Poodle feet

I was practicing grooming stuff. She gets burrs and foxtails and clumps of mud stuck in the fur between her pads, so I think this will actually be more comfortable for her.

I left the tops fully furred.

Puppy strip complete!

FINALLY I have finished tugging out Terra's puppy coat. She looks naked. On the plus side, it's easier to bathe her and the remaining layer of undercoat is so soft and nice to pet. We are both relieved that she won't need to get a full strip again.

March 11

March 12

March 18

March 21

March 22

March 24

March 24

April 6

April 6

April 18

April 18

April 18

New people, stripping puppy coat

Terra met my friend Ally's family on Saturday. She was a bit standoffish with Ally. She warmed up to Ally's husband quickly. (I think it helped that he looked similar to a couple of other men she likes.) She really liked Ally's 5 and 6 year old kids! I don't know way but Terra has always liked kids, the younger the better. She also likes Miki's 1 and 5 year olds. She wants to lick their faces over and over and lets them reach for her and pet with with a wagging tail.

Terra was initially put off by Nimbus, the 5 month old Portugese Water Dog. He was jumping onto her head and shoulders to play. But she warmed up to him and they ended up running around in circles together.

I tried my hand at stripping her coat, as the breeder was stripping her sister Ryuk this weekend. Terra was mildly irritated when I tugged on more sensitive parts of her body, but for the most part just laid down and let me do it. We're doing a little at a time so she looks very strange right now.

Day 88 (12/03/17): older puppy class, Office Max, bath

We attended our last week of the adolescent dog class at Thinking Dogs. Nancy welcomed us to continue the class but I'm going to look around for conformation classes next. Either way, I will be using the class to practice being relaxed and hanging out around other dogs, with small bursts of training or play time. It will benefit me to learn more about conformation, though.

We skipped play time at the end of class due to Terra's previously mentioned injury, which I was able to narrow down to pain in her back right leg. She was favoring it intermittently during the day. (We have an appointment with the vet tomorrow.)

We participated in an exercise involving leash walking close to other dogs. We also practiced IYC, stand-stay, chin target, and nose target. We played tug a lot and walked around.

After class we went to Office Max to buy printer paper. Terra was initially frightened by my swinging a shopping basket around. By the end she didn't mind it moving closer to her face when I would move in to treat her. She needs more practice just standing around when I am looking at products, paying the cashier, etc.

She was acquiring a funk again from rolling around and playing outside, plus she got a little diarrhea on a back leg after we got home. So it was time for another bath. This time she didn't fuss as much and we didn't have any near-accidents with me being pushed out of the tub. She did try to nose past the shower curtain and I had to reprimand her sternly. I wish that there were a way to tether her into the tub. When I have my dream house, it will include a large walk-in shower with a dog tether.

Days 70-77 (11/15/17-11/22/17): socialization trips

11/15/17:
Hiked off leash on the Homestead Trail along with a boarding dog. It was a weekday morning and raining, so we only saw one other person. (Terra was scared of him.) We had to pass a very shallow creek and she was reluctant. Perhaps she remembered the previous two times she'd gone into water with abandon and then regretted. However after I had crossed and was standing on the other side, she had no choice but to follow.

In the evening we visited Rachel. Haley and Frankie crowded Terra as we walked in. I was just telling Rachel that I needed to take her through to the back yard ASAP when I saw that she had done a little submissive tinkling... and then she let her whole bladder loose. So embarrassing. I let her play with the other two for about an hour, and then put her on leash and tethered her to the table where I was knitting. I took her out every 20-30 minutes and on the third trip, she finally peed in the back yard. Then she got to play again for an hour, and then back on the tether until it was time to go.

11/17/17:
We took a trip to PetSmart. I challenged her to walk slightly closer to people than before. She's improving, but slowly.
 
11/19/17:
We've aged out of puppy class, but Nancy transferred our credit to the adolescent level. The classes are in a new location, as well. We practiced going to her mat, hand touches, IYC, and stripping her ears. We wrestled and played tug and ran around. We didn't participate in any of the training exercises the rest of the class did, since they were focused on self-control and practicing polite greetings with strangers. We skipped the play time because I have a dog boarding who plays hard with Terra and I didn't want her to have any extra roughhousing to tax her body.
 
11/20/17:
Weight at vet's is 76.5 lbs.

I needed to buy special cookies at Trader Joe's. This was a new location for her. We walked around the front of the store (away from the stream of people going in and out) and sat on a bench. She fussed at first as she didn't want to wait around, but then she gave up and sat, then laid down.

There is a Babies R Us next door, and I could see that there were very few people inside. We took 2 trips through the store. The first one was in through the entrance and out through the nearby exit right away. The second time, we went down a couple of aisles before leaving. Terra was mildly curious about the merchandise and spots on the floor that she thought might be edible. I kept her moving.

11/22/17:
Today's field trip was to Michael's. She did very well and walking around. She wanted to sniff merchandise here and there, but wasn't obtrusive. (I do let her sniff briefly as I want her to feel comfortable, but I call her to continue onward after a few seconds.) We stopped in the yarn section for a few minutes, as this is a realistic thing for me to do when shopping. She fussed and wanted to keep exploring. I got her to sit (which was great as we, uh, don't practice this ever) and after a minute she inevitably sunk to the floor. It takes so much effort to hold that giant body up!

She tends to pause (and sometimes back up slightly) when people come into her line of sight. I always give a treat immediately. I can see that she is slowly transitioning to worrying less and being more grateful for the treat.

We need more practice with stopping on cue ("wait"). Her attention and leash walking were good though, especially after I switched from the Bark Pouch to beef liver. She seems to like variety in her treats.

Unrelated, I finished stripping her ears today. Now I wait for the rest of the puppy coat to be ready to come out.

Day 64 (11/09/17): bath, Stitch & Bitch

Terra was getting stinky from playing and lying on the ground, so it was time for another bath. This time, instead of standing outside the bath, I stripped down and got into the tub with her. It was a tight fit already; she almost knocked me over once. At first she didn't try to escape, because clearly you can't go through an opaque shower curtain. Until you can. I have no idea what I'll do when she's larger. On the bright side, all the yucky dog smell is gone.

In the afternoon we drove down to Oakland to attend a Stitch & Bitch. She was overwhelmed when we first walked into the store and I closed the door behind her. She turned and stared out through the glass, and didn't want to walk around. Within a few minutes, Rachel arrived! Terra tucked her tail for a moment, then recognized Rachel and was SO happy. And immediately after, was happy to wander around the store and explore.

People kept filtering in, about 15 total. She greeted nearly everyone happily. She didn't even mind when one person stood over her to wind a skein of yarn. She laid on her mat and chewed a bully stick. She also tried to approach a few other dogs who came into the store, and solicited attention from everyone sitting nearby, but I attached her 4' leash to my chair so that she couldn't wander. (People noted that once she's full grown, that may not work anymore.)

What are you doing? Do you have toys?

Why are you pushing me away?? :(

Ho hum, just my friend Wesley standing over me.

No biggie.

I guess there's nothing to do but chew on this giant bully stick.

One trans man made her uncomfortable, which was interesting to note in light of the typical male/female dynamic for shy dogs, and then the next woman who greeted her came up to quickly and loudly and carrying a large bag. Rachel and I took her for a walk to give her a break.

She felt better and started falling asleep on her mat as soon as we got back.

Too tired to care anymore.

Formal training status update

Despite what everyone probably expects, I don't do a formal training session with Terra every day. Sometimes the day just gets away from me. It's good to get formal training in now, as it's easier for her to "learn how to learn." I'm doing a combination of behaviors that will be useful in future training and behaviors that are just for the sake of teaching her concepts (like targeting or staying in place).

Wait: I say "wait" before I open the door leading to the barn, and only open it far enough that I can quickly shut it before the dogs go through. I say "free" to the dogs to go. Because I've done this since Terra came home, she expects it every time. I doubt that she listens to the cue "wait," and is instead doing it based on context. However she is learning that "free" means "move out of your position," so that is useful. Eventually I will also use "wait" to mean "don't move forward" in various contexts.

Eye contact / IYC / anti-mugging: I hold treats in my hand and click for eye contact instead of going for the treats. The treats are currently at her eye level. I will lower my hand progressively until the treats are on the floor and she offers eye contact instead of trying to eat them. I will also use this for food on counters/tables.

Mat: Clicking for putting both front paws on the mat. She doesn't get it yet. Today I switched from tossing the treat off the mat, to feeding 3-4 treats in a row on the mat, to help "glue" her to it.

Paw target: Just did the first session teaching her to target a coaster and she got it right away! She was consistently using her right paw today.

Nose target: She consistently touches her nose to a target stick. I have done a couple sessions teaching her to target even when I am holding food near her head as a distraction.

Counter-conditioning to hand stripping: Just started this. She was lying down and already somewhat tired. I used the Bark Pouch as a high value treat. First I tugged at various spots along her body, and she barely reacted. Then I did some real hand stripping along her right ear. She didn't really like it - she sometimes turned her head toward my hand as I reached for her ear. I implemented a "start button" - only tug out some hairs if she is looking at the Bark Pouch. This is the same concept as the bucket game, which I will be teaching her soon.

Fly: Using a PVC upright and doing clockwise turns first. I use my body position and a little prompting to get her to come toward me, first making a 90 degree turn around the pole, and more recently 180 degrees.

Stand-stay: She will usually hold still if I keep the treats coming every 1-3 seconds, but when I extend to 3-4 she sometimes walks out of position or mands. So she doesn't get it yet.

Name game: I have been a bad trainer and only practicing this when we're out and about and I need it, rather than starting it at home.


None of this is on a verbal cue yet except "wait" and "free" after the wait, and obviously her name.