Lacey is now six months old. We took her to the Brentwood dog park today. She had a great time romping around with the other dogs. She was little too frisky with a couple of toddlers and that worried us a little bit, but the mother didn't seem to mind.
It was amazing to see her speed compared to the other dogs. Now there were some older dogs that couldn't be bothered to run. But there were a few other dogs that liked to go for a romp and Lacey would be running along with them and then kick it into another gear and leave them in the dust.
We bought Lacey a new leather collar and leash today. She looks quite pretty with the new accoutrements.
She is still not perfect in the house and we keep a keen eye on her. But she is a dear.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Making Good Progress
Lacey has been showing signs of maturity. Although not perfect she seems to be getting more reliable. Her obedience training is beginning to show dividends. She has demonstrated knowledge of "sit", "wait", and "down."
Her staples came out last Monday and she is acting like nothing happened. She doesn't have to wear the plastic guard anymore. But we put it on her when she is on the deck unsupervised, because without it she can squeeze under the railing to get out; with it she isn't going anywhere.
The Spring weather has been pleasant except for the onset of allergies. We still get some rain, but there are now more pleasant days than rainy days. This gives Lacey more opportunity for outdoors time.
Her staples came out last Monday and she is acting like nothing happened. She doesn't have to wear the plastic guard anymore. But we put it on her when she is on the deck unsupervised, because without it she can squeeze under the railing to get out; with it she isn't going anywhere.
The Spring weather has been pleasant except for the onset of allergies. We still get some rain, but there are now more pleasant days than rainy days. This gives Lacey more opportunity for outdoors time.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Lacey's Been Spayed
Lacey was spayed yesterday. I took her to the vet at 8:30a and then picked her up at 4p . The vet said everything went fine. She has a plastic disk around her head/neck to keep her from licking her wound. The incision is about 6". It was extended to repair a small hernia she had. Because the incision was longer the vet used staples to reinforce the stitches. She needs to keep the plastic guard on until we get the stitches removed on the 12th.
Here's Lacey with her plastic guard:
Here's Lacey with her plastic guard:
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Progress at Last!
Blogging has been very light over the last month as we have been struggling with Lacey's behavior. She is a very energetic pup and it was difficult to get her focused for training. It was like one step forward and two steps back all month until last Tuesday. We attended our second training session with all of the puppies in the puppy training class. Just as before Lacey was all over the place and demonstrating all the bad behaviors. We had placed the choke collar on for training but it didn't phase her one bit. I suspect she would have pulled until she passed out if I would have let her.
So we gave in to the pinch collar. The puppy classes are held in the parking lot outside of a Pet Food Express. After consulting with the trainer I ran into the store and bought a pinch collar. Even with it on it seemed to have only a minor effect. Then the trainer showed me that there are two places you can attach the leash to the collar, one is the "live" ring the other is a "dead" ring. I had attached the leash to the "dead" ring. When it was moved to the "live" ring -- wow! Lacey immediately started giving me her full attention. She didn't jump about. She immediately started responding to training. We made more progress in the next half hour than we had made in weeks.
Lacey is now behaving like the lovely dog she is when she is all tuckered out. The pinch collar will be in use for only a short time to get her behavior patterns well set. I had always looked at the pinch collar with some horror, but now I know it can be a great tool to keep control of a high energy dog (or bitch) and get them focused for training.
One of the things you have to be careful about with the pinch collar is that if you put it on after you have been struggling to control a dog with regular collar or choke collar you have to get used to how gentle you can be in correcting behavior. Only a light quick tug will get the dog's attention to correct an unwanted behavior. And the dog will not pull against the leash.
In short, for us (and Lacey) the pinch collar is a miracle worker. Here's Lacey modeling her jewelry:
So we gave in to the pinch collar. The puppy classes are held in the parking lot outside of a Pet Food Express. After consulting with the trainer I ran into the store and bought a pinch collar. Even with it on it seemed to have only a minor effect. Then the trainer showed me that there are two places you can attach the leash to the collar, one is the "live" ring the other is a "dead" ring. I had attached the leash to the "dead" ring. When it was moved to the "live" ring -- wow! Lacey immediately started giving me her full attention. She didn't jump about. She immediately started responding to training. We made more progress in the next half hour than we had made in weeks.
Lacey is now behaving like the lovely dog she is when she is all tuckered out. The pinch collar will be in use for only a short time to get her behavior patterns well set. I had always looked at the pinch collar with some horror, but now I know it can be a great tool to keep control of a high energy dog (or bitch) and get them focused for training.
One of the things you have to be careful about with the pinch collar is that if you put it on after you have been struggling to control a dog with regular collar or choke collar you have to get used to how gentle you can be in correcting behavior. Only a light quick tug will get the dog's attention to correct an unwanted behavior. And the dog will not pull against the leash.
In short, for us (and Lacey) the pinch collar is a miracle worker. Here's Lacey modeling her jewelry:
Friday, March 5, 2010
Lacey went to the vet today for her rabies vaccination. This completes her shots for her license. She is now 10 pounds! The vet projects her adult weight will be about 15 lbs. That is about the same as the Westie we had for many years. The difference is while the Westie was squat and thick, Lacey will be taller and longer.
Lacey seems to have made real steps in maturity this week. Here she is happily playing with a chew toy:
Her obedience classes are starting soon!
Lacey seems to have made real steps in maturity this week. Here she is happily playing with a chew toy:
Her obedience classes are starting soon!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Happy Birthday to Us!
Lacey gave Momma and Poppa a four month birthday gift -- a flawless and happy day! Today she has been everything we hoped she would be: playful but not frenzied, a lapdog when quiet, and going to the door to signal her needs. Wow! If we can string of few days like this together life will be sweet.
4 Months!
Lacey is now four months old. She reminds us of the poem that goes:
"There once was a little girl
Who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead
And when she was good
She was very very good
And when she was bad
She was horrid"
Our hero is Cesar Milan -- the Dog Whisperer on Animal Planet channel. We keep watching him and believing that we will get Lacey to where she needs to be. She is clearly more energetic than any dog we have had before. That makes training all the more important.
We start basic obedience training with other dogs in a little over a week. But the first class is for the owners only. Kind of emphasizes Cesar's point that owners need more training than dogs do.
She is at an age that real breakthroughs should be achievable over the next few weeks.
If Lacey's name was behavior-based, right now it would be "Jaws". The principal strategy is redirection to her authorized chew toys -- away from blankets, sheets, clothing, slippers, carpet, wood and, most particularly, hands. We're told we may have another 4 months of this based on accounts from friends who are a little ahead of us on the puppy track. We are hoping that it is not any longer than that. We know puppies learn a lot with their mouths, but do they have to keep repeating the same lessons?
"There once was a little girl
Who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead
And when she was good
She was very very good
And when she was bad
She was horrid"
Our hero is Cesar Milan -- the Dog Whisperer on Animal Planet channel. We keep watching him and believing that we will get Lacey to where she needs to be. She is clearly more energetic than any dog we have had before. That makes training all the more important.
We start basic obedience training with other dogs in a little over a week. But the first class is for the owners only. Kind of emphasizes Cesar's point that owners need more training than dogs do.
She is at an age that real breakthroughs should be achievable over the next few weeks.
If Lacey's name was behavior-based, right now it would be "Jaws". The principal strategy is redirection to her authorized chew toys -- away from blankets, sheets, clothing, slippers, carpet, wood and, most particularly, hands. We're told we may have another 4 months of this based on accounts from friends who are a little ahead of us on the puppy track. We are hoping that it is not any longer than that. We know puppies learn a lot with their mouths, but do they have to keep repeating the same lessons?
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Progress
Lacey went to the Vet yesterday. She now weighs 8.7 lbs (3.95kgs). She has lots of energy. We took a long walk and she hardly seemed fazed.
Between late nights following the Winter Olympics and chasing Lacey about, Mom and Pop are pretty pooped.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Happy Valentines Day
Lacey has progressed enough to gain greater freedom in the house. She is doing pretty good but we are well-advised to keep a close eye on the slippers.
Lacey has been signed up for an obedience course that starts on March 9. Lacey will be greatly relieved when her parents are better schooled.
Lacey has been signed up for an obedience course that starts on March 9. Lacey will be greatly relieved when her parents are better schooled.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
iPaws
Lacey got her personal "Apple" device yesterday -- the iPaws. Lacey's Aunt sent it to her along with some special doggie treats. Lacey is just loving it. Of course this Apple is designed to turn Lacey on rather than the other way around. But she has found a good use for the earbuds.
This is a great toy, with a squeak box and the "headphones" which make for additional places to grab on and swing about.
As part of our training we have had Lacey send her personal thank note to her Auntie.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Growing and Learning
Lacey had another visit to the vet today for a third set of vaccinations. She is now 7.1lbs (3.22kgs). That's about 27% growth over the last 3 weeks. She is getting longer. Lacey is starting to show the classic wire fox terrier posture at times.
Before going to the vet we visited a local dog training school. We had hoped to put her into a puppy class offered through the City of Brentwood Park and Rec Department. However, there were not enough enrollees and they cancelled the class. But they referred me to the organization that was doing the training. So we went there this morning to check into it. They have another obedience class starting in March, so that's the one we will sign up for.
Before going to the vet we visited a local dog training school. We had hoped to put her into a puppy class offered through the City of Brentwood Park and Rec Department. However, there were not enough enrollees and they cancelled the class. But they referred me to the organization that was doing the training. So we went there this morning to check into it. They have another obedience class starting in March, so that's the one we will sign up for.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Lacey Video
I finally took a video with the iPhone to show Lacey playing. Not great, but gives you an idea. At one point you see my finger obscuring the lens as I switch from normal to macro and back again:
Friday, January 22, 2010
Week of Storms
Starting on Sunday afternoon our area was blanketed with a series of rain storms. The blowing and swirling winds, wet and cold were problems for Lacey and our work on her delicate condition. I can't say as I blame her--imagine if we humans continued to use outhouses...without walls...without a roof...and without a seat. I am not sure we would relish being outside in a storm and might opt for a far corner of a covered and walled location.
So we set up a papered pen in the gated kitchen for use when we were less than successful outside.
Lacey continues to be very cute. Her playing and quiet times are a joy to watch.
So we set up a papered pen in the gated kitchen for use when we were less than successful outside.
Lacey continues to be very cute. Her playing and quiet times are a joy to watch.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Lacey's "delicate condition"
I was reminded today of how the phrase "delicate condition" has been used to reflect a female's bodily state that was not to be too explicitly discussed in polite society -- often involving pregnancy, but not always. Recognizing that we have talked on this blog so much about Lacey's bowel and urinary status and how tedious (and possibly odious) that may be to the reader, we will now simply refer to it as her "delicate condition".
Lacey's delicate condition is still in flux. Yesterday Momma and Poppa had to be away from the house for several hours so it was not unexpected that there would be some policing to do upon our return. But more importantly there was no opportunity to reinforce the desired behavior. So last night and today we are doing our best to reinforce (reward) desired behaviors and minimize opportunity for bad outcomes.
There is puppy obedience training locally available starting on Jan 28. We can't sign up for class until Jan 21. (The class is through a program managed by the City of Brentwood, so city residents have priority and were able to sign up starting Jan 14. We hope there will still be openings on Jan 21 when non-residents can join.) The class takes puppies 10 to 18 weeks old. Since Lacey turns 10 weeks old tomorrow this is a good time to start. It also gives us some expectation that behavioral progress thus far has not been so much laxness on our part as much as Lacey being still a little too young to have the necessary attention span.
Fortunately Lacey has such a sweet disposition that her misdeeds are merely misdemeanors and not felonies. And, of course, the presence of the leash regulates her potential for mischief making. She is off-leash only in the penned kitchen, her sleeping crate, and the occasional laundry room stint when we both have to be gone. We let her explore the rest of the house only under our guidance to prevent disaster either to her or by her.
After successful obedience training she will be getting more freedom in the house. That is something I am sure both we and Lacey are looking forward to.
Lacey's delicate condition is still in flux. Yesterday Momma and Poppa had to be away from the house for several hours so it was not unexpected that there would be some policing to do upon our return. But more importantly there was no opportunity to reinforce the desired behavior. So last night and today we are doing our best to reinforce (reward) desired behaviors and minimize opportunity for bad outcomes.
There is puppy obedience training locally available starting on Jan 28. We can't sign up for class until Jan 21. (The class is through a program managed by the City of Brentwood, so city residents have priority and were able to sign up starting Jan 14. We hope there will still be openings on Jan 21 when non-residents can join.) The class takes puppies 10 to 18 weeks old. Since Lacey turns 10 weeks old tomorrow this is a good time to start. It also gives us some expectation that behavioral progress thus far has not been so much laxness on our part as much as Lacey being still a little too young to have the necessary attention span.
Fortunately Lacey has such a sweet disposition that her misdeeds are merely misdemeanors and not felonies. And, of course, the presence of the leash regulates her potential for mischief making. She is off-leash only in the penned kitchen, her sleeping crate, and the occasional laundry room stint when we both have to be gone. We let her explore the rest of the house only under our guidance to prevent disaster either to her or by her.
After successful obedience training she will be getting more freedom in the house. That is something I am sure both we and Lacey are looking forward to.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Two Steps Forward?
In the last few days it seemed that we had moved beyond "two steps forward, one step back". But last night things seemed a little off kilter -- the routine I thought we had established was not as "routine" as I had hoped. Not like a couple of weeks ago, but not as reliable as I thought we had established.
The days are still a challenge. With the poorer winter weather outside there is a disincentive to exercise her for long periods in the yard or the deck. She seems disinclined to walk far down the sidewalk away from home. Our strategy will be to put her in her carrier and walk with her to a distant point then return home with her on the lead.
Took some photos that I will work on to post here soon. She responds well to the camera and I am trying to make the camera not an object of interest in itself. The shots I would like to get are those candid and quiet moments when she is not experience her PADD (puppy attention deficit disorder). I am using the wide lens most of the time just to ensure I can keep her in the frame given her proclivity to move quickly and in difficult to anticipate directions.
The days are still a challenge. With the poorer winter weather outside there is a disincentive to exercise her for long periods in the yard or the deck. She seems disinclined to walk far down the sidewalk away from home. Our strategy will be to put her in her carrier and walk with her to a distant point then return home with her on the lead.
Took some photos that I will work on to post here soon. She responds well to the camera and I am trying to make the camera not an object of interest in itself. The shots I would like to get are those candid and quiet moments when she is not experience her PADD (puppy attention deficit disorder). I am using the wide lens most of the time just to ensure I can keep her in the frame given her proclivity to move quickly and in difficult to anticipate directions.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
A growing girl
The trip to the vet on Friday went well. Lacey is now 5.6 lbs (2.54 kilos). That's a 40% increase in two weeks. I swear I thought it was going to be more -- she seemed so much bigger. But it may just be that she is getting so much more lively and determined.
I have experimented with the video on my iPhone, but haven't yet gotten anything worth posting. What I think would be most interesting would be something from my point of view where I see her doing something cute. But it's hard to see something, get the iPhone, and then hold the iPhone steady enough. The frame rate is 10 fps so if she is thrashing about it is just a blur. That suggests a quiet time would be best...but if she is not moving a video is not better than a still shot...so I have some work to do to become a good videographer.
Lacey is doing much better at night. It doesn't mean that I have been getting a full night's sleep, but it does mean that she is not fouling her crate which is the first step.
We keep her on a leash except when she's in an area for easy clean up. Outside she is always on a leash because she is very quick and very curious. And she really wants to meet people. Her trust level is waaay too high and that's not something you want to quash. But its easier to make her too afraid than learn just the right level of caution. So the leash is the principle regulator at this point.
Lacey's breed is known for being very smart and I hope that training some day will make her highly reliable with verbal commands. But I know that is definitely in the future with a lot of work that, frankly, I have never achieved with any of my previous dogs. So I suspect the wild card here will be my commitment and energy more than Lacey's.
I have experimented with the video on my iPhone, but haven't yet gotten anything worth posting. What I think would be most interesting would be something from my point of view where I see her doing something cute. But it's hard to see something, get the iPhone, and then hold the iPhone steady enough. The frame rate is 10 fps so if she is thrashing about it is just a blur. That suggests a quiet time would be best...but if she is not moving a video is not better than a still shot...so I have some work to do to become a good videographer.
Lacey is doing much better at night. It doesn't mean that I have been getting a full night's sleep, but it does mean that she is not fouling her crate which is the first step.
We keep her on a leash except when she's in an area for easy clean up. Outside she is always on a leash because she is very quick and very curious. And she really wants to meet people. Her trust level is waaay too high and that's not something you want to quash. But its easier to make her too afraid than learn just the right level of caution. So the leash is the principle regulator at this point.
Lacey's breed is known for being very smart and I hope that training some day will make her highly reliable with verbal commands. But I know that is definitely in the future with a lot of work that, frankly, I have never achieved with any of my previous dogs. So I suspect the wild card here will be my commitment and energy more than Lacey's.
Friday, January 8, 2010
It's Vet Day
Haven't posted for a few days. Quick catch up:
1. Lacey's trip to Grandma's was a real success. Everyone enjoyed it.
2. Lacey has clearly established that, for now, she can only be left unsupervised in areas where easy and effective cleanup can be done.
3. Lacey is still incredibly cute (which ensures her survival even with the need to do cleanup).
Today we go back to the Vet for her next series of vaccines. It will be interesting to see how much she has grown. It can be deceptive; Lacey looks fluffy and big outside when she is pulling at her lead to explore another dead leaf but seems long and light when you are carrying her about indoors.
I have added a video capture program to the iPhone and will try and get some video worth posting.
1. Lacey's trip to Grandma's was a real success. Everyone enjoyed it.
2. Lacey has clearly established that, for now, she can only be left unsupervised in areas where easy and effective cleanup can be done.
3. Lacey is still incredibly cute (which ensures her survival even with the need to do cleanup).
Today we go back to the Vet for her next series of vaccines. It will be interesting to see how much she has grown. It can be deceptive; Lacey looks fluffy and big outside when she is pulling at her lead to explore another dead leaf but seems long and light when you are carrying her about indoors.
I have added a video capture program to the iPhone and will try and get some video worth posting.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
New Adventure? Disaster?
Lacey is off to Sacramento this morning with Momma. Momma has her hair appointment up there and Grandma suggested that Lacey come along and stay at her house for a few hours. Oh boy!
So bright and early we have been active in our first effort to compile and transport her foldable canvas crate. Of course trying to get Lacey well-pottied for the drive has been a priority. Puppy pads and towel on the passenger seat is a must.
Naturally this being our first effort at coordinating such an activity it was not all smooth. But they are off now. There will be a tale to tell tonight, no doubt.
Oh, and last night seemed to go by with no incident (accident) , so we're crossing out fingers.
So bright and early we have been active in our first effort to compile and transport her foldable canvas crate. Of course trying to get Lacey well-pottied for the drive has been a priority. Puppy pads and towel on the passenger seat is a must.
Naturally this being our first effort at coordinating such an activity it was not all smooth. But they are off now. There will be a tale to tell tonight, no doubt.
Oh, and last night seemed to go by with no incident (accident) , so we're crossing out fingers.
Monday, January 4, 2010
The perils of a change in schedule
I have been off-work for two weeks during the holidays which gave me the opportunity to focus effort on Lacey's integration into the household. The previous posts give some indication of how that is going. But today I have needed to head back to work shifting the focus on Lacey from Poppa to Momma.
The need to integrate my getting ready for work has created a new challenge. Lacey still wants her vigorous play session first thing. So I accommodated that before showering and dressing. We need to initiate a morning walk -- both for me and Lacey. Her general distractedness had kept me from doing much formalized walking yet. She may be yet too young for that -- she just had her 8th week birthday yesterday.
With the need to get out the door it was a bit of a distraction to deal with accidents this morning. But I managed to do so at least leaving Momma with a "clean slate" for the day. Will get reports on how that's working out later.
The need to integrate my getting ready for work has created a new challenge. Lacey still wants her vigorous play session first thing. So I accommodated that before showering and dressing. We need to initiate a morning walk -- both for me and Lacey. Her general distractedness had kept me from doing much formalized walking yet. She may be yet too young for that -- she just had her 8th week birthday yesterday.
With the need to get out the door it was a bit of a distraction to deal with accidents this morning. But I managed to do so at least leaving Momma with a "clean slate" for the day. Will get reports on how that's working out later.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Play
Enough about poop. Play is a more fun topic.
First thing in the morning Lacey's energy is off the charts. So that means she wants to really rough house. We have some things that are OK for chewing (and a lot of things that are not). Her stuffed fox terrier toy is the main "combatant" for her. I hold in my hand and we do battle. The game is to keep her interested. She reminds us a lot of our first terrier, Lady, in this respect. She really wants to challenged and her lithe puppy body can stand a lot. We do battle on the top of the bed first thing in the morning so her flipping and flopping are always on a soft surface.
Her second best opponent is her leash. Although I am a bit concerned about developing a bad habit of pulling on the leash, I think I will cure that with a leash change later to let her know something different is expected about her behavior at that point and let her fight this leash a lot. As it turns out this leash has a little leather connector where the material loops back to hold the clip. This is a very satisfying attack point for Lacey. The fixation with the leash allows for me to sit on a chair and flip the leash around while she attacks various points. She expends a lot of energy while I don't have to -- the perfect scenario from my perspective.
Hopefully soon we will transition to walks, but right now she just wants to roll about for play.
First thing in the morning Lacey's energy is off the charts. So that means she wants to really rough house. We have some things that are OK for chewing (and a lot of things that are not). Her stuffed fox terrier toy is the main "combatant" for her. I hold in my hand and we do battle. The game is to keep her interested. She reminds us a lot of our first terrier, Lady, in this respect. She really wants to challenged and her lithe puppy body can stand a lot. We do battle on the top of the bed first thing in the morning so her flipping and flopping are always on a soft surface.
Her second best opponent is her leash. Although I am a bit concerned about developing a bad habit of pulling on the leash, I think I will cure that with a leash change later to let her know something different is expected about her behavior at that point and let her fight this leash a lot. As it turns out this leash has a little leather connector where the material loops back to hold the clip. This is a very satisfying attack point for Lacey. The fixation with the leash allows for me to sit on a chair and flip the leash around while she attacks various points. She expends a lot of energy while I don't have to -- the perfect scenario from my perspective.
Hopefully soon we will transition to walks, but right now she just wants to roll about for play.
Progress?
Friday night and Saturday were good with a lot of attention. Lacey behaved as desired and was rewarded with lots of play and encouragement.
Last night was another hiccup. An accident in her bed. So are we really making progress? The space restriction did not completely work (although the prior night's success was encouraging). So does that mean that it was the right strategy and we simply missed the right signal? Our plan was to arise when she cried in the night, take her out for business and then return immediately. Once back in the crate just after having done her business, ignore her cries and let her settle down. Only respond to cries that come significantly later.
But given how sleepy one is in the middle of night are we judging time correctly?
Last night was another hiccup. An accident in her bed. So are we really making progress? The space restriction did not completely work (although the prior night's success was encouraging). So does that mean that it was the right strategy and we simply missed the right signal? Our plan was to arise when she cried in the night, take her out for business and then return immediately. Once back in the crate just after having done her business, ignore her cries and let her settle down. Only respond to cries that come significantly later.
But given how sleepy one is in the middle of night are we judging time correctly?
Friday, January 1, 2010
New Years Day! Hurray!
I don't believe Lacey thinks much of New Year's Day. Since the focus was on taking down the tree and putting away the Christmas decorations, Lacey needed to be secured away from all the activity. Not her favorite thing. But there were enough breaks during the day that she did get some attention.
Lacey's progress on crate training has not been as good as I would wish. I placed a box inside the crate to block off the area where she has been having accidents. I hope this will expedite her understanding of the need to hold it until we can take her outside.
With our prior dogs we used a phrase "busy busy" to signal their need to potty while we were outside. I cannot now recall how long it took them to identify this phrase with outdoor pottying, but I do know that Lacey doesn't have the concept yet.
Lacey's progress on crate training has not been as good as I would wish. I placed a box inside the crate to block off the area where she has been having accidents. I hope this will expedite her understanding of the need to hold it until we can take her outside.
With our prior dogs we used a phrase "busy busy" to signal their need to potty while we were outside. I cannot now recall how long it took them to identify this phrase with outdoor pottying, but I do know that Lacey doesn't have the concept yet.
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