sleepy sunday chat

I was whipped after cleaning yesterday morning and then class with Shane. I was so tired that I felt sick and my back hurt the rest of the day. It feels good today though and I slept from 9:30 until 6, so that was nice.

We're working on "heel" in class and Shane did really well on the concrete areas but there were way too many doggie smells in the grass to get a good response. Overall, I was very happy though. We started on "leave it" too but the trainer uses a method different from one I'd seen and been using on a kikopup video. I prefer the method on the video but I didn't think she'd appreciate me mentioning it ;).

I really don't have anything I need to get done today, so I'm planning to just enjoy a relaxing day with a couple of walks with Shane. I hope everyone has a great Sunday.

Cathy, I hope you feel better! Shane, Sinbad agrees--too many good smells in the grass for proper healing! 

Glad Abbie's leg is getting better--Abbie, the medicine is yucky, but it is helping, sweet girl. Just remind Mom you need a cookie after you take it.

I'm trying to get some lawn work done today, but it is already a hot (with not a cloud in sight). So, it'll be slow going. I'm really tempted to harvest some garlic but I know it's not quite time. Must resist temptation for a couple more weeks :-) 

Hugs for all who need them.

 Glad to hear that Abbie's feeling a bit better - Abbie girl you may not like the medicine but I KNOW you like the results!

Bugsy was a complete nut this morning - I had rested him yesterday and given him valerian root all day because how worked up he was during the storms Fri night to Sat morning. he was literally bouncing off the walls. Always such a delicate balance with him LOL

I think I'll get him xanax for Fourth of July just in case someone nearby does fireworks. I can see that the flashing is going to really bother him.

I forgot to send your seeds out yesterday Cathy but they are packed and ready for tomorrow's mail.

I was out trying to determine how to clean out the basin under our fountain - I thought it would be simple...........apparently I am simple  DH is now involved which means it will be a large production. If he doesn't do it today though I can do it my way tomorrow 

It is very hot and sticky - I was drenched from working on the pond and a tiny bit of yard work. I need to clean well today but I am finding it hard to get started

Have a good day all!

I posted this on a training page but wondered what you all thought - We've just recently started using the crate with Shane. He goes in willingly and I've been feeding him and giving him a frozen kong in there at least once a day. He did fine with it as long as we were home but I left him for the first time in there last week and when my husband came home a couple hours later, he hadn't touched the kong. This morning, I put him in there and went about doing other things and he's again, ignoring the kong and looking nervous. My question is, do I take the kong away and let him out or ignore him? I just read "I'll Be Home Soon" and that's why I'm wondering about taking the kong away but maybe I'm confusing things (again).

I didn't add that when DH got home and Shane looked "sad" and was ignoring his kong, DH let him out and let him eat his kong on his dog bed. I was so mad!!. So, this morning, I let Shane stay in there for about an hour and because I didn't want to keep him in there to the point he started barking or acting up, I let him out and put the kong back in the freezer. He definitely looked surprised and started barking at me like "give it back", so I'm hoping I did the right thing vs. letting him stay in the crate longer.

 I am no trainer..........but I think that is OK Cathy. If he wants the kong it goes in his crate with him. I was more the just leave B in his crate until it was convenient for me to let him out. He would always fall off to sleep in time and he was never one to make any noise. He would just look at you as if you were unfair

To this day there are times he eats the treat we put in a toy for him when we leave and other times he doesn't. It was the same when he was a pup - we came home to an untouched kong or an empty one, but never made anything of it

Didn't see you post in training so answered here

The book talks about giving them the kong, leaving them for just a short while and then putting it away. The idea is that they slowly associate good things happen when they go in the crate and want to go in. Since Shane has never balked at going in, I hadn't used the protocol to start.

Karen - I think Shane might be the same as Bugsy and just chill out but he does show some SA and I just want to take positive steps before it escalates, so I tried to set up this morning like I was leaving to see how he'd do. He won't starve if he doesn't eat, so that's not what I'm worried about and I may have no reason to worry at all.

I hope you can rest and feel better today, Cathy.  It's so hot here that even driving from errand to errand is miserable.  I didn't sleep well and want to nap but too many things on my to do list. 

Rex is limping on a sore and swollen front paw.  Glad to hear Abbie is feeling better.

'

edited because of some weirdness. lol

Jen, enjoy Hershey Park.  I've never been, but with a name like that, it's gotta be a fun place! 

Cathy, I don't have any training advice for you regarding Shane and his kong habits in and out of his crate, but I like what others have posted.    We always put Tonka's nylabone in his crate with him when we left the house, and he never touched it.  But, as soon as we got home and let him out, he'd grab it, run around the house a couple times, then lie down and chew it for several minutes. 

Ruby is a much more destructive and powerful chewer than Tonka was (despite being less than half his size), so we don't put a kong or a nylabone in her crate when we leave her alone.  But it's the first thing she looks for when we come home and let her out, and she chews it then.  I think both of them treat crate time as "chill out" or sleep time, and the kongs and nylabones are for when they're not crated.  Who knows!

I got a bunch of things done on my To-Do-List today.  It helped that I got up much earlier than I usually do on a Sunday.  We're about to have dinner.  DH is making pulled pork -- he put the pork on the Big Green Egg (it's like a smoker/grille thing) about 6:00am, and it's been cooking all day.  I think we've made the entire neighborhood hungry with the smell wafting around the block.  It's going to be delicious -- it's one of his specialties. 

I put Shane in his crate tonight with his kong and he didn't stop licking it until it was empty. That's the Shane I'd known before, so I'm not sure what this morning was about.

Is it really Sunday evening already? :(

tacran

Jen, enjoy Hershey Park.  I've never been, but with a name like that, it's gotta be a fun place! 

I try to make it a semi-regular trip. I actually got a free ticket back in March. I was out here for a conference, and I went to a hockey game. It just so happened it was free Hershey Park ticket night, so I figured it would be a good time to go. The Flyball tournament was in another town, about 50 minutes from here, but from my house, both that and Hershey are in the same direction, so it made sense to make that part of the trip. Plus, I drove the 2 hours 15 minutes out and back on Friday for Luke to get in the ring for 5 minutes of practice time (not really complaining, I need to get him in for practice so that we can see if he will run clean in different places so he can get started racing on a team). I didn't want to just drive out to watch for a few hours and go home again if I could find something else to do out here while I was at it. There's a new roller coaster I wanted to try this year too- speaking of that, I need to make my plan of what to ride. 

Edited to add- Luke seems to be okay so far on his first night in a hotel. Though, he thinks the beds are very tall, and he needs help to get up, or if he wants to get from one to the other. 

 Wow, the Tampa area is really getting inundated with water from Debby!  My daughter sent me a pic on FB of Bayshore Blvd with it's million dollar homes.  The ocean doesn't end!  She now lives a bit further north, but is still getting flooded.  For a storm headed the other way, it's leaving a mark on FL!

marty_ga

 Wow, the Tampa area is really getting inundated with water from Debby!  My daughter sent me a pic on FB of Bayshore Blvd with it's million dollar homes.  The ocean doesn't end!  She now lives a bit further north, but is still getting flooded.  For a storm headed the other way, it's leaving a mark on FL!