Haddie goes to the Dentist

After school yesterday all the kids in the household went to the dentist. Haddie came too. She made celebrity status instantly as the receptionist, Rebecca, feel in love quickly with Haddie's sweet face and good manners.

It was nice to have time to really talk about CCI and the purpose of Puppy Raising. I am sure Haddie met every staff member, as Rebecca was sure to make it known that they had a very adorable visitor in the waiting room that all must see.

And then ... the Dental Hygienist who was assigned to my son could not pass up the opportunity to get the Dentist to take a break with patients to meet Haddie. And so he did. It was mutual happy on both sides - Haddie's tale was wagging like crazy, and the Dentist could not get enough of her.

Because I corrected Haddie in Don't Lick, he laughed and said that if there is any chance where we don't want Haddie to graduate - to be sure to have him spend more time with her (ha ha). That lead in nicely to how the program works in that if she is not a graduate, that we can help place Haddie. His eyes did that, "Oh, don't even tempt me."- look.

The adorable torture of a very good, well behaved, awesome puppy!  Love that part of puppy raising!

My list is growing as my backup plan of forever pet families, but in all seriousness, my goal, prayer, and heart is for Haddie to Graduate!

Noises and Big Things

On today's adventure, Haddie learned the ropes of browsing. Walking the isles with no purpose in mind other than to look around and learn about this great, big world.

We landed in the Home and Garden section of our local "one-stop-shopping" place. I could see this Black Bear statue before Haddie could, as I had visual over the shelving unit that was blocking her view. I was prep'd and ready for a scared pup - but found only a prancing puppy that wanted to paw at the Bear's foot. Where is my "That was easy" button?!

We continued walking and found my friend who works in the clothing department. We chatted for a good ten minutes, while Haddie learned to be patient. We have been working on her Stay command; and it's fairly too new to require great work in public. However, Haddie either Sat or was Down staring at me the entire time! I figure that deserves a High Five to Haddie. She never sniffed the floor, or got into the clothes hanging low to the ground. She just transferred from a Sit to a Down from my left to my right and kept looking at me. My friend laughed at how focused she was on me.

We finished our adventure in the toy section. I decided it was appropriate to push buttons and make some noise. Haddie especially was fond of Mickey Mouse. She went into her Football Stance (buns in the air, while her chest was on the ground) and would spring forward ending with a Pawing motion and tail wagging. I let her get her wiggles out and then I had her observe while Sitting. She did fairly well, but really she just wanted to play with Mickey.

The white dog grabbed both of our attention as we walked past because it was motion sensored. However, this time, Haddie sat and twisted her head back and forth while the dog made barking noises and whimper sounds. I think she was a little worried that the dog was in a box and perhaps felt she needed to be on her best behavior or else ...

Haddie is just a sweetheart. I just love hanging out with her finding new adventures.

Misc Happenings:

She is s a teething-machine this week - losing about five of her front baby teeth and constantly wanting to chew on her toys. She is self-entertained, so I am not complaining, but I am looking forward to when the babies are out and the permanents are in.

Tuesday are Toe Days for both dogs in our house. Today Haddie did not fuss while my husband clipped her back toenails. She has grown up tremendously from the first day we clipped. Yay!

Evenings are my favorite time to cuddle Haddie. She is like a soft blanket that melts like butter with all the love and attention to our constant hugs and holding. The kids and I have to get our fair share before we head to bed - and thankfully, she is less puppy-like and tolerates it and finds ways to give us love back.

She knows the Here command. Very confident in returning from toyland, following Cora, or exploring the house to see "What's up" with whomever called "Here!".

Our lil'CCI Roommate is a gem.

Costco

Sunday. I didn't even think about the crowd at Costco. I usually go during school hours when it is just a few folks shopping. It wasn't until I pulled up into the parking lot and parked in the back acre did I question the choice to attend Costco with Haddie on a Sunday.

My girl and I had it planned - she would handle Haddie and I would carry the laundry detergent that we desperately needed. We couldn't back out due to the crowd because we all needed clean clothes. 

And ... we knew that even though Haddie is a wee-one, she would benefit from the Costco Chaos in some way. 

We ventured forth with confidence, Haddie too. My girl had her stop and sit throughout our journey, but it was too crowded for a Down command. In fact, one man pushing the large Costco cart politely warned that we might want to watch our dog's tail as he was rounding toward us while Haddie was in a Sit. Tail saved, all was fine. 

This was my girl's first experience handling Haddie solo in a store. I am working on reminding the kids to walk with Loose Leash ... funny that Haddie isn't the one pulling, but my kids are pulling the leash tight (smile).  It'll come - it just takes practice to know where to hold the leash by your side so that the Gentle Leader ring angles to the floor, and not to the side. 

It was a Sunday delight hanging with my girl and our CCI friend.

She has accepted her bed

For those of you raising working puppies - I am sure you will appreciate this post. This is the post where you should hear Angels singing and know that our house is relatively quiet in anticipation of how long the pup will conform to the rules at this moment of writing.

Haddie has a Crate, and Haddie has a Bed. The Crate is used for times when no human is available to watch her like a hawk. For the times when we need to take a shower, or clean the house rapidly, or focus on cooking, things like that. And especially for night time and when we leave the house.

Haddie's Bed is for tie-downs; where she is hooked via leash to an eye-hook bolt into the floor for the times when we are in the same room, but we want her to Stay in her bed. For the first month, she has played with toys while in a tie down. Letting her see that it is a good thing to be in a tie-down, and not a punishment.

Lately I have not used the tie-down for toy play; allowing her to move about the family room learning house etiquette and rules for toys. She does great!

But what I really want her to learn is how to use her Bed for the times when she just wants to relax and sleep. When we are home, and able to keep an eye on her. She has truly outgrown the kitchen table, and the permanent place I'd like to see her when she chooses to sleep is in her Bed.

This morning she had time to play and roam, and then it was time to put away the toys and get her to settle. And that's when I happened to observe this:

Haddie found her bed on her own, settled down, and fell asleep. Snoring was the clue that she really was zonked out, and the Hallelujah Chorus rang out.

We are into the first 10 minutes and so far everything is looking good.

Quote by hubby: If she can put up with my NFL Sunday roaring cheers - she's doing good!

1st Puppy Class Field Trip

Our CCI class last night was held at a Pet Store, and boy was it an eye opener! The rules were to allow each puppy to roam with the goal of always maintaining a loose leash. IF they wanted to sniff, climb, experience toys, then it was okay. If they were pulling, we needed to find the correction.

Hanging on a cat pedestal by one of her favorite buddies - my son.

Haddie has always been good on her leash - maintaining loose through all of our explorations. Until ... last night. The smells and pups her own size got the best of her. Yes, she pulled, but not the entire time. Yes, she got excited to greet her classmates, but not the entire time. She was still successful, but it was nothing like an outing 1:1 with me.

Suppppppper Pupppppppy!
So happy she did not fly off of  this!

And that is where I am wondering if my outings need to be puppy-exploring, versus "acting like a service dog."  Thoughts, Fellow Puppy Raisers?

Haddie getting ready to go Under.

Example: when just Haddie and I are training inside of an establishment, I have Haddie stay away from sniffing and exploring. She is walking loose on my side, and then we'll stop to practice commands of Sit, Down, and Heal.

Haddie could care less about the fish.
But was highly interested in the dirty fish water
sitting in this bucket. 

Versus: when we were training last night, she was allowed to explore, sniff, walk on and under items, and get her noise into stuff, so long as she didn't steal with a bite or a lick. Should this be my common way to socialize her to new environments? And if so, when do I transition back to "typical service dog behavior" of not allowing the exploring.

Our trainer making noise with the drum
 for one of the newer pups in class.

Last night was fun! I can see why many choose to do what we do. Not only is it exciting to see a dog experience newness, but it is enlightening the challenges as a Puppy Raiser to experience newness with a puppy. The support of fellow raisers is incredible - we seem to all know where the other is coming from with our questions, successes, and thoughts. And our instructor is top-notch. I enjoy her style and expertise. She is so confident - it makes you feel confident (even when you might be messing up). She helps get you back on board that you CAN do this, and then life with puppy just seems to work.

Haddie's Favorite aisle!!!

Happy Puppy Raiser + Happy Haddie = Happy 1st Field Trip.

(Credit to my hubby for coming with us to take photos. Thanks, Honey!)

Outing to the hardware store

I think I found our hangout spot on cold, dreary days of Fall. The local big box Hardware Store!! It is warm, well lit for those sun-deprived Puppy Raisers and Puppies, and the strolling of isles creates a whole lot of entertainment on what I can add to our To Do List for the house.

I am sure the employees have had their fair share of animals roaming their store - as they were not surprised at all of the cute yellow furry friend by my side. The employees either ignored, or ooh'd and aah'd with a "Is it in training?" question before asking if they could pet her. It was nice. It seemed to be a nice step in training for Haddie. A controlled environment for those baby steps in training. Just enough noises being made, and (eventually) forklifts going by, and of different smells to create distractions.

When we were finished with our walk and practicing of Commands - we walked the many sidewalks in the large shopping plaza. She is still fond of looking at her reflection in the windows, but she is much better about not getting distracted by herself.

She is just a sweet puppy. So happy she is our first experience. Perhaps we are spoiled - so we are taking full advantage of her awesome character and personality.

For my dad ....

My dad is a hobbyist wood-worker. He makes beautiful pieces for his family. One of the pieces that we have received is this beautiful Chinese Checkers board; with a handmade matching wooden box filled with marbles. The marbles used to be down by the game board until Haddie came to our house - tipping the box over on her first day - spilling marbles every where. Puppies Home!

The box has since been moved to higher elevation, but from that day forward, at least once a day, Haddie will lay on top of the board. I am sure the scent is calming - a nice waft of wood stain does it to me too. Mmmm, smells so good.

I love her look. Especially with her paw on top of the game board as if to say she just moved her invisible marble piece and now it is my turn.