Saturday Ember had a visit from cousin Carl, after he'd already had an outing at a nearby dog park. They once again wore each other out, and in this case it only took about 20 minutes before the humans saw the signs and called it "done".
Ember was wearing her house line in the back yard and it wrapped Carl at times, which then "anchored" Ember. Last week in Carl's yard neither wore a leash of any kind. I'm thinking future visits with Carl will be the same: no leash.
It is my hope that Ember won't be as wired for Puppy Preschool tomorrow as she was last Sunday.
After Carl left, I tucked Ember into her den, and went out on weed control duty. Did a little over half an hour, tacking sticky William, Spanish needle, a few milk weed plants and two sizable thistles. Then I decided I needed a bit of a break.
Sunday morning report
I have decided to graduate Ember from the house line. I have not put it on her since late Saturday afternoon. I wasn't really using it to extract her from places any more, going straight for collar when needed. And it was just getting in the way. So... no more house line. Big girl leash when needed.
Puppy Preschool: I was hoping that having been with Carl the day before she would calm down during puppy play time. In fact, we had to watch her and Paisley closely, lest they get over excited. Small breaks to calm down were enforced. That worked much better.
We didn't poo on the floor this time. No, no, instead we pulled on the leash so much wanting to play with the other puppies that we choked ourselves into vomiting. At the end of class my question to the trainers was about how to work on leash pulling, and they gave me a couple of suggestions... like practicing inside and treating as we go, or possibly a peanut butter spoon for her to follow as we walk? We shall see how this goes.
I also asked about when a puppy should have her first professional grooming. They recommended that I ask the groomer about "puppy services" that focus more on getting used to the process, touch, etc., rather than a full grooming. Sounds like a plan.
Ember had a fine time at class and is now chilling in her den while mommy recovers. Monday's challenge will be a plumber here to inspect the systems in the house!
Laundry, here I come! That said, I'll wrap this one up.
Life is good! Spark on!
Adorable!
ReplyDeleteWhen Bailey, RIP, joined our household she was very, very skittish, more so during storms. Through our mutual friend Chewy, we found a calming supplement (peanut flavor the favorite) from VetriScience Labs called Composure. B.B. (before Bailey) arrived KC was a very chill dog; then he picked up on her vibes and those of his human Dad who now works from home and is not calm, cool and collected by nature.
Rain, rain, rain here in Central TX past 7-9 days/nights complete with several rolling thunderstorms with awesome lightning shows. Thankfully we have been spared the flooding in the Houston area.
PHOENIX1949, Susan
It's funny how we pick up on one another's vibes, canine or human. Kind of like that old saw about women in a house all synching their cycles (I speak from growing up with three sisters and a mom... yep, seems to be something to those old wives' tales). But seriously, dogs especially pick up on their humans' moods and emotions.
DeleteGotta love 'em, and you know, it's a strong motivation to regulate my own emotions to save Ember from distress!
Our mobile groomer commented on the change in KC coinciding with Covid lockdown and spouse at home (before Bailey came into the picture). Synching cycles came into my awareness when sharing a large, open office with 4 other ladies. Of course, we didn't actively talk about the topic.
DeletePHOENIX1949
Your Mobile groomer has a nice extra set of eyes, to give extra insight into KC's behavior. Of course it's all in retrospect now. But we're humans and we like to speculate.
DeleteAnd you're right. The cycle thing is something that we only talk about with good friends. Coworkers are not always good friends.
Ohhhhh, hope Ember liked the grape tomato! Miss Lilly doesn’t like those, but does like blueberries.
ReplyDeleteEmber looks comfy in the bed! Cute.
Glad that Carl and Ember had a good visit and wore each other. Just like wearing a kid out, that’s a good thing!
Oh I hate milk weeds. Tough to get rid of.
HOPE that Puppy Preschool goes well. Glad the small breaks worked!
OHHHHH NO on the . . . vomiting. Miss Lilly used to do that, too. The PEANUT BUTTER SPOON is what worked w/Miss Lilly! That is her very most favorite treat on the planet, so it motivates.
Good luck w/the plumber tomorrow.
Awwwww, Have to say, Ember definitely looks relaxed and at easy sleeping on your feet!
Here’s to a happy cinco de mayo!
Hugs
Barb
1cd
Yes, Ember seems to like the grape tomato. As for wearing out: would you believe that she put herself in her den voluntarily about 4 p.m. Before suppertime!
ReplyDeleteShe's had a big day today: kitty drama, ball chase, puppy class, and a big girl practice walk with treats and the leash. She met the gent at the end of the street who has two big dogs of his own and in the process, she nipped him a good one. He was bleeding, but he did not panic, nor did he blame the dog. Clearly a dog person.
I figure about 5 I'll head down and load her puzzles for supper.
Happy Cinco de Mayo to you as well!
It's my prediction there comes a time in the near future that the den will be used less and less, eventually to be almost eliminated. Wonder how long the "terrible twos" last in dog time?
ReplyDeleteHave a happy week. 🤗💖🐶😸
It will be used when Ember decides she needs a safe, undisturbed place to decompress, as it was used today. And it may still be used when I leave the house for a few hours. I have one that is good sized for her now, and another that she will be able to grow into. The goal is for her to be out in the house hanging out as much as possible.
DeleteCarl still uses his "room" as a place of haven, and he's a pretty well behaved five year old dog (middle aged for a large breed).
Here's to a good and happy week ahead!
❤️❤️❤️
ReplyDeleteHope today’s plumber visit goes well and you continue to find ways to get that puppy energy spent! 🤗🤗🤗 ~Ace
Thank you. So far so fair at 6:38 a.m.
DeleteMy grand-dog Winnie likes going into her crate( I think I could get into it) when she's had enough of people and she still sleeps in it at night. For such a big dog she curls into one tight ball. She looks like a black throw pillow on the sofa!
ReplyDeleteEmber is might cute.
We went to harnesses for all the dogs to save the neck issues in sudden stops, especially Oscar who could never get over his hatred for squirrels.
I have a harness for Ember on order, in fact, two of them, one for now, one to grow into. But they have not arrived yet, and the shipping info that shows up on line has been stuck at LAX, Whittier, CA, for over a week now.
DeleteOh, well!
Shhhh! about the s-q-u-i-r-r-e-l-s... Ember has yet to start chasing them, although she is starting to notice that they exist. She is currently more fascinated with the birds, that fly off at her approach, and of course the resident c-a-t.