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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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)

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