Hot Days

An unsavory consequence of summer heat and growing dogs---bigger dogs, bigger meals---bigger dog waste! Coupled with heat and flies you have a nasty aroma in the garden with piles of plastic bags filled with poop waiting for the weekly garbage truck. So, the solution is on its way, the doggy septic tank. Who would have thought one could get excited about the impending delivery of a septic tank? 

 

Swimming Pool Opening

Summer has arrived at last the pool is open though the  water is a bit on the chilly side. So Maxi and Bruno are going to get some relief from the heat. Boxers do not fair well in hot weather because of their facial structure. I now take them for their walk in the early morning --oh no!! Back to the early rising. They still suffer somewhat from the heat which has the unexpected side effect of less exuberance making walks a much calmer affair. Of course perseverance in their training has also helped. Bruno especially suffers as he does in everything. He is more sensitive all round than Maxi. After his walk he does not jump out of the van as before rather he rolls onto the garage floor and lies there in a spread eagle fashion. Trying to persuade him that the house is even cooler than the garage floor is difficult but I think he is getting it:) Looking forward to making some swimming videos. Class  week 5 tomorrow--nervous as always---perhaps I have not worked hard enough again this week--another intense work out for Bruno today indoors of course.

Pet Peeve

Pet peeve of the day-----realizing too late that there is a hole in the poop scooper bag you have just used!!!

Five Months Old Tomorrow

I find it astonishing that these guys are now five months old. While their very young puppy moments seemed to last forever---(remembering the freezing cold drips from the trees not so long ago) at the same time they are disappearing with alarming speed. They are so big now, Bruno 42lbs and Maxi 40lbs, they are bigger than many of the dogs we meet. It does seem that they will be larger than the average Boxer which is fine so long as I keep up the training training training:) Bruno far surpassed my expectations in class yesterday!! At last I am beginning to enjoy the successes--stress levels in public are much better, but not so fast, it is still much like a roller coaster ride the moment I relax my equilibrium is stolen and I feel freaked. So, I add caution to saying I ENJOY classes now--rather I am not so stressed. In many ways this might be due to Maxi having a sore toe meaning I took only Bruno to class which is altogether easier than taking both. That is not to say that Maxi's training has been neglected I keep him up to par with Bruno, just at home. Maxi is by far the easier more compliant puppy any way which is a blessing. Had the toe thing been Bruno's life just now I am certain he would not comply with training at home. He is just slightly on the edge of being stubborn and a little willful:) Just as well he has that incredibly charming and handsome face.LOL  They are learning to sit and stay for longer and longer spells and with added distractions---they are getting it.

Last set of Vaccines

Thankfully the last set of vaccine boosters were given yesterday. They are stressful, especially for Bruno who is sensitive by nature and needs to have antihistamine to counteract the negative effects. Still it is short lived, usually 24 hours and he will be his normal self. This is much better than the actual diseases they could  get without the vaccines. The next big vet visit will be for neutering. Because they are such beautiful animals with such sweet natures I found making the decision to neuter them surprisingly difficult. The benefits will make it the best decision in the long run especially for  Bruno who was born with an umbilical hernia---a genetic trait which should not be passed on. At 6 days shy of 5 months Bruno now weighs 41lbs and Maxi a close 39.5 lbs. They should have their surgery somewhere between 6 and 8 months--------not looking forward to that day :(

Week 21

Here we are on week 21 on the eve of week 3 intermediate class for Bruno and what have I accomplished this week? Very little!! Seems to me I leave training class Sunday and it is Saturday before I know it. Have I worked well on the heel training? I have to admit no. I have been rather lazy this week. I find it is just such a hard thing to teach I manage very well in avoiding it---shame on me. What on earth will our trainer think tomorrow-well that is just yet another reason for me to stress out about class--nothing new there. Poor Bruno he will have to have an intense workout today-not ideal at all!!

Easy Walk Harness

Now that Bruno and Maxi are getting to a size where pulling on the leash could cause some hurt, either to them or me I decided to test drive (walk) the Easy Walk Harness. I instantly loved it! I tried one with Bruno first as he is the more sensitive pup. If he liked it then I was pretty sure Maxi would also. It worked so well I went back the next day to get another one. Bruno and I walked round the pet store without incident and he was so calm in the harness he actually got to enjoy the attention he craves so much. I highly recommend it but it does need a little effort to adjust it to be comfortable and not cause chaffing. I would not use it if I planned on jogging with them. Also it needs to be readjusted frequently as they grow. Love it!! Walks are so much easier:)

Maxi's Paw

This is now the third week that Maxi has suffered from the green stick fracture of his toe on his right paw. He is doing much better and the swelling is slowly going down but he still limps a little. He is a little trouper and is determined to enjoy life no matter what. He is 36lbs now and Bruno is 40lbs. They seem to grow before my eyes, much like the bushes and flowers now that spring has taken off--------not to mention the weeds-----although they are by no means your weedy type of guys:)

Week 20 and Getting Bigger By The Day

We are now in week 20 in the lives of Bruno and Maxi 'therapy dogs in the making'. They have been a whirlwind 16weeks since we took them home. Now it seems as if they were always here. We have had some moments to be sure, but none so surprising as this mornings stressful walk. I don't know what set these guys off but it seemed as though they had never had any leash training whatsoever. Any knowledge of good behavior was gone. I was pulled along the street by a combined weight 75lbs of sheer muscle and strength. I have no idea what happened to my now seemingly 'deaf' pups. My heart was pounding my arms and fingers aching and honestly I was distraught, weeks and weeks of training and this!! So I turned around marched them home and put them in their crate and treated myself to a nice 'Mother's Day' chocolate fest. After 5 mins of calm I returned and tried the process once more--success, they miraculously could hear me this time. Still some excitement but they learned very quickly a walk can end abruptly and get you sent to bed. Now I think I know how all this came about, I had the audacity to be proud of Bruno in school yesterday and  that pride just ---well almost------ had me have a fall. It reminded me we still have a very long journey to get to "Therapy Dog" status. Best keep a store of chocolate on hand to calm my nerves:)

Maxi and The Sprinkler Trying to drink and avoid getting wet:)

First Day At Puppy Intermediate Class

I have to say this first class was a little bit of shock. I had not expected  dogs who were so much older than Bruno to be in this same class. There is alway something I had not planned on!! One dog in particular had aggression issues and literally flew at any dog who passed by--difficult not to as its owner sat next to the door way--a mistake in my opinion. Bruno was last to be attacked as I strove to keep him out of reach of (aptly named) Tyson Watch out for the ears there Bruno!! Still it was a lesson learned for very social Bruno--not everyone loves him:(  Training now is moving toward heel training unlike the loose leash training we have been doing up until now. Bruno seems to be taking quite well to it and Maxi being better now will start his training soon.


A small piece of advice--never turn your back on two puppies if you have a nice little puddle of mud in your yard. I turned around to see two little brown balls wallowing in the mud like happy little pigs---there was no trace of their white paws and chests to be seen:) Too bad my camera was not to hand.

Maxi's Paw and Week One of Intermediate Class

Another trip to the vet for Maxi, his paw is still causing him some pain. This may well put a halt on his training this week. Right now I am questioning which is more difficult--keeping an active puppy well exercised or keeping an active puppy quiet. I'm thinking the latter is more of a challenge.  It turns out that Maxi has a greenstick fracture on his fourth toe right paw. He will have to miss todays training class which is a shame, but as I have said before with young puppies nothing is straight forward or predictable:) So for this week at any rate it will be just Bruno and I. Hoping things go well but who knows?