)

Apache was, as you know, abused in the beginning of his life. Extremely fearful of humans and I have worked very hard on this. There's still a lot to improve but we are moving forward. :)

I love training his body control and teaching him where his feet are. So I started to work on stepping over my legs but also stepping onto my legs. That was more difficult and so much fun! I will for sure work more on that. :)

I also taught Ixxi and JD to use the new doggystairs we bought so successful day!

Multiple dogs

When you have one or two, maybe three dogs it's like having kids. But when you pass four and five you start to feel like a daycare center instead of a family. I don't mind at all! It is just a thought that popped into my head today.

They go everywhere, they get dirty, they need a bath, they need to get dried, you need to change clothes, someone got into something, and then it's feeding and time to go out again and someone gets into filth and puts it in his mouth. ;)

First off, today would have been Ådis 5th birthday. I miss him and I really want to honor him in this blog post. Rest in Peace my friend.

I also finally confirmed that the turtles are males and the names will be Donatello and Raphael. :)
First pic was when we first got them and second is Donatello hogging the entire space. We will need to build out so both can fit better. :)

I know it isn't dog on a dog blog but frankly, I don't care. ;) They are my babies too!

Okay so time for Frodo talk! here's his favorite toys:

Mostly ropes. I braided a jeans rope and he LOVES it!

But the biggest favorite of them all is the "football" toy. :)

And Ixxi and Digger was not very impressed.

The day doesn't stop there. Apart from Frodo getting a bath and some cleaning and walking and such, I decided to cut down Frodo's socks for many reasons. He eats burdocks that tangles into the fur, and he loves getting dirty plus it's easier to check for ticks.

That's all folks!

Rest in Peace Otto the mini schnauzer

I'm a member in a mini schnauzer group and an individual I was attached to passed away today. Stupid cancer! I lit a candle in his memorial. Poor Otto and family.

My dogs thought I was so boring today. I walked them, I cuddled them, I made braided jeans toy for Frodo to kill his bordom but otherwise I only worked on the computers. I've postponed it for a long time but by sorting this out I will have a better working space and be able to manage my planning and otherwise with the animals and training. Not to mention that I no longer need to worry about losing my pics again like I did earlier.

So apart from some walk in the cold weather and bad weather, I think this face sums "the fun" up of today.

Hopefully we can do more fun tomorrow. Stay safe!

Welcome to my new dog blog!

I used to have a blog for myself and one for Apache. But it didn't feel fair to only write about Apache so here's the blog for the entire gang. :) The tabs will tell a little about the rest of the farm (when I get far enough to update them) but i will mainly blog about their training activities, walks, baths, car trips and whatever else we may come up with. Tricks and brain games will be here for sure! :)

To start off with the blog I introduced coffee search (the same thing that bomb or narcotics dogs do but coffee instead of dangerous substances)  to J.D. for the first time today. Frodo and Ixxi have practiced it before but it was new to him. I was going to work with the other 2 as well but never got that far. They all did really good. :)

I need to keep this short. Thunderstorm on the way and I will lose internet when it reaches here.

But welcome to my blog, I hope you enjoy it!