Thursday, May 12th, 2016

Groups

Max took off running around the yard checking on what everyone was up to. Sadie made her way right out to the far yard. She then put her nose to the ground and set off in search of great things. Tsavo and Cai were so excited to get out for group time. They went running out to say hello to the rest of their group. With that done, Tsavo and Cai ended up out in the far yard. Cai headed off to do some exploring on his own while Tsavo went to see what Sadie and Max were looking at. Max and Tsavo didn’t stick around too long and were soon off racing around together. As they were running they almost ran into Glory. Max and Tsavo then decided to spend some time giving her a thorough once over. Sadie and Cai continued on exploring in different parts of the yard. A little while later Sadie was joined by Cai, followed by Tsavo and Glory. When she’d smelled enough, Sadie left Cai, Tsavo, and Glory to continue investigating that particular spot on her own. She set out to check out even more of the yard. Once Cai noticed Glory all he wanted to do was play with her. They bounced around and had some fun. Tsavo, not wanting to miss out on anything fun, turned to Merida. After they played for a little while Tsavo and Cai met back up with Max and soon they were all racing around together. After a while of running everyone needed a bit of a cool down so we retreated to the shade. Sadie and Cai couldn’t resist continuing to explore and soon ended up back in the sunshine doing just that. Max, never one to stay still long, went charging over to Sadie to see if she wanted to play. They were then off tearing around the yard. Tsavo and Cai tagged along a slower pace. 

Maya was ready to get her day going. She went tearing out to the far yard in search of some fun. Maya ended up meeting up with Bella. They spent a little time together until she saw Anejo being checked over by Jake. Maya gave Anejo a quick once over then turned to Jake. Next thing they were off racing around the yard together. While they were racing, Maya spotted Anejo and went bouncing over to see if he wanted to join. He ended up taking her up on that offer, but then they were distracted by the hole and decided to do a little exploring. Maya could only explore for so long and was soon back to asking Anejo to play with her. Jake came racing over and then she was off playing with him.

Rocky was pretty eager to get outside this morning.  He was quick to make his way into the sunny patch. As Rocky was relaxing, Anejo came over to say hello. After Anejo left, Rocky stayed sunbathing for a little while longer. When he’d had enough, Rocky set out to do some exploring. He went all around the main yard and when he was done he joined us in the far yard. Rocky didn’t make it very far into the yard when he was drawn to the rocks by the fence. He spent quite some time with his nose buried. When Rocky was done with them he decided he’d had enough of the far yard and headed back to do some more sunbathing.

Timbits was quick to start running and bouncing around the yard. Coco was all about the exploring. Timbits turned his sights on getting Coco to stop exploring and start playing with him. He didn’t have much luck and so went to see what Anejo and Jake were doing. When Jake went running off, Timbits stuck around with Anejo. The two of them put their heads together and did a little exploring. They didn’t stay together long and so Timbits went charging off to see about getting Coco to play once more. Coco was very intent on a scent and so decided not to play with her little brother. Timbits got hooked on a scent as well and set off. Along the way the two of them met up by the hole where Maya and Anejo were already investigating. Timbits then tried to get away with making the hole larger. When he realized he wasn’t allowed he headed off to explore in the grass some more. Coco took a break from exploring to watch Jake and Maya race around the yard.

Bella set out to do some exploring. As she was heading off she found herself being followed by Anejo. Bella turned around and they spent some time checking one another over They parted ways after they were both happy with their introduction. She said her hellos to the other dogs then went off to see what was interesting in the yard. Not finding anything super interesting Bella went trotting back to the main yard. Jake went running after her. They then went around exploring together for a little while. Jake then left to go and play so Bella continued on exploring by herself. Towards the end of group Jake came back. The two of them went trotting around together until they met up with Anejo. They both decided to give him another very thorough once over.

Jake went trotting out to the far yard and immediately met up with Anejo. He spent some time giving him a good once over. Maya then came over to do the same. Jake and Maya then had some secret communication and were soon off tearing around the yard. They had a blast but eventually needed a break. Maya headed off to see Anejo so Jake went to check on Bella. He decided to stick with Bella for a while and do a little exploring with her. Eventually, Jake finished following his nose and went bouncing back to Maya to play some more. The two of them ended up running over to Anejo to see if he wanted to join in before racing off once more. A while later Jake headed off to check on Bella once more. They headed out to wander the yard together. Anejo had followed them out and so the two of them then spent some time saying a proper hello.

Anejo was feeling very social this morning. He started his morning with Rocky then headed off to trot around with Bella for a bit. Bella was very focused on exploring the yard so Anejo left her to it. He made his way out to the far yard where he met up with Jake. They spent some time sniffing one another. They were then joined by Timbits and Maya. Jake and Maya went racing off and Anejo and Timbits decided to spend some more time hanging out. After a little while, Anejo found a good position in the yard where he could watch Maya and Jake’s fun. Maya came tearing back into the yard and right over to Anejo wanting to play with him. After running all around the yard the boys decided to take a little break and sniff around some more. Timbits and Coco headed over to join them. Anejo left them to do some exploring of his own around the yard. Maya went racing back over to him and soon they were playing once more. Maya was then distracted by Jake. Anejo joined them for a little while then headed off to do some more exploring. 

Keegan and Cooper started their morning off by asking for lots of attention and pets from me. When I headed out to the far yard the two of them tagged along. Cooper was soon intrigued by the empty kiddie pool and went over to see if anything had changed. Keegan went trotting off further out into the yard with his nose to the ground. Cooper wasn’t too far behind, though, but instead of setting off to go exploring he threw himself down and had a roll in the grass. He then came racing over to me for some pets. In another part of the yard Keegan was now having himself a nice roll. He then spotted Olive, who was also rolling around on her back. Keegan wen trotting over and managed to steal her rolling spot. He then found himself being watched by Apple. Once Keegan was distracted, Apple snuck in and stole the good rolling spot from him. Keegan then went trotting off to do a little exploring. Cooper, done with getting pets and loving, went running off around the yard. He would stop to check on things here and there. Cooper would then come running back for a quick pet before setting off once more.

Olive didn’t waste any time in making her way out to the far yard and having herself a good roll around on her back. She then got up had a good shake and went trotting off. Olive didn’t make it very far before she was rolling around once more. Her flailing caught Apple’s eye and who went trotting over to watch her. I think she also wanted a turn in Olive’s rolling spot, but they were then joined by Keegan, who snuck in and plopped himself down where Apple had been laying. Olive took this as an opportunity to come over for a visit with me instead. After a couple pats she threw herself the ground once more.

Apple and Sky made a beeline of to the grassy corner of the main yard. The grass over there seemed to be particularly tasty. When Apple realized I was heading out to the far yard, she was quick to tag along. She then headed right for her favourite corner of the far yard to sample some more grass there. Sky decided to stick with his corner. Apple was distracted from her grass when she spotted Olive having a great time rolling on the ground. She made her way over and waited for it to be her turn to roll around. Unfortunately, Keegan snuck in and stole it before she could lay down. Apple then managed to steal the spot away from Keegan so it all worked out. After she’d rolled around enough Apple came over for a little visit. Sky eventually finished sampling the grass from the corner. He then went moseying around the main yard checking out anything that caught his eye. I made my way over to visit with him. Apple tagged along and then went walking around with her brother. 

Tucker and Molly had such a fun day today while they were outside with their group. Molly was so excited to see everyone including me. She ran up to me after running around all the dogs to come and say hi. She jumped up and almost knocked me to the ground! I took a seat on a rock as she came and laid her head on my lap to be pet. Tucker was busy wandering around and sniffing. He usually loves attention and won’t leave my side but this morning when I called him he seemed to be very focused on exploring. When he was done sniffing around he ran up like he usually does to come and say hi. There was a Frisbee beside him so I decided to pick it up and start a game of fetch with him. As soon as I was waving it in the air it got Molly’s attention and she ran over with joy. She and Tucker sat at my feet waiting impatiently for me to throw it. They both chased after it side by side but Tucker was the one that got to it first. The next time Molly got it and so on, they were both being really good about sharing and had lots of fun playing together.

Maverick and Shyla were very excited to go outside today. They both ran out the door and didn’t wait for anyone to catch up to them. They made their way all the way to the end of the agility yard and started to explore. Maverick was being playful right from the start and after sniffing for a few minutes he decided to socialize with some of the dogs. He kept on running up to them and jumping up on their backs and when they turned around to see who it was he would run away all playfully. Shyla was taking her time to wander the yard on her own before joining in with the other dogs. It wasn’t until after that she started to play with some of the dogs and chase them around. Maggie was really interested in Shyla and they began to play a few times then kept on stopping and exploring more. They never played for longer than a minute without taking a break, probably since it was warm out! When it was time to go inside, Shyla came right up to me and gave me some kisses on my nose. She was being so affectionate that Maverick decided to come and join the cuddle fest as well. Maggie kept to herself at first outside. She walked around while watching the others interact with each other. It took her a little while but she finally started to go up to the other dogs and say hi and that’s when she started to play with Maverick. The pair bounced around the yard together until they both needed to take a break. As some of the dogs were digging in the dirt she ran over to see what they were doing and sat there with her tongue sticking out, watching them. 

Will is such a playful boy. He always finds a way to play even if he's the only one in a playful mood. Today was one of those days and everyone seemed to be tired from the warm weather, but not Will! He bounced out the door and started running in circles to work off some of his energy. He immediately ran up to his best pal Kai to say hello and of course to try and play. Kai opted to keep on sniffing around the yard, though. Kai loved to explore today and spent a good while sniffing all the plants and rocks to find some goodies buried in them. She takes her time and watches as everyone runs around in circles around her. When I was sitting on a rock, Will was in such a good mood that he ran up to me for some attention and cuddles. It took him all he had to not jump up and cover my face with kisses! I told him to sit and stay as I pet him and he did really well and was behaving very nicely. Kai was busy walking around when she came across a big hole and decided to start sniffing around it, which led her to shoving her face all the way in and start smelling more, for some reason after all that investigating all she wanted to do was continue her way around, and thats what she did.

Issy and Mocha had a very relaxing day today. They spent their day in the kitchen when they weren’t outside with their group. Mocha made herself very comfortable like usual and laid in a ball in the corner while Issy layed right beside her. Outside during their group time they both wandered around separately as everyone else played. Mocha took her time trotting around the grass as Issy wandered around near all the dogs. Whenever they walked up to her she would run away playfully all the way to Mocha. They like to keep each other company sometimes. When Mocha got tired she made her way all the way back to the door and sat there as everyone else continued to play, while Issy decided to join in with everyone and play a little bit. As all the dogs were running across the yard during tag she joined in and started to chase them as well.

Boris was being such a silly guy at first when he was outside. He ran up to whatever dog he saw and tried to play with them by hopping around them and play bowing. Depending the dog
s reaction, he would either start chasing them if they walked away or begin to wrestle them in the dirt if they were enjoying all of Boris’ attention. Tasha walked around when she first got outside and sniffed whatever she saw on the ground. When she walked over to the agility tunnel she circled around the whole thing a few times as dogs were running through. She had the biggest smile on her face when she saw Boris play and run through it during tag with the other dogs. It put her in a playful mood and she started to join in with the big group of daycare dogs and run with them. When they both got exhausted from running, Boris made his way over to all of the big holes that were dug and started a hole of his own, he dug for so long as all the others started to crowd around him interested in what he was doing. When Tasha saw all the others go near Boris she ran up and jumped in front of him so no one could get to him.

Percy and Teddy were so playful during their group today. Every time they come in for daycare you know that everyone else in their group will have fun since they love to play and get everybody involved. Right as they got outside, Teddy began to run around in circles with excited while he barked at all the dogs to get them to start a game of tag. Percy was busy doing his business at first and exploring the grass part of the agility yard. He kept his nose to the ground until Teddy ran up and started to bounce around him in circles. Percy couldn’t turn that down even if he tried and they started to chase each other around the yard. Eventually all of the others joined in and began to play with them. Percy must have ran through the agility tunnel a hundred times and each time he ran through Teddy would run to the other end of it and bark until he came back out the other side. They did this a few times before taking off again and continuing on with the game. Spencer was very interested in Justice and Magic, two of our huskies that were part of their group. He followed Justice around right as he got outside. Justice didn’t mind at all and after they were both done sniffing around and exploring Justice began to play with him and got Spencer so excited. They played on their own at first and took turns wrestling with each other. It wasn’t until a little later that they joined in with all of the others during their game of tag.

Will and Tucker came up front with me during their extra attention. At first Tuckker came up and was very excited when he first got out of his kennel, then on his way up he decided to lay down in the hall and roll around. I had to run all the way up to the front for him to follow me. He put his head on my lap at first as I pet him and he gave me lots of kisses. He then took off and began to sniff around the room when he found a bone that he picked up immediately to chew on. Will was very excited when he walked up here and all he wanted to do was play. He kept on pawing at me to pet him but whenever I stopped he would do it again and again. So I decided to find a toy for him to play with, he started to kick around a big tennis ball all around the room. He had the biggest smile on his face as him and Alyssa were playing, every now and then he would jump up and give her a big kiss for treats.

Training:

Boris did a lot better walking with the bike today! He was a little hesitant at first when he saw it, and wanted to get as far away from it as possible. I got him to stand beside it for a couple of seconds and get used to it being there, then we started to walk. At first I walked between Boris and the bike, and he did okay, still walking, but tending to veer the other way from the bike. We also practiced stopping and sitting when the bike stopped moving. He did rather well at this. Next, I went to the other side of the bike, and Boris was walking right beside it. He did extremely well once I changed sides. Boris walked right along side the bike, rarely glancing up at it. He stopped when the bike stopped moving, and the last couple of times we did it, he didn't look at me looking for a treat or a pet. He sat there nice and patiently, waiting until I said it was okay to go again. When I was putting the bike away, I got Boris to sit and wait while I put it against the wall. He got really impatient and wanted to get away from the bike. But he was relieved when it was time to go back inside. All the focusing is hard work!

Tasha and I did a shorter structured walk today. She did well - as usual - once she gained her focus. It was a beautiful day out today so Tasha was rather enjoying her extra time outside. Once we finished our walk, I clipped Tasha to the long rope we have in the front yard. I let Tasha run off to sniff everything, and in the meantime, I ran and hid behind the lounge. Once I knew she couldn't see me, I called her name and said "here Tasha!". After a couple of seconds, I saw Tasha coming full tilt around the corner, super excited to see me. She ran right up to me and sat nice and pretty in front of me. Afterwards, I told her to lie down and she plopped her body onto the grass as fast as she could. I rewarded her with some yummy treats and she was off to sniff the next thing. We did this a couple more time, getting Tasha to work on her recall skills. She did great the whole time we were out there! She had a blast doing this today and is looking forward to it tomorrow!

Anejo and I spent our training time in the front yard. I hooked Anejo up to the long white rope we have in the front field. We were going to work on recall, getting Anejo to come to me when I call him. I let him run around and sniff the trees and the lounge building. Afterwards, I went to try and hide behind the hill, but when I looked behind me, Anejo was sitting there wagging his tail. I tried this a couple more times but each time he followed right behind me, so the next time we tried a different approach. I grabbed a rubber ball and showed it to Anejo and then threw it across the field. Anejo pounced after it, with his fluffy ears blowing behind him. I went and crouched behind the lounge, making sure he couldn't see me and called out his name. He came racing towards me and burried his head into my legs before rolling onto his back in the grass, asking for a belly rub. The little guy is so cute I couldn't deny him the belly rub! We did this a couple more times and each time he came racing back to me. He is such a smart little guy!