J + A : May 2013

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Tubthumping

Allie was born in August, so she's experiencing her first summer. So far, it seems like heat is not her thing. She loved running around in the snow over the winter, but her body doesn't seem to be adjusting to the warm temperatures as well as it did to the cold.

One way she's learned to deal with the heat is to jump into the bath tub to cool off. She's spent a lot of time in there this past week.

It's really cute, and also a little weird. But hey, I'm not judging - sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do!

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Obedience x 4

Last night, Allie started her next obedience class. This is the fourth class she's taken since she was a puppy:

1. Puppy Kindergarten

Allie and her first boyfriend, Hector

2. Basic Obedience

Yep, that's J on the floor physically
holding Allie down so she'll stay put

3. Advanced Obedience (training for the Canine Good Citizen Test)

Our large class of 14 dogs training for the CGC

4. Pre-Novice Obedience

Down to a better class size of 8
(Allie is the smallest dog in this class)

Her new class focuses on off-leash, attention, and distance skills, which all sound like good skills for her to have.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Watching You

Now we know what Allie was trying to say when this picture was taken:

Canine communication can be tricky to interpret!

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

CGC

Allie is now a Canine Good Citizen (CGC)!

Here's the test she took:

Accepting a friendly stranger: Evaluator approaches, shakes hands with handler
Sitting politely for petting: Evaluator pets dog, dog must show no shyness or resentment
Appearance and grooming: Evaluator inspects dog, combs or brushes lightly, examines ears and each front foot
Out for a walk: Handler takes dog for a short walk including right turn, left turn, about turn, and stop
Walking through a crowd: Dog and handler walk close to several people; dog may show casual interest but not jump up
Sit and down on command / staying in place: Handler shows dog can do sit and down, then chooses a position, leaves dog and goes to the end of a 20 ft. line and returns immediately
Coming when called: Handler walks out 10 ft. and calls the dog
Reaction to another dog: Two handlers and dogs approach, shake hands, exchange pleasantries, move on; dogs can show casual interest
Reaction to distractions: Distractions are presented; dog may not panic or show aggression
Supervised separation: Handler goes out of sight for 3 minutes; dog is held on 6-ft. leash by an evaluator

We are obviously extremely proud of Allie for passing her test - especially on her first try at such a young age (she's only 9 months old).

I'm also so proud of J for the hard work and dedication he's had with training Allie. He's been her official handler since her beginning obedience class and has also put in a lot of at-home training time, even during her stubborn teenage phase.*

*You can't see me, but I'm crossing my fingers that her teenage phase is now over.

Monday, May 13, 2013

Last Week in Pictures

I've come to the realization that my current blogging inspiration comes from looking through the most recent photos I've taken of Allie. Proof that puppy mind control is a real thing.

You've heard of bed head.
Allie gets bed face.

"Is it bath time yet?!"

"May I offer my paper shredding services?"

Couch cuddles.

My bearded family members.

UpsideDownFace

Monday, May 6, 2013

BOW

This weekend we visited Barrel Oak Winery. It was our second visit; our first visit was last summer before Allie joined our family. We both remarked on our first visit that if we ever got a dog this would be a great place to come. And now we do... and now we've gone!

Barrel Oak is awesome. It's not just dog-friendly, it's downright dog-welcoming. There are leash hooks on the tasting bar, water bowls around the property, and dog treats on the counters. On top of that, the wine is delicious!

Allie was really excited about all the people and dogs when we first arrived. She loved having people stop by to pet her. She also got to see several miniature Schnauzers and their people - who were all curious about Allie. A few people were familiar with standard Schnauzers but many had never seen one.

After a little while, Allie seemed to settle down and enjoy the ambiance. It was her first experience with live music and she liked it.

I see many more visits to Barrel Oak in our future.

Friday, May 3, 2013

A Day in the Life

It's Friday. Allie went to daycare all day yesterday (which means she's exhausted today). I'm off today and J has work. Here's how our day went.

8:00am: J is gone to work. I'm watching the morning news on the couch and Allie is on her living room bed.

9:00am: I get Allie up to go outside. She's still partially on her living room bed but has worked herself off the edge and onto her back. She seems to enjoy sleeping like this for some strange reason.

10:45am: Allie has been sleeping on our bed for a while. She's zonked out.

11:45am: I try to wake Allie up for her lunch walk. In the past hour she has rolled over. That's all.

This is her response when I ask if she wants to go for a "walkees." She seems to think I'm talking to a different Allie.

I try to pick her up but she flops over on her back and does her best Muppet impression. Meep!

12:00pm: We finally go for a walk.

12:30pm: I go to the grocery store. Allie stays in the kitchen with her peanut butter-filled chew toy. Nom.

1:45pm: I return from the grocery store. Allie inspects the bags of groceries.

3:00pm: We go for an afternoon walk. A very nice stick is found and brought home.

3:45pm: Guess where Allie is?!

4:15pm: Allie just figured out that I'm on the computer so she moved from the bedroom to the bathroom across from the office so she can keep an eye on me.