Training my gr8 puppy

Nova is working hard to learn the sport of agility.  She's in her 2nd official agility class, learning the foundation skills of obstacles and handling.  She's gotten her feet on all the obstacles.  She loves tunnels and the chute.  She loves jumping onto the table and is learning to collapse into a quick down (for those USDAA trials).  She practices her contacts on the down-side of the A-frame, but doesn't go over it yet.  She runs across the low dogwalk.  And, although it happened quite by accident, she's gone over the teeter totter once.  I turned my back for a split second and she took off toward the teeter.  I was too late to call her off, so I kept my mouth shut and crossed my fingers.  She ran up the incline to the end, then crashed to the ground.  I held my breath, hoping this wouldn't be the beginning of long term teeter fears.  Almost immediately she came trotting back to me, tail held high, with a huge grin on her face.  Ready to give it another try!  What a brave girl!  (But, I didn't let her go again.)
She is able to run sequences of 8-10 obstacles, through the jump uprights (no bars yet), through tunnels and the chute, on and off the table.  She's learning to read my signals that tell her where to go next:  left, right or straight ahead.  There are several ways for me to communicate to her which way we're going next, and they all depend on where I am, where she is, where I need to go next, and where she needs to go next.  Below is a little practicing of front crosses, rear crosses, post turns and wraps.  If you don't know agility, you may not know what those terms mean, but maybe you can see the subtle differences in my different locations.

When done correctly, my position and timing will tell Nova where to go next and will hopefully result in smooth and fast runs.
Nova is also beginning to learn about weave poles.  I'm teaching this using a method called "2 x 2 weaves" where I start with 2 poles and teach the basic skill, then add 2 more poles, then 2 more after that.  Eventually she'll be doing 12 weave poles with speed and accuracy.  This video shows Nova performing the first steps in learning 2 x 2 weaves.  She's executing an off-side weave entry, which requires her to go around the first pole before going between the two poles.  Although not the most difficult of the 2 types of weave entries, it does teach her that she always enters the weave poles with the first pole on her left.

  Nova and I will now be taking a week long break from agility training.  John and I are going to North Carolina to see Andrew and Sheema get married.  Nova will be staying at Klondike Kennels where she'll be pampered and loved, and be able to join her doggie friends for playgroup on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  We'll miss one another, but it should be a fun time for everyone!
    

Home again!

Nova - 7 months old

John and I just spent 1 week away from home, visiting Andrew and his fiance', Sheema, in North Carolina.  Nova spent the week at Klondike Kennels enjoying a VIP package which included extra walks or playgroup, and a stuffed Kong each day.  When I picked her up she looked pretty happy and curious before she saw me.  When she spotted me she went CRAZY!  If you know Nova you know she does "crazy" pretty well on a daily basis, but this was on a whole new level!  She almost knocked me over and was scampering around me so fast I could hardly touch her.  In the parking lot she was leaping at least 4 feet into the air, twisting and bouncing.  She actually popped her head out of her collar and for a few scary moments she was zooming around the parking lot like a wild thing.  Fortunately, it was a slow morning at the clinic/kennel and she calmed down within about 30 seconds and came back to me.  (The collar is now a wee bit tighter!)
She's had a pretty busy day since then.  Toys to greet, treats to eat, photo session in the backyard, and I took her to work where my friends showered her with attention.  She's now sacked out on the floor, recovering from being away from home.  And, from coming home again!

 Nova turns 7 months old tomorrow.  In honor of that milestone, we took a few pictures in the backyard today.  If you are familiar with the Coke bottle pictures, you know how cooperative she can be when I'm trying to take pictures of her.  However, she's now familiar with both "wait" and "stay", so these pictures were much easier! 

Nova passed her STAR Puppy test at the end of May and her official certificate and a shiny medal came in the mail today.  I would have loved to take a picture of her wearing the medal, but she'd rather chew on it, so this will have to suffice for now.

Nova is 6 months old!

Nova - 6 months old!

Nova turns 6 months old on June 7, 2012.  Happy birthday to Nova and her 10 brothers and sisters!  As you can see, she’s grown a lot.  She’s also learned to sit and stay, although shortly after this picture was taken she gave into the irresistible urge to attack the Coke bottle.  I started taking pictures of her with the Coke bottle at 9 weeks old.  At that time she didn't sit and stay.  It was a real challenge to snap the picture before she knocked the bottle over.

Nova - 9 weeks old

Nova and I have come a long way in the 4 months we’ve been together.  She no longer tries to eat the mulch under every tree and bush in the yard.  She’s finally accepted that she can’t catch robins.   She still picks flowers, but not every one she finds.  She still loves to leap into the air in pursuit of a butterfly, but I’m hoping she never outgrows that!   She can sit, down, stand, stay, “get your toy” and come on verbal commands, in addition to many agility skills.  Although she has been able to heel on a leash for a while when there are few distractions, it took a bit longer before I could walk her around the neighborhood without feeling like I had the Tasmanian Devil at the end of the leash.   We still occasionally have walks that start like that, but if we go back home, give her a little time-out in the crate, she is better behaved on the 2^nd try.  She still loves to steal socks and dish towels, but a yummy enough treat will sometimes convince her to trade.  Her latest accomplishment is the realization that a quick sit makes the crate door open faster.  What a smart girl!

She has graduated from both a puppy pre-school class and an AKC S.T.A.R. puppy class.  She is a member of the Klondike Canine Academy Canine Playgroup, where she romps and wrestles with her doggie friends once every week or two.  She is one of several puppies at my local kennel club and the club has become one of her favorite places to be.  I'm working on teaching her to NOT drag me through the door, but it's a tough sell!  She is currently enrolled in the Foundations for Agility class at the kennel club.  She is the youngest dog in the class and the most disruptive, although she has quite good skills when she settles down and pays attention.  Our classmates are all wonderfully understanding.  They give me the same patient look I give parents in the grocery store whose child is laying on the floor screaming.   But, each week brings improvements and I’m certain she will be a model student eventually.

Stay tuned for more news.  With Nova, life is never boring!

Play group Saturday

Nova has such a friendly, fearless personality and I really want her to stay that way.  To keep her exposed to dogs and people, she is enrolled in a play group at my veterinarian's business.  All dogs must have proof of vaccinations and good health, and be evaluated in a controlled play group before joining, so the environment is quite controlled.  There are several fenced areas and dogs are placed in groups with dogs that compliment their size and play style.  Nova usually ends up in a group with dogs bigger than she is, because she is a pretty rowdy girl!  However, she has excellent "dog social skills".  She greets other dogs politely, takes turns chasing and being chased, and knows when to back-off and take a break.  All important things in a canine play group.

Today she started the morning with 2 adult Golden Retrievers and a Mastiff.  In the area next to us the small dogs were playing and in that group was Cooper, a 10 month old Fox Terrier (Cooper's mom should correct me if I'm wrong about any of that!).  Nova has seen Cooper in previous weeks, but they have always been in different play groups.  However, they seemed to like one another and race each other up and down the fence line.  Today Cooper joined Nova's play group and they had a great time!  They have similar spunky, brave personalities.  They both love to chase and box and play pretty rough.  Perfect match!  Nova is already a little bigger than Cooper, but I hope as she gets bigger they'll stay friends and continue to play together.  

Nova the gardener?

When I first got Nova she had the amusing habit of picking dandelions.  She'd bite the flower, yank it off the stem, then walk around with it in her mouth.  She also bites sticks, grass, mulch, tree branches, and anything else that strikes her fancy.  Until last weekend it was a mildly amusing and harmless behavior.

Last weekend I made my annual trip to the Menards garden department and bought lots of flowers to plant around the mailbox and trees, and in the pots and planters I have around the outside of the house.  I put Nova on her tie-out and went to work.  As I planted flowers I tossed her the empty plastic pots, which she enjoyed shredding and playing with.  Then she got bored and decided she needed to help me.  Before I realized what she was doing she'd yanked 3 newly planted flowers out of the ground.  Suddenly that cute habit of picking dandelions wasn't so endearing.  I wonder if I can teach her the difference between flowers and weeds?

Nova smelling the lilacs?

No!  She's looking for her tennis ball.

Still looking......

Found it!

 

First Haircut

Today Nova got her first serious haircut.  She had a great introduction to grooming while still living with her breeder.  All the puppies had their nails cut and hair trimmed on a regular basis from the time they were very young.  I've continued that with Nova, putting her on the grooming table every few days for nail trims, ear cleaning, minimal clipping and brushing.  By the time we got to her first major haircut today she was pretty accustomed to all kinds of grooming.
We started this morning with a brushing, then a bath and blow dry.  Then she took a little nap.  After lunch I brushed her again, then got to work on the haircut.  Except for a little silliness, she was very well behaved during her haircut, which took about an hour.

Before.....

After

In case you can't tell much difference, here she is with the hair I removed.  I think we could build another dog!

Play group Friday

This afternoon Nova spent 45 minutes at the canine playgroup.  It took every minute of that 45 minutes for her to show any sign of getting tired.  However, the effects are apparent now.  She's been a little, black pile of fluff for the past hour.

Exhausted puppy!

Road Trip!

Nova had her first road trip this past weekend.  On Friday morning we headed west to meet members of my family along the Mississippi River for a couple days of visiting.  It took us 5 hours in the car to get there and Nova was a perfectly behaved traveler.  She snoozed in her crate, enjoyed a potty break and romp about 1/2 way there, then snoozed the remainder of the trip.  We met my parents, my brother & his wife, and one of my sisters and her 2 grand-daughters at a campground called Fisherman's Corner near Moline, IL.  As usual, Nova was eager to make friends with everyone and everyone loved her.  She also met 3 family dogs:  2 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels - Grady and Tucker - and a Corgi mix, Bo.  Tucker and Bo were not especially thrilled to meet her.  Tucker had always been a bit anxious around Russia, and he was equally anxious around Nova.  Bo, Tucker's self-appointed protector, was friendly with Nova if Tucker was calm, but that didn't happen very often.  Grady didn't mind having Nova around, but he wasn't much interested in playing with her.  Nova wasn't discouraged.  She tried to be friendly when she could, but otherwise concentrated on charming the human members of the family.

She loved watching all the ducks, geese, herons and other birds along the water.

She loved chewing on the driftwood.

She enjoyed romping with Maddie & Audrey.

But, maybe her favorite thing was the opportunity to snuggle on Aunt Susie's lap.  Hmmm, she thinks she might like to be a lap dog!

 Nova had lots of firsts this weekend:  first long car ride; first hotel stay; first time meeting her doggie cousins; first time meeting Reynolds family members; introduction to Grandma and Grandpa's RV.  She was wonderful with all of it!  My biggest anxiety was if she would behave in the hotel.  But, she was great.  This trip was definitely a success!

Week 19

Nova is 19 weeks old today.  She has graduated from puppy pre-school and will start AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy class next week.  S.T.A.R. stands for Socialization, Training, Activity and Responsibility and is an AKC class aimed at both the puppy and the puppy owner.  After 6 weeks of classes and successfully passing a test,  Nova (and I) will earn a certificate stating she is a S.T.A.R puppy!
She is also signed up to take a beginning clicker obedience class at the Greater Lafayette Kennel Club.  This class will teach her to listen and follow commands in a distracting environment.  Right now that's a big challenge for her.  When other people and dogs are around she puts on her "puppy ear muffs" and doesn't seem to hear a word I say.  As she gets older, this challenge will get easier.
On the 19 week anniversary of her birth we took the Coke bottle picture again.  It was a challenge, again, to get a picture with the Coke bottle upright, but I have 1 good one that shows her size pretty well.  Below it is her 9 week picture for comparison.  Getting big, isn't she?

19 weeks

9 weeks

Fun in the sun

Like any athlete, Nova likes to take time away from training to have a little fun.  This weekend has been perfect for that!  Of course, training can be worked into any activity and frisbee is no exception.  She runs off to get the frisbee and that gives me an opportunity to practice recalls.  If she doesn't come the first time I call her, usually running in the opposite direction does the trick!  (Note:  she's dragging a 20 foot leash so I can catch her if she suddenly decides to chase a robin!)

Nova loves being outside!  She spends a lot of time just sitting and watching the wildlife.  We have geese and ducks on the pond, lots of birds flying around, and a couple days ago she spotted a bunny.  (Just in time for Easter!)

She has mastered the fine art of drinking water from the outside faucet.  She usually ends up with a wet head, but that doesn't seem to bother her.

The hazards of dog training!

Anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE spice drops.  Little bits of sugary heaven!  You know those hats that hold 2 beer cans with a straw that goes to your mouth?  If they made one of those for spice drops I'd buy it in a heartbeat!

Anyone who knows me also knows I'm a champion multi-tasker.  So yesterday at Nova's training session I was fully prepared with a handful of dog treats in one hand and a handful of spice drops in the other.  No, I did not give Nova a spice drop.  Since there is only one possibility left, let me say that dog treats do not resemble spice drops in any way, with one exception.  They DO get stuck in your teeth.

Buja board fun!

 As promised, here is video of Nova having fun on the buja board.  The purpose is to teach her confidence on a surface that moves under her feet, like a teeter totter.  As you can see, she's pretty confident already!  She likes this so much that she'll play on it by herself.

In this video she's practicing on the puppy table.  This is proprioception training:  agility dogs need to be highly aware of what part of their body is doing what and where it is doing it.  It will not only help her successfully complete obstacles, it will give her confidence while she's doing it.  A confident agility dog is a happy agility dog!  Next she'll learn to plant her back feet on the tiny table and walk around it with her front feet.  Toward the end of the video we take a little break for easy stuff:  sit, down, spin, twist and "bang!"  That's our version of "play dead".

15 Weeks Old

Nova is growing like a weed!  She was at the vet for another round of vaccine and she now tips the scales at 20 lb.  That's more than double her weight since Feb. 1.  We had another photo session with the Coke bottle this week.

My attempt to snap a photo BEFORE she attacked the bottle.

I guess this will have to do for her 15 week photo.  As you can see, she's grown quite a bit since the  13 week photo.

Along with basic obedience training, she's beginning some exposure to agility equipment.  She has a tiny "table":  a 12" round surface on a 2" high base.  She stands on it with her front feet and walks around it with her back feet.  This is an exercise in proprioception:  the ability to know where the various parts of her body are.  It's particularly important for her to have a sense of where her back feet are in relation to the rest of her body while walking over the dog walk or jumping over a jump.  Compare it to being able to walk up a flight of stairs without watching as you place your feet on each step.  You just KNOW where your feet are in relation to the rest of your body.  
I also pulled the buja board out of storage this week.  This is a 3 foot square board (with a textured surface for good footing).  Mounted in the center of the underside of this board is a 6 inch hard plastic ball.  The board tips in all directions, depending on where her weight is applied.  The purpose is to make her comfortable on a surface that moves under her feet, such as a teeter totter.  True to her bold and spunky nature, she wasn't spooked at all from the first time she climbed on it.  Once she figured out treats could be earned by tipping it every which way, she was eager to play the game.  This afternoon she went to it on her own, climbed on and looked at me as if to say "Okay, I'm ready to play!"  I hope to have a video to post in a few days.
The backyard holds a few more activities.  I've put out a couple jump uprights to get her used to going between them.  No cross bars yet.  Her bones need to develop a lot more before she's ready for jumping.  
I also have a baby A-frame.  Along with walking over it, I'll eventually teach her to stop at the bottom with her front feet on the grass and her back feet on the board.  This is the beginning of training her to "hit her contacts", the area at the bottom of the downward side of every contact obstacle.  She'll be required to step in this "contact zone" with at least 1 foot.  This is a safety rule to prevent dogs from launching from an unsafe height and injuring themselves.   

Nova on baby A-frame.

Her life is more than just training, though.  Besides puppy class every Tuesday, which gives her 30 minutes of playtime with 3-4 other puppies, she had a play date last weekend with 2 adult Golden Retrievers.  Devon wasn't much interested in playing with a puppy.  Devon knows I keep treats in my pocket and that's what she wanted!  Page, however, was a great playmate.  They ran and boxed and wrestled for almost 90 minutes!  Page would lay on the floor and let Nova climb all over her, never getting too rough or losing patience with Nova.  What a fun time they had!

Kennel Club visit - Look at that tail wag!

Nova also had her first visit to the kennel club building this week.  She met lots of people and dogs who will become her closest friends.  Our friend Lynne snapped these pictures of her visit.

  Stay tuned.  More to come!

13+ weeks old

Nova weighed 8.8 lb when I brought her home on Feb. 1.  Five weeks later she weighs 16.6 lb.  The baby is getting big!  Last night she decided to climb the stairs, bottom to top.  It wasn't very graceful, but she got all the way to the top and was very proud of herself.  Now we'll work on going on down.
We're making progress on the biting (or rather the NOT biting!).  Being overly tired is definitely a contributing factor.  I need to get better at spotting the signs of "I need a nap" and put her to bed before she hooks me with those sharp little needles!

13 weeks old

 Nova is now 13 weeks old.  The pictures below don't show dramatic growth, but since she doesn't go up or down stairs by herself yet, I can testify that she is growing!  She's become quite a wiggly armful!
The big challenge right now is to make her understand what she can bite (toys, treats) and what she CAN'T bite (my hand!).  Sometimes I think I brought home a land shark instead of a puppy.  Of course, this is all perfectly natural for a young pup, but the education is ongoing and I hope to break her of this painful habit very soon!
She is attending puppy school every Tuesday evening, where she gets to play with 3 other puppies, all very close to her age and size.  For the most part, she does well and plays nicely, but there is a Golden Retriever puppy that rubs her the wrong way and she gets a little growly with him.  The 2nd half of the class consists of exposure to new things (sights and sounds), plus some training instruction and practice.  It's a busy, stimulating hour and by the time we come home she's exhausted and ready for a nap.
Her list of talents now includes sit, stand, 2 different types of down, a clockwise spin & a counter-clockwise spin. We are also working on another type of down where she lays on her side.  This will come in handy for nail trimming and ear cleaning.  Learning to walk nicely on a leash is in progress, but right now involves a lot of jumping in the air and biting at the leash.  Quite amusing, but not very productive!  She is also learning to play "The Box Game".  This involves giving her treats for any interactions with a plastic box (she tried to eat the cardboard one!), such as standing on it, pushing it across the floor, standing with 2 feet on and 2 feet off, etc.  It's a great game to teach a puppy to invent and offer new and different behaviors.  When I see one I like I reinforce it with treats.  Fun all around!

10 weeks old

13 weeks old

Puppy nap

Okay, all together:  Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

Nova, snuggled up with her favorite toy (for today).

The flash woke her briefly, but she went right back to sleep

10 Weeks Old

Another photo session with the Diet Coke bottle.

Score:  Nova-2, Diet Coke bottle-0!
Not a big difference between 9 weeks and 10 weeks, but she gained 1.5 lb in that week, so I know she's growing!

Disappearing puppy

Yesterday I took my eyes off Nova for 30 seconds and she was gone!  I knew she couldn't have gone far.  I've used gates to keep her in the kitchen/family room area.  But, I couldn't find her anywhere!  I finally decided to test her recall and she came bounding out from behind the couch.  Covered with dust bunnies!  Hmmmm, maybe she can earn her keep by dusting behind my furniture?

Baby, it's cold outside!

I'm not crazy about the frigid temperatures the past few days, but it's given Nova the opportunity to wear her pink, polka dot coat.  The first few times she wore it she spent a lot of time trying to bite it, which caused a lot of spinning and falling down.  (Her, not me!)

As the sunshine warmed the day, she enjoyed just sitting and observing the world around her.

Watch me grow

Yesterday I decided it would be fun to document Nova's growth by taking a weekly picture, using a common item for comparison.  After considering a number of items, I decided on a 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke.  Something I always have around the house!  Well, add wild and crazy puppy....

And those are the best pictures!  For some crazy reason I thought I could get her to stand politely next to the bottle while I snapped a picture.  What was I thinking?

Week 1

Today makes 7 days with Nova.  Last night she slept all night and was patiently waiting to be let out of her crate at 6:30 this morning.  I can't tell you how good it felt to get a full night's sleep!

Nova & Cindy

Today she had 3 visitors at lunch.  Cindy, Beth and Annemarie, friends from work, came to meet and play with her.  She was friendly and brave and playful, and she completely charmed them!  Although she is a bit cautious when she meets new people, she quickly accepts them and makes friends.  I have high hopes that she will be as openly friendly as her mom, Orchid, and grandma, Klara.  That was one of the things that convinced me I wanted a dog from Gladystar Poodles.

Day #4

We are half way through our 4th day together, and Nova and I are getting along wonderfully.  She's now sleeping in her crate without screaming (finding lots of cheese in that crate has helped!), spending time a few times each day playing and snoozing in her x-pen, and (best of all) doing all her potties outside.  I watched the "Puppies" episode of  "Dogs 101" today and they claim the easiest breed of dog to house train is the Standard Poodle.  Nova is proving them right!  She has learned to lay down, sit before being fed, ring the bell when we go outside and is well on her way to walking on a leash without biting it.  We still have work to do on all those behaviors, but she's very responsive and quick to catch-on to new things.  One thing that still needs some work is riding in the car.  Despite the fact that she rides in the crate that produces cheese and is in a location where she can see me, she whines, yips and shrieks for most of the ride.  However, she's making progress and I predict we'll have that skill mastered by the middle of next week.  Stay tuned for updates!

Introducing Nova!

She's home!  We are enjoying our second day at home today, after a night where no one got much sleep.  She doesn't like being confined in either a crate or an x-pen, and shrieks long and loud!  It takes me back to those first few weeks with my infant sons, when they didn't sleep more than a few hours at a time.  I wasn't good at being sleep deprived then, and I'm 30 years older now!  Fortunately, Nova is a very smart puppy and I'm confident she'll learn quickly and we will survive.
She is very food motivated, and I've had amazing success shaping a down in just the past 24 hours.  I'm looking forward to training this little girl!