I Hope We'll Win a Dyson!

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION - It would seem the manufacturer's of the Dyson Animal Vacuum cleaner are putting on a contest. All you have to do is video tape your pet doing a trick and send it in to this website http://www.dysonanimal.ca/contest/default.aspx Then the viewers vote on which one they like the best. Hmmm... What kind of tricks can Oak do? I've been trying to teach him to roll over(Jewels does it beautifully), so maybe we''l try that. Although he is great at carrying laundry around, and maybe I could teach him to put it in the washing machine( or fold it would be even better, then I wouldn't have to do it!). That would be a cool trick :)



This is his houdini trick. How to get through a cat door :)

Still Not Shedding!

He's such a giant furball. He's decided I make a good doorman. I want outside Mommy, I want in now, back out, enough, let me in. The door is going to stay shut for a bit!

Furry Oak

Oak has been having a bit of a problem. It's a really strange problem and I haven't been able to find a solution other then just waiting. His adult fur has grown in and his puppy fur is still there too. He is a giant ball of fur! He's not shedding and he's really hot most of the time. He has taken to sleeping outside on the deck, even yesterday when it was snowing! After supper, when its time to sleep, he asks to go out and stays there until bedtime, curled up, sleeping. I brush him every few days and get a teeny, weeny loonie sized pile of fur(sometimes). Strange as it may sound, I hope he starts shedding soon!

More Training

We went to class last night and Oak did very well(in most cases). He's not so great at the stand and stay. I tell him to stand, walk to the end of his 6 ft leash, turn and face him, then the trainer walks up and pets him while he stands still(no moving of the feet). There's the problem, he wants to go say Hi, not stand and wait for her to come to him. She ended up putting an orange cone on the ground int front of him and that made him pause. I'm supposed to use a chair to block him, but the only problem is, he usually does it fine at home without new and interesting people to visit!

I also asked her about the counter surfing problem. She suggested tin pop cans with a few pennies in them, tried together with string. He gets caught on the string, while trying to get the yummy treat you have placed up there, pulls the noisy cans down to the floor. While he's standing there wondering what's going on, yell "wrong" or "leave it" from the other room. Do this for about a week. Then you take the cans away and place what he thinks is a yummy treat on the counter. You melt some margerine add hot sauce to it(quite a bit), then soak a piece of chicken in the mixture. He'll probabely jump up and grab the chicken, he'll chew it a bit, then this horrible sensation will start in his mouth. Make sure there is no water down. Poor guy shouldn't try it again, but I'd test him a few more times to make sure.
I know this last bit sounds cruel, but consuming chocolate is poisonous to dogs. He could have died it he's gotten enough of it. He has to stop jumping on counters and tables and taking what he wants.

Oak had a Ruff Family Day

Oak has taken up counter surfing and unfortunately he got into some chocolate treats(cookies, squares) on sunday afternoon. He had a bit of a rough reaction to his snack. It was like he had drunk one too many coffees that day. He couldn't lay down and rest. He's lie down for a few minutes, then be up and moving to a new spot. He did have a little nap, on sunday night, outside on the back porch, but when I brought him in to go to bed, he kept waking me up and asking to go outside. Once he had diarrhea, and the rest of the time he just wanted to lay on the porch! When he woke up monday morning, he was still antsy and over stimulated, I look him for a walk, hoping to tire him out a bit, but it just made him hot again! Finally he went outside on the porch and slept for about 2 hrs. He was starting to feel a bit better, yeah! Last night he slept like a baby, and so di I. He seems to be back to his normal self today.
So now, we need to do a bit of training, so this never happens again! I read on the internet that you should create a bit of a trap that you can "save" you puppy from. Put a treat(or something yummy and smelly) on the counter. Cover it with a precarious pile of noisy items - cookie sheets, pie plates, tin cans with a few coins in them - nothing that would hurt, just items that will make a big noise when they fall. You also have to make sure they will fall. When puppy jumps on the counter to get the yummy smelling item he knocks the really noisy stuff to the ground and scares himself half to death! You run in and save him from the bad cookie sheet! I haven't tried it yet, but will definitely set it up tonight and let you know how it goes. I figure I will probabely half to do it a few times, before he gets the hint to stay off the counter.

First Grooming

Today Oak went to the groomers for the first time! I was a little worried he'd be freaked out by the blow dryer, because he hates the vacuum cleaner, but Erin said he was like an old trooper. No problem at all. Oh my god! You should have seen how fluffy he was when I picked him up! He looked so adorable! I took pictures, but they just didn't do the "fluff" justice. The fluff has flattened a bit now, but he is still soft and cuddly.

Durham Humane Society Fundraiser

Today we went to Harmony Off Leash Dog Park for the Pets Helping Pets - Doggie Day Fundraiser in support of the Durham Region Humane Society. Oak and I brought Lite along for his first visit to the park. They both had a ball, although Lite was a bit nervous of the big dogs we met.

We checked out the woods and the rivers, played in the snow, got trampled on by Oak, met people and dogs and they got video taped! Maybe they are going to be stars :)

Now they are both a pair of tired puppies.

Before and After

I just had to post 2 more pictures of Oak. I know what you are thinking, don't you have enough already? In my opinion, there are never enough!
The first picture is Oak sleeping in Jewels bed the first week I got him.

And the second one is a picture I took the day before yesterday.

He still fits! He decided it would be a great place to lie down and rest. Silly boy!

Training Last Night

Well, I was nervous before class last night. I was afraid we'd have a repeat of last week's fiasco, but Oak did an excellent job! He heeled very well, no jumping and going crazy. I had to correct him a few times, but I was very impressed with his performance. He did an absolutely fabulous recall. I called him and he came running up and sat right in front of me. Yeah!! What a great boy!

Heel Work

My little fuzz butt is being a bit cantankerous about heeling! Life is too exciting out there to stay by Mommy's side like a good boy! He's not even interested in the treats when we are walking down the street, so I've had to start using a martingale collar. It seems to be working quite well. The collar is worn at the top of the neck, just under the ears. This way you can control the head. If you control the head, you can control the rest of him. He is also resisting sitting when we stop! He knows when he is at heel and we stop, he is supposed to sit, but he wouldn't do it consistantly last night! I think he has decided to hit the teenage years early! We are going to keep working on it and I'll let you know how it goes. We have class tonight, and hopefully it won't go as poorly as last night. I'll let you know how it goes!

A New Arrival

We welcomed a new golden retriever puppy into the family today. Treeverwood's Chrysolite arrived at my daughter Mandy's home. I think Oak's only concern was that I wasn't replacing him! When Lite gets a bit bigger, I'm sure he'll be more fun to play with.