Thursday July 21st, 2016

Extra Attention & Training

Lucky Gracie gets two separate one-on-one time's. This morning we spent some time just relaxing upfront in the cool air conditioning. It was much to warm to sit in the sun despite how nice it looks outside. This afternoon we mixed it up a bit with some training and games. We worked on building our core muscles doing some little stretches with our front paws up into the air while Gracie tried to hard to keep her bum on the floor. This was a lot of work! She was getting the hang of it so we took a break and tried some crawling for treats. Gracie decided she was too smart for this little game and would just hop up for the treat rather than crawl. Silly girl! After all that brain work we took a break and Gracie found not just one but TWO awesome bones! She bounced between the two trying to decide which one was better for chewing. She eventually chose the larger one and settled done for a good chew before heading back to her kennel.

Stanley was so excited to go outside this morning. Even though he was a little tired from his walk along this trail he still had enough energy to go outside right after for his extra attention to play some games. As he got on the long line he roamed around the yard as he usually does and made his way over to a couple dogs that he saw passing by to say hello. They were both very playful and the three of them ended up bouncing all over each other until they walked away. Once they did I picked up a rope toy off the grass and his attention was sent right to me. He sat in front of me and waited until I threw it as his tail wagged super fast. I threw it across the yard and he chased after it so fast and then picked it up to bring it back. Although he didn’t return it to me the first time and left it on the ground instead right after picking it up. The times after that he got the hang of it though and we had a nice game of fetch for the remainder of the time outside. We took lots of breaks in the shade to cool down as well.

Groups

Adele got to meet some new dogs today. She is always up to some new friends and was more than happy to meet them. Adele was one of the first into the yard and so set out to do a little exploring around the yard. As soon as she became aware there were new dogs she went over to say hi. Adele spent some time with Teddy then went over to see Zak. She took a particular liking to Zak. Once Adele had thorough checked him over she decided to head out and continue her explorations. After having on over the yard quite thoroughly, Adele decided to take a break and headed out to see what some of the others were up to. She met back up with Teddy and the two of them had a bit of a wrestle session. When she was done playing, Adele made her way over to me for some pets and attention. After that all the scent beckoned and she was off in search of all the great and interesting scents.

Teddy couldn't wait to get outside. He ran out and immediately went to check on what everyone was up to. Teddy then noticed Adele, our new foster. He went running up to her and gave her a once over. Teddy's attention was then grabbed when he spotted Percy running in the tunnel. He went racing over and started circling the tunnel and Percy hopping he'd take off running. Percy ended up going to play in the pool so Teddy turned back to Adele. It wasn't long before the two of them were having some fun wrestling. They soon needed a break so Teddy took up a position where he could watch what the rest of the group was up to. Percy left the pool and took off running. Teddy was quite happy and took off after him. Percy wanting to cool off ended up back in the pool. Teddy wasn't ready to stop running so decided to just run around the pool and wait for Percy to get out.

Percy was so excited to get outside for group time. He took of racing for the agility yard. After a couple laps around Percy went charging into the tunnel. He did a couple passes while Teddy circled hoping Percy would go running around the yard some more. Percy did end up leaving the tunnel to go racing off, but he was quickly distracted when I started filling up the pool. There was barely any water in the pool, but that didn't stop Percy from leaping in and attempting to splash around. He caught Zak's attention who came over to see what he was up to before decided to join Percy in the pool. Feeling refreshed, Percy hopped out of the pool and went to go race around the yard with Teddy. The racing soon turned into Percy doing his tunnel laps. After he had finished his laps Percy decided to go do a little exploring. It wasn't long before he made his way back to the pool.

Gracie went trotting out to the agility yard. Shortly after she got out there she found herself being thoroughly looked over by Goliath and Riley. Once they were done, Gracie headed off to do some exploring. Goliath decided to tag along behind her. Dushka was curious about what they were looking at and went over to join them. Dushka then decided to give Gracie a good once over. She then decided she'd rather like to play with Gracie. Gracie wasn't quite up for that and went off to continue her explorations around the yard. She ended up making her way over to where Riley was checking something out and decided to spend some time with her. Gracie then headed back out to do her own thing. She soon grew tired of that and went to go and see what Goliath was up to. After that she came to have a quick visit with me before going to check on Riley C. Gracie then made her way back to Goliath. The two of them spent some time assessing each other and then they started to bounce around. Soon they were having a great time together. Gracie soon needed a break and headed back to me for some pets and attention.

Bear wasted in no time in making his way out to the agility yard to start checking things out. His attention was soon captured by one of the big rocks. Bear spent some time giving it a very thorough sniff. Once he was done with the rock he came over for a little visit with me. Satisfied with out time together, Bear headed out to check out more of the yard. His path took him over to where Ranger was exploring near the gate to the main yard. It wasn't long before the two of them made their way out there. Ranger stuck to the shade while Bear seemed quite happy to continue to bake himself in the sunshine. Bear toured the main yard before making his way out to check out the far yard. When he noticed Ranger making his way back to the agility yard he left the far yard to tag along. Bear went around the agility yard checking out a couple things he had missed before. He then decided it was a good time to take a break and relax in the shade. Bear came and joined me in the shade and promptly laid down on my feet quite happy and relaxed.

Ranger set out with his nose to the ground checking out anything that caught his attention. His path ended up being a bit of a U shape which soon brought him over to the pool. Ranger gave it a quick once over before he hopped right in. He dunked his face a couple times then just stood appreciating the feel of his feet in the pool. With that done, Ranger hopped out and headed back out to do some more exploring. His new path brought Ranger out to the main yard. Ranger was happy to stick to the shade while checking out the ground quite thoroughly. When he came to the end of the shaded section we made our way back to the agility yard where he was quick to hop back in the pool. A little bit cooler he made his way over to the shaded part of the yard near the fence. Ranger did some exploring as well as sampling of the greenery growing there.

Casper and William put their noses directly to the ground when they stepped out the door for their group time. William wastdr no time in making his way further into the yard. Casper was so absorbed in all the scents near the door that he stuck around there. Once he'd seen all he wanted to see, Casper became distracted saying hello to the rest of the group. William wondering what his brother was up to, made his way back over to check on him. He didn't make it very far as he soon noticed his doggy friends and had to stop to say hello. After everyone was thoroughly checked over, Casper and William headed out together with their noses to the ground checking out every blade of grass. After a while they split up to check out their own thing. Along the way, Casper met up with Flora. Their tails were wagging like crazy and it wasn't long before they were bouncing around. The fun then fizzled out and they set off to do some exploring together. Casper then left Flora to see what Benji and Ryder were looking at in the far yard. When he didn't find anything overly exciting Casper headed back to join William in the main yard.

Ryder made his way into the yard and then stopped to take stock of what all everyone was up to. That done he came and planted himself at my feet wanting a quick pet before he moved on. Ryder went trotting around watching what the others were up while also checking out anything that caught his attention. He then spotted me hanging out at the picnic table and decided to come join me. It wasn't long before Ryder was climbing into my lap wanting to be as close as possible while also trying to drown me in kisses. We cuddled and watched the others for a while until Ryder got bored. He then went trotting off to do some more exploring around the yard. Ryder made his way out to the far yard where Benji was doing some exploring of his own. Ryder decided to tag along with him. After they'd gone all around the yard Ryder decided to make his way over to the section by the pool and the building. He made it look so interesting that Maya went to join him.

Maya and Rocky had very different group experience today. Rocky made his way out said his hellos then promptly sat himself in his favourite spot in the sunshine. Maya said her hellos as well, but she had another goal. As soon as she met up with Ivy it took about two seconds for them to start play bowing and bouncing around each other. The two of them took off racing further into the yard. The rest of the group followed their lead and headed further into the yard. Rocky practically melted into the ground as soon as everyone left. He looked pretty happy sunbathing in the quiet. Maya and Ivy continued to have a blast playing together. Maya only took a break when she spotted me filling up the pool. She made her way over to check it out, but decided now wasn't the time for the pool. Maya went running back to play with Ivy. Eventually she needed to cool off and gave the pool another chance though it wasn't as full Maya would have liked. Maya then noticed Ryder near by exploring along the building. She got out of the pool and decided to some exploring with him. I headed over to check on Rocky and found him still laying comfortably on the ground, though he did lift his head when he spotted me.

Xena was excited to go out with her pals today. Once she got into the yard she started sniffing the ground and her nose led her all the way to the pool in the small dog yard. She got so happy once she saw it and hopped right in with out any hesitation. She was circling around in the pool for a minute before trying to lay down in the water. Unfortunately this pool was a little too small for this big girl to fit in so after she cooled off she jumped back out and I brought them all over to the agility yard. Xena explored for a little while and wandered to the far side of the yard where she began to smell all of the plants along the fence. She didn’t pay attention to anyone else outside and stuck to herself. I called her over to me multiple times but she was so caught up in exploring that she didn’t even look my way. After she was done sniffing around, Xena lifted her head up and started to look around the yard. She noticed the other pool in the corner and skipped over to check it out. She was a little more careful before going in this one and walked around it in circles before dipping a paw inside. After that she had enough of it and ran back over to the small dog pool where she jumped back in and tried to lay down in it all over again.

Issy and Mocha spent the day in the kitchen today, which is a little change from the staff room that they are usually hanging out in. During groups outside this morning, Mocha was not in the mood for the heat and when she got out the door she instantly took a seat next to it because she knew that she was going to relax all day. She watched as everyone else joined her in the yard and Issy began to wander around the gravel to explore. She sniffed along the ground and started walking towards the agility yard where the others and I followed. Mocha stayed where she was and after a little bit of sitting down she decided to lay down and relax more. Issy walked out into the agility yard and began to wander around the entire yard. She sniffed along all of the rocks until she came up to me after I called her over to come and say hi. She usually doesn’t come over when she's very concentrated, but she came trotting right over to cuddle. After she was done exploring the agility yard, Issy she walked back over to Mocha to say hi and waited to go back inside.

Kimi spent her day in the staff room on her own and took full advantage of it. At first when she got in there she kept on wandering around the room and sniffing everything, but after her walk when she came back in, Kimi laid right down on the ground to relax and take a nap. She spread all of her legs out on the cool floor as I knelt down to rub her belly for her. During groups she kept nice and relaxed. She trotted out the door and took a look around to see what was going on with everyone. As all of the dogs made their way into the agility yard to play, Kimi decided to stick by the door with Mocha and relax instead. While Kimi spent her time outside relaxing, Spencer did the opposite and once he got outside he started running around almost immediately. He ran around all of the dogs in the main yard at first then once everyone headed out into the agility yard he quickly followed them. Once he was in the agility yard he calmed down for a bit and began to wander around the yard and explore, as did everyone else. He loved to sniff through the tall grass and did that as long as he was in the yard. After that he ran back into the main yard and started to explore around the play structure with some of the other dogs, always with a big smile on his face.

Tsavo and Cai came in with so much energy this morning. They ran all the way to the back and started to bounce around as they said hi to me with so much excitement. During their walk just after that they got a chance to let out all of their energy on the trail and Cai especially was enjoying the chance to run the whole way. This boy can get so excited sometimes while Tsavo always stays her calm self. That is unless she is playing in the yard and Cai gets her excited as well. When they went outside during their group they both seemed to want to keep calm and quiet on this hot day. When Tsavo got outside she started off by going around to everyone and saying hi to them while Cai kept to himself. He started to wander around on his own and explore right away. After Tsavo said hi to some of the more calm dogs outside she decided to start exploring as well as they made their way into the agility yard. She started to wander around the grass on her own as Cai made his way over to the pool to check it out, he took a little drink from it and then hopped in to cool off. He only stayed in the pool for a minute before jumping back out and heading over to begin socializing with the others. I called both of them over to me as I was sitting on a rock and Cai ran over with his tongue hanging right out all excited where as Tsavo made her way over slowly and placed her head right on my lap for me to pet her.

Mel and Stanley had such a nice day outside this morning. When I let them out the door, Stanley took off to the other side of the yard to start exploring while Mel stayed by the door and just hung around it until I came out to join him. He gets so excited whenever he sees people and can’t stop jumping up to try and give them kisses. After Mel said his proper hello, he followed me into the agility yard where all of the dogs ended up going to explore. Stanley was already off on his own wandering around the yard, he was looking off into the distance for a while at something in the sky. He seemed really interested in it and even though I didn’t see what it was I think it might have been a bird that was flying around that caught his eye. Mel wandered around as well for a little while before he got excited again and ran right into the pool to lay down and cool off. After he was done he would jump out and roll around on the ground and then hop back in again. It was his routine. I picked up a Frisbee off the ground and waved it in the air to get some of the dogs attention. Syrus, along with Mel and Stanley, ran right up to my feet with so much excitement in their eyes waiting for me to throw it for them. Mel and Stanley always love a good game of catch but Syrus usually likes to either watch or just run along side the other dogs. Before I waved the Frisbee in the air, Syrus had been off on his own walking along the fence with his nose glued to the ground. He was sniffing alongside the fence and kept digging his nose in the rocks to try and find something. I saw him walking towards the pool as some of the others were in it but once he got over to the water he just took a drink of it then walked off. When I threw the Frisbee, the three of them took off running across the yard, Mel caught the Frisbee first as Stanley and Syrus stood their waiting impatiently for it to be thrown again. Unfortunately, Mel didn’t want to get rid of it that easily and ran around with it in his mouth for a little before handing it back over to me, the second time I threw it Stanley caught it, Syrus wasn’t running as fast as he could and I think he was having fun just chasing after it rather than having to beat them to the toy.

Joey and Giacomo are such happy boys. They were snoozing in their kennel when I walked in this morning to let them outside for their group and as they got up they trotted out the door to begin socializing. Joey was happy to socialize with me, while Giacomo was all over the other dogs saying hi. He wandered around everyone and would go up and sniff them before moving on to the next dog. Once he was satisfied with smelling all of the dogs, he and Joey made their way over to the agility yard where they split up to go and explore opposite sides of the yard. Joey took off to go and smell all of the long grass that was sticking out of the wooden fence on the far side of the yard. He walked up and down that fence a few times before moving onto another spot of the yard that he wanted to explore. Giacomo wandered around the middle of the yard and walked up to some of the holes that dogs have previously dug and stuck his face right into them to check it out. He would paw at it curiously but never began to dig in it like some of the others. Giacomo seemed to be in such a good mood today as every time I would look at him his mouth would be wide open with a big grin. He trotted over to the pool as he saw Joey wandering toward that direction. Joey made his way over and jumped in for a quick second then jumped back out, Giacomo was watching him from a few feet away until Joey started walking off into the main yard again.