in the middle of Petco. Tommy and I got there early to practice walking on a leash with lots of distractions. I didn't even realize that he had pooped until he had left a trail of it halfway the length of the store...little pebbles of poop down the whole center aisle. Way to go, Tommy. I spent the next 15 minutes cleaning it up and was late getting Tommy to class even though we were a 1/2 hour early to the store.
In other news, Tommy aced his test! He did his puppy push-ups perfectly! And he walked with daddy in a square sitting and about facing and stopping and turning on a dime! He watched Mark's every move and was great!
This coming week we are working on "Stay" from the sit position. We are also working on "Front" which is a command to make Tommy come immediately to wherever we are the first time rather than the 2nd or 3rd or 10th.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Tommy learns to walk with a leash
One of Tommy's first homework assignments was to learn to walk on a leash without pulling. Tommy had to learn to walk beside us and not out in front pulling as hard as he could. This was a difficult assignment as Tommy's punishment for pulling was an "about face" during which we would suddenly turn and start walking in the opposite direction and Tommy would get yanked around. Now, Tommy is a very small dog. Currently he is 7 1/2 Ibs. so whenever he came to the end of the leash running at full speed he would often go spinning through the air or get pulled on his back or even do a cartwheel. You should have seen us outside a little while ago. We were out in the park practicing his walking and he was just going everywhere. It ran like a bad comedy movie where instead of seeing the bad stuff happening you watch people's faces as they cringe and then cringe again.
We finally discovered that Tommy doesn't give a flying flip (pun intended) about the "about face" maneuver but he hates getting a shot of water to the face. So, instead of doing the "about face" we say, "NO!" and spray his face with water from a water bottle. Tommy got that almost immediately. For the whole trip around the park Tommy walked beside us and NOT in front of us! He would even catch himself getting ahead and would do a stutter step in order to slow down. He's such a good puppy!
I'm quite relieved as the next obedience class is tomorrow and I didn't want Tommy to fail his first homework assignment! Unfortunately, he'll probably only get a B- for the second part of his assignment which was the "puppy push-ups" He'll go down into the "lay down" position but he still won't go into the "sit" position from the "lay down" position. C'est la vie. We can't always get everything right despite being over-achievers, ay?
We finally discovered that Tommy doesn't give a flying flip (pun intended) about the "about face" maneuver but he hates getting a shot of water to the face. So, instead of doing the "about face" we say, "NO!" and spray his face with water from a water bottle. Tommy got that almost immediately. For the whole trip around the park Tommy walked beside us and NOT in front of us! He would even catch himself getting ahead and would do a stutter step in order to slow down. He's such a good puppy!
I'm quite relieved as the next obedience class is tomorrow and I didn't want Tommy to fail his first homework assignment! Unfortunately, he'll probably only get a B- for the second part of his assignment which was the "puppy push-ups" He'll go down into the "lay down" position but he still won't go into the "sit" position from the "lay down" position. C'est la vie. We can't always get everything right despite being over-achievers, ay?
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Tommy goes to the vet
Tommy went to the vet this morning for his Rabies shot. He met a German Shepard and a Brit (the technician giving him his shot) so Tommy had a pretty international morning. Then he went to Petco to return his treat bag that was ripping and we all discovered there was a doggy rescue fair going on. Tommy got loads of attention and treats and samples and free toys! He met other doxies from a doxie rescue but one of them nipped him on his nose so Tommy wasn't a fan of that booth. Tommy also met a corgie and a very odd looking dog that could have been an alien, we're not sure. He got to spin the Petco wheel to get a free toy (an orange tennis ball) and he got to see the Nutro lady who always gives him treats and gives us coupons! Outside at the fair he met a little poodle who was the sweetest dog I've ever met and he met a bull mastiff! The bull mastiff layed down to get on eye level with little Tommy :)
Later in the day, Tommy helped mommy weed the backyard and then we took a nap on the sofa as Olympic rythymic gymnastics droned on the tv. We're all up now watching the tornado warnings for the county and watching the black sky get closer and closer (well, Jill is. Mark is working on genealogy.)
Later in the day, Tommy helped mommy weed the backyard and then we took a nap on the sofa as Olympic rythymic gymnastics droned on the tv. We're all up now watching the tornado warnings for the county and watching the black sky get closer and closer (well, Jill is. Mark is working on genealogy.)
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Tommy goes to obedience school
Last night was Tommy's first night in obedience school. There's only one other puppy in the class, Aman, a 10-week-old golden lab. Tommy started learning to sit and to walk on a leash without pulling. I like practicing the sit command since Tommy gets treats and praise for getting it right. I hate practicing the walking on a leash because he gets punished instead of praised. Well, he gets praised when he's doing it right but he gets punished when he starts pulling. Whenever he starts pulling on the leash we do an "about face" and go the other way so that Tommy gets yanked on his collar. This apparently teaches him to pay attention to the leash and to stay with Mommy or Daddy so that he doesn't get yanked. Poor Tommy is so small that he whirls through the air when we do an about face. I'm hoping that he learns to walk with us quickly so we don't have to keep up the "about face" routine for very long. I feel cruel and mean when I do it.
Tommy's other command last night was "down," which gets him to lay down. We've already trained Tommy to do this as neither he nor the kitties get their meals until they lay down. This keeps them from getting under our feet when we're getting their food ready and it keeps the kitties from meowing for their food. The trick, however, is to get him to do puppy push-ups which is to get him to go from the down position to the sit position and back again over and over :)
As for house-breaking, today I started leaving Tommy in his crate while I go to work so that he won't pee or poo in the kitchen. I feel mean doing this. But I guess part of training is being strict or else the training won't work. And, really, it's about time a 4 month old puppy stopped going to the bathroom in the house.
Tommy's other command last night was "down," which gets him to lay down. We've already trained Tommy to do this as neither he nor the kitties get their meals until they lay down. This keeps them from getting under our feet when we're getting their food ready and it keeps the kitties from meowing for their food. The trick, however, is to get him to do puppy push-ups which is to get him to go from the down position to the sit position and back again over and over :)
As for house-breaking, today I started leaving Tommy in his crate while I go to work so that he won't pee or poo in the kitchen. I feel mean doing this. But I guess part of training is being strict or else the training won't work. And, really, it's about time a 4 month old puppy stopped going to the bathroom in the house.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Tommy goes camping
So, Tommy got a life vest for lake kayaking but we ended up not taking the kayaks as it was going to rain all weekend long. We still went camping though! Mark actually said that it was the funnest day we've ever had which is amazing considering that it was cold and raining and we were struggling to stay dry and warm. Tommy loved sleeping in the tent with us as he stayed cozy all night long. He hated sitting at the picnic table as he just shivered and whined from the cold. He loved hiking though. He did a lot of hiking for a 4 month old mini dachshund!
Saturday, August 9, 2008
More about Tommy
We got Tommy at the end of June when he was almost two months old. He came from a respectable breeder but, unfortunately, he came with Coccydia and Giardia. We had a hell of a time getting him healthy and these issues definitely slowed down his housebreaking. He's better now and he's happy. He still has issues with housebreaking but we were ready for this as we both work during the day so poor Tommy isn't getting very consistent housebreaking patterns from us. But he'll get there eventually, it's just going to take a little extra time. He has learned to lay down! And he has learned to stay when he lays down until we give him permission to go to his food bowl so he's a very smart puppy!
Tommy starts puppy training classes next week to help get him socialized around other dogs and people. We don't want him barking at every dog and human that he sees. We also don't want him barking at the other dogs in our backyard barking extravaganza (just a lot of backyard fences meeting and family dogs barking at each other through the fences).
He doesn't care one twit about riding in a car. He just falls asleep in his crate until we get to our destination so he could be in a car or not. Whatever, it makes no difference to him.
He loves Kosher, the mouse puppet. Or, rather, he hates the mouse puppet as he does his best to rip it apart. He loves le chat his furry stuffed cat. He sleeps with it. He wants to play with our two cats, Simon and Natasha but Natasha runs away to the safety of upstairs and Simon retreats to the stairs where Tommy can't get to him. Simon would like to play too, I think, but they just don't know how to play with each other. Tommy wants to wrestle and Simon wants to stalk.
So, there's the background on the puppy. More to come later :)
Tommy starts puppy training classes next week to help get him socialized around other dogs and people. We don't want him barking at every dog and human that he sees. We also don't want him barking at the other dogs in our backyard barking extravaganza (just a lot of backyard fences meeting and family dogs barking at each other through the fences).
He doesn't care one twit about riding in a car. He just falls asleep in his crate until we get to our destination so he could be in a car or not. Whatever, it makes no difference to him.
He loves Kosher, the mouse puppet. Or, rather, he hates the mouse puppet as he does his best to rip it apart. He loves le chat his furry stuffed cat. He sleeps with it. He wants to play with our two cats, Simon and Natasha but Natasha runs away to the safety of upstairs and Simon retreats to the stairs where Tommy can't get to him. Simon would like to play too, I think, but they just don't know how to play with each other. Tommy wants to wrestle and Simon wants to stalk.
So, there's the background on the puppy. More to come later :)
Tommy gets a life vest?
So, Tommy is almost 4 months old. We're going camping next weekend and the state park has two lakes, which means we're taking our kayaks. I've heard a lot about dachshunds not liking water at all but we can't leave Tommy on the banks or in the car or in the tent so we're taking him in our kayaks with us! I'm not sure how he is going to enjoy this little adventure being a puppy and being a dachshund but unfortunately he's not getting a choice. Hopefully, we will find a doggy life vest this week that will fit him and also hopefully he won't mind hanging out in the belly of a kayak for a few hours. Unless, he totally freaks out he shouldn't have to get wet at all. I'll let you know how it goes.
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Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Tommy pooped
in the middle of Petco. Tommy and I got there early to practice walking on a leash with lots of distractions. I didn't even realize that he had pooped until he had left a trail of it halfway the length of the store...little pebbles of poop down the whole center aisle. Way to go, Tommy. I spent the next 15 minutes cleaning it up and was late getting Tommy to class even though we were a 1/2 hour early to the store.
In other news, Tommy aced his test! He did his puppy push-ups perfectly! And he walked with daddy in a square sitting and about facing and stopping and turning on a dime! He watched Mark's every move and was great!
This coming week we are working on "Stay" from the sit position. We are also working on "Front" which is a command to make Tommy come immediately to wherever we are the first time rather than the 2nd or 3rd or 10th.
In other news, Tommy aced his test! He did his puppy push-ups perfectly! And he walked with daddy in a square sitting and about facing and stopping and turning on a dime! He watched Mark's every move and was great!
This coming week we are working on "Stay" from the sit position. We are also working on "Front" which is a command to make Tommy come immediately to wherever we are the first time rather than the 2nd or 3rd or 10th.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Tommy learns to walk with a leash
One of Tommy's first homework assignments was to learn to walk on a leash without pulling. Tommy had to learn to walk beside us and not out in front pulling as hard as he could. This was a difficult assignment as Tommy's punishment for pulling was an "about face" during which we would suddenly turn and start walking in the opposite direction and Tommy would get yanked around. Now, Tommy is a very small dog. Currently he is 7 1/2 Ibs. so whenever he came to the end of the leash running at full speed he would often go spinning through the air or get pulled on his back or even do a cartwheel. You should have seen us outside a little while ago. We were out in the park practicing his walking and he was just going everywhere. It ran like a bad comedy movie where instead of seeing the bad stuff happening you watch people's faces as they cringe and then cringe again.
We finally discovered that Tommy doesn't give a flying flip (pun intended) about the "about face" maneuver but he hates getting a shot of water to the face. So, instead of doing the "about face" we say, "NO!" and spray his face with water from a water bottle. Tommy got that almost immediately. For the whole trip around the park Tommy walked beside us and NOT in front of us! He would even catch himself getting ahead and would do a stutter step in order to slow down. He's such a good puppy!
I'm quite relieved as the next obedience class is tomorrow and I didn't want Tommy to fail his first homework assignment! Unfortunately, he'll probably only get a B- for the second part of his assignment which was the "puppy push-ups" He'll go down into the "lay down" position but he still won't go into the "sit" position from the "lay down" position. C'est la vie. We can't always get everything right despite being over-achievers, ay?
We finally discovered that Tommy doesn't give a flying flip (pun intended) about the "about face" maneuver but he hates getting a shot of water to the face. So, instead of doing the "about face" we say, "NO!" and spray his face with water from a water bottle. Tommy got that almost immediately. For the whole trip around the park Tommy walked beside us and NOT in front of us! He would even catch himself getting ahead and would do a stutter step in order to slow down. He's such a good puppy!
I'm quite relieved as the next obedience class is tomorrow and I didn't want Tommy to fail his first homework assignment! Unfortunately, he'll probably only get a B- for the second part of his assignment which was the "puppy push-ups" He'll go down into the "lay down" position but he still won't go into the "sit" position from the "lay down" position. C'est la vie. We can't always get everything right despite being over-achievers, ay?
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Tommy goes to the vet
Tommy went to the vet this morning for his Rabies shot. He met a German Shepard and a Brit (the technician giving him his shot) so Tommy had a pretty international morning. Then he went to Petco to return his treat bag that was ripping and we all discovered there was a doggy rescue fair going on. Tommy got loads of attention and treats and samples and free toys! He met other doxies from a doxie rescue but one of them nipped him on his nose so Tommy wasn't a fan of that booth. Tommy also met a corgie and a very odd looking dog that could have been an alien, we're not sure. He got to spin the Petco wheel to get a free toy (an orange tennis ball) and he got to see the Nutro lady who always gives him treats and gives us coupons! Outside at the fair he met a little poodle who was the sweetest dog I've ever met and he met a bull mastiff! The bull mastiff layed down to get on eye level with little Tommy :)
Later in the day, Tommy helped mommy weed the backyard and then we took a nap on the sofa as Olympic rythymic gymnastics droned on the tv. We're all up now watching the tornado warnings for the county and watching the black sky get closer and closer (well, Jill is. Mark is working on genealogy.)
Later in the day, Tommy helped mommy weed the backyard and then we took a nap on the sofa as Olympic rythymic gymnastics droned on the tv. We're all up now watching the tornado warnings for the county and watching the black sky get closer and closer (well, Jill is. Mark is working on genealogy.)
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Tommy goes to obedience school
Last night was Tommy's first night in obedience school. There's only one other puppy in the class, Aman, a 10-week-old golden lab. Tommy started learning to sit and to walk on a leash without pulling. I like practicing the sit command since Tommy gets treats and praise for getting it right. I hate practicing the walking on a leash because he gets punished instead of praised. Well, he gets praised when he's doing it right but he gets punished when he starts pulling. Whenever he starts pulling on the leash we do an "about face" and go the other way so that Tommy gets yanked on his collar. This apparently teaches him to pay attention to the leash and to stay with Mommy or Daddy so that he doesn't get yanked. Poor Tommy is so small that he whirls through the air when we do an about face. I'm hoping that he learns to walk with us quickly so we don't have to keep up the "about face" routine for very long. I feel cruel and mean when I do it.
Tommy's other command last night was "down," which gets him to lay down. We've already trained Tommy to do this as neither he nor the kitties get their meals until they lay down. This keeps them from getting under our feet when we're getting their food ready and it keeps the kitties from meowing for their food. The trick, however, is to get him to do puppy push-ups which is to get him to go from the down position to the sit position and back again over and over :)
As for house-breaking, today I started leaving Tommy in his crate while I go to work so that he won't pee or poo in the kitchen. I feel mean doing this. But I guess part of training is being strict or else the training won't work. And, really, it's about time a 4 month old puppy stopped going to the bathroom in the house.
Tommy's other command last night was "down," which gets him to lay down. We've already trained Tommy to do this as neither he nor the kitties get their meals until they lay down. This keeps them from getting under our feet when we're getting their food ready and it keeps the kitties from meowing for their food. The trick, however, is to get him to do puppy push-ups which is to get him to go from the down position to the sit position and back again over and over :)
As for house-breaking, today I started leaving Tommy in his crate while I go to work so that he won't pee or poo in the kitchen. I feel mean doing this. But I guess part of training is being strict or else the training won't work. And, really, it's about time a 4 month old puppy stopped going to the bathroom in the house.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Tommy goes camping
So, Tommy got a life vest for lake kayaking but we ended up not taking the kayaks as it was going to rain all weekend long. We still went camping though! Mark actually said that it was the funnest day we've ever had which is amazing considering that it was cold and raining and we were struggling to stay dry and warm. Tommy loved sleeping in the tent with us as he stayed cozy all night long. He hated sitting at the picnic table as he just shivered and whined from the cold. He loved hiking though. He did a lot of hiking for a 4 month old mini dachshund!
Saturday, August 9, 2008
More about Tommy
We got Tommy at the end of June when he was almost two months old. He came from a respectable breeder but, unfortunately, he came with Coccydia and Giardia. We had a hell of a time getting him healthy and these issues definitely slowed down his housebreaking. He's better now and he's happy. He still has issues with housebreaking but we were ready for this as we both work during the day so poor Tommy isn't getting very consistent housebreaking patterns from us. But he'll get there eventually, it's just going to take a little extra time. He has learned to lay down! And he has learned to stay when he lays down until we give him permission to go to his food bowl so he's a very smart puppy!
Tommy starts puppy training classes next week to help get him socialized around other dogs and people. We don't want him barking at every dog and human that he sees. We also don't want him barking at the other dogs in our backyard barking extravaganza (just a lot of backyard fences meeting and family dogs barking at each other through the fences).
He doesn't care one twit about riding in a car. He just falls asleep in his crate until we get to our destination so he could be in a car or not. Whatever, it makes no difference to him.
He loves Kosher, the mouse puppet. Or, rather, he hates the mouse puppet as he does his best to rip it apart. He loves le chat his furry stuffed cat. He sleeps with it. He wants to play with our two cats, Simon and Natasha but Natasha runs away to the safety of upstairs and Simon retreats to the stairs where Tommy can't get to him. Simon would like to play too, I think, but they just don't know how to play with each other. Tommy wants to wrestle and Simon wants to stalk.
So, there's the background on the puppy. More to come later :)
Tommy starts puppy training classes next week to help get him socialized around other dogs and people. We don't want him barking at every dog and human that he sees. We also don't want him barking at the other dogs in our backyard barking extravaganza (just a lot of backyard fences meeting and family dogs barking at each other through the fences).
He doesn't care one twit about riding in a car. He just falls asleep in his crate until we get to our destination so he could be in a car or not. Whatever, it makes no difference to him.
He loves Kosher, the mouse puppet. Or, rather, he hates the mouse puppet as he does his best to rip it apart. He loves le chat his furry stuffed cat. He sleeps with it. He wants to play with our two cats, Simon and Natasha but Natasha runs away to the safety of upstairs and Simon retreats to the stairs where Tommy can't get to him. Simon would like to play too, I think, but they just don't know how to play with each other. Tommy wants to wrestle and Simon wants to stalk.
So, there's the background on the puppy. More to come later :)
Tommy gets a life vest?
So, Tommy is almost 4 months old. We're going camping next weekend and the state park has two lakes, which means we're taking our kayaks. I've heard a lot about dachshunds not liking water at all but we can't leave Tommy on the banks or in the car or in the tent so we're taking him in our kayaks with us! I'm not sure how he is going to enjoy this little adventure being a puppy and being a dachshund but unfortunately he's not getting a choice. Hopefully, we will find a doggy life vest this week that will fit him and also hopefully he won't mind hanging out in the belly of a kayak for a few hours. Unless, he totally freaks out he shouldn't have to get wet at all. I'll let you know how it goes.
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