Welcome to the family, Dante!
It’s been just over 2 weeks since I quit my day job, and I have never been so busy, nor so tired. I haven’t had a chance to catch my breath at all! My last day was on 21st, and I started a board and train dog on Nov. 22nd, and boarded a ton of dogs over the holiday. I love my life and I’m proud of myself for taking the giant leap into business ownership. I am very happy with this decision, even though I am exhausted and my house is in a constant disarray!
Jinx at Wasatch Canine Camp’s Saturday social class! She’s in the middle on the hay stack!
I have started reading ‘The Art of Raising a Puppy’ By the Monks of New Skete. Which leads me into a major announcement! We got a puppy! I planned on buying this book, and attending a ‘rearing puppies’ workshop hosted by a friend of mine in December, in preparation to get a puppy in May from Anya’s next litter. Well, seems I have quite the story to tell as to why we ended up getting our little red dobie early!
Remember when we adopted Jinx, our fearful black pitbull? Well, we were considering getting a doberman puppy instead. But I couldn’t put in the time a puppy would need, as I was still working my day job at the time when he would be ready to come home and I would have to board him for 2 months. And I fell in love with Jinx, anyway. So we took her home, and she is improving little by little.
Anyway, we passed on the puppy and I asked if they would be breeding Anya again. I was sad I couldn’t adopt him, but at the same time… it is what was best. They said yes and there would be a litter in May. I wanted my name down and wanted to put down a deposit to get a pick of the litter. The breeder is my trainer friend’s sister, and a very reputable breeder. That is a blog post in itself: backyard breeders vs. reputable breeders. For another time. Anyway, I think every trainer should go through the experience of raising a puppy, so that was a goal for next year. As well as to foster a pregnant mom, but that may be put off now since I have quite the project with this little guy.
Of all the puppies who were born, there was one in particular I really loved. The only red dobie of the litter. We visited them at 4 weeks old, and I took a special liking to him then. Once he was old enough, he started coming to socials on Saturdays and I got to see him every week. He was getting so big, and he was so confident! The family told me he was special and that they decided they wanted to keep him. I was secretly hoping he wouldn’t find a home by December, and that when I quit my job, I could adopt him. So, this made me a little sad, but I knew I couldn’t handle a puppy right then anyway, and this family is great – he would be well loved.
Fast tracking a bit: Social class on November 30th was a big day. Jinx was off leash in social for the first time! She didn’t do fabulous, but this was a big step. We have been doing eCollar training for the last couple weeks, and she has done great, so I felt comfortable enough to let her off leash. I showed my husband how to use the remote and she was off. Big day, Yay Jinx!
After class was over, I was chatting with some friends when my husband asked me to stand in a certain spot… well, see for yourself what happened in the video below!
We adopted this little guy and things have been great! We are so excited to be enjoying this little guy! He is a sweetheart and is learning quickly! He is doing great on potty training, nipping/chewing, walking nicely on a leash (sometimes) and is learning ‘sit’. This coming week, we will be working on ‘come’, ‘downs’ and getting used to ‘following’ rather than walking up ahead. He is almost 14 weeks old, and is already best friends with Jinx. Napoleon is tolerating him-he is too old to want to play anymore. My cats don’t want anything to do with this little puppy, haha!
He is getting bigger by the day, and we have to keep retaping his ears because he plays so rough. I can usually keep them on for 2-3 days, and then we need to change them. I’m also getting much better at it. Not too difficult, just takes practice!
The Faces of Project K9
Anyway, hope you all are getting ready for Christmas! It’s going to be a busy month!
Halloween came and went, and as most of you know, I love Halloween. My husband and I dressed up as Fix It Felix and Vanellope von Schweets from Wreck it Ralph. Our costumes were great, I was very happy with the turnout! My hubs made a GREAT Fix-It Felix, too! Good day filled with chocolate, excess calories, unproductive behavior, and awesome costumes! We had a party at his office, and it was really fun. Haunted House, cotton candy machines, popcorn, candy, costumes, kids, etc. It was really fun.
We have had our newest addition for 3 weeks now, and I love her. She is PERFECT once she gets comfortable. She’s super playful, has that pittie spunk, and rocks the ‘place’ command, sit/stays, and we are working on down/stays along with eCollar work. She loves her eCollar and is just doing great. She understands the concepts, responds well when I tap her, and she is just fabulous at come when called. When she gets super excited, it only takes a gentle reminder to calm her down. There is a time and a place for high-energy play, and it is not when we are inside, nor when we are trying to train. We still have some work to, and her biggest issue (people shyness) is coming along nicely, as she meets about 10 new people a week. If I can have people pet her, that’s even better. She warmed up to my family, and they spent some quality time together and fed her peanut butter. She is also transitioning to a raw diet and is eating a pound of meat some tripe, fish oil, and a raw eggs. She loves tripe! She is a whole different dog than when we brought her home.
End of My Leash 