The perfect Kiddo in tow

We have been dabbling with camping just short of the last decade. My parents have a trailer and we camp at least once a summer with them. The kids bunk with my parents, while my hubby and I pitch our tent on the same campsite. Over the years we have gone from overnight - to seven nights.

This summer we determined that it was the right time to purchase an R.V. for our family. The kids didn't want to "sit and listen" to all the salesmen speak, and our deep concentration that usually follows a bigger purchase such as this, so they opted to hang with my parents, go to a drive-in movie, and spend the night.

Afterall, we promised we were just looking, and would not purchase with out the kiddos seeing it first.

Well, we all know how that goes! But we kept our promise and put a pending status on an RV so that the kids and my parents could see it the following day, and "if approved", we'd sign on the dotted line.

Haddie, however, was our kiddo in tow. She spent the day with us going from one RV Lot to the next. Our first salesman told me quickly that our pup could go inside any RV, and then continued to ask very detailed questions about the volunteer program. I think he just wanted to chat about Haddie, and not about RV's. That was a fun start.

When I saw the first entry I immediately questioned if Haddie would really go inside. The stairs were metal, with a spikier flooring used to kick off any dirt on camp shoes, they were skinny, and at a pretty good vertical slant.

I took a deep breath and commanded Haddie Let's Go and oh my goodness she went right up those stairs!! She would have never done that half a year ago.  I didn't worry the rest of the day as we went in and out, and in and out of different RV's.

Happened to be the one we purchased

Two places, however, requested that Haddie stay out of the RV. "Potential Allergies" was the excuse, rather than behavior worries, and I followed the directions. My hubby and I took turns going inside, and holding Haddie's leash outside.

It was a hot day here, so I kept Haddie in the shade when we had any down time. She was quick to lay down and take a rest. When we finally made it to the air conditioned office to sign Pending Papers, Haddie was completely comfortable Under the table, snoring, and yes, drooling. Oh, Haddie!! However, nobody knew she was there, so I gave her a passing grade.

Throughout our long day, she didn't interrupt our concentration, or ask too many questions, or whine that she was soooo booooored, or jump on the beds, or bounce in the driver's seat ... she was the perfect kiddo in tow!

In the end we purchased this RV - and our first long voyage will be to travel to California to Turn In Haddie in February.

While we slept in the RV for the first time last night (in our driveway), I admit to getting a little sad and teary to think that this is how and where we will drive Haddie to her future. From my bed, looking down the RV to the middle where her kennel will be on that final night, yep ... I will never want to sell this recreational vehicle!!!

Can Your Kibble do this?!

One of my favorite Puppy in Training blogs threw out this Challenge; Spell your puppies name with his/her kibble while he/she supervises. I took the challenge, and Haddie passed! Thanks, Lisa, for the great idea!

It was dinnertime. Haddie followed me to get her bowl filled up, and instead of eating in the laundry room per usual, she followed me to the kitchen area of our house. She knew she had to sit in order to get fed, but this time I spelled her name out of the Kibble in her bowl. Her look was priceless.

The girl did not move for the entire silly moments that followed. She allowed me to snap photos, and talk to her for a bit, before I put all the Kibble back into her bowl.

For CCI Standers, the pups are not to eat anything off the floor - kibble included. So I had to clean up my mess, not Haddie. Dinner time was then ready and she quickly consumed.

Another success of Haddie's Self-Control!!! Good Girl!

A lil' Physical Therapy

Ahhh, to be back in the swing of socializing Haddie. Today we ran errands, and it is always fun to have the kids by my side to take turns handling Haddie. It is hard* to multi-task with a dog solo, so having these two extra and highly effective trainers with me makes outings "Multi-Task Doable".

*hard as in splitting my focus that accommodates fully concentrating on every detail of Haddie's behavior and training, and whatever it is that I am errand running about, plus dodging any comments, questions, or physical touch by the public.

My girl claimed Haddie for the shopping at Pier One Imports. Working through the narrow aisles with the smelly-goodness throughout was a good challenge, for both the two legged and four legged. Nothing broken over a wagging tail, or curious nose - I consider it a success.

While I was paying, my girl found a bench and attempted an Under with Haddie, until she realized the bench was too low to the ground and Haddie would not fit. Wink. The above picture is of Haddie in a Down next to the bench, looking lovingly at my girl.

A few more stops that proved to be just as awesome as the first, we ended at the doctor's office. Physical Therapy for my daughter.

We have just started attending, but now have the routine down and all the medical findings worked out. I'm at the point of observing, and not having to concentrate so much on what is being discussed. It was time to bring Haddie with us.

Oh my goodness - she was the Celebrity in the office!! Our particular Therapist just wanted to take! Haddie! home! right! then!! Haddie was throwing out all the charm with her sweet personality, ultra-calm demeanor, sleeping skills, and perfect listening.

A far-cry from last night's CCI 4-H class where she was completely opposite with no listening skills or compliance. Last night was so disappointing and discouraging.  At least she knows to impress the socks off the public. Yay! And glad that she redeemed herself with us.

As we were checking out with the receptionist, our Therapist came around the counter to say goodbye to Haddie; who was sitting perfectly still and did not move through all the petting, and in her face loves. The Therapist laughed, gently poked her jokingly, and said, "Are you still breathing?!" Haha - she did resemble a stuffed animal of perfection.

Ahhh, such calm and nice outings with Haddie today.

Haddie's Home

While we have been camping in the woods, my Beagle has been on a vacation with our dear friend and Breeder of Cora, and Haddie has been with a Puppy Sitter. We were dog-less for an entire week, and I must admit, it felt pretty good. No early rising to give bathroom breaks to the four legged's and breakfast in their bellies. No training of commands, no exercising a puppy, nor shhh'ing a Beagle who protects her territory after a few days. Just our family in the woods.

We cleaned up camp in 90 degree temps, arriving home to a very stuffy house. Unloading the car, and tossing up the house windows, I called Haddie's Puppy Sitter to see if she was still with them. I left her with a "perhaps" she'd be going into heat, and an advanced "I'm Sorry" if they had to make the two hour trek to get her into the professional kennel.

Yay - she held off and she was still under their care! The kids and I jumped back in the car to bring her back home. After driving our entire afternoon to get home, we were lucky this Puppy Sitter is only a ten minute drive from our house. In the twelve months of hosting Haddie, she has had a total of 3 different Puppy Sitters, and one extended kennel stay. With that record, she is a dog that is confident in leaving to experience new environments. That will prove to be in her benefit when she returns to CCI University.

This Puppy Sitter is not currently Puppy Raising. They have raised 5 pups with a high success rate. Their last pup was released last Fall with one of those eye brows raised questions of "Really"?!? They happily took her back home. It was perfect training for Haddie this past week ... to have a dog just a little older than she, a puppy her own size, breed, and same training expectations.

When we pulled up to their house to retrieve Haddie, she was in their front gated yard playing Frisbee with their dog. I had to do a double-take to find her Blue Collar; the dogs look identical. Haddie didn't go crazy when she saw us as I had anticipated, rather she was blissfully playing with her best buddy.

We watched from the other side of the low fence line - watching the two dogs take turns catching the Frisbee, allowing their friend to grab hold too, and run together side by side. I wish I had brought my camera - it was adorable and something new for me to see about Haddie.

All her "torture" of Cora was just love. Haddie does play so well with dogs, she just really needs Cora to rise to the occasion of play, and they too could be buddies. But my sweet Beagle is just a cuddle-bug and Princess; wanting more to chill out than get rambunctious. That's okay. Haddie will save it all for her time at CCI ~ at least I know that Haddie can and does play nice. Whew!

The recap of the week:

1) Haddie is a different dog when she has her cape and gentle leader on: she is all business and very focused. Yay - I'm glad that I have noticed the same thing about Haddie; and it matches their veteran Puppy Raising experience in observing pups. She had no issues being around all the children she met at their Church (which is the same Church we attend) during Vacation Bible School last week.

2) Without commands (at home on a Release) Haddie can get a little too fancy free with her attitude. Her excitement level can rise to pure puppy. Yep, and I find that hard to control. She is not annoying or wild, but a simple example, she can get a wild race up or down the stairs to get to where she wants to go ... versus walking slowly up and down the stairs to get to where she wants to go.

3) Haddie went nose to nose with their Cat and had no issues. She was respectful and the two got along just fine. I consider the week completely worth it just with that comment, because I don't have Cats and Haddie has never been off leash around any Cat. I am so happy to hear this report. I had been thinking it was a "little late" in her training to never have been exposed to a Cat off-leash, but I am so glad that she held her positive behavior and proved it as a no-biggie.

4). The Puppy Sitter has a Doggie Spa business out of her basement. When I walked in to drop off Haddie, I immediately thought of all the great training Haddie would experience if she just sat in her shop the entire week! On the days the Puppy Sitter took Haddie with her to work, Haddie stayed put and watched dogs go in and out with out a fuss, and with out seeking attention from the four legged, or two legged clients. Happy to hear!

5). And ... playtime. Lots of playtime with their COC puppy getting all her puppy wiggles out. Haddie has been invited back anytime to play with their dog. They have the perfect acreage of fenced grass yard for the dogs to get up high rates of speed. I might need to take them up on the invite if nothing else than to get pictures of the two pups together. I'm all about memories.

The upper 90's temperature has left both dogs in a heap of sleep and panting today. We got out their doggie pool in the back yard and they've had their share of being water logged to break up the heat. It's been nice to have our two furry friends back underfoot while I unpack and do our loads of laundry.

Tomorrow is a new day - time to get back in the business of more socializing for Haddie. I am seeing her remaining time with us as crunching closer to the end.

For now, we are happy that Haddie's Home.

Never a dull moment

Memories .... it's fun to look back and remember how far we have come; both dog and human. Yesterday was a wacky day and Haddie is feeling a little off sorts. When that happens, she becomes the cuddle pup that she was when she was itty-bitty. Her fur ruffles up all adorable and she'll get right up in your face for lots of love.

Haddie has had a Histiocytoma on the side of her left lip. Apparently they can go away on their own after hanging out for about 3 months. There is nothing pretty about it, and as it grew it became more obvious. There was an option to take it off with surgery, so I was just starting the process of going through procedures with CCI to get that accomplished. I was really hoping they would approve removal, rather than waiting any longer for the outcome of this "thing".

Nature took it's course and made the decision quick and easy. I didn't have time to go through the channels with CCI, because as I was packing for our upcoming extended vacation with Haddie by my feet in a perfect Down, the Histiocytoma burst right on my carpet. Ewww and Yuck don't even come close in description.

Puppy Raising is never dull.

A quick towel pressure on her lip, slowly walking her down the stairs to her kennel, dashing back up the stairs to clean my carpet quickly (whew, it came out!), calling the vet, loading her up in the car, sitting in the lobby while the vet took care of our puppy, two stitches later, we arrived home to resume packing.

Haddie has returned to her adorable look with out that bump hanging out. Amazing what a little bump can do to the cute factor of a puppy. Although it was short-term hectic, I am glad that it worked out the way it did. And the bill was significantly less than the original quote; she waved some of the cost as I think she took pity on me given the crazy situation and yuck factor. No matter, I'm a fan of this vet clinic!!

The rest of the day Haddie was just a love-bug. Finding every moment to get her sweet muzzle connected to us for kisses and hugs. Reminded me of her first days with us when she just wanted love and sweet attention.  That cute look of ears forward and fluffiness all over. Haddie turned into that sweetheart yesterday - a nice conclusion to some hectic time in our day.

What's Up?

Seems like my summer is not what I had daydreamed during those colder months of late winter. I had been wishing long morning walks in the sun with Haddie, perhaps running here and there (I have little running talent, but I daydream that I would do it), and taking wild adventures with Haddie to all over our area - parks galore, zoo trips, big city life, hikes in the woods, nonstop action with my kids and Haddie.

Where has the time gone?!

I am starring at one month and a hand full of days left of this summer and I have done very little on my daydream list. Granted, Haddie has experienced other things such as multiple road trips, hotel stays, attractions at different cities, restaurants, lakes, and many people that I had not thought would be on my summer list - so it has not gone all to waste. 

AND my little girl is starting to go back into Heat; which certainly was not on my mind for summer either. It's only been four months since the last, but apparently no professional on the medical or training side are concerned with her early bird status. I, on the other hand, would prefer she just moves on and either gets going with her Kennel visit, or enough already. Her attitude is certainly different - and that is one of the down sides of hosting a lil'girl puppy in training. 

We are continuing to show her who is boss and we mean what we say during this crazy naughty stage while her inside chemical balance is all wacky. However, I admit that I am so tempted sometimes to just let her be. Ya' know ... when she is running the backyard wildly without ears to hear commands that play time is over and she must get back into the house. With her defiant attitude, why do I insist that she come to me?! I  really don't want to deal with her once she is back by my side!

But kidding aside we try not to let our frustration get the best of us, and in the end Haddie gets more restrictions to help her stay the course of setting her up for positive responses, rather than giving her opportunities for negative. 

Then you get these adorable moments and know the crazy is all worth it. She will make a great companion to whomever gets her for forever. She is one cuddle buddy that adores attention. She will follow us anywhere and looks to us to get her tail wagging. Her eyes show her love for us, and I know that will transfer to that next person and family. No matter - she is still an incredible little girl with a huge heart. 

The Farm!

What a great experience our CCI 4-H team received last night. Instead of meeting at the kennel for class, we met at a public Farm Park; complete with animals, smells, and a wooded area for extra adventure. It was the best outing so far as a team.

The two Farm Cats were not scared of the dozen dogs with vests. The kitties stood their ground, hunched back and all, but would not move. Thankfully our dogs have been trained not to lunge, otherwise there very well could have been some scratching going on. We don't own cats, and our neighborhood roaming cat is not to be trusted, so Haddie has never truly experienced cats outside of a kennel at a pet store.

The pig did not come near, and Haddie was not too impressed. It was a mighty big pig too! It eventually went into it's barn, and when my son and Haddie went to look inside, she was a tad more interested. I think maybe she could smell him better.

Haddie's favorite high reward treat is Chicken. So of course that is what we brought along for this particular adventure. My son fed Haddie chicken by the chickens. She was interested in these little critters, her tail was going in circles, however, she did pay close attention to my son who had the chicken in his hand.

The bunnies were adorable. Haddie looks equally as sweet peering into their sleeping quarters.

The cow started out in the middle of the pasture. It looks as if Haddie is calling him over. And eventually he did wander to the fence to stay for a good long while. Every dog was fantastic by the cow. At every class our trainers bring their 3 Dogs that are used to train our dogs. Last night's assignment was to get one of the Trainer Dogs to stand by your dog if your dog was having problems with the cow. The puppy would learn from the Trainer Dog on how to settle down and accept the cow. However, all the dogs did great and the Trainer Dogs did not have to be used.

But this little wee pup was different. She started off a little nervous, but then our Human Trainer held her, spoke to her, and just waited for the pup to settle and experience the cow. It was so cute!

And then this little yellow ray of sunshine had no fear! She just nuzzled right onto the cow's face. A-dor-able!!

We concluded the outing in the woods where the dogs had to perform a variety of tasks. The biggest challenge for Haddie was walking ON the log, sitting ON the log, and laying down ON the log. My son was more patient than I would have been, and Haddie did all three tasks in a relatively accurate amount of time (even though my camera ran out of memory space for all the photos. Boo!). I was so proud of both of them! They are such a great team.

I think my favorite part of the evening was seeing how my son would always wrap his arm around Haddie when she did an Up command. She was doing it all by herself, he wasn't holding her, but he was just wrapping his arm around here showing her how proud he was of her. I loved it!!

Ohhh, it is going to be so tough saying goodbye to Haddie in February!!! I am so happy we have so many photos documenting all of our memories. And memories last a lifetime.