Will and Emma, our border collies

2012-01-22T20:15:00.003-05:00

Practice with flash photography

I bought the flash for my camera shortly after I purchased my first digital SLR, but never took the time to try it out and get used to the settings and controls. The other day, I had to learn how it worked because I had volunteered to take photos at a meeting the other day, and thought it was wise to do some practice shots to try out the best settings. So what better subjects than two housebound border collies! While I fiddled with the settings, and deciphered the manual (after I finally found it!), Will and Emma settled in nearby in the kitchen. They were not the best at posing, but they didn't run away either, so I had my chance to try fill light and vary the flash settings. The shot of Will with a kind of strange look on his face is my favorite shot from the afternoon. He couldn't figure out why I was just standing at the kitchen island, and kept bringing me frisbees. If I had the camera in my hand, I think he figured it was time to go for a walk, and what do we bring on the walks, but a frisbee!
Emma poses for the camera

Are we done yet?

Will brings in a frisbee Do you want two frisbees? You choose!

Ok, if you won't choose one, I choose this one!

Ok, now what?

2012-01-16T14:05:00.003-05:00

Weather Report: Fog

Foggy morning at Tulmeadow Farm

Last week was the first snow of the year, and it came after an afternoon of rain, and was followed by a morning of rain. It was a mess. Not exactly the winter of heavy snow that the farmer's almanac had predicted for the northeast.

Later on Thursday and then again Friday, following the snow/rain mix, came the fog. And with it brought flight delays. Jim had been away all week, and was trying sadly to get home from Houston, via Chicago O'Hare Airport, which can be a nightmare at the best of times. But introduce the least little bit of weather and it becomes delay after delay.

After arriving very late into O'Hare, they actually boarded the plane that was to bring him to Bradley Airport in Hartford. That was 11:30 pm. It amazed me that they hadn't cancelled that flight! They sat on the runway and waited to take off for an hour, then when they finally got to Bradley, the pilot circled three times attempting to find the runway but the fog was too thick, and he could barely see the lights. So off they went to Syracuse! They landed there at 3:20 am, and even though the passengers were told that they would be flown to Bradley, they ended up saying that they had to get a bus! In the end, Jim decided to fly to LaGuardia in New York City instead, where he rented a car and drove himself the two hour drive back to CT.

The joys of business travel!

Emma watches for Will, foggy field in the background

Footprints in the snow - this is all we got! Just enough to leave a footprint.

2012-01-01T20:03:00.004-05:00

Hammanassett State Park Beach on New Years Day

It looks like this is becoming a tradition for us since we've been living in Connecticut. We have really lucked out again today with a beautiful day to start the new year, and decided to take a drive to the shore to walk the beach. We were not alone! There were lots of others who thought the same thing we did, and went to enjoy the blue skies, sun and sand at Hammanassett State Park. We love to go to the beach in the off-season since we can take the dogs on the beach to run and play. In-season they are not allowed anywhere near the beach, which is understandable. But it's fun to see how they react to the bigger body of water, like the Long Island Sound. It was pretty calm water today, hardly even a splash at the shore, but it is much deeper than Will and Emma are used to, and they are more timid about going in. I should say, Emma is more intimidated by the water than Will is. He goes in up to his pits, but not much further. He runs in with the frisbee, as if to get Emma to chase him, but she stops at the water's edge. And when there is a stick that she wants, it's takes all the encouragement we can to get her to lean in far enough to grab it!

Hammanassett Beach on the map

Will shakes off after a jump in the Sound with the frisbee

Not sure what this is - it sure is bigger than the average stick!
Low tide
Emma goes after the stick with Will's encouragement

Yeah, frisbee on the beach, what can be better than that!
Beachscape

2011-12-29T21:01:00.004-05:00

First Snow at Kerncliffe Park

Snow, finally! Only just a bit, and only up on the mountain in Burlington so far. I went for a walk with the Will and Emma, my sister, Lori and her Springer, Jazz. I think the dogs felt like they were in heaven with the snow in the air and on the ground. What a treat! We went to Kerncliffe Park, where the Bruce Trail winds along the side of the escarpment in north Burlington. It's one of our favorite places to let the dogs run off leash, which they love. Here's just a few shots from the day.

Waiting for Lori and Jazz to arrive

Jazz on the trail

Lori and Jazz take a break

2011-12-27T08:35:00.004-05:00

Boxing Day frisbee at the park

Av view of Lake Ontario

Boxing Day Walk

Like most of North America this year, people in our hometown of Burlington, Ontario have been celebrating a green Christmas. There's not a speck of snow in sight. So when we took a walk to Spencer Smith Park, along the shore of Lake Ontario, and came across a pile of snow scraped from the ice rink, Will couldn't believe his eyes. He was so excited that he had to have a good, long roll in it! We know that both Will and Emma love snow, but didn't realize how much they were missing it until we saw his excitement in this little pile. Just like a kid on the first day of snow.

Jim and Emma walk the walk at Spencer Smith Park, a popular place no matter what time of year

Will discovers the snow pile from the ice rink

A roll in the snow - it feels so good!

Is there more snow out there?

2011-12-14T10:50:00.004-05:00

Back at Simsbury Farms

Will at the first tee at Simsbury Farms, waiting for Emma to run and play with him

Time to run in the open spaces

Tug-of-war with the frisbee, a favorite pastime.

Will

Emma

Finally, the golf season is at an end (or almost). There is still no snow in Connecticut, but the ground is frozen and the golfers have disappeared from the Simsbury Farms Golf Course. We have been waiting for this day! This is the first week we've been able to go back for our walk around the course, and we are loving it! It's so open, and wonderful to have the space to ourselves, or mostly. There are periodically other dog walkers from the area, and the sounds of the paddle tennis players in the courts alongside the course, but it's wide open for the dogs to run and chase the frisbee.

It is hunting season in Connecticut right now, and we've been trying to avoid the woods at Tulmeadow Farm where we usually enjoy our twice daily walks. They are really out hunting, with either their bow and arrows or their rifles. We usually put the orange vests on the dogs, in hopes that will bring attention to them, but we've been 'scolded' by a hunter for letting the dogs run loose in the woods, because they scare the deer away. I had a long chat with one of the hunters, asking him when are they likely to be in the woods, so we knew when to avoid. He told me they are there mainly a couple of hours after dawn, and a couple hours before sunset, so we tried to walk in the middle of the day. Well, last time I did that, there was a hunter in the woods, and it was 1 pm in the afternoon! So we decided to avoid it altogether during the week. We are free to walk there Sunday, since that is a day that they don't hunt. I guess they take that biblical idea of the 'day of rest' seriously.

Last Sunday, we took advantage of the freedom from gunfire, and took the chainsaw into the woods to clear the trail a bit. On October 30, there was a wicked freak snowstorm in Connecticut, which dumped 13 inches of heavy, wet snow in our area. It fell on the large oaks and other trees, that still were bearing leaves, and it was too much for the trees to handle. The devastation and damage to the tall oaks was unbelievable. Power was out for more than a week, tree crews were here cutting dangerous limbs, and it took Jim and I about 10 days to cut and clear all the fallen branches from out property alone. We had planned to help the Land Trust to clear the trail so it's walkable again, and this was the first chance we had to do that. We can now pass through the trail, and stick to the path. There are still lots of broken limbs dangling from tall tree tops, but we can't get to them to cut them down. Even on our own property, we are hiring someone to do that, since they need to climb the 100 foot tall trees to get to the limbs. The devastation was the worst sight that I've ever seen in terms of damage from a winter storm. It took the FEMA funded trucks about 3 weeks to go through the town just picking up the branches and tree debris from curbside. It's clear now, ready for a real winter snow storm!

So needless to say, we are very happy that the golf course is available now, since hunting season goes until the end of December and we know they won't be on the golf course!

2011-10-26T19:09:00.003-04:00

Three Years Old today!

Will and Emma on their third birthday

Will and Emma, our border collie 'twins' are celebrating their third birthday today. We celebrated by doing what they love to do - we took our usual walk through the woods and around the farmer's field of Tulmeadow Farm. This is our twice daily routine, on most days, since it is easy to get to from our house, and gives us all a good 45 minutes of exercise. They can run off-leash once we get to the end of the street and onto the path that runs through the woods, which means they get a lot more exercise than if they were on leash the entire time.

This time of year is a lot more interesting than usual, since the woods are filled with vignettes that have been set up for a haunted Halloween hayride that Flamig Farm puts on. The volunteers begin sometime in September, and just about every day there is something new to see at one of the locations. This year, there is lots of blood and guts at the 'Grimm Griddle' display, all fake of course. And one of my favorites is a field of about 100 or more pumpkins, all carved and sitting on cut logs ready for lighting on the nights of the haunted hayride. There are lots of ghosts and goblins that don't look very scary during the day, but with lights and spooky noises and flying through the air that is done at the actual event, I'm sure it draws more than a few screams!

Always together: on the path at Tulmeadow Farm

Will, lying down, watches Emma who is watching him!

Will with one of the pumpkins in the woods

Emma waits patiently while I photograph the pumpkins

Pickled skull at the Grimm Griddle

2011-07-22T15:33:00.006-04:00

Keeping Cool at Great Pond

Well, as you can see by the thermometer, we are in the midst of a July heat wave. it goes across most of the country, as apparently we are under a heat 'dome'. About 150 million people are affected in the US, according to the news. So, what do you do if you want to keep cool? You can go swimming! Well, not us, exactly, but two hot border collies who don't much like the heat can go. So here's a few more images from our daily trips to Great Pond, a very shallow pond which is really a wildlife area about 5 minutes drive from our house here in West Simsbury. There is only one tiny area that isn't completely covered in water lily pads and that is where we take Will and Emma for a nice swim. They can hardly wait to chase the stick into the water. They have both gotten quite good at jumping in from the edge, and as you can see, Will can get pretty high in the air. Jim has started to get them to take a running start, and while that doesn't add much height, it does add a little distance before he splashes into the water.

Heat wave hits New England

Walk the boardwalk to get to the swim area

Keeping cool

Will the retriever

Emma swims while Will watches

A bit of Tug-of-war

Wet dog Emma

2011-07-14T16:35:00.004-04:00

Swimming at Great Pond

Emma gets the stick

Emma and Will with their sticks

View of Great POnd

Emma and Will again

Will wonders what is taking me so long

Well, here it is summer already, and it's been a long time since the last posting. We've been pretty busy this spring, going back and forth between West Simsbury and our second home in Burlington, Ontario, and keeping up with the usual exploring in each area. We've discovered a couple of state parks pretty close to home this year, and they have become our new favorite places to take Will and Emma for their walks. Both of the parks have a pond or two, and that is extra fun, since they adore the water. You can hardly keep them out of it if it's nearby. Will, especially likes to run off and take a dip if he senses water. I think he can smell it! And they both get so excited when you throw a stick in for them. Emma can hardly keep her excitement inside - she starts to whimper and whine when you even pick up a stick to get ready to throw it. It's quite funny to see them.

2011-03-20T09:27:00.006-04:00

Jim and Emma at the Vista

The beech grove at Devils Hopyard

The long climb at Devils Hopyard

Emma and Will in the Devils Oven

Devils Hopyard, A New Destination

The last day of calendar winter was cool, but mostly sunny and we decided to check out a new place in Connecticut. We hopped in the car and drove an hour south to Devil's Hopyard State Park, located in East Haddam on the Eightmile River. It was one of those places that has been on our list of places to see but we had not managed to get there yet. The gates were not yet open for the season, so we found parking on the roadside, not far from the entrance, along with quite a few other people who wanted a day outdoors.

It was quite scenic along the trail with lots of grey moss-covered rocks, a beech grove, acres of native mountain laurel in many places along the trail. I had my first view of skunk cabbage coming to life along a wet stream and saw lots of evergreen ferns in the shade of the trees and on the mossy rocks. We were looking for the Devils Oven that was on the map, and had to circle the loop trail twice before we found it. Despite the myth, it seemed nothing more than a big overhang of rock alongside the trail. We were told there were unusual markings in the rock that could not have been made by man, but we didn't see them. We'll have to look again next time. We did find the 'vista', which was a pleasing view of the Eightmile River meandering along the river valley far below. It was a great thing to do on a beautiful Saturday in March.

2011-03-15T10:14:00.005-04:00

It almost feels like spring

Even though our temperatures are still below normal for this time of year, we are finally getting to feel like spring is near. The snow at Simsbury Farms is almost all melted, and I've actually seen some daffodil leaves poking their heads above ground over there. At our house, though, some of my gardens are still covered in piles of snow, but where they are bare, I see the tips of some of the hardy plants still showing. The buds are expanding on the trees, too. The willows are turning a yellow color, the Bradford pear buds are plump and some of the flowering shrubs are glowing red, to let us know that they are getting ready for the spring too. My rhododendrons, which have been fighting the cold air all winter by curling their leaves back into themselves, are looking a lot better too. Although this morning was another cold one (about 25 degrees F) and their leaves are curled again. Plants and people will be happier when the warmer weather gets here.

But the dogs, well, they don't mind the cold at all. They seem to prefer it to the hot humid days of summer. But there are lots of times in between, too, that they love, with the more moderate temperatures of spring and fall. Just like in life, we need a good balance. It would be hard to imagine living in a mono-climate, all winter or all summer. The annual cycle we live in, especially in the northeast, gives time to experience different aspects of life, at times more introspective like when we 'hibernate' in the frigid winter months. And then it is balanced by the more outward summer months, when we want to be outdoors more, either in our gardens, walking, biking, traveling or just sitting on the deck enjoying a warm evening.

Thank goodness for change in life, and for the annual cycle of things. It works best for all of us. Too much of one thing, and no one wins.

View from our deck, still lots of snow under the trees on the hillside

Spring has sprung at the Simsbury Farms, a golf course built on an old apple orchard

View of the last signs of winter from under my favorite white oak at Simsbury Farms

Simsbury Farms logo

The big tease - Will sits with the frisbee in the background, while Emma is preparing for the chase (step 1 of 'the frisbee dance')

The Frisbee dance

More of the frisbee dance

2011-03-06T21:19:00.003-05:00

Where is spring?

This is the end of the first week of March and it finally seems like spring is really trying to get here. It's been raining non-stop all day, but here in the woods of Connecticut, we still have a good ground covering of snow. It's turning to ice as the rain melts it, but we are beginning to see the bare ground appearing around the trees and the edges of the high ground. It's been a long winter and we're really ready for spring to get here.

These photos are from a couple of days ago, before all the rain began to fall. We were still able to do our walk to Tulmeadow Farm without crushing through the snow and making it a difficult go. It was so cold that the snow was frozen solid and crunchy to walk on. That is not the case today. It was so rainy that I did not got out with Jim and the dogs for our usual daily constitutional. They were like drowned rats when they came back, and boy was I glad I stayed home in the warm confines of home! Even cabin fever couldn't get me out today.

Will on the trail, stick at the ready

Will and Emma listen intently for who knows what!

Where there is snow, there are skis! Our neighbors live right beside the trail, and they are out regularly with their skis.

Still lots of snow and hay bales line the fields. The horses won't go hungry!

2011-02-26T09:07:00.002-05:00

More snow and more frisbee

We've donned our snowshoes once again for a walk at Simsbury Farms. Will and Emma get into their usual routine with the frisbee: Will runs away with it, Emma stalks him to get it, and then they both grab onto it to play tug of war or to run it back to us (after a bit of play) to throw it again. It's quite the dance!

Emma stalks Will who is guarding the frisbee

Sharing the frisbee

2011-02-05T17:08:00.004-05:00

Cross Country Skiing at Simsbury Farms

With all this snow and ice that we've been having, we are all getting to feel a little housebound. I think you might call it a major case of cabin fever. The snow just keeps coming, and we are trying to figure out a way for all of us to get some fresh air and exercise. These two border collies are just not used to staying inside and being inactive like we've been doing. It's all we can do to get out for a daily walk, let alone a good romp twice a day, like our usual routine. So we thought we would get our skis out again and try the golf course on the bright and sunny afternoon we had a couple of days ago. Just to note, today we are not having such good weather, once again. It is freezing rain outside right now, as it has been all afternoon. What a mess that will make!

So the other day we strapped on our skis and took off over the hills at the golf course, our favorite winter place. It was the day after a two day stint of snow and sleet and freezing rain, so you can only imagine what we encountered. Yes, it was a nice six inch layer of fresh snow, covered by an inch of almost solid ice! Well, we forgot to put new wax on our skis, and as a result, we just skidded around the top of the icy snow. Of course, Jim led the way and broke through as well as he could, and I got to follow in his tracks. Will did his best to follow in the tracks too, but Emma, being the little explorer today, did her best to walk on top of the snow. it was hilarious watching her - she would step as gingerly as she could, but then her back legs would crash through, and she'd almost get stuck in the deep snow. She'd pull herself out, and keep going until she broke through again. It was tough, but she's a real trooper! She got herself trapped behind the safety net on the driving range and really had a tough time getting through the deep snow to get back around the net. It was all we could do to watch and wait for her - even Will just laid there spotting her wondering just what she was up to! She was getting a little worried that she would never make her way around the long netting, and tired of the struggle, too, but she finally made it.

It is somewhere around two and a half or three feet of snow built up on the ground now, so you can only imagine how difficult it would be to walk in. If the snow hadn't been so icy, it would have been quite a nice ski. We did a bit of a circuit around the course, but were all happy to get back to the car. Even Will and Emma were tired out.

This is our mailbox and newspaper box buried in snow

Will watches Emma struggle in the deep snow behind the netting barricade

She made it!

Cross country skiing at Simsbury Farms

My favorite birch tree at Simsbury Farms

2011-02-04T07:59:00.006-05:00

A great place for a run

The meet and greet

Snow and sand and Frisbee, what could be better?

Emma poses on the boardwalk

Trip to the Beach

What better place to be in the middle of a snow-filled winter than at the beach. I guess it isn't quite the same in cold Connecticut as it would be at a warm weather beach in the Caribbean or other locale, but it is fun just the same. Last Sunday, we had reason to be down by the shore, so we made an afternoon of it and took a pleasant walk along the strip of sand at Hammonasset State Park, one of our favorite beaches to walk in the off-season. In summer, dogs are not allowed on the beach or the boardwalk, but after the park closes for the season it is fair game for people and their pets. The beach was quite populated with walkers out to enjoy a day with no snow in the air. It's been quite a winter here, as I've said, and how nice it was to be able to get out and enjoy some time by the sea. A little Frisbee in the sand, a chance to meet some new dogs, and a good long shore walk was what the doctor called for on one of the last days of a very frigid January.

2011-01-30T17:34:00.007-05:00

Snow, Snow and more snow

We have had record snowfalls here in the Hartford area this month. We have had the biggest one day total and the most snow in the month of January since records have been kept. That is, we've had a total of 45 inches so far in January, and the average is only 12 inches! And we're supposed to have another 12 inches on Wednesday. Everyone was out this weekend shoveling or raking the snow off their roof, and breaking off the giant icicles that have formed from all the warming and cooling. Some houses have icicles almost down to the ground! I'd hate to be under that if it ever fell. There have been reports of roof collapse around the state, and everyone is hoping to avoid that disaster. Another foot of snow piled on what we already have on the roof is a disaster waiting to happen.

The dogs are enjoying the snow, but it's hard for them to move around in it. They try to walk in the yard and one step into it, they are up to their armpits (or is it leg pits?) in snow. Will tries to run across it, but then sinks and can hardly move along in it. We've tried the golf course, but didn't get very far and decided to play in one place with the frisbee. We've tried our trail through the woods to Tulmeadow Farm, but that was grueling for all of us, dogs included. We dug out our cross country skis last weekend, which haven't seen the light of day in about ten years, I would say, and that worked very nicely. It took us awhile to clean off the dust and grime and old wax, but we got them ready with new wax and off we went to Simsbury Farms golf course. It was the perfect thing to do with the dogs. They ran and played, and we got around much better than if we were trying to walk on the icy snow-covered links. It was quite pleasant, with the rolling hills, and we weren't too sore afterwards. We will definitely do it again. The dogs were really good staying away from the skis. At one point, they got in the tracks behind the skis and kept up on the packed snow. It didn't take long for them to figure out the easy way to get around!

Frisbee is good at any time of year

Frisbee is good for tug of war

Frisbee is good for distracting Will for unsuspecting leaps by Emma

Will watches while Jim clears the deck - so much snow!

You talkin' to me?

2011-01-16T07:50:00.002-05:00

Meet the Puppies

Yesterday, Aaron brought three of Eevi's four puppies over to meet Will and Emma. The fourth one is home on a trial visit with one of the guys from work that will hopefully fall madly in love with having an adorable puppy around the house. He took the little brown puppy, the only boy in the lot, that looks most like a brown coloured husky. These three are the little girls, all in black, tan and white. Two of them have markings that are more like the husky, and the one that Aaron plans to keep is most like the Karelian bear dog. Mother Eevi is part husky and part Karelian, which is a Finnish breed, used for hunting. Aaron found her at a breeder in Quebec, after looking for a long time for one of these dogs. She is a pretty dog, with markings like a husky in a way. There are photos of her on the blog, which you can find from the keyword list on the right.

Here's just a few photos of the puppies when they were here to visit.

Will, as usual, just wanted to get them to play. They didn't know what to do with him at first, and all huddled together watching him. There's safety in numbers, they know, and maybe that big thing will go away! Here's a photo of Will in the yard, crouching down in play mode, with the 3 puppies looking on and trying to get as far away as they can!

Puppy with one blue eye and one brown eye

Puppy with 2 brown eyes

Aaron with all three!

Me with a puppy and Lori with another

Wil just wants to play

2011-01-09T20:15:00.007-05:00

Lynnette teaches Will to be patient

Training to herd sheep

It's been more than a month now since we've taken Will and Emma for their training to herd sheep (or geese, depending on the day). We are really missing the time at the farm with Lynnette, so here are just a few shots of Lynnette with Will and Emma. She has the magic touch when it comes to training the dogs, and they love her and miss her. We hope to be back there soon!

As you can see in these shots, Will needs to learn to be patient with the sheep. This particular day Lynnette made him stay by her side and just watch the sheep for a while. She would progressively move closer, but keep him quietly by her side. It was all he could do to stay there! He just loves the act of moving them around, and of keeping them in their place. He's born to do this job, but he does need to be patient and to learn when to go in at them, so this is all good. It is such a change from the first few times we had him here. He would hardly pay any attention to the sheep, and as a matter of fact, didn't even want to be near them. It was like a light switched on one day, when they started to run away from him, and he seemed to notice them. It's amazing the change.

Now we're waiting for Emma to see the light and want to be with the sheep. We hope that when we get back to Nutmeg Farm that she will want to be there and will be in the zone with the sheep. We will see what happens.

A little patience never hurt any border collie

Almost there!

There they are!

And we're off!

Emma's turn, with Moss helping

Sheep on the rocks

2011-01-07T12:26:00.003-05:00

Morning walk at Simsbury Farms

We thought we would take another morning walk at Simsbury Farms, before the snowstorm happens later today. The weather guys are warning of a storm starting about noon today, and guess what? Dozens of schools in the state have announced either early closing or all day closing, before the snow has even begun! I guess it does avoid problems at rush hour, and worry for parents about what to do with the kids if schools close early, but it's a common occurrence here to be proactive. Better to be safe than sorry, is the mandate.

We followed our usual path today around the golf course. Straight out from the club house as far as you could go, then to the right, which leads down one hill and then up another one leading towards my favorite white oak tree that stands tall at the top of the hill. The melting snow over the last week has lined the cool side of the hills with ice, hiding under that thin layer of snow that fell a couple of days ago. My foot hit that hidden ice and I ended up flat on my back with a thump after flinging up into the air! I'm sure I'll have a bruise from that one. Emma was the one to come and check on me. She's always the most concerned whenever something happens out of the ordinary. Even something as simple as a sneeze, she's right there wondering what is wrong. Maybe it's a female thing, to worry, to be concerned.

Emma really enjoyed digging today in what snow was left from the last storm. She was determined to find out what was hiding under there. Will was curious, but as usual, just let Emma do what she would do, and lay there watching while she dug away. It's funny to watch him watching her. All he wanted was to get back to playing frisbee!

Dig, dig, dig!

There's something down there!

Shake, Shake, Shake!

Will watches while Emma digs

2011-01-03T17:25:00.005-05:00

Foggy morning walk at Simsbury Farms

We couldn't resist going to one of our favorite places for a morning walk on the first Sunday of 2011. It was warm which brought with it a lot of melting snow and fog in the air. It was easy to walk the links with the snow melting a bit, and fun to throw the frisbee for Will and Emma. They love this place as much as we do. Here's just a few photos to show you what it was like with all the fog and the frisbee, and a stone wall to jump over too.

My favorite white oak

Foggy Day

Stone walls are no challenge for border collies who love to jump

Foggy walk on the golf course

Will with the frisbee (double click to enlarge)

Will waits patiently to play frisbee

Emma runs in from the fog (double click to see her)

White oak at Simsbury Farms Golf Course

2011-01-01T19:54:00.004-05:00

Rocky Neck Beach on New Years Day, 2011

Getting a better view of the water

By the Pavillion at Rocky Neck Beach

Jim with Will and Emma on the breakwall

Will on the breakwall

Will

Frisbee games

Will checks on the seagulls

Emma is worn out after a fun day at the beach

It's New Years Day and here we are at the shore in Connecticut, with a lot of other people who decided to enjoy the almost 50 F degree weather outdoors. There are remnants of snow on the ground from the snowfall that brought about a foot of the white stuff on Boxing Day, but that didn't stop any of us. We were determined to be outside on such a wonderful day to start the new year. Will and Emma couldn't be happier - they loved the beach and the romp with all the other dogs who were there.

Rocky Neck Beach is just a little over an hour's drive from our house, and we've never been there before, so it was a perfect day to explore. The beach is in a cove, and is a nice white sand beach, surrounded on one side by a rocky 'arm' that juts out into Long Island Sound. We walked out to the tip of the peninsula to view the sound and the bay on the other side, which is surrounded by homes, probably most of which are seasonal.

They both loved the water, and walked or ran into it to play with the frisbee. As a matter of fact, Will would take the frisbee into the water after he caught it, dropping it just along the edge, as if daring Emma to go in and get it. Which she did. The water wasn't as cold as we thought it might be. I guess it hasn't cooled down as much as it will over the winter yet. I also think that the shallower water of the sound doesn't get as cold as the ocean just east of us in Rhode Island.

The tide was going out when we arrived about noon, and kept going out till we left about 3 pm. It was wonderful having so much beach to walk on at low tide. Lots of shells, and lots of gulls along the edge, but not many other shore birds. We saw a half dozen or so men with metal detectors scouring the beach for treasures. One guy was even wading knee deep in the water. Seems like it's the thing to do in the winter -to find rings and money and other objects that were lost in the busy days of summer. We didn't see anyone find any treasures, though.

We walked way out almost to the end of the long breakwall that protects the beach. It was pretty slippery on the big black rocks as we got closer to the end. Will and Emma didn't seem to mind too much - Will had a couple of slips when he tried to move too quickly from rock to rock, but Emma was pretty sure-footed and not afraid to jump rock to rock at all. She's got those short strong legs that carry her like a little mountain goat!

They were both exhausted after the afternoon at the beach and just zonked out in the car for the ride home. Before we headed home, though, we had to go to Lenny and Joe's Fish Tales in Madison for an early dinner. They were as busy today as they would be in the middle of summer, amazingly enough. It's a great place to check out if you're in the mood for a beachy meal of fish or seafood. Their clam strips are yummy!

2010-10-15T20:06:00.003-04:00

Thanksgiving on the Bruce Trail in Canada

Lori, Jazz, me, Emma and Will on the Bruce Trail

Lori and her Springer, Jazz

Jim, Emma and Will at the ruins on the trail

Jazz and Feather have a swim

Puff balls 'exploding'

Last Monday was Thanksgiving Day in Canada and a wonderful day for a nice walk on the Bruce Trail in Burlington. The sun was shining and the sky was a brilliant blue, making a great backdrop for the bright oranges, reds and yellows of fall. It seems like the colors are much more brilliant in southern Ontario than those in Connecticut this fall. The very dry weather we had through August and September in New England have taken a toll on the usually colorful fall foliage. We've had color, mind you, but just a lot less brilliant than normal. The oranges and reds have seemed much more muted. The yellows are just as bright, though, but it almost seemed like everything was yellow this year. And now, mid-way through October, we're already into the golden bronze and copper tones, which is the customary second part of fall color. Well, I guess this is the time for that since we're halfway through October already.

Anyway, my sister Lori and her dog Jazz joined us for a Thanksgiving weekend walk on the Bruce Trail just north of Burlington, Ontario. This part of the trail has multiple side trails and runs in part alongside a creek that winds through the woods. We saw more people than we usually do when we've gone there before with my son, Aaron, probably since it was a holiday weekend, and it was such a nice day. We were joined by a dog that lives on the property that flanks the trail by the road access. We learned her name was Feather, but we called her Tramp because she looks just like the dog from Lady and the Tramp, grey and raggedy but cute and friendly. She walked (or ran) the entire way with us and our dogs, until we were near the end of our walk and thought we were lost. We thought she might lead us back to the beginning of the trail so we asked her to 'Go home', and she took one look at us and ran off through the woods. We decided not to follow her, bushwacking like she did through the woods, since we didn't know where she was going. We ended up meeting a woman who knew the trails well and she told us the way back to the beginning. It was a maze of trails and we weren't sure enough that we were on the right track, but as it turns out, we were heading in the right direction after all. We made it back to the cars with no problem once we got the directions straight. I guess we need to pay better attention when we walk there. Usually Aaron is the one who leads us through, and he's much better with directions!

2010-10-12T13:29:00.011-04:00

Tobermory, Georgian Bay side

Jim and Emma

Will on the lookout

Aaron and the dogs

Will watches

Happy Cajun

Cajun and Eevi

Eevi

Trip to Tobermory, Ontario

Here's a few photos from our short camping trip in September to Tobermory. We went with my son, Aaron, and his two dogs, Cajun and Eevi. It was the first camping trip for Will and Emma and they had a great time, as we thought they would. We all love being outdoors, and it was a great weekend, even though it did get a little rainy and windy. We still got some great shots of the water and the rocks, and we all enjoyed the walking and being together.

2010-10-12T12:14:00.003-04:00

Herding Training at Nutmeg Farm

Jim's first time with Will and the sheep

Will gathers the sheep

On the run

Emma watches the action

We are really trying to keep to weekly herding lessons for Will and Emma, but it's been tough due to our schedules. But we've had two weeks in a row of lessons, and we've actually had a great break-through with Will. He was the reluctant border collie when it came to the sheep up until now, but 3 weeks ago he actually seemed to notice the sheep and came to life! Lynnette had him in the small pen with a flock of sheep, doing the lunging that she leads him through, and he was going along with it all. We didn't notice anything different in his attitude towards the sheep. He usually seems like he doesn't really care that they are there, and in fact, seems like he wants to get away from them. The change happened when Lynnette opened the door to the pen to let the sheep into the large area of the barn for to give more space for lunging. Well, the sheep took off out the door as fast as they could and Will suddenly seemed to notice them. He perked right up, and ran out after them, with Lynnette still holding the lead. The instinct and the training came into play, and he began to circle around the sheep, gathering them into a circle, like he knew what he was doing. He raced and raced in a wide circle around the startled sheep. Startled because he had shown no interest prior to this, and they did nothing else but what they knew to do they gathered together, and turned and turned , watching every step that Will took as he ran around them

Lynnette was not as surprised as we were. She knew that he would the interest would 'kick in' at some point. . She let him have his rein for a short time, but stepped in to have him turn around to go in the opposite direction. She kept him going back and forth in his running circle, first one way, then the other. He was in his glory! And we were in awe that he finally had discovered the sheep, and his true nature to do something about them!

We've had one lesson since then, and each week, he goes through his paces, with the warm-up exercises, putting up with all the stretching, the flexing, and the backing up and side-stepping. But for the second time, when he got into the pen with the sheep he suddenly came alive. This time, Lynnette worked with him for a short time, and then called Jim into the pen. While Will continued to work the sheep, Jim changed places with Lynnette, and got himself into place, complete with horse whip and all.

For the first time, Jim was surrounded by the flock of sheep who were all trying to avoid the crazy running Will. Will just kept his pace, running a circle around the sheep. Jim did what he was told, working Will back and forth with the sheep, around and around, back and forth, changing directions just as Jim instructed him to do, by holding out first the left hand with the whip, then the right. Back and forth, back and forth. Shorter and shorter circles, then, when Jim was in the corner surrounded by the sheep, Will came to a stop and laid right in front of Jim and his flock of restless sheep. He did it!

It was the greatest feeling to see Will find his sheep, and to see Jim in there, whip in hand, looking like he knew what he was doing in the middle of a big flock of sheep.

2010-08-30T17:34:00.000-04:00

Will and Jim wait in the hangar while Emma has her lesson

2010-08-30T17:25:00.002-04:00

More herding training

Learning how to herd is a long, slow process, even for border collies. Especially border collies that don't get to work with sheep every day. We live in a semi rural area, not a farm, so it would be impossible for us to have sheep at home. We can have chickens, according to our zoning, but they draw the line at any other fowl or four legged farm creatures. Even geese are out of the question. So for now, we are limited to taking Will and Emma for their almost weekly sessions to become familiar with the animals, and to learn how to do what supposedly comes naturally to them.

We have always thought that Will would be the one to pick it up quickly, since he really likes to herd Emma. He also tends to go out wide around us and Emma, and will stand or lie there and watch what we're doing. If we move, he moves. If he gets bored in one spot, he moves around to the opposite side of his imaginary circle around us, and lies there watching everything we do. He can do this for quite a long time. And he really does herd Emma, especially when we're on a walk.He makes sure she stays on the path, or if she goes off the path, he will chase her down and bring her back, or will stand and watch that she doesn't go too far.

Emma has a knack at herding behavior too, but in a different way than Will does. She is obsessed with anything that moves, as I've mentioned before. She monitors the outdoors through the windows for all moving creatures or things, like squirrels, birds, even blowing leaves. She is getting better at controlling this behavior (or we are, I should say), but it could become a real problem. Border collies can be quite obsessive-compulsive in certain behaviors, and this is definitely one of them. We really want to keep this one at bay, and are learning how to handle it. This is one reason we really thought that if Emma had a job to do, she wouldn't continue to do this. We're working on it!

Emma is also good at herding her brother, Will. As I said, Will likes to lay at a distance and watch the action. We can tell Emma to go get Will, and she will go out to bring him in. This is usually successful, not always.

Well, about this training we are involved in. It is a slow, slow process and we began with learning how to give the dogs a good warm-up before they work. This is similar to how a person would warm up before doing some sort of physical exercise. The sequence begins with neck flexes, to the left and right. One side seems stiffer, but that is common, and it is now not as stiff as it was a few weeks ago when we began. The next is to stretch all four legs, and this is the part that always makes me laugh because it looks so funny. Working with one leg at a time, you hold it straight out for a few seconds, then to one side, then the other. We bought a DVD that Lynnette recommended by an animal physical therapist to understand some of this. She demonstrates with different dogs, and they really are quite agreeable to all of this. Besides being a good warm-up, this is all supposed to make it easier for you to handle the dog, and have them get used to being handled.

The warm-up continues with some 'yielding' exercises. You are supposed to get the dogs to go in a circle, first rotating around their front legs and then the back legs. They are learning how to make turns by crossing their legs at the ankle, rather than just moving to the side. It is much more efficient to turn this way, and it does not just happen. The latest exercise we have added is to move sideways, each way and to back up. This is getting easier, and they really don't seem to mind working at it. It's just trying to incorporate it into our daily routine is the difficult part.

Once we do all these steps at each lesson, the dogs are then given some lunging work. This is most similar to the way that horses trained. Using a long line (our teacher Lynnette, at Nutmeg Farm, recommends marine rope for it's 'life') she walks them first one way, then another, in big circles. This is done in a big structure she has on her property that resembles an airplane hangar.She will work each dog separately without animals, then will do the same thing with sheep or geese. Back and forth, back and forth, getting used to the movement, and to being in the pen with the animals.

Here's a few photos with a family of geese, father and his babies, from a few weeks ago. As you can see, neither Will nor Emma are too excited about being in with the geese. I worried they would just chase, but they are quite calm about the whole idea of being near them.

Will with the geese and Lynnette at Nutmeg Farm

Emma with the geese

Big daddy goose and his four 'babies'

Emma again, not wanting to get too close

2010-08-11T21:28:00.003-04:00

Will in Herding Training

It's been a pretty packed summer with lots of travel and training and fun in this the hot and humid weather. A few weeks ago, we started Will and Emma in some sheep herding training, something that Jim has really been anxious to do. He found a trainer in Portland, CT, who does one on one training, and we've had a few sessions with her. She has shown us some warm-up exercises that we should do with them, and says that dogs, just like humans, need to stretch and tone their muscles to prepare for exercise. It's also a way to get accustomed to handling your dog, and for them to get used to being handled and manipulated physically. They both really struggled against it at first, but now they know what it's all about, they don't seem to mind being pushed and pulled, and having legs stretched one way and head stretched back and forth.

Will doesn't seem to be very interested in the sheep at all, while Emma is pretty good at the herding. We thought she might just chase them once she got into the pen with them, but on the contrary, she seems to have a second sense about what she needs to do. What they are learning now is to be comfortable with the sheep, to figure out how to move in tandem with the handle, and to figure out how the sheep move when they move. It's one step at a time.

Here's just a few shots of Will in training. More with Emma later.

Lunging practice (just like training a horse)

Is it done yet?

Not my turn yet

Father and Grandfather sheep

2010-05-31T16:18:00.002-04:00

Self esteem dog bowl

Trip to Stowe VT

What a great place to visit in the summer! I know, it's really a ski place, and you can really tell by all the ski shops, mountains in the distance, names of the hotels and inns (like Stoweflake Inn, where we stayed) but it is also a great place to visit in the summer. Jim had to go for a day and asked me if I wanted to tag along. We've often talked about doing this, but I don't always have the time available to take him up on it. And it isn't always convenient for him either, depending on what he's doing. Anyway, we found a kennel in Stowe that was available, so we booked Will and Emma in there for their mini vacation, and we went on to the Inn for ours (or mine, really).

It is really a dog friendly place to be. As one woman told me, everyone living there has at least one dog! And the trails prove it. We were told about a couple of places that we really loved and so did Will and Emma. The Quiet Path was the first place we took them to, and it is accessed right in town, behind the little white church with the big steeple. It seems like there is one of these in every little Vermont town! Always white, always with a big white steeple, and always right in the center of town! A real landmark. We picked the dogs up from the kennel when Jim finished work the one day, and took them for a nice meandering walk on the Quiet Path that follows the West Branch River. We met a few other dog owners, all with their dogs off leash. That's the beauty of the Quiet Path, it's for dogs and their owners, and it's to give a chance to get off leash without bothering other walkers who don't care to walk their dogs that way. How wonderful! Why doesn't every town think like that?

The views were so beautiful, mountains in the background, a river to one side, and farmland stretched out along beside us. And the sky was so blue! It's reminded me of 'Big Sky' country in Montana, it was that blue. Must have something to do with the mountains. Or the clean air, or something good and wholesome.

Joggers use the Rec Path

A nice view of the mountain

Will and Emma play in the river

Walk on the Quiet Path

2010-03-01T16:19:00.004-05:00

Salt marsh at Hammanasset State Park

Emma beats the wave!

Will gets the stick before the wave gets him

Will and Emma run the rock pier (or is that one dog with two heads?)

Favorite pastime: chasing the stick

Emma scans for birds

Beach toys, even in winter

More Winter Fun

Where there's a beach, there can be fun! It doesn't matter if it's winter, if there's snow somewhere on the ground, as long as it isn't too cold. The good thing about living in CT is that you're not far from just about any type of activity or terrain that you want. We live just in the north central part of the state, which means we are about an hour away from the closest sandy shoreline. Our favorite place to go is Hammanasset State Park, where you can walk the boardwalk or the trails, and can get onto the beach with dogs, but only if it's almost deserted like it is at this time of year. Actually, on a sunny day in the winter, there's a surprising number of people that head to the shore. Maybe we are all ready for summer, or just have cabin fever and can hardly wait till summer to get out to enjoy the sun and sand.

Our border collies just love the beach. They run along the sand, but try to stay away from the breaking waves. Jim tried to get them close to the water by throwing their stick just into the edge of the wave and they would creep up as far as they had to to get the stick. Emma was the bravest. Will was reluctant to get involved, but did finally creep in to capture the stick. They much preferred to run the sandy beach, and then along the giant rocky pier built out into the water. The waves didn't bother them there, because they were well above them.

One thing, though, we've noticed that Will has been scratching himself pretty seriously since our trip to the beach. We're not sure if he got bit, or got sand fleas (we can't see anything), or maybe got into something else. Emma isn't bothered by it, so we don't know if it's from the beach or just dry skin. Border collies apparently have dry skin, so maybe we should try giving him something to treat that.

2010-02-24T20:33:00.003-05:00

Emma loves to watch TV

Emma wants in on the action

She watched every dog in the competition from this point of view

Then came the running, and she watched that too

Will is just happy relaxing on the couch

A family of couch potatoes!

Another favorite winter activity: Watching sports on TV

What can you do on a cold winter day? Well, you can watch TV with your sports loving dogs! Not only do Will and Emma love to run and play and swim, but they enjoy some downtime in front of the TV watching their favorite things to do. Emma really does like to get involved with whatever is going on. If there is a dog on the screen, she's up there too, trying to get in on the action. Here's a few photos of Emma trying to get in the swim of things. Will, on the other hand, is content to watch from a distance. He loves to snuggle into the cushiest chair in the room, and just relax.

2010-02-22T21:12:00.005-05:00

Will on the lookout for Emma
Will
Twistin' and Turnin'
Emma is sure there's something under there!
Little Emma
Birch tree

Best way to enjoy winter

What else can you do outside in winter with two active, fun-loving border collies? We've found that it's much more fun to have a frisbee or a stick in hand when we walk these two, no matter what the weather. It's become almost a daily part of our routine to go to the public golf course about a mile from our house. We walk the links, play frisbee, chase sticks, run and have fun in the snow. There's been some days when the snow was almost all gone from the ground but just last week we had another few inches fall, so it's like winter again. Emma must think there's something hiding under the snow, because she will sometimes stick her nose in the snow, with her head mostly buried, and sniff and sniff. Will doesn't seem to care about what's under it, he just loves to run in it!

My favorite time of day to go is in the late afternoon, just before sunset. There's some good light on the hills and trees at the end of day, and I have taken many photos of my favorite birch tree in all types of light. Here's one with a deep blue moody sky, taken the day after the last snowstorm.

2010-02-03T18:58:00.003-05:00

Frisbee Fun continues in winter

Border collies love frisbee, even in winter!

2009-12-31T16:12:00.002-05:00

One Year Later:

Winter Frisbee at Simsbury Farms

Will and Emma wait for the throw

The cooperative spirit: Emma helps Will bring the frisbee back

Then there's the tug-of-war with the disk

Who will give in first?

A snow-covered Will waits for the throw

2009-11-06T17:33:00.006-05:00

More Frisbee in Town Forest Park

Emma, the frisbee dog

Back in Connecticut, one of my favorite places to take the puppies is to the ball park at Town Forest Park. As I've mentioned before, this is about a five minute drive from our house, or a twenty minute walk. Most times when I go there, I'm pressed for time so I drive. It's simply the best place to let the puppies run and burn a lot of energy in a short period of time. It's like getting more bang for your buck. I always take a frisbee or two to keep them running as much as possible. The same routine here: Will is the catcher and then he teases Emma with it to come and get it from him. He just loves this game.

Well, Emma is a little more fickle lately with all the leaves on the ground. This morning was a particularly windy morning, and the oak leaves were blowing up a storm all over the field. She was in her glory running down as many of the leaves as she could. I let her have a little fun with them, but then I had her lie down and told her to leave them, which she does pretty well. She can be a little obsessive compulsive with this behavior and we really want to know that we can control it when we have to.

Here's a few photos from the other day, which wasn't so windy. They had a real blast with the frisbee that morning, frosty cold that it was. I don't know what we're going to do in the winter when the ground is covered in a blanket of snow. Does anyone know if they make winter weather frisbees?

Will catches the frisbee with Emma on his heels

Teamwork

That's mine, says Emma

Will waits with his toy

Tug of war (good thing it's a flexible disk)

Eight legs and two tails

Will watches Emma, as usual

A frosty morning oak leaf

Beautiful autumn foliage borders the park

2009-10-27T17:05:00.001-04:00

Tricky Emma

I'm sure you've heard that border collies are known to be intelligent, but did you know that they can be tricky and conniving too? Emma showed us that side of her a few times now. It all started with a couple of big knuckle bones that I got for the two of them. Both Will and Emma love to gnaw on them and they do this endlessly at times. Well, Emma truly has the hording instinct and she can only stand it so long before she has to gather all the bones around her into her own little pile. She can be just peacefully laying there chewing away on her bone, with Will just a few feet away gnawing on his. Suddenly she will get up and race over to Will to steal his bone right out from under his nose, or should I say right out of his mouth. It has gotten to the point that Will knows to expect this and as soon as she makes a move towards him he leaps to his feet and away from his bone. There's no way to stop her when she gets in this mood.

For some reason she decided to try a different tact last week. They were both happily chewing and enjoying some quiet time with their knuckle bones. Emma got up and disappeared from the family room and I heard her barking like she had to go out. I got up to let her out, but she wasn't at the front door, she had gone into the living room at the other side of the house. You can see the family room from where she was standing if you look right through the kitchen, so she could see Will laying with his bone. When I got up to check on Emma though, Will followed me into the living room. As soon as Will was far away from his bone Emma took off back into the family room and scooped up his bone! She was so proud of herself that she had tricked Will (and me!) to get his bone away from him without the usual charge at him. Whatever possessed her to do this, I'll never know. Maybe she was tired of how easy it was to just race at him since he didn't put up a fight.

She's tried this a couple more times, and succeeded in luring Will away from his bone only once more. The third time she tried barking from the living room, Will grabbed his bone and stood there in the family room protecting it from Emma's antics. I guess Emma's going to have to find another way to get Will's bone! He's figured this one out pretty easily!

2009-10-18T18:00:00.004-04:00

Frisbee in the Park

Frisbee in Central Park

Teamwork

No matter what the weather, our puppies love to play frisbee. When we are in Burlington at our townhouse, we don't have much of a yard that they can run in, so we take them to Central Park to walk or run or play frisbee, their favorite activity. they have established a little routine by now, that has been the way the play together. One of us will throw the frisbee, then Will runs to catch it, (and he's gotten pretty good at it too), then Emma chases after him to try to get it from him. Sometimes, the actually hold onto it together, and they run along shoulder to shoulder, with the disk in their mouths. This is my favorite thing that they do together. It just looks so cute, and it seems like they work well together when they do this, like a real team. Emma sometimes will give it a jerk and she then has it alone and brings it back for the next throw. It's a regular tag team event.

Will is ready for the throw!

Emma waits for the throw too

Emma knows there's a squirrel over there somewhere! (She'd rather chase a squirrel up a tree than play frisbee, if the truth were known)

Will helps to bring Emma to us when she would rather chase a squirrel

2009-10-18T17:12:00.006-04:00

Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend Walk at Hilton Falls Color around the beaver pond at Hilton Falls Conservation Area

Maple leaves give some color

It couldn't have been a more pleasant day for a nice long walk on another part of the Bruce Trail. This time we headed north to Milton, ON to a trail that is part of the Halton Conservation Authority. We found a lot more color than just a little south in the warmer parts near Lake Ontario. As we drove north, only about 45 minutes, there were a lot of maple trees turned to their brilliant fall orange and red. Finally, we had found our fall color. http://www.hrca.on.ca/ShowCategory.cfm?subCatID=1084

On the trail

Our gang consisted of three people and our four dogs: Will, Emma, Cajun and Eevi. They all love to run the trails, exploring every nook and cranny that they find. We figure they cover about five to ten times as much distance as we humans do. They run ahead, then back to us, then ahead again and so it goes, over and over. Sometimes Will runs off the trail, alongside but hidden in the woods then he'll jump out on the trail ahead of us. He seems to love this little trick. It's as if he's playing hide and seek with us, but primarily I think it's Emma that he likes to hide from and fool. He's always a fun lover, and we hope he keeps being the playful pup that we know.

Old Man Cajun and Eevi The Serious

Aaron with Eevi, just hanging out

Emma is so serious about everything, especially all the things that move in front of her. She has definitely an obsession with moving objects, and this time of year we really have our hands full. The leaves are falling and the wind is blowing, and Emma is on alert for every one of the leaves that blow in that wind. She will suddenly jump at one and make the mad scramble to catch the leaf. It startles whoever is holding on to her, which is usually me. In the woods along the trails today it isn't so bad, since we do let them off leash when it's quiet on the trails. It makes for a more pleasant walk for all concerned.

There is also another difference between Will and Emma. Will is much more easy going and loves to meet new dogs and people. He makes friends very easily, and it's as if there is no dog on earth that he doesn't like. He loves everyone that he meets, at least so far. He especially likes little dogs, and will start a romp with them, crouching down to get the other to play with him or chase him. As I said earlier, he 's the playful pup. Emma on the other hand, is moody, and does not make friends so easily. She is the true leader of the pack of our two, and will tolerate other dogs only so much. She doesn't like it when other dogs get too close to Will or to either of us. She will growl at the dog that gets too close, and she might even get into what would be a fisticuffs if she were human. She is not afraid of a fight, and has started many with poor unsuspecting dogs. She is especially not happy when her female 'cousins' are around and encroach on her space. Both Eevi and Jazz have taken their turns at being the center of Emma's aggression, and we have to be always on the lookout for her attack. She can be very vicious when she wants to be.

Anyway, this day was pretty peaceful with all the dogs together. They are best when they can have their own space, and Emma is best when she is allowed to run and have her way without being bothered by other dogs. We all enjoyed the nice walk in the woods along this part of the Niagara Escarpment, and wish that these autumn days could last a lot longer than they do.

Some signs at the park: not the usual signs you see along trails, but this park is known for it's trails for cyclists. Some of the trails are extremely rugged and I wouldn't want try riding them! I'd be on the ground for sure.

Will and Emma take a well deserved break

2009-10-07T18:47:00.004-04:00

Five dogs and four people

We're in Burlington, Ontario again, and it's a great time to get out to enjoy the cool fall weather. There's a lot of clouds and some rain this week, but we did manage to gather some family together with all our dogs to get out for some fresh air and exercise. We all need the activity as much as the dogs do, but the dogs just seem to get a lot more than we do. On the trails, they are all off-leash and love to run up ahead, then back again to make sure we are all following after them. They must cover five or ten times the distance that we cover, with all the running back and forth.

Lori, Jim and Aaron on the trail

Aaron and five dogs

Our little group consisted of my sister Lori with her springer, Jazz, my son Aaron with his two Kerilian bear dogs, Cajun and his puppy Eevi, and Jim and I with Will and Emma. It was the first time for all of us to walk together like this, and it was fun. We found a good spot that was not too far from the city, and is part of the Bruce Trail system that runs from Niagara to Tobermory in the Bruce Peninsula. This is a trail system that was started in the 1960s by some forwarding thinking Canadians who wished to preserve the green space along the Niagara escarpment, a unique geological feature that dates back millions of years when the entire area was under water. Our hometown lies right along this natural treasure, and we've always found wonderful places to hike, some right within city limits, and others that are just a few minutes drive out of town. This place is in the north end of the city, and is high on the escarpment, and at points there were great views of the city and Lake Ontario to the south. For some information on the Bruce Trail Association, check out their website: http://brucetrail.org/

View of the city, Lake Ontario and the Skyway Bridge

Soybean field, asters and stormy sky

The dogs all know each other, and loved to romp together. We noticed that Cajun was especially fond of Jazz, and they ran along together, having fun along the way. The only time Jazz was a little disagreeble was when Cajun tried to take a drink from her water bottle. She can be very possessive and snapped at him when he came too close. He took the cue from her and didn't bother her again. Other than that incident, Jazz loved the walk with everyone else, and Lori said that our two hour hike was the longest walk that Jazz has had. I'm sure she had a great sleep after that run!

Eevi was the smallest of the whole gang, but certainly didn't let that stop her. She was the only one not to get off the leash, since she is only just four months old and not really trained to come to her name yet. I know our pups were probably six months before we let them off-leash and even then I was a little uncertain about it. They are pretty good about coming when they are called, and always run just a little ahead and return regularly to check on us. It's all part of their herding nature, but even Jazz and Cajun behave that way, so it may be just the general nature of dogs to check on their people. Eevi will be joining the crowd soon enough, but for now it's much safer to keep her leashed.

Will has a habit of running just off the path to the side, just far enough in so he can see us but he thinks we don't see him. He will run ahead of us fifty feet or so, and jump out onto the path facing us, as if he's surprising us. He thinks this is great fun!

Cajun, Jazz and Will

Cajun flirts with Jazz

Then plays hard to get

Jazz takes a drink

2009-10-07T14:51:00.004-04:00

Walk in Tulmeadow Farm pasture

Almost every day (and sometimes twice a day) we take the puppies for a walk in the woods and through the adjacent pasture that backs up to Tulmeadow Farms in our little town of West Simsbury. This is a series of trails that we can access just down the street from our house. These trails through the woods have been there for eons, according to our neighbors who are long term residents in the area. To us, they are a fairly recent discovery, and the puppies are happy we found them! The trails meander in many different directions through the woods, and we have now explored almost all the them, but our favorite daily walk takes us winding through the woods to a bit of a clearing, which is really a tractor road. Then, a right turn and a short jaunt takes us to an open meadow which then looks towards the series of small hills that make up a pretty view of the Farmington River valley. We have hills with descriptive names, like Sugar Loaf Mountain, Hedge Hog Hill and the Barn Door Hills in the distance. It is quite scenic and presents a pretty walk to us, whether it's in the morning dew or the early evening light.

Will and Emma know the way now, and love every step. I especially like coming out of the woods to see the first view of the hills, and one of these days I'll take my camera at just the right time to catch the perfect sunset. I'm waiting for the fall color of the trees to come, and I hope to catch it all with the sun setting over the hills. I'll be sure to post that when it happens. Autumn color seems a little late this year, but we are starting to get some vibrant oranges in the sugar maples, and reds of other trees, but mainly we are treated to the yellows of early autumn. I'm not wishing the time away, but just noting that the color is off to a late start.

Here's just a few photos of the puppies enjoying the clover meadow and hills in the distance.

Will lollygags in the clover

Emma is always watching for something to move, while Will watches her

Emma, still on the lookout

They both check on something interesting

The clover meadow, Sugar Loaf Mountain and Hedge Hog Hill in the distance

Clover pasture

Will hides in the grasses

Emma heads back on the trail through the woods

Just another note about the trail. The farmer that owns the property has an annual Halloween wagon ride through the woods and has been setting up over the last few weeks. We walk past a few of the little vignettes that are being created in the woods and each day we never know what we'll see. The 'tour' of the haunted forest starts at the Flamig Farm, which is at the end of one of the trails through the woods. They sell tickets to fill a hay wagon and pull it past all of the scary scenes in the dark woods. We are having fun watching the set-up and don't want to spoil the surprise, but here's a peek at one of the little vignettes of a what will be a haunted graveyard, nestled in the woods.

The haunted graveyard in progress

2009-09-22T16:27:00.003-04:00

The Tomato Eater

Have you ever heard of a dog that eats tomatoes? Well, this is a new one to me. I was in the family room the other evening, and I was startled by Will's bark. It was coming from the kitchen, which is connected to the family room. While he does like to bark, it didn't seem like a 'let me out to go duties' kind of bark, nor did it sound like his bark warning me that someone was coming to the door. Besides, it would have been Emma who barked first, as is the usual. I thought I had better check it out, so I got up to see what the proble was, and there he ws, standing in the kitchen with front legs splayed and head down, ready for the next bark. He looked at me, then looked over to his right, to make sure that I would look there too. What I saw was Emma, madly chomping into a big red tomato that was nestled in the half bushel box of tomatoes that I had just purchased. There were set on the floor where they were waiting for me to make chili sauce with them. Emma did not even stop to look up at me, she just kept munching away at the tomato, while Will and I watched. She seemed baffled when I told her to stop, and even more so when I picked up the box to remove the temptation. It was as if I had just taken away her favorite toy.
When I examined the damage she had done to the tomatoes, it was as if she took a little bite out of the side then sucked the juices out of them. Very strange indeed. Who knew that dogs like tomatoes. I definitely won't be leaving any more boxes of fresh tomatoes on the floor. And I will listen to Will when he is barking - you never know what Emma will be doing next!

Tomatoes by Emma

2009-09-08T16:21:00.004-04:00

Kent Falls, Connecticut
Labor Day weekend has come and gone, and we’re now full blast into September! The weather has been just beautiful, and we were able to get out to a couple of new hiking places over the long weekend. What a month it’s been already! Most mornings there has been the feel of autumn in the air, with temperatures overnight falling down to the 50s. Daytime temperatures have been in the mid 70s, with mostly sunny skies. Really, you couldn’t ask for better weather for the last long weekend of summer.

Will at the top of the falls

Emma on the trail
We took advantage of the days by getting off to an early start, since we figured the trails would get pretty busy as the day went along. We set off about 9 am to drive to Kent Falls, a pretty place in the western hills of Connecticut, nearly bordering on New York state. There were a few cars in the parking lot when we arrived, and a few picnic tables had been claimed by families ready for a day at the park. Barbecues were already smoking, and we couldn’t figure out what was being cooked for a mid-morning meal, but some people eat anything anytime, so it wouldn’t surprise us if burgers and dogs were on the menu for brunch!

On one of the lookout landings

Looking over the top of the fallsTop tier of falls

Our legs took the two of us and the puppies (who are pretty much full grown now at 10 months) along the green trail to the top of the falls. These really are a long series of multiple falls, with short ones at the bottom and taller ones at the top. The walk was a little tough going up, mainly due to the way the path has been built. There are large blocks of stone built into the hillside to create steps, some of which are about 18 to 20 inches high. This made for a long step, which was tougher for the people than for the dogs. Their little legs took them up pretty easily. We reached the top, about 1/4 mile up the steps, without too much trouble, stopping to enjoy the falls at each of the landing points they had made. The view from the top of the falls was quite pretty, looking out over the mountains to the west. It will be even prettier once the fall color arrives.
Our walk down took us to the other side of the falls, where another less-trafficked set of trails had been made. Not far along the trail, we came to a group of inukshuks, statues made from boulders that were plentiful along the trail. At first we saw about a dozen or so of these stone men, then a little further along there were dozens of them! It was quite strange. Emma was pretty interested in checking them out, but Will just wanted to run in the woods around them, and was not quite as interested in figuring out what these things were all about. Jim had to put one together to leave as a sign that we had been by and appreciated the gathering.

Emma waits while Jim builds an Inukshuk

Emma likes the Inukshuk

A little further along the yellow trail, where the trail takes a 90 degree turn, it overlooks a farm field where there were a couple of jersey cows grazing. The puppies were taken by surprise, and had to have a good look and a little bark at them, and the cows wanted to get a good look too. We kept the two pups well away from the cows, though, envisioning what a good kick from an aggravated cow could do. We figured that our little curious pups don’t need to have a broken leg or rib as a reminder of how dangerous large animals can be.

2009-08-31T13:52:00.003-04:00

View looking northwest to the Litchfield Hills from inside Heublein Tower

At the top of Talcott Mountain

Will takes a break before heading down
Will

Almost a whole month has passed and I have missed writing about Will and Emma! It’s been a pretty busy month, with us back in Canada for a week, then a couple of family visits at our place in Connecticut, and just generally being busy with summer once it actually got here. Summer weather didn’t really arrive until August, when we had several days of heat and humidity. It didn’t reach 90 degrees until August, and truthfully, it has been a pretty nice summer for those of us who don’t really enjoy the heat. You were actually able to spend time outside without withering away in the humidity. Not that I complain, since I really do enjoy the heat, but it’s been nice without it too.
Will and Emma have been enjoying the days outside too, and they are building up their stamina by doing longer walks and active swimming sessions. This past weekend we did the hike up to the top of Talcott Mountain (aka Avon Mountain) to see the Heublein Tower that sits overlooking our town of Simsbury. It is a great landmark, and can be seen from certain spots of many of the towns around us. The pups enjoyed the hike up the hill, which is a good 30 minutes up a rocky path. On the way up we let them off leash since it was early enough to be quiet. We didn’t pass a single person. On the way down, however, there were a number of people hiking up, so the puppies stayed on leash rather than take a chance on mishaps and over excited jumping up on the passers by. Emma still has a habit of jumping up to stay hello. We are still working on this with her.
On the way down the hill, it’s a pretty slick slope, and Emma stayed pretty close to me for a change. She walked slowly alongside, taking as much care with each step as I was. Once she got to the bottom, though, she was raring to go again. They both enjoyed the walk, as did we. It was a really nice day, not too hot and not rainy for a change.

2009-08-04T10:21:00.006-04:00

Will and Emma check the water at Stratton Brook

Pond at Town Forest Park

Fun in the water
Emma has finally conquered her fear of the water! She is now as much of a water-loving dog as Will is, chasing sticks and swimming as far out as she must to get the stick and bring it back. It all changed one day a couple of weeks ago when Jim took the two pups for a walk along the trails of Town Forest Park and they came across a wide stream that wasn’t too deep, but had to be crossed either by walking across a wide board or by wading across. Jim made the 20 foot crossing along the board, Will waded across, and Emma stood stranded and yelping on the far side. After a few calls from Jim, Will waded back to try to coax Emma into the water. Well, I guess Will made it look easy enough to Emma. She finally took one step, then two, then came all the way across the water! Success! No longer afraid of the water, and she now keeps up with Will on every water escapade.
So, since it is summer, and we have two decent size ponds within a good walking distance from our house, we have exchanged the frisbee walks for water walks. It’s about 20 minutes walk to either pond, the one at Town Forest or the one at Stratton Brook Park, and they both have sandy beach areas where they romp to their hearts content. We gather several sticks for throwing, and they can hardly wait to get wet and chase the sticks. It’s pretty competitive. Will is usually the faster swimmer, with his long legs, but Emma isn’t far behind. Will gets the stick first, and Emma usually grabs on to help bring it back. If it’s in shallower water, she can get a good stance on the ground and yanks the stick away from Will to bring it on shore. Will, as usual, doesn’t put up much of a fight. He’s ready to go retrieve the next one.

Joined at the hip!

Emma asks "How's the water?"

Jim watches the puppies

Will beats Emma to the stick

Emma and Will bring the stick

Emma gets the stick from Will

We’ve started to throw out two sticks now, in different directions, so they can both go fetch their own stick. Will is such a good swimmer, he’ll go after his own stick, then make a quick turn to chase down Emma’s stick if he sees it go in. What a great way to burn off some of their energy!

Can't we stay?

2009-07-31T17:43:00.003-04:00

Summer day trip
Destination: Long Island

What's out there?

Enjoying the ferry ride to Long Island

Summer weather is finally here and we wanted to take advantage of it. We decided on a day trip to a different destination. We decided to take the ferry to Long Island, since we had never been there, and wondered just what was on the other side of the water that we so often see, known as Long Island Sound. We boarded the ferry at Bridgeport, about an hour and fifteen minutes southwest of where we live. We reserved tickets the day before, to make sure we could get on, but there was lots of room. I think people are just not traveling as much as they normally would this summer, with the weather and also the tough economy. We made sure that we could take the dogs with us up above instead of leaving them in the car down below. I’m sure that would have been a little too scary for them, with all the noise of the engine, and the possibility of being too hot if left in the car.
The ferry ride was a great adventure for both Will and Emma. After the initial fright of the engine noise, they quickly grew accustomed to it and had fun up top. They both found little spaces in the railing to stick their nose out to smell the sea air over the Sound. I’m sure that Emma was on the lookout for any birds that flew by, not that she could do anything about them. Will got to meet a little puppy that wanted to play as much as he did. They had a little fun together for a while, but settled down to just enjoy the beautiful day at sea.
We landed at Port Jefferson on Long Island, about one third of the way along the peninsula. We got our bearings, and got some advice from a clerk at a store where I bought a map of Long Island and headed out. Our journey took us to the north fork, where we planned to catch a different ferry back to New London in Connecticut. We could have chosen to go to the south fork to visit the famed Hamptons, but didn’t think we could do both sides in one day, and wanted to do more than just ride in the car. There really is so much to see, so maybe we’ll just have to go back one day.
As we drove east, we could see the landscape change from a busy residential and commercial area to a more relaxed rural setting, complete with farms, beaches, parks, and loads of wineries. We stopped at one of the first wineries we came to hoping to find lunch as well as a taste of wine, but they didn’t serve food. The very friendly staff helped us find a good lunch, though, a little further along the north fork, right beside another winery, Peconic Bay Winery. Lunch was right next door to the winery, at a little take-out seafood place that also sold fresh local seafood in an attached store. We wondered through the winery next door, and then headed along the road east. Next stop was at a lavender farm, where they were just harvesting this years crop. Half the field was still beautiful purple blue of lavender, with the scent wafting through the air. We walked around the field and down the street to enjoy the scent and give the puppies some exercise. They really enjoyed getting out at every stop we made. They really are good travelling dogs and love to meet new people and dogs.
Our ferry ride back to Connecticut was a breeze - they were pretty experienced by then and loved the breezes up on the top deck. Another dog to meet, more people to greet, and the wind in their noses stuck between the railing. What more could two dogs want?

Lavender and blue hydrangea everywhere

Still picking lavender

Emma enjoys the view

Will watches the water

Will makes a friend

2009-07-31T17:09:00.002-04:00

Let get that frisbee!

Will gets it, as usual

A bit of frisbee play

We have been pretty busy this summer doing lots of things outside when it’s not raining. They still love to ‘frisbee’ but since it’s been so wet we haven’t taken them to the ball park to play too much lately. Here’s just a couple of photos of our frisbee puppies from earlier in the summer.

2009-07-21T12:22:00.003-04:00

Will chases the sheep at first

Testing aptitude with real sheep

Border collies are historically sheep herders and we have been very interested to find out how our young puppies would be if put on sheep. Jim has been in contact with Bev Lambert, a woman in Connecticut who raises border collies and actively competes nationally and internationally in herding trials. She advised that the pups should not be exposed to sheep at all until they are 8 months of age, so as soon as they reached that age, Jim scheduled some time with her to assess their aptitude on sheep. So a couple of weeks ago, we made the hour long trek to a small farming town in the ‘quiet corner’ of Connecticut to see what we would see.
Bev has a small farm where she keeps a small flock of sheep, apparently so she can train her herding dogs. Her main dog, Merck, accompanied all of us to the enclosed pen where she separated five of her sheep for the puppies to be tested on. Will went into the pen with Bev and Jim and the five sheep. Immediately, he started to run after the little flock of five, who ran around the inside perimeter of the pen. Bev was quiet and watched carefully, since I’m sure she didn’t want him to harm the sheep, but she let him run at will. After a few minutes of chase, he did slow down, watch the sheep, and walked after them rather than running. One of the sheep broke away from the others, and Will did what comes naturally. He went after that stray sheep and brought it back to the pack. Bev was watching for his tail movement. At first Will’s tail was up, in a playful position. After he got a little more serious, though, his tail dropped down, in the working position. Bev did think Will had the instinct.

Will gets the idea while Merck watches

Merck is in and Will still watches the sheep

After several minutes, Will came out to stand with me, while Emma was brought into the pen with the sheep. As is her nature, she immediately went into high speed and chased the sheep around the pen. She trapped them into one side, and proceeded to bark at them, and scared them so that Bev did not want to leave her in the pen with them for much time. She had her own dog, Merck, in the pen at the same time, and he was able to keep the sheep at bay, while Emma was let out. Bev’s opinion of our little Emma was that she was afraid of the sheep, and I’m sure this is why she didn’t want to leave her in the pen too long. I would bet also that she didn’t want her sheep any more scared of the yappy little dog either. Emma on the run

Bev’s final assessment was that Will had some instinct, but that she thought that Emma was afraid of the sheep. She ended up saying that we could try them again in about a month, if we were serious about this, thinking they might still be a little young for a true assessment. And her final word was that we might consider doing agility with them.

2009-07-07T17:29:00.006-04:00

Watching the boats in the misty morning
I'm here, says Emma

Will wants in the water, and Emma says 'No way I'm going in there!'

Not beach weather, but who cares?

What is summer without the beach? A couple of weeks ago, we were dying for a bit of summer weather and the activities that go along with it, so we went to find a beach. We ended up at Watch Hill in Rhode Island, which is just about an hour or so from our home in Connecticut. It was a pretty misty and cool day for mid-June, which turned out to be in our favor. We found a great beach that was just out past the yacht club in the main harbor in Watch Hill. On a bright, sunny day it would have been filled with people swimming and sunning, but since it was more like a day in early May, we had most of it to ourselves. We had a great long walk along the shore, and could let the puppies off their leashes for the walk.

As it turned out, Will absolutely loves the water, and went running through the shallow water near the shore. Emma, on the other hand, wouldn’t even set foot in the water! She walked along the edge, and loved to be close, but sure didn’t want to get her feet wet, despite all of Will’s antics to get her to come in. He would crouch down, and run along, and bark (as usual), but to no avail. Emma would not enter the water. Maybe next time. We’ll have to give it another try again sometime.

Come on in!

Will loves the water!

And also loves digging! Where'd that water come from?

Since we had some time that day, and were out exploring, we stopped at the Harkness State Park in Waterford, Connecticut, on the way home. It is one of those estates from the guilded age that was left to the state and it's beautiful grounds have become a state park. There is a home that is used for weddings and other functions but what I wanted to see was the attached gardens that were designed by Beatrix Ferrand, a landscape designer from the early 20th century. The gardens are just beautiful and there were a lot of plants in bloom. The grounds also include acres of cut lawn where you can sit and enjoy the peaceful waters of Long Island Sound. By the time we got to Harkness, the mist had cleared and the sky was a crisp, pure blue. We could have sat there forever looking out over the waters!

Enjoying the sun and scenery with my puppies
Pretty place: Gardens at Harkness State Park

2009-07-05T15:00:00.006-04:00

Cajun, the old man

All gather around the karst opening

Beautiful wild flowers, beautiful day

Pals forever!

Jim and Aaron follow the trail & the dogs

Trail walk at Eramosa Karst in Hamilton, Ontario

This is a pretty trail that just opened up in the fall of 2008 and we've made good use of it since my son, Aaron, discovered it. It's a pretty level walk through a wooded area and then across a nice meadow which changes entirely with each season. Right now, there are lovely wildflowers blooming all over, reminding me of the meadows and hills that Monet used for inspiration for planting his own gardens in France. Pretty colors in perfect combinations created by nature. Blues and yellows, blues and whites with pink clover, blue with the deep almost fuscia pink of tiny wildflowers... very pretty.

The puppies weren't looking at the flowers as I was, but were enjoying a bit of freedom as we can let them run free on trails like these. We've just started to feel comfortable enough with their recall that we are allowing them a bit of freedom on our walks, depending where we are. This trail was the first one that we let them free, so it's a joy for them and also for us. They run a few feet ahead, but turn and come back on their own or when we call. It's quite nice that they are getting older and more responsible!

Check out the details of the Conservation Area at these websites:

http://www.foundation.conservationhamilton.ca/about/conserv_areas/eramosakarst.asp

http://www.conservationhamilton.ca/parks/visit/eramosa.asp

(this one tells you what a karst is!)

2009-07-05T08:28:00.008-04:00

Cooperation!

Frisbee Puppies
A few weeks ago, we started throwing the frisbee for the puppies and have discovered a new talent! Will caught on right away, which isn’t surprising since he’s always been the one that likes to retrieve things. Emma was a lot more reluctant to get involved in the chase and retrieval, especially since Big Will likes to race out ahead of her and grab it first. But she’s more interested in the game now, and joins right in to chase it down. She’s best when it’s just one on one with her, though.

We take them to the ball park at Town Park, where we’ve gotten into an almost daily morning routine to let them run. Now it’s morning frisbee: chase, catch and retrieve. Will is really a natural. He loves to run it down, and has a really good sense of timing. He knows when the disk is going to drop, or reverse slightly and will time his run and jump for the big catch. He’s started to jump for it too, but we’re trying not to let it go too high for now, since he’s still only 8 months old and not as fully developed and strong as he will be. He always beats Emma to the catch! But then she will catch up and the two of them join in to bring the frisbee back for another throw.

Ready to pounce for the catch!

I'll get it!

Will catching the frisbee

A little jump

I got it!

Emma helps to bring it back

2009-06-09T10:52:00.007-04:00

View of the Farmington Valley

Jim explains the scenery to Emma

Happy hikers

A New Adventure: Hike up Talcott Mountain

We took another fun hike this past weekend to introduce the puppies to yet another type of terrain and experience a new adventure. This time, our walk took us just a few minutes drive from our house, to the Talcott Mountain State Park where the Heublein Tower is located. http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?A=2716&Q=325272 This is a tall tower, about 5 stories tall, that was built by a local entrepreneur many decades ago, and has become the most visible landmark in the Farmington Valley in Connecticut. When you get up close to it, it is much larger than it appears on a daily basis when you see it in the sunlight from below. It’s a really amazing structure, with a great view of the valley.

Heublein Tower

This is only the second time that we both took the walk together, and it’s only about a 35 minute walk up the hill, part of it being a little bit of a breather, even for the puppies. But once you’re on top, it’s pretty flat and easy to negotiate, with some lookouts along the way to the tower. There are no railings to hold you back from the edge, so you need to use your own discretion about how close you go. With two fun-loving puppies, we kept them pretty close to us on their leashes for the walk. We didn’t want to take any chances with one of them running a little too close to the edge. We did see a helicopter landing pad at the base of the mountain, so it’s obvious that this is not a place to be careless.

It was really a perfect day for the walk, especially since we started out early in the morning before the majority of people got on the trial. We passed only a couple of joggers on our way up, but on the way back there were lots of walkers. And the day was heating up a little too, while we had a perfect temperature for a nice leisurely climb.

Emma, the little mountain goat!

Will and Emma both loved the trail, even though they were both a little winded on the steepest part. They explored the new terrain, which was for the most part a well kept trail, but along the side part way, we came to a sheer rock wall which we had to stop and explore. Of course, Emma was the little mountain goat and climbed easily with her short, strong legs. Will, ever the gangly teenager, even did the climb easily, but not quite as sure-footed as Emma. He just wanted to play in the new environment. We call him the ‘playboy’ because he just wants to romp and jump and bound along light-heartedly. Emma gets pretty impatient with him at times, and her snapping at him does slow him down a bit, but not usually for long. He’ll be back after a while to entice her to play again. They are really such different personalities, and it’s been an adventure for us getting to know them both, and trying to understand what makes each of them tick.

Will, wondering what's next

I'm ready to play!

2009-06-03T17:40:00.005-04:00

A day at the WAG Park

Little Daisy, th e 'jug' (pug and Jack Russell mix)

Will is fascinated by Daisy

Are you for real?

Jazz, the happiest dog in the world!

Running free!

Jazz joins the chase!

Trip to Burlington

We spent a week in our hometown of Burlington, Ontario, Canada last week, our first week long visit since the puppies were just new to our home. It was a fun week of visiting family and doing some projects around our townhouse. The puppies got a chance to visit with a lot of their friends and even met some new dog friends at the WAG Park in Burlington. It was their first visit to a proper dog park where they could run free off-leash in a totally enclosed area with other dogs. They had a fantastic time, running and playing with about six or so other dogs at any given time. We met my sister, Lori there, with her springer spaniel, Jazz. They all had fun running together and even Emma didn’t have to worry about Will barking at her. He seemed to have so many other dogs to run with that he didn’t seem to bother Emma as much. It was a real treat for all of us. For some reason, Will has to bark and bark at Emma, and at other dogs sometimes. It seems like he wants to get them to play, but it really disturbs Emma, and she just fights back by biting and snapping at him, or by staying close to me and ignoring or hiding from him. The is consistent behavior and we don’t really know how to correct it. So it was a really nice treat to see that he could play without barking.

They met all kinds of other dog, but their favorite (and ours too), was a little puppy called Daisy. It was one of the cutest dogs I’ve seen in a long time, a cross between a pug and a Jack Russell terrier, known as a ‘jug’. We’d never heard of this, but it seems like a common cross-breed these days, trying to breed out the respiratory problems that the pug has. Will was just fascinated with her, and wanted to play. It was almost as if he thought it was his toy puppy. He was quite gentle with her and it was cute to see.

2009-05-27T20:49:00.005-04:00

On the run on the frosty field

Will and Emma run the bases

All this running is hard work!

Emma, the circus dog

A few photos at Town Park

Even though we had an unseasonable frost overnight last week, we still enjoyed the morning run at Town Park. Here's a few photos of that frosty morning romp.

2009-05-26T22:48:00.006-04:00

Emma greets Tommy Girl, her new friend

Emma and Tommy Girl

Emma, Tommy Girl and Will watching

Mornings at Town Park baseball diamond

Our latest routine is to take the puppies for a good run and play at the Town Park with the beautiful baseball diamond in the morning before Jim goes to work. They love it! We love it too, since it's a lot more fun for all of us than a walk around the neighborhood. They have even met a few new friends, but Emma especially loves her newest best friend, Tommy Girl, the miniature Australian shepherd. She comes with her 'dad' in the morning; he jogs and she runs. And she just loves playing and running with Emma. I'm sure this is a long-term friendship with the two of them. Will just watches the two girls run and play, and they barely know he's there.

2009-05-10T21:02:00.006-04:00

Mother's Day at Elizabeth Park, West Hartford
Me, Will and Emma by the lilac garden

No roses yet!

A little girl treats the puppies!

Will just hanging out!

Emma's wondering where all the robins are...

We decided to take the puppies to Elizabeth Park, the Victorian style park in West Hartford for a little fun and socialization. They had a fun time meeting and watching people, wandering through the lilacs and the rose garden that will be in full bloom before we know it. Emma saw lots of her favorite robins to 'herd', which made for a bit of a challenge. There was lots of fun and frivolity with people out to enjoy the fine weather and mother's day festivities. A pretty day it was.

2009-05-06T08:22:00.005-04:00

Obedience Class for Will and Jim

We have enrolled the puppies in beginner Obendience class. This time, Jim is working with Will, and I take Emma to class. We are all benefitting, even though the puppies really know how to do all of the basics, like sit, down, stand, sit-stay, down-stay, and leave it. The best thing about the class is that they are being introduced to distractions while we work with them. They are getting used to being approached by other people, but still want to jump up to greet anyone that comes near. This is such the opposite of Tobie, who was leary of most people who came close. These puppies are overly friendly, which means we did a good job introducing them to lots of people and pups when they were young enough to get accustomed to it. Now we have the challenge of getting them to be mannerly when they meet folks.

The other issue is that Jim was having a difficult time controlling Will, and we felt that he should get more involved with his training. So taking him to class and doing the work in between classes has been beneficial. Jim has more control now, but still has more to go. We are also dealing with the 'terrible teens' and the rebellious nature that goes along with it. More about that later.

2009-04-26T08:03:00.005-04:00

Connecticut Sheep, Wool and Fibre Festival (100th Annual)
at Tolland Agricultural Center

Sheep herding trials

Waiting their turn

It's a hot day for herding! (or watching!) Watching the dogs and sheep

End of day
Skeins of wool ready for sale

Fluffy dyed wool

Daffodils and grape hyacinths around the labyrinth

2009-04-19T21:56:00.002-04:00

A few milestones met

Here’s just an update on some milestones that Will and Emma have met. We are happy to report that Will is doing much better with his house training, and hardly has any ‘accidents’ in the house anymore. Very few dribbles while waiting to go out, once in a blue moon does he just squat on the spot, and he now will either ring the bells in the family room to let me know that he needs to go out, or will go to the front door to let me know. At one point it seemed like this would never happen, but for the most part, I would say he is house trained. I’m sure there will continue to be accidents in the house, but we are pretty happy to be at this point.

Will no longer makes a move to chase cars;
They both have learned to move to the side of the road (‘on the grass’) when a car passes by on our walks;
Will and Emma both ‘stay’ pretty well;
Neither one is a mop chaser, and they lay down nicely when the vacuum cleaner is going;
They don’t react to noises made by masking tape being pulled out
or to the electric beater
When I’m working in the kitchen, they lay down and watch quietly
They lay nicely while I get my hair dry and make-up on in the morning
They both sleep pretty well through the night, with the exception of a couple of 4 a.m. wake-up calls from Emma, mainly when we were in Burlington (a strange place for her, with all night noise and lights)
They both coming when called
They both wait at the top of the stairs when told to, so I can walk down without being run down
They travel very well in their crate in the van

Still needs work:
Walking on leash (pulling is the name of the game right now)
Coming directly to us when called to come, and sitting in front (Will tends to run like crazy all around, after he comes in the general direction)
Waiting to be told OK to get out of the crate in the car (it’s a mad dash when the door opens,
even if they are good at sitting, the wait command is a foreign word)

2009-04-07T20:45:00.006-04:00

Will and Emma, 5 and a half months

A cold spring day and I wasn't in the mood to spend much time outside with the puppies this afternoon, so I got out my tripod and put my long lens on my camera to try a few puppy portraits. I thought it was about time to try something a little different than the usual snapshots of the two pups. So here's a few of the 'portraits' that I thought were good. I set them up on the wicker couch in the sun room, and the wall to wall windows let in a nice soft light from the overcast day. They didn't seem to mind sitting there, at least for a little while.

Pretty little girl, Emma

Who, me?

Will

Will

and more Will

2009-03-29T18:22:00.007-04:00

Penwood State Park

Another weekend, another new adventure. Saturday morning found us at a new venue for Will and Emma, with lots of new dogs and people to meet. We drove the short distance to Penwood State Forest, where there are numerous trails that either climb up Talcott Mountain or go around it somewhat. We arrived about 10 am and the parking lot was almost full already. It was a beautiful sunny Saturday morning, and we weren’t the only ones who thought to get out to enjoy it. (http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2716&q=325248&depNav_GID=1650)

Will takes the lead, his preferred spot

We took the high trail, the one that went along the mountain to see if we could get a good view of the Farmington valley before the trees are all leafed out. There were some decent views, but we never did come to the overlook area that was on the map. Either we didn’t go far enough, or perhaps we just didn’t see it. Needless to say, we all quite enjoyed the walk along the paved trail. Emma got to chase her leaves, and Will got to lead the way.

I haven’t mentioned their newfound obsessions yet. In the last week or so, we have noticed that they each have developed a different fixation on moving things, neither of which we are happy about and are trying to train away. Will has decided that the fast moving vehicles are a new toy to chase, and Emma has discovered that when there is wind there are moving leaves and they are a good plaything. Both of these behaviours are quite dangerous, since either one could lead them into traffic or somewhere equally hazardous.

We are working mostly with Will on the car chasing. When we go for walks around the neighborhood, he must move to the grassy side of the road and sit down when he hears a car coming. I have always been getting them to move off the road and sit, but this has become an automatic response. He not only sits, but will lie down the minute he hears a car coming. This works on our quiet street but the real test will come when we go to a busier trail like the Collinsville bike trail where he first exhibited this behaviour. We have a real challenge on our hands.

With Emma, the leaves are everywhere. We are not so successful with her obsession, and need to be more diligent with having her pay attention to us, not the leaves. It is a challenge to both of us and one we need to work on. More later when we get a better handle on it.

Our little pups had a good day of meeting new dogs and people on our Penwood adventure. They met up with two big Tibetan mastiffs that they met a couple of months ago at McLean Game Preserve. They are the biggest dogs they’ve met to date. A big red male, and a big blackish female named Maggie. They were so cute, and not afraid of them at all. Will even gave a few little yaps to try to get them to play, but no dice. Emma took her time meeting and greeting the bigger one, who was off-leash and very curious about the little pups.

2009-03-29T07:49:00.005-04:00

Emma and Will on the run: they love the open space of the ball park!

Here I go!

Me and my shadow...

Emma and her shadow...

2009-03-28T20:53:00.004-04:00

Will and the big femaleTibetan mastiff, Maggie

Emma makes friends with the red Tibetan mastiff

Happy Emma

Lea Anne and the 'twins'

2009-03-21T16:32:00.005-04:00

Well, I must say that spring weather has arrived, and brought with it lots of things to do to enjoy the outdoors. This is probably why it’s been awhile since I had time to sit down to write a little something. There’s been lots to write about, but not much time to do it. With this nicer weather, most of the snow has disappeared. There are some piles built up by the snowplows that are taking their time to melt away, but they won’t last long. The time change has also changed our routine a little. It’s now daylight when Jim gets home at night, which means that we can take a nice little walk around the neighbourhood in the evening. The puppies love it, and we do too.

Today, we discovered a new place to walk to, right in our own neighbourhood. We took Will and Emma for a nice leisurely walk on this sunny but crisp Saturday morning. We walked down Town Forest Road, where we’ve taken to walking because it’s a quiet road with not too much traffic. We walked a little farther than we normally do, since we had extra time and nothing pressing to do. It’d been a long time since we’d walked that far, but we weren’t surprised to come across the baseball diamond where the local kids team (The Simsbury Babe Ruth) plays. What was a pleasant surprise was that the field was completely fenced and gave us a nice area to let the pups run. For the first time ever, at least outside the house, we let the pups run off leash. You should have seen how happy they were! They ran together, away from us about 100 feet, then turned and ran right back to us. If dogs could laugh, these two pups were doing it. You could just see the joyful smiles on their faces, they were so happy.

We took this great opportunity to practice some recall commands, so we separated ourselves, about 100 feet or so, and Will and Emma ran back and forth between us. They would come when we called, and they ran and ran, right to us, then back again to the other one. We decided this would be the perfect place to bring the soft frisbee type disc that we bought for them. Next time.

The whole thing came to a fun end when a woman jogging with her hound dog went by. Well, of course the beautiful hound couldn’t resist joining our pups to run and play. He found his way into the field (simply pushed open one of the gates) and came over to meet Will and Emma. Will, of course set into his barking routine, to invite him to play. They crouched and ran and played for just a few minutes, until Troy’s owner recovered him and took him back on the jogging route. What fun for the pups, though. I’m not sure what they loved more, meeting a new dog, or having some freedom to run and run and run. This is definitely a place we will return to, at least until baseball season comes!

2009-03-08T20:28:00.005-04:00

First Trip to Canada AP (after puppies)

Another first in the short lives of Will and Emma. I have taken my first trip back to visit family in Canada since we have had our puppies. Since Jim wasn’t able to make the trip this time (work, work and more work), we decided to each take a puppy for the weekend. So after some discussion who was to have who, I have Will with me and Jim has Emma at home with him. He was determined to keep Will at home with him, and the reason for that finally slipped out. Emma likes to wake everyone up with her little yelps in the morning, which usually starts anywhere between 4:15 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. He just wanted to get some extra sleep! Will, on the other hand, is still the pee machine, and my rational to take him was that I would be more available to let him out regularly. Jim would be available on the weekends, but on Friday and Monday would only be home at lunch to let him out, which means long periods in the crate, and increased likelihood of accidents in the crate.

So needless to say, our long seven and a half hour drive went smoothly. He was quite happy to sleep in his crate, and we stopped regularly for bathroom breaks and to fill up with gas. We had a couple of longer stops, to walk around the grounds, to wake up our legs, and then got back on the road. Will slept most of the way, curled up in the corner of his crate. He would rustle around once in a while, and he’d be sitting watching me on occasion when I’d look back at him, but convinced I wasn’t going anywhere, he’d lay back down for another snooze. He was happy to get out of the van at the end of the drive though.

He explored around our townhouse, but there was no indication that he remembered being here before. It was his first home after we picked them up from the breeders just before Christmas, but we haven’t been back since then. He was up and down the stairs with me, while I carted things in from the van, and had to explore all around. I set his crate up in the kitchen area where we had it before, and put a bed outside the crate for him to rest on where I can watch him. We’ve got into the habit of crating the pups mostly when we’re not at home, and letting them sleep on their beds or play if we’re in the room with them. It seems to work all right, as long as we’re around. Eventually, they won’t need the crates, we’re hoping. But for now, there is just too many things for them to chew or break, and too many places for the pee machine to go.
Not only was this the first long trip for Will, but this is also the first time Will and Emma have been separated from each other for any length of time.

Sunday
It’s been a busy couple of days for Big Will and me. He’s been busy getting re-aquainted with some family, including people and their dogs. He’s gone for a few walks and of course drives. We saw my son, Aaron, and his girl-friend, Kendall, and his dog, Cajun. Cajun is almost ten years old, and wasn’t really impressed with Will, who really wanted to play, but didn’t know how to get Cajun motivated enough to play with him. He tried barking, which really didn’t do the trick. Will barks at Emma when he wants to get her attention, and must have thought it would work with any dog. Cajun just turned his head, and tried to ignore Will, but that didn’t work either.

We met with Aaron again this morning to check out a new conservation area near his house, which is on the Hamilton mountain. Eramosa Karst Conservation Area was recently opened, and has a huge cave which isn’t accessible at this time of year, because it’s flooded with fast running water. There’s also a series of trails, nicely groomed with screenings for the most part, so it was easy to walk at this muddy time of year. Will, however, was not behaving well during our walk. Cajun has always been an off-leash dog in this type of situation, and loves to run through the woods and ahead on the trail. This drove poor Will crazy since he wanted to run with Cajun, and at still under five months, I was not about to let him go off in unfamiliar territory. So it was tug and pull and unsuccessful attempts to correct almost the entire walk. Not the most pleasant Sunday morning walk.

He also visited Max, my parents dog, who is also about ten years old and had no interest in spending time with a bouncy young pup. Will again used his voice to try to get some play out of Max, but soon gave up on this when it was obvious he was getting nowhere. He was happy to meet my parents again, though, and loved the attention they gave him.

Jazz wants the rawhide bone
Today, my sister came to visit with her springer spaniel, Jazz, who is about a year and a half old and still has lots of puppy energy. Finally, Will met his match. At first they spent time getting to know each other, and playing together. Jazz had this way of using her body to corner him (all in play). They’d run around, and somehow they always ended in the corner, with Jazz blocking him in. They ran and played happily together for quite awhile. But again, for some reason, Will got into a barking fit with her, and didn’t want to stop. I finally remembered that if I got him to sit and calm down, and ‘look at me’ he would stop barking. This did work and we were all happy that we didn’t have to listen to all of his noise anymore. So, I’m not sure why he was barking at Jazz. My previous theory that he was trying to get some play didn’t apply this time, since Jazz loved to play and didn’t need any encouragement. I’ll have to figure this one out.

2009-03-02T10:21:00.002-05:00

Will taking a break from our walk down Town Forest Road. We spent a pleasant Sunday afternoon enjoying the 1st of March, before the nor'easter hits that will bring with it about ten inches of new snow.

Our sweet Emma watching and listening to all the sounds of the winter afternoon.

Emma wants to adopt the lost hound she sees on TV!

So many toys, so little time!

Is this the one?

2009-02-28T15:52:00.004-05:00

Update on colonoscopy day

This proved to be a bit of a challenge. The test itself went as scheduled, with no real adverse results. But if you’ve ever had one of these tests, you will know that it’s not the test itself that’s the issue, (as long as you have a general anesthetic, that is), but the preparation the day before that leaves you reeling. You really know what it’s like to feel cleaned out inside after that! This time, the prep included mixing a stool softener with 64 oz of lemon-lime Gatorade (or G, as it is now known). And after drinking all of that, I don’t think I will ever take another drink of G again! I wasn’t sure which end it was going to come out of! Just horrendous.

But the issue is really how did we make it with the pups after we got home. First of all, I should say that the staff at this GI clinic couldn’t get me awake and dressed and off of their stretcher fast enough. One minute I hear them calling my name, the next thing I know, they are telling me to get dressed and out of there and that I am good to go. Well, even Jim knew that I wasn’t awake enough to go, but took me out anyway (given no real choice in the matter). I felt gassy and crampy, as they warned me I would, and just wanted to get home to lie down with easy access to the bathroom.

It was about 10:30 a.m. when we got home, and the pups had been in their crates since about 6:30 a.m. They were ready for action, but I was ready for rest, and Jim was ready for work. He decided to stay home with me til noon or so, but announced he had a conference call at 11:00 a.m. Well, this meant that instead of rest, I had puppy duty. I tried to sit quietly in the living room with the pups, and all I remember is that I had to wipe up 2 or even 3 pees. I had taken them out a couple of times, too, but I think Will just wanted to get my attention, and pee it was. The pee machine is back in action. He hasn’t been too bad, but this morning he was out to get me. I think they know when you are stressed, and it stressed them too. I was almost glad when Jim had lunch and went to the office, so I could put the puppies in their crates again and get some much needed rest. By about mid-afternoon, after some lunch, some quiet time and finally a coffee, I felt human again and ready to take on the challenge of two puppies.

Walking the Farmington River trail

We are finally done our house confinement after the puppy surgeries! It’s back to daily walking for them and for us (or at least me). But it’s also back to stage 1, I think, on learning good manners on the leash. Seems like they’ve forgotten everything they learned about walking nicely without pulling. Or maybe it’s just that everything is new to them again. New smells, new leaves blowing in the wind, new sounds, new everything.

In my passion to try all things new (it’s me too, I guess) we took a short drive to Collinsville to walk along the Farmington River trail. We had never been there to walk or ride our bikes, although it has been on our list of places to visit. It’s a great trail for the wet spring (although we are definitely not there yet!). There are paved walking trails all along, wide enough for bikes and walkers as well. It’s a nicely wooded trail, following alongside the Farmington River, which moves quite quickly at times. It’s a place that kayakers like to put in and we could see why they would like that part of the river. Nice rapids, but nice smooth flowing river at times. We walked a little over a half mile this time, since Will and Emma are still recovering from the surgery, and we didn’t want to push it. Also, there were lots of icy patches along the trail and it wasn’t all that easy to walk safely. We were slipping all over, and had to go wide to pass at times. It was a good first outing for all of us.

2009-02-26T18:25:00.009-05:00

Emma
Will

This has been a busy week! Will and Emma have had their post-op check-up and they are both doing quite well. Stitches are healing well. I guess our hard work has paid off - it’s been a challenge to keep them relatively quiet and away from each other for the week (still one more day to go). We are now letting them play a little bit together, but trying not to let it get out of hand. They love to chase each other around the house, so I am trying my best to keep them in the family room, which is a smaller space. They just don’t know that they should slow down!

They also had a booster of their immunization, and since we live in New England where there is a high incidence of lyme disease, they also had the first immunization for that. This time, there was no vomitting afterwards. But Dr. Goldman did say that it is common with the lepto vaccine booster that vomitting occurs (which is what happened about a month ago). Up came the deworming medication, which meant that had to be redone in Emma (but not Will, funny enough). Apparently roundworm is quite common in puppies under three months. They get it from their mothers, usually. Who knew?

One good thing about recovering from the surgery: Will is getting better about his house training. Bit by bit. Since he is in his crate more now, he is not peeing all over like he was before. Still a long way to go, but there is some improvement. It also helps that we have put the divider in his crate and he doesn't go in there either.

Just a little aside: tomorrow should be a challenge. I am having a colonoscopy in the morning and will be under general anesthetic for it (the only way to do it!). Last time I had this done, I was pretty out of it for a good part of the day. I am not sure how I will feel about taking care of two puppies after if it's the same as last time. This should be interesting. I will let you know. I can only hope that I feel back to normal quickly!

2009-02-22T08:54:00.008-05:00

Update on post-surgery status

The puppies were neutered and spayed on Tuesday and went through the surgery quite well. We had strict post-op instructions to keep them quiet, with only 5 minutes outdoor bathroom times, no walks and no playtimes together for ten days. They have had their pain medication daily, which we’ve given them for the past five days, even though they don’t seem to have pain.

They seem to have their usual energy level, and it is quite difficult to keep them from playing with each other when they are together. We've been pretty good at keeping them in separate places. When they are in the same room, we have them lie down with or without a chew toy, and this seems to help them focus on something else rather than on each other. We are actually using their crates to keep them confined and less active, and to prevent them from wanting to jump up like they do when they are in their playpens.

It’s actually Emma that still jumps up on us although we are trying to break her of this. It is a long process, and perhaps we need to try something else. The method we’ve been using is to ignore her, walk out of the room, or stand with our arms crossed not looking at her until she sits. Then we praise her for settling down. The problem is, she still goes through the stage of jumping up, we go through the ignoring routine and then we get the behaviour we want. We’re not sure how long this will take to just get to the desired behaviour without the rest of the routine! Hopefully not too much longer.

Anyway, they seem to be healing quite well from their surgery and we have a post-op check-up on Tuesday to make sure all is well. They will receive another booster (DHVP) as well at that
time.

Puppy Kindergarten graduation

Leash-walking with the group

Emma meets Karen, the trainer (Look! no jumping!)

Emma gets her certificate!

A bit of after-class play

With all this excitement going on, it seems like their graduation from Puppy Kindergarten went unnoticed. The last class was Monday evening (the day before their surgery). They both passed with flying colors! Both Will and Emma performed the entire list of requirements and are now ‘AKC Star Puppies’. The key thing is that they get socialized with other puppies and people and learn some basic good manners. They still need to continue practicing their good manners, and general good behavior, and Emma especially needs to learn how to greet people without jumping up on them. She is a little acrobat and loves to show what she can do! But this is not good when it comes to meeting people or even with us. I’ve had more than one bloody lip caused by her leaping up at my face! It seems that one cut just heals and I get another one. Not a pretty sight.

2009-02-17T14:35:00.004-05:00

Cooperation: they both get a treat when they return with the toy!

Just a little playtime: things will have to be quiet for a few days

To Chip or Not to Chip

That is the question we were asked this morning when we took our babies in to be neutered and spayed. These days, puppies are neutered anytime after 14 weeks, and they say the earlier the better it is for the puppy. Primarily, there is a lower risk of cancers related to reproductive organs if they are done at an earlier age. They also heal more quickly, and the surgery is easier on them because the reproductive organs are much smaller and less developed at this age. So, here they are at 16.5 weeks of age and they are having their surgeries.

Back to the chip or not to chip question. We were asked if we wanted to have them microchipped while they were in for surgery anyway (for an extra $60 plus an annual fee of $14 to the microchip service). When I got home, I did a bit of online research and discovered that there is an incidence of tumor at the site of the microchip in lab animals and in dogs, and that based on a review of these studies it is recommended that microchip use be reassessed http://www.antichips.com/cancer/. Also, the microchip gives off an electro-magnetic wave that I’m sure cannot be good for dogs or humans for that matter.

The other thing is that border collies are pretty good at staying close to home. By nature, they like to be close to their people, and don't seem to wander off their property. The only worry would occur if they were taken from us. If that ever happened, we would have to find the dogs to check for the microchip. An unlikely scenario.

So, needless to say, we are not going to have them microchipped today.

2009-02-16T17:35:00.004-05:00

Housetraining problems

OK, I guess I've finally realized that I have to change the way I'm trying to housetrain Will. He's become a pee-machine in the house, and it's got to stop. Emma has really been pretty well trained for weeks now. She does still have the odd accident, but at least it's where it is supposed to be, on paper, and only in Will's area, which to me seems like she's marking.

With Will, it's a totally different story. He pees in the morning on his paper, even if we wake up as soon as we hear him to let him out. There's been a couple of mornings when the paper is dry, but that is it. He pees near the gate of the family room, he pees in the middle of the room, he pees near the door to the garage, he even pees in his crate. We're trying to get him to jingle the bells on the gate when he wants to go, but he only seems to do that if he wants out of the room to see Emma or someone else. He pees every half hour, or so it seems. We are totally frustrated.

So, I've finally realized that I need to keep him crated at almost all times. If I can't give him 100% attention, then he's going to be in his crate. I think the problem is that I have been letting the two pups play outside their crates too often, and it's frustrating me because I can't get anything done, and because even if I let Will out every half hour, he still pees inside. I try to work at the computer, to work in the kitchen, or even to be on the phone when they are out of their crates. I now realize they are just not ready for this, or at least Will isn't. So back in the crate for some serious crate training. It seems to be the only way to combat this problem from the websites I've visited. It is definitely worth giving a try.

This is a difficult problem to solve, but we are up for it! Patience, perseverance and a little love won't hurt.

By the way, the one and only website that I found that had more info on solving problems was this one: http://www.foxvalleypets.org/dogs/?details=16&page=264 This looks like a rescue shelter in Wisconsin and they do a really good job on the information on their website. All other sites had basic housetraining information, but not how to solve problems. Not all dogs are text-book cases, so it does help to have some extra tips!

2009-02-15T16:31:00.006-05:00

Walk on the beach at Hammanassett State Park

Happy pups after a walk at the beach

Winter walk on the beach

Another weekend, another new adventure for the puppies! Today was just a beautiful, sunny winter day, so we took the drive to the shore to take a nice walk along the beach. It’s just over an hour drive from our house in the Hartford area to the shore, and it was the perfect day to do it. We discovered that a lot of other people thought the same thing. The parking lot at Hammanassett Beach was surprisingly full for a mid-February day. Cabin-fever has hit a lot of New Englanders, I think.

Will watching waves!

Will and Emma took to the sand and just loved it. Walking on the sand is much softer on the feet, and they were excited to sniff all the sea leaves and shells and sand that they came across. The water was not of much interest at first, but then when the tide seemed to bring the waves up just a little higher, Will took more notice and wanted to bite the waves as they rolled in. It reminded us of how Tobie loved to run along and ‘herd’ the waves as they rolled on shore. Even when there was nothing more than a ripple, she would watch and wait until the water moved. One of her favorite things to do was to run along the shore, back and forth, chasing the waves.

The puppies got to meet lots of new dogs and new people. They really are friendly puppies, and most people who have dogs don’t mind meeting new puppies, or letting their dogs meet and greet (which means sniffing out each other!) It was fun for them, they met all sizes of dogs from the littlest fluffy dog to the biggest Bernese Mountain dog and lots in between. Nothing seemed to phase them.

2009-02-13T11:41:00.003-05:00

Me with Emma and Will, at Stratton Brook Park

2009-02-13T10:54:00.009-05:00

Puppies play, puppies chew, puppies love to learn new things. Sometimes I wish puppies would sleep a little more so I could get some things done!

Puppy growth

They are growing like weeds and as you can see from the photo, we need to get a new bed! This is Tobie's bed and they used to be able to share it, but even in a couple of short weeks, they have outgrown it. Time to find a new one for Emma, since Will seems to have taken this one over. We are letting them stay out of their crates for periods of time now, when we are in the room, and this is a good place for them to lay. We have them lie down on the bed, for instance, while we are eating. This is good practice staying in one place.

Emma and Will love to chew their chewbones, especially after they eat the peanut butter out of the inside.

Training progresses

Last week, Jim was away for business and I was determined to continue training and practicing with the two pups. It is always easier if we each take one and practice individually, but that was impossible. I began working with the two pups together, doing sits, downs, down-stay, sit-stay, stands, and even taught them both to shake-a-paw. It is so cute to see them both go in unison.

I also taught them to 'wait' at the gate, the door and at the top or bottom of the stairs while I walked up or down. They are getting bigger and it is more dangerous to have them bounding down the stairs together with me, so it seems a lot safer if they wait for me to do the trip, then I invite them to follow when I'm safely in place. This was a tip from Rosemary, and I'm thankful she mentioned it!

I started to teach them to do the high-five this morning. It will take a little while to get this, (they looked pretty confused) but they will do it! I also put them in the empty bath tub this morning, to see what they would think. I read that it's a good idea to get them used to the tub so they are familiar with it and not scared when the time comes to have a real bath. Emma didn't seem to mind, and wanted to play with the drain, the faucet and anything else that wasn't smooth surface! Will, on the other hand, didn't like it at all, and jumped out only to watch Emma's antics. As usual, Emma is the brave one and willing to try new things, while Will is more cautious. He usually follows her lead. Next time, I'll try him alone and maybe sit down with him in there with a toy.

2009-02-08T08:05:00.005-05:00

Old Farms snowman

Puppy socialization

According to Dr. Ian Dunbar, a puppy training researcher and innovator, puppies should be introduced to at least 100 people before they are 3 months old. Well, that has passed already, but we are trying to make sure the pups meet new people as often as we can. They are actually quite friendly, and enjoy meeting new men, women and children. They do not seem to be afraid with new people, and quite like meeting new dogs as well. At the puppy class, they see about eight or ten puppies and people each week, and while they sometimes like to just observe the other pups, they don’t seem to be afraid of them.

Today we took another nice walk at Old Farms Golf Course. We all love the openness of the area, and the freedom to meander across the snow-covered links. It won’t quite be the same when the snow melts, as it soon will, but for now we are enjoying every walk we can get. We met a snow-shoeing couple with a big Golden retriever named Ted today. Will and Emma were pretty excited to meet the people, and love to get a pet. Emma, as usual, jumps up to bump the face and we really have to work hard on keeping her from doing that. We have her sit before she gets attention, but it’s hard to tell new people to ignore such a cute puppy until she sits still. Will is better at settling down, but he is not perfect either. Anyway, they were happy to meet the big Golden, but much more interested in the people, I think. Even men don’t seem to bother them as often is the case. The first week we had them they met lots of men and children, so I think that really helped to socialize them. Also, their parents are quite friendly dogs, so they are naturally sociable. We were careful to evaluate that when we selected the pups, since we have had the experience with a not-so-sociable dog.

2009-02-05T13:06:00.008-05:00

Obsessive-compulsive border collies

If you know anything about border collies, you know that they can be quite obsessive-compulsive about things. They are herders, and herding dogs can get quite focused on the task at hand, whether it is herding sheep, chasing geese from parks and golf courses, or even ‘herding’ little children. Our first border collie, Tobie, had a terrible habit of wanting to herd anything that moved, and since we didn’t have any sheep or geese, or even young children, she would ‘herd’ the vacuum cleaner, the lawn mower, the wheel barrow, or just about anything that had wheels on it and moved!

We have witnessed this behaviour starting to exhibit itself in Will, but not Emma. She seems to be more cautious and moves away from moving things, like the vacuum cleaner. I think it’s more that she doesn’t like the loud noise and feels safer running away from it rather than at it. Will, on the other hand, wants to bark at the vacuum cleaner, and follows its movement. He doesn’t nip at it like Tobie used to, but it’s probably only a matter of time before he would.

After having lived with a dog whose behavior we were unable to control, we are determined to be better owners this time. We didn’t know how to break Tobie of these habits that had become so entrenched. We hope we can learn how to prevent this from happening in our two new puppies.

Conditioning

Jim noticed that Will seems to be better with the vacuum when he is not confined in his pen or crate. He was vacuuming out the pellet stove last weekend (his weekly chore) and had Will lie down, just a few feet away from him, while he did his vacuuming. Will was well-behaved and just lay there and watched, not barking.

We have learned that dogs learn best from repetition and conditioning. The more recent method of teaching dogs is known as the ‘lure and reward’ method, described very well in a book by Dr. Ian Dunbar, Before and After You Get A Puppy. I thought I would draw from this method to train Will to accept being near the noisy vacuum cleaner without barking at it or biting it.

You can download a free version of 'After You Get Your Puppy' here: http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/after-you-get-your-puppy

and you can also download a free version of 'Before You Get Your Puppy' here:

http://www.dogstardaily.com/training/you-get-your-puppy

I got the vacuum out to clean up the furry mess in the family room, and had Will stay in the room with me. As usual, his first reaction was to bark at the noisy contraption. For his reward, I used one of the really tasty chicken-flavoured treats that he loves (a Newman’s Own product that my thoughtful friend, Rosemary, gave me). I left the vacuum running in the room, and coaxed him closer to it, praising him for not barking, while telling him to 'leave it' and giving him one of the tasty treats. I repeated this a couple of times, until he seemed pretty comfortable with it running noisily beside him. I then got up and started to move it, slowly at first, not too close, but close enough for him to see it and react if he was going to. He moved around, and away, watching it all the time, but not barking at it, and not chasing it. Each time it came close to him, I told him to 'leave it', praised him and gave him a generous portion of the tasty treat. He was great with it! He still did not take his eyes off it, but did not bark and did not chase it. We will try this again, and next time I will have him lay down while it moves around him.

I feel like I made a major break-through today! This behavior is definitely not cured yet, but he has started on the road to being able to live with moving, noisy objects. We will have to repeat this again and again, and with patience, we may have a dog that does not behave in such an obsessive-compulsive manner. We can only hope!

2009-02-01T11:53:00.003-05:00

The latest portrait

Note that Will's ears have begun to stand up. This started about three weeks ago. Also note the difference in his size, especially noticeable in his head size. He is much more like his father, Joe, while Emma is more like her mother, Nell. Will weighs 20 pounds now, while Emma is 15 pounds. Emma is our little gymnast, shorter and stockier than Will. He is the gangly teenager, clumsy with his long legs!

Jim with Will and Emma at Stratton Brook Park.

2009-02-01T11:34:00.009-05:00

Will and Emma exploring at Stratton Brook Park

The world through puppy eyes

The pups are fourteen weeks old and we celebrated with their first big trip to Stratton Brook Park. Only about a mile away, this is the closest state park to us, with trails, with a lake, a fishing pond, and a pretty red covered bridge that fits right into New England. This is where we often walked with Tobie, our first border collie, since we could walk from our house along a trail through the woods and down the town road to get there. This is a 20 minute walk just to get there, so we drove today. The puppies are still too young for a walk that long and we wanted them to enjoy the scenery at the park. It was a beautiful sunny day, cold and crisp, but the trail through the woods was totally covered with ice-covered snow and is too difficult to manoeuvre this time of year, especially with tender paws.

We walked the long trail from the road to the covered bridge and the lake. Everything was new to Will and Emma. They were enthralled with the brook rambling alongside the trail. The potpourri of new smells were exciting, and they even met a new young dog named Ginger. Walking was easier on the trail where it was packed down, but the icy snow was strong enough to hold their weight. If we didn’t have a good hold on their leashes, they easily could have slipped into the creek. We were careful, though - no pupsicles for us!

There was a small flock of Canada Geese on the fishing pond for the pups to watch. This is their first exposure to the geese. The breeder where Will and Emma are from trains her border collies as geese dogs, to flush the geese from golf courses, parks and private properties. There seems to be quite a need for these goose dogs.

2009-01-27T21:54:00.003-05:00

During playtime after puppy class, it was fun to see Emma and Will play together for just a short time. They usually are so caught up with the new puppies that they don't usually interact much at the class. But tonight, Emma found a new toy that she quite liked, and she had to share it with Will. She took it over to show him and they had a little tussle with it under the ramp. Fun.

2009-01-27T21:00:00.004-05:00

Playtime at puppy class

Emma meets Frank, a chocolate Lab puppy

Last night was Puppy Class #3, and it went considerably better than last week. Will and Emma both did well on most of the things they were to do. They both respond really well to their names now, even though we are to continue practicing this every day so there is no doubt about it. It’s all tied to the recall command. You have to be sure they not only know their name but respond to it each and every time you use it. The key is to not use it in anger or as a reprimand, which is very, very difficult!

They were also both good with the sit-stay and down-stay, even when distracted by Karen, the teacher. However, when it came to walking a straight line beside us, well, this was a different story. Will did not want to walk, look at me or pay any attention to me whatsoever. All he wanted to do was look around the room and watch what the other puppies were doing. It was all I could do to get him to the end of the 10 foot line of cones without dragging him. Emma was better, but not too much better. Most of the pups were about the same, until we got to Otis, the blond labradoodle. We were all impressed with Otis, the blond labradoodle, and his mom, Gina. She had him prancing right along beside her the whole way, with her confident and encouraging voice calling out ‘Walk with me’ the whole way. She didn’t even really need to coax with a treat, but did hold it in her left hand down by her side to attract the usually shy and fluffy Otis. They were so good they really deserved applause!

Needless to say, we will be practicing walking properly this week, and using the command ‘walk with me’, which sounds a lot better than ‘let’s go’. It’s worth a try!

2009-01-26T08:12:00.004-05:00

Always watching!

Emma watches skiers in the distance

Will watches his herd (us)!

2009-01-25T17:40:00.007-05:00

Will and Emma are 3 months (13 weeks) old today. They are coming along quite nicely with their training, especially considering that they are just 3 months old. We’ve been practicing the things we learned at class last Monday, even though the class was a bit frustrating, especially for Will. Both pups had their first visit to the vet that afternoon, and were definitely not feeling their best afterwards. I wish I had known there would be side effects of the shots, for I would have scheduled their vet visit for a non-class day.

They had a whole series of shots, including their first rabies shot, boosters of leptospira, parvovirus, distemper and a deworming pill. It is interesting to note that the first rabies vaccine is given here at 12 weeks, while in Canada it is not done until 16 weeks of age. Poor little Emma didn’t even make it home before she vomitted up her lunch, and big Will had the unfortunate experience of doing it in the middle of the puppy class. I didn’t even realize it was him at first, thinking it was one of the other pups that was closeby. Poor Will couldn’t keep anything down, and had to suffer through the rest of the class, mostly watching but did try to do a some of the lessons. There were no treats for rewards, though, since he had no interest at all in food, and he would not have kept them down anyway.

They actually quite liked the vet, Dr. Goldman, and his assistant, though. The ride to the office went well, and they didn’t seem to mind the crate quite as much as before. According to the advice we have had, I made separate appointments and took each one separately. We are determined to have these pups become as independent as two sibling pups raised together can be. I think Dr. Goldman thought I was a little eccentric, but I am going to do this since I have the time right now. Maybe when they are older it will be different, but for now, I will make this effort to separate them whenever possible.

Homework exercises for the class have included practicing sit and down, sit-stays, leave it (with food), and even a down-stay. Jim has been working with Emma on a down-stay and she is doing quite well. He walks around the room, leaves the room and returns and she is still waiting in her ‘stay’ position. I have not been practicing this quite as much with Will, but he is really getting the hang of it too.

A little fresh air and play

We took the pups to the golf course again both yesterday and today for a good run outdoors. It was tricky with the two of them, but we practiced the recall with them and they both loved to run to my call ‘come’. It is amazing that the old school of thought was that a puppy could not learn these things until about six months of age, but these two are just like sponges for any new challenge. They love to learn new things, and of course, this breed loves to have a job to do. Right now, their job is to learn.

Jim was testing their ‘herding’ instinct a bit today at the golf course. He would run a little from one side to the other, and they both would run with him. Each time he turned a different way, they would immediately follow, back and forth, and back and forth. No nipping, either!

For a change, Jim took a turn with Will and I walked with Emma today. Will is very possessive of me already, so it’s a good idea for us to trade-off once in a while. He doesn’t like it if I am too close to Emma, so we will have to work on this before it gets out of control.

2009-01-23T20:29:00.002-05:00

Going for a Walk

We have added a walk to our daily routine now that the pups are old enough. Since they are still getting used to the whole idea of a walk, I am taking them one at a time around the neighbourhood. Will gets to go first, at least so far, since he is the one that I need to take out for 'duties' most often. On that note, Emma is pretty well house trained now, but Will still has a long way to go. Maybe one day he'll just 'get it' but for now, it's necessary to take him out every hour and a half or so. It's always a surprise if I get home after running errands and his pen is dry. One day they will both be trained, but we're not sure how long it will take.

They both absolutely love the walk, even after only a couple so far. Will loves to look and sniff at everything and Emma is so alert to every little noise in the air. Today the sirens rang to call the firemen to the fire station and she was fascinated with all the noise, but not scared. She was so excited to be walking that she wanted to rush ahead, and pulled too much on the leash. We had to do the 'red light, green light' training and after about 8 attempts, she began to walk with the leash loose. And today she walked nicely without pulling at the leash the whole way. She does learn quickly.

Will doesn't seem to pull like Emma. He is just so enthralled with everything that he sees and hears. Yesterday, Will and I walked down to the end of the street where there are two little dogs that bark to warn us not to come too close. Tobie always just ignored them when they were out. But Will was startled and didn't know what was happening. He just wanted to get away! I don't think he's used to the sound of dogs barking other than his own and Emma's!

2009-01-21T06:57:00.005-05:00

Peaceful playtime with Will and Emma

The pups have now discovered how wonderful the soil in my potted plants tastes! I have just a few houseplants, most of them are very large and are on the floor, in plain view and easy access. I’ve been pushing my luck, I guess, since they have not paid attention until now. We had said only the day before that the plants need to be moved upstairs out of sight, but I had not done it yet. I guess we should have done it when we thought about it! It would have saved me a little upset.

I had both pups out of their playpens, and was playing with them happily in the family room. As she sometimes does, Emma ran off to the living room, but didn’t come back right away like she usually does. They were both on their leashes, and I should have grabbed hers before she took off, but didn’t think she would be long, since they both love their together-time. Suspicious, I took Will by the leash to investigate. I found Emma happily helping herself to the soil in the big pot of coleus cuttings I had set on the floor - her favorite new snack! I told her "Leave it" but to no avail. She would have nothing of it, and kept feasting. When I got close enough, I put my foot on her leash so she wouldn’t run off again, but she turned and ran anyway.

Then all hell broke loose! Her fourteen pounds of body weight was enough to flip me up off my feet, and before I knew it, I was trying to save myself from landing on the pups as they both scrambled at the sound of my scream. With my feet flailing, I landed on my side on the stool that was beside the plant, and luckily not on the pups. They both climbed all over me as I tried to rescue myself from further injury by tooth and claw, and got myself to my feet again. The poor pups didn't really know what happened, and must have thought it was all part of the game. Needless to say, that ended the play session, and now all the potted plants that were on the floor have been moved to one of the bedrooms upstairs, safely out of sight and temptation. I now have a nice bruise on my ribs to remind that puppy-proofing the house is something I need to do as soon as I realized they are tempted by something, not after a disaster happens!

2009-01-17T15:37:00.013-05:00

Wide open spaces at Old Farms Golf Course

Jim throws the ball-on-a-rope

Look at them go!

Will loves to run

Emma loves the snow

First Trip to the Park

Will and Emma are 12 weeks old this weekend, and had their first trip to the public park. We have kept them at home until now, since their immunity is not fully developed until 12 weeks of age. To be safe, we didn't want to take any chances on exposing them to anything they shouldn't be in touch with, such as other dog feces.

This was a big day for them, and hopefully is the first of many more to come. Hopefully, they will get to like the car ride when they know that there is something fun afterwards! Emma is getting better in the crate, and since it is tricky to get them both into the crate at one time, I just held onto Will while Jim drove the half mile to the Old Farms Golf Course. I had discovered this was a good place to let the dogs play when I was there the other day to take a few photos of the midwinter sunset. Lots of people were walking the links with their dogs. It's wide open, on the hilltops looking over the Farmington Valley and a perfect spot for two wild and wooly little puppies to play.

It was a lot of fun for them and us. Jim threw the rope toy for them to chase and they loved running free. The snow was cold and crunched as we walked. It was frozen so hard that they flew across the surface, not leaving any footprints at all. We didn't stay out too long because of the cold, but they had some pretty good exercise and lots of fresh air. It was a real treat for all of us to get out of the house!

2009-01-15T13:56:00.006-05:00

Homework

Yesterday was the first day of my Master Gardener class and also the first day that I did not spend almost the entire day taking care of puppies since we got them. Jim works about five minutes away from home, so he came home at lunch for puppy duty. If this wasn’t possible, I would have withdrawn from the program, I think. It isn’t fair to the small pups to leave them for such a long time, but I guess many people do. I am fortunate that I am not working right now so that I can raise these little guys.
Jim tried something at lunch that I would not recommend. He took both puppies outside at the same time! All they wanted to do was their usual: play fight and rumble the entire time. He said he had to walk with his arms out wide to keep them apart, but they still just wanted to play. He did say though, that when one finally did it’s duties, the other one held off and just waited till it was done. That’s consideration for you.
Today, I am trying to get into a good routine with Will and Emma. It’s pretty ad hoc normally, but I am determined to get some training time with each of them in the morning, afternoon and the evening (hopefully with Jim’s help in the evening). We practiced the homework assignment from the class on Monday (name recognition, sit, down and stand). We even did some ‘leave it’ and ‘take it’ practice, which I read in our puppy training book. This is easier than I thought to train, but will require lots of reinforcement.
Start by giving a treat, then saying take it at the same time. Do this 3 times. The next task is to hold a treat firmly in your hand, let the puppy sniff it and go after it, but keep it firmly in your hand. He eventually will settle down and move away from your hand, and at that moment, open your hand and say ‘take it’ and give him the treat. Repeat this sequence over and over, progressively increasing the amount of time of no contact before giving him the treat. After he is able to wait about 10 seconds without touching your hand, hold the treat between your thumb and finger and say ‘leave it’. When he is still then allow him to ‘take it’. Then try laying the treat on the floor, and say ‘leave it’. Eventually, try placing it on his front leg while he is lying down, and say ‘leave it’. Learning this command could save the dog in many a risky situation! We are definitely going to practice this one.

2009-01-13T11:25:00.002-05:00

Will and Emma share a toy

We survived our first Puppy Kindergarten class with our two wild and crazy puppies! There were at least 10 other puppies there, all in the 10 to 16 week age group. Three chocolate labs, 2 standard poodles, 2 labradoodles, a vishla, .... and at least two humans for each puppy. There was also an adult dog, Maddie, the trainer’s ‘assistant’ and model for good behaviour. It was a room full of fun and puppiness.
Even before getting to the class, though, it was a real challenge to get the two of them into the crate in the back of the van. We didn’t realize that they were so afraid of it. They have not been in the van since we drove home to Connecticut from Burlington, Ontario, Canada, (where our families are and where we have a second home) shortly after Christmas. The all-day drive was probably more traumatic for them than we were aware. In the end, we managed to get Emma inside the crate, and I held Will in my arms to do the half-mile drive to the class. We realize that this means that car rides will now be added to our training agenda. They really need to be comfortable in a vehicle since we plan lots of short trips for hiking, training and visiting, as well as long trips to our second home.
The class began with puppy playtime. Will and Emma were happy to meet other puppies, and we were glad to see that they played with their new friends rather than each other. They were excited but did not play as aggressively with the new pups as they do with each other, which was a relief to see. After a few minutes of this playtime, we all sat in a circle to listen and watch the demonstrations. This might sound easy, but this was the biggest challenge of the whole evening! After a few minutes sitting side by side, I moved away from Jim and Emma to see if they would sit quietly to listen. Then began the second challenge, when all Will wanted to do was bark at the pups close by. Karen, the trainer, suggested using food to distract him, so I did this and it seemed to work somewhat. It was still a constant challenge and he eventually lost interest in the food. Thank goodness it was finally time to try some of the things she’d been demonstrating.
Karen used pups from the group to demonstrate the tasks for the evening. First,she showed how to teach the pups their name. It’s a simple process. You say the pup’s name, then when he looks at you in the eye, exclaim "yes" or "good boy" and reward immediately with a small tasty treat. It may take a few times to get him to look the first time, but then it is pretty reliable. I worked with Will to do this, and it took a few times to get his attention away from another pup, but I finally knew he had learned his name when he whipped his head around each time I said his name. More practice at home will help reinforce this.
The next thing we did was to learn how to teach sit and down with verbal commands as well as hand signals. Our puppies both know how to sit by verbal command, and to lie down with a treat, so this was something that we were anxious to learn more about. Again, using small treats as a reward, say sit and raise your hand straight up in front of them to get the pup to sit. This was easy. To get the pup to lie down, say down while moving your hand straight down in front of them. It was easier to do when I was down low to the ground, but I tried it with Will while standing up. This needs lots more practice.
There was also a guest speaker, a local veterinarian, who spoke about crate training for housetraining and to prevent destruction of the house even as they get older, what to use as treats to avoid weight problems and also how to teach the pups to be used to being handled by the vet or groomer. He recommended to hold the pup’s paws one at a time, spreading the toes in your fingers and handling each toe individually. This prepares them for grooming and also clipping their claws, which is something that each owner should be able to handle. Also, he showed how to open the mouth and rub the teeth so they are accustomed to getting their teeth brushed and checked at the vet. These things should be done daily until they are calm with it.
The class ended with more playtime. This time, Will and Emma seemed happy to watch what the other pups were doing, rather than getting really involved in playing. We tried to engage them in some of the play equipment. By throwing a ball through the long tunnel used in agility, I got Will to run through it a few times. He even walked up a long ramp, but was helped down carefully. Emma, who at home is the one that likes to explore small places, didn’t seem interested in the tunnel but really liked meeting new people. The puppies slowly filtered out with their owners, leaving the room much quieter than when we arrived. We have lots of homework to do before next week. On the top of the list: Take each puppy for a car ride!