11 weeks, 2 days, 19.9 pounds

I love getting to know Kolby; each day is new. For as confident and eager he is to explore his world and his willingness to learn, Kolby is just as mellow and loving. He always gives 100% of his personality; whether that is curiosity, bravery, naughty, confidence, mellow, or loving.

Kolby had his vet check and puppy shots this morning. Since he is not fully vaccinated it is advised to carry in and out the pup through the Vet office. I think this will be my last carry through, however, because this boy is now a whopping 19.9 pounds.

When I carry Kolby, he is just lays across my arms and looks into my eyes and gives me closed kisses and nose nudges. I love it. I will miss this part of his loving. There is something cool about holding him, versus cuddling on the floor with him. It lasts all too short.

Unlike his first weight check a few weeks ago that caused some whimpers from him, he was good to go today. He pranced on and off the scale. Today was his first time on the vet table, and again - probably his last, and he was so mellow. He didn't try to fly off the table, or walk about. He just sat, with his back against me, and nestled into my arms.

His favorite thing. To sit.

So - we just waited for the Vet Tech and Vet to take their turns in the room. His mellowness and cooperation was perfect. Really, when you think of an eleven week old puppy you think appropriate mischief. Kolby held an adult, well trained mentality. So cool. Love showing him off when he is showing his best.

He received a great report from the Vet and cooing about his cuteness and handsomeness. He is one good looking boy!! Because I had nothing to do with that - I don't feel like I am bragging. Ha!

(L to R: Koda, Kashi, Karlyn, Kolby, Kanue, Kira)

One of the great things about raising Kolby is my connection with the Breeder Caretaker and Puppy Raisers of three of his littermates through Facebook. We have a private page where we can post pictures, questions, and comments and stay in touch through Turn In. When I came home from the Vet there had been some posts about his siblings also going to the Vet today. Nice we are all following the CCI Timeline to the date. It's fun to chat about all-things regarding the K-litter; I'm so thankful to have landed in this litter.

Kolby is one big boy! So proud of his behavior this morning.

Kolby got schooled

Tonight our dear friends who literally live a five minute walking distance from our CCI class and who I've been shamelessly plugging at getting them to Puppy Raise, came to our Puppy Class. They had seen Haddie in a 4H Class when she was much older, but they had never been to a Kindergarten class.

Wouldn't ya' know but this was the class when Mr. Kolby shared all of his Alpha Skills and eventually got totally schooled by our Trainer. She was more Alpha than Kolby, she won. Always does, always will.

It started with Kolby barking continuously upon entering. She didn't mind that behavior, and it was my first question during circle time. It created a great learning opportunity for the rest of the class as we put each pup on their own tie-out and taught the Speak command. Kolby received an A+, of course.

Then we moved onto working the Quiet Command. Kolby was good at that too, perhaps a B. We have some tips that will help him learn that Speaking is only acceptable when he is given the Command. Otherwise, he needs to remain Quiet. He is one vocal pup, but I am confident that we will get this under control and with the help of our teaching, and his growing, he will learn and succeed.

From there we "worked the room" and my girl and I shared Kolby. He was doing everything we asked, so in that regard he was awesome. He loves to work! But he was also getting a little rambunctious and needed some reeling in, so I pulled out his Gentle Leader.

He's worn it off and on at home and on walks. It is not his favorite, but he will "tolerate it" so long as I keep him busy and moving. But tonight he decided that he was. not. going. to. let. me. put. it. on. him. Thankfully, I didn't give up as I worked him submitting to getting that Gentle Leader on his cute little muzzle.

Our Trainer, however, watched the fiasco and came over and assisted handled it. I learn so much from her hands on teaching. I bit my lip a few times to keep from smiling and laughing, because Mr. Kolby was too cute even though he was being so naughty. How can you not smile at his CUTE FACE!!!

Our Trainer won. After some love for him submitting and calming down, she took it off. And started over. This time it only took Kolby one try at rejecting until he figured out "Oh, right - you mean what you say." He calmed down much quicker.

Then it was my turn. He barely struggled, but I was able to control him and remind him that the same theory goes for me as it does with our Trainer. Once the Gentle Leader was on, I gave him love and he sat in front of me, shoulders drooped as he pressed his nose against my leg in a very mournful, apologetic response for his naughtiness. I wish we had a camera. It truly was very loving and the most sorrowful response.

Kolby was calm the rest of the night in class. We will continue to work on transferring his Alpha-status to the two-legged peeps in this house. I KNOW he will get this. I KNOW he is not a bad puppy. He just needs appropriate direction and leadership. We have great support at Puppy Class and outside with immediate feedback when asked via emails/phone calls ... I have no doubt Kolby is up to some great work! He is so confident and Smart!!

Love you, Kolby!! I promise that the moments you are schooled will only make you better. Promise.  

Thanks, J & S, for coming to class tonight! You got to see some great variety in training, and it looked like you were having fun working with Nemo!!

Vehicles, Grates, and Moving Doors

The target learning for Kolby today was moving vehicles. I have noticed on our walks up and down our street that he is a little skitterish about movement from cars. What better way to introduce him to their commonality than to stand by a busy road in town.

I chose the newly opened shopping center because, except for one store that does not seem too popular just yet, there are few distractions. This will change when the strip mall becomes fully occupied, but for now it is just what we need five minutes from my house.

We walked the sidewalk strip mall, weaving in and out of the bicycle racks and doing Unders at benches before trekking across the large parking lot, and down another sidewalk to sit not far from the "highway".

And there we sat for ten minutes watching cars of all kinds, and a variety of large semi's pass in front of us. We were not so close where drivers could see us, but we could certainly see and hear them. It was the perfect distance for Kolby's first start at something that he has been leery of.

just starting to stand to jump at the lens

There are many good features about Kolby's character, but I will have to say that his auto Sit is amazing, and while he does not have Stay even close to perfection, he will Stay because he wants to. He is a Sitter!! Works great for me! He sat and watched the vehicles, and then he would look at my eyes (being rewarded each time) for a solid 10 minutes.

He only moved when I got out my cell phone to snap a photo. Go figure that would be the distraction.

Once he seemed bored of watching cars go by - we reversed our steps and went back to walking, Unders, and weaving. I commanded his Hurry at a grate that was at the base of the trees on the sidewalk. There was enough open dirt at the base of the tree for Kolby's current size and for him to choose the dirt or the grate ... and he chose the grate! WooHoo - that makes the third different (appropriate) surface he has done his business upon.

Freshly bathroom breaked, we moved onto learning about the moving doors of the tiny, new grocery store. He was not phased. I am not even sure he saw them, he was that disinterested. Okay.

He walked into the store, but I carried him to the back to the Produce and Meat Section. He smelled and observed from my arms, but he kept checking in with my eyes. How do I know? Because his eyeball was about 5 inches from mine and his nose was pressed against my lips. Ha! He is so adorable. No licking occurred, so he was all good.

Returning back to the front of the store, I had him Sit in a Heel and watch the doors again. Still disinterested, but he maintained his sit while the Register Lady chatted with me about CCI. Kolby was impressing her that he was so calm and well-behaved for 11 weeks. Yep, that's what this is all about. Positive behavior from day one.

Scoring an A+ for our hour outing, and Kolby is now zonked-out on his bed on top of three chew toys and a stuffed Raccoon toy.

Growing Up Kolby

I noticed that Kolby was getting restless in his kennel yesterday for no apparent reason other than he is Growing!

Kolby arrived in a nice sized, new (how did we get so lucky) kennel from CCI. But the size was just too big for his 13 pound body. Rather than blocking off a portion as suggested by CCI, we put the kennel on a shelf in the garage and replaced it with a very small kennel that we use for travel with our 20 pound Beagle. It works perfectly for those first few weeks of Puppy Raising!

The cozy den eventually was upgraded back to the CCI kennel last night when five minutes after putting Kolby to bed he was barking. He hasn't showed this behavior since day four of being at our house. I knew he was not comfy.

Rather than going through the night of barks, whimpers, and making every two legged and four legged miserable in our household, I got Kolby out of his baby kennel and started over. I made his big boy bed out of the same blankets, towels, stuffed bunny named Kanga, and a chew toy; all of which he has been sleeping with since day one in our house.

I took him back outside for a bathroom break to "start over" and he proudly walked right into his kennel when we returned. He was beaming, and I was so hoping he would not have an accident during the night ~ because it is much larger digs than where he had been staying, and I obviously didn't have a chance to feed him a meal or two inside before sleeping in it! But Kolby was immediately happy and quiet all night long.

This morning, when I opened up his kennel to wake him up, I found a dry kennel!! WoooHooo!!! His "never had an accident in his kennel" streak continues!! So excited. Someday soon I will need to videotape Kolby's waking-up. He reminds me of a teenage boy. He stares at me, closes his eyes, rolls over, stares at me, closes his eyes, moans, rolls, stretches, yawns, stares at me, moans, rolls over ... you get the picture?

He then will slowly walk out of his kennel just enough to fall and slide his body across the linoleum laundry room floor where I call him "Saaaaaafe!" as if he were trying to reach Home Plate. And then he will just stay there. Not moving. Pondering if he should get up and continue his day. Kolby is such a comedian. Every morning this is how he starts his day.

Growing Up Kolby - what a tough life!!

(Photos courtesy of my teen girl. Nice job, Honey!!!)

Kindergarten

It was so nice to have my mom came with me to Kolby's Kindergarten class last night. It was fun to show her the classroom of pups and have her listen to all the wisdom and knowledge that our Trainer has towards Puppy Raising. I think "impressive" sums up the view of Kindergarten class to all visitors.

We spent the first thirty-five minutes in a circle doing Cradles with our noisy pups (they all whimpered) in a series of Question and Answers. It was perfect and I learned a lot of valuable information.

The remainder of the class we spent working the room through the course of objects and distractions, and then we worked on Heal and the Bed command. Kolby is one to try anything the first time and to eagerly keep repeating the adventure. He is one confident puppy. It is so much fun, and a lot of mental stimulation for me to keep up with his go-get-em attitude.

When class was over, Kolby was ready to lay down and enjoy the hour drive home. I continue to look at him and imagine him as an older puppy, and what that will feel like to have a big, black dog by my side who is so smart, willing, and gentle all in one four legged friend.

Random Kolby News

Kolby is slowing starting to wake-up. He has grown in height and now weighs 16.7 pounds. His paperwork from CCI recorded 13 pounds on March 7th, so he has gained 3.7 pounds in twelve days. If you were to see this little one eat, you would be surprised he reached an increase at all.

This little guy is not a fan of his breakfast. It is killing me to watch how slowly he eats in the fifteen minute time limit. He finishes about 3/4 of his food by minute thirteen and then voluntarily gives up the rest before I pick it up. Lunch isn't much better, but dinner he enjoys.

Evening is by far his wake up time zone. He loves to run and go CrAzY starting at 8p until bedtime at 10p. That isn't many hours considering the opportunities he has from 6am until bedtime to get in some-crazy. But it makes Puppy Raising a breeze. I am beginning to wonder if he is just going to turn out mellow, and he won't have many frenzy streaks. Time will tell. I am soaking it in while I have it.

He had a field trip to my brother's families house on Sunday. They have two indoor cats, so it was great exposure for Kolby. Because of his Potty Training Continuing Ed, I opted not to have him explore their house, but the cats certainly paid attention to him while he was in his kennel, although he did not pay much attention to them. It was more interesting to see the cats explore the exterior of the kennel and figure out what shadow was stretching, breathing, and sometimes sighing on the inside. The three did great!

We have had visitors rotating through our house to meet Kolby. He has behaved respectively - playful with his toys, and quick to respond to Don't if he felt the need to lick or mouth a finger or two. He was curious of my father-in-laws vocal Duck Calls, but Kolby wasn't fooled for long, and eventually he snuggled up close to my father-in-law's lap to get in a snooze. Very sweet.

Yesterday was all about continuing his comfort level on the leash. We walked up and down our street on two separate occasions. Once was with his gentle leader, and the other was just with the flat collar. He was successful at both. Luckily our street is a cul de sac, so I opted to walk down the middle to avoid distractions of landscaping bark, grass, and bushes that edge the sidewalks. My focus was with Kolby walking well on both collar and gentle leader. We will increase distractions once he has more exposure to in a Heal or Side position.

Today's first official outing was to the grocery store, the public sidewalk, and the Vet. I carried him through the grocery store very slowly, paying attention to his curiosity and breathing pattern while he was wrapped in my arms and close enough to my face. I talked to him through the produce section, the meats and seafoods, the pet aisle, and the bakery. The high level of aromas were obvious, and he did great. He whimpered a little in the bakery, but when a store clerk came to pet him, he didn't lick and just laid his head on my arm for petting.

Kolby is vocal by nature. I will need to ask our Trainer on how to channel that characteristic for positive. I can predict this would be an area of concern if I don't know how to train it appropriately. For those that followed Haddie's blog write-ups, you will remember that that sweet girl was a Silent Dog. Kolby's vocalization is all new territory for me - yay for a high level challenge!

From the grocery story Kolby walked up and down the strip mall sidewalk. We happened upon a store that was getting a remodel on the inside, so there were lots of construction noise for Kolby to observe. He sat, stood and listened, he is such a head-tilter!! The best part was that he kept checking in with my eyes to be sure all was okay. His eye contact is amazing. Love that!

We continued our walk to the end of the sidewalk where the Day Care Center was located. I had plans to go around the building to the backside where they have a fenced, yet visible, play ground. But we didn't make it that far. Kolby was getting tired. So I let him sit and we just listened and he smelled the air and watched the busy traffic go by.

And then all of a sudden ~ a group of preschool girls in the Day Care Center were at the window banging on it for our attention. We turned around and Kolby went right up to the window to sniff their hand through the glass. Poor puppy; I wish the kids could have come outside. I kept an eye on the teacher in the background, to see if she approved of the distraction. She didn't seem to mind, so we stayed a little bit. I called Kolby's name from the distraction and commanded him to sit, and he did. Of course I had to impress all who were watching Kolby's amazing behavior before we left.

Next we swung into the Vet which was on the way back to our car. I set up his appointment for his next round of vaccines and got his weight checked. I held him in this building too, and he was very interested in giving me kisses on my face (which he rarely does) and whimpering. Perhaps a sign he was not too sure about the smells in the office. We will continue to work on that by doing more weight checks (a quick and free reason to go inside). Eventually he will be a tail wagging puppy to venture into the vet building.

I think the best part for me on today's outing was watching Kolby walk on his leash up and down the sidewalk. He was on his flat collar and walked perfectly with a swag in his leash, and a prance in his step to keep up with me. He never pulled, and stayed right by my leg. Loved every minute. He is just so adorable. I love watching him watch me.

One full week and we are on the right foot in the building of a great team.

A Ballad for Haddie

My girl finished an assignment in her English class today. It was required that student's write a Ballad about an adventure in their life. The format was to be 12 stanzas and rhyming in an A-B-A-B format. Regardless of what the teacher may say, I love the final product that my girl wrote about Haddie because it is all truth (yes, even the part about the folk song). What a great Ballad of a wonderful memory. Nice work, Honey.

HADDIE 

The day I got Haddie it was sunny

I jumped in the car excited

Expecting my puppy to be so funny

When I finally held her I was delighted

 

Everyday was a new task

Going to new places and learning new things

Haddie would pick up everything I taught her so fast

Especially when playing fetch and bring

 

It felt like it had just begun

The last month was so hard

I couldn't believe we were almost done

Filling out the final report card

 

The day of that final class

They shared what I should be expecting

I knew it was going to be our last

And I needed to start disconnecting

 

The drive to Cali was so long

I was beginning to doubt

As my dad started to sing his famous folk song

Would I ever get out?

 

The jelly belly place looked so sweet

We stopped for the final outing

To take a tour of the colorful treats

Haddie enjoyed her Jelly Bean scouting

 

Thinking of our day ahead

I wanted my pup to be spoiled

I let Haddie jump on the bed

I knew her training would not be foiled

 

Haddie looked best dressed

I couldn't help but smile

As she wore her matriculation vest

I realized it had all been worthwhile

 

In the dog park I captured through my lens

As she ran lightning speed

Haddie making new college friends

12 dogs make quite the stampede

 

At the turn in ceremony

I was among the crowd

Listening to the graduates share their testimony

I could tell we were very proud

 

 It was the hardest thing I had to do

Through all my tears

Saying goodbye made me feel so blue

But I knew I had to wish Haddie good cheers

  

I trained Haddie for Canine Companions for Independence

I knew with my training she could succeed

One day a person could use her dependence

For her future holds an amazing life to lead