Sunday November 6th, 2016

Chloe started her morning off with a nice walk alongside her friends Tiffani and Viggo. She was still full of energy after that and couldn't wait for groups to get going! Chloe raced down the hall and practically flew out the door after the other dogs. As usual, she made a beeline for the first toy she could find. It happened to be a Frisbee. Chloe scooped it up and went trotting across the yard with it. I'm not quite sure how she managed to see with that big Frisbee in front of her face, but Chloe somehow maneuvered her way over to me to show me her toy. This caught Caesar's attention and he bounded over to try and steal the Frisbee. Chloe spun around lightning-fast and took off in the other direction. She managed to stay one step ahead of Caesar for a while, though he eventually managed to catch the Frisbee and the two had a little game of tug-of-war before Chloe decided to let Caesar keep the prize. She hurried over to see what I was up to instead. Chloe enjoyed some cuddles with me and then happily jogged over to the grassy side of the yard to sniff around. She stumbled upon the Frisbee that Caesar had dropped and decided to bring it along on her adventure.

Kai is such a sweetie! She had a lovely one-on-one walk with our volunteer this morning and definitely enjoyed all of the attention she was getting. When it was time for her group, the sun was shining and Kai was loving the nice weather! She strolled out into the yard, not a care in the world, and got to work sniffing around. Occasionally Kai would trot over to me to say hello and get some attention. She certainly loves her cuddles. Kai decided to follow me around for a while, posing for the camera and judging all of the pictures I took. Then Kai wandered over to the grassy area of the yard to explore and have some peace and quiet while the rest of the group went about their own business. Everybody was looking a little unexcited so I decided to get the group running around. Immediately Caesar, Chloe and Myles hopped into action and went racing across the yard. Kai noticed this and bounded after me. She bounced around and cheered on the others as they started playing. All of the dogs were much more lively after that, Kai included!
Kai had so much fun during her extra attention today. We started things off with a nice stroll down the driveway to let Kai explore. She was eager to get out the door and immediately set out to start sniffing! Once we made our way back towards the building, we headed to the rope out front so that Kai could play without the leash getting in her way. As soon as I clipped the rope to her, Kai trotted over to investigate a patch of grass. She found a tennis ball and nosed it around until I walked over to toss it for her. Kai seemed to get a sudden burst of energy and went leaping after the ball. She was very wound up and raced over to encourage me to play with her. We ran around for a while, and then Kai decided it was time for a breather, and flopped right over on the ground for a back rub and belly scratch!

Caesar was a busy guy today! After his walk, he enjoyed a fun extra attention session, and then it was time for groups. Caesar could hardly wait to get outside. His first stop was saying hello to his friends Outlaw and Viggo. Then Caesar noticed me taking pictures of the three of them and immediately bounded over for some love. He danced around while I rubbed his back, and then was distracted by Chloe trotting past with her toy. The Frisbee was too good for Caesar to pass up and he hurried after Chloe, attempting to snatch the Frisbee when she was unsuspecting. Unfortunately for Caesar, she heard him sneaking up and dashed away. Caesar wouldn't give up that easily! They chased each other all around the yard and Caesar even ran through the tunnel a few times. He eventually managed to get a hold on the Frisbee and the two of them played tug-of-war until Chloe was kind enough to let Caesar win the toy. He carried it over to the tunnel and flopped down in the entrance to chew on it. I kindly explained to him that it was better to fetch Frisbees than chew on them, and picked it up to toss it for him. Caesar decided he would rather explore and headed off to sniff around.
Caesar just couldn't wait to come up front for his extra attention and had his tail wagging. The two of us headed down the hallway and outside. I decided to take him into the lounge for a little bit before putting him on the long rope out front. Caesar definitely enjoyed the change of scenery and couldn't decided what he wanted to play with. He began jumping all over each couch while grabbing any toy he could find. At first, Caesar picked up one huge bone that was in the lounge. Then he saw a tennis ball and became obsessed with it. Soon enough he had also played with the Frisbee and another toy bone. Caesar was going absolutely nuts in the lounge and couldn't have enjoyed it more. Eventually I brought him outside to play on the big long rope. As soon as I put him on it he started racing around all of the trees and loved the wide open space. He and I enjoyed playing a few games of fetch as well as tug-of-war with a Frisbee. He loved this Frisbee especially and I could barely hang on to it since he's so strong. For awhile he simply lay with it and chewed on it. However he was always ready to chase after it once I'd throw it for him. We ended off his extra attention time with some snuggles and treats in the yard.
Bella was all action today. She started off the day with a great walk, accompanied by her friends Kodi and Kenzie. The three of them kept up a fast pace the whole time and somehow still managed to sniff everything. When it was time for groups, Bella reunited with Kodi for some play. She wasted no time racing over and attempting to tackle him to the ground. Kodi happily pounced back and the two began wrestling. They bounced around for a little while and then Kodi led Bella on a big chase around the yard. Finally the pair slowed down for a breather! Bella trotted over to see what I was up to. She was happy to cuddle with me for a bit. Bella followed me around, soaking up the attention, until suddenly she noticed that Kodi was playing with Nymeria! Not to be left out, Bella quickly went bounding after the two of them and leaped right into the middle. All three of them were racing around the yard with Bella in the lead. She dove into the tunnel with Nymeria right on her tail, while Kodi ran back and forth between the two exits. Eventually Bella and Nymeria tumbled out in one big pile and the game started again.
Nymeria enjoyed a lovely walk with Myles and I this morning. She was content to trot down the path beside Myles and would occasionally poke him in the side to encourage him to play with her. As soon as Myles looked over to see what Nymeria wanted, she would play-bow and then bounce out of his reach. This confused Myles a little bit and he would just give her a funny look before continuing on his way. Nymeria didn't let this dampen her spirit and continued to prance along at his side. When it was group time, Nymeria partnered up with a more playful dog, Harvey. He had discovered a stick and was carrying it around the yard. Nymeria was determined to steal it from him. They went back and forth between Nymeria chasing Harvey, and the two of them playing tug-of-war. Eventually Harvey settled down to chew on his stick. I showed Nymeria a different toy that she could have all to herself, but of course it wasn't as good as Harvey's! Nymeria then headed over to wrestle and run around with Kodi and Bella. She and Bella had so much fun running through the tunnel together, while Kodi cheered them on. Nymeria was certainly good and tired by the time we went back inside!
Nymeria's extra attention time came late in the day, after her grooming session. After so much hard work being primped and pampered Nym needed to blow off some steam. We started off on the long line out front, where she pounced and played with a ball and then set off across the back field for a walk. We met Wally coming back from an extra walk and of course Nym had to say hello and invite him to play. She is such a fun puppy to get to spend extra time with. Sadly, although I found several recordings of sounds guaranteed to get this Husky puppy to finally howl, she was not in the least bit interested ;)
Duffy is having such a great time with us while his parents are away. On his walk this morning, Duffy spent some time wandering around in the field with his buddies. Duffy kept his nose high to the sky throughout his whole walk, sniffing the fresh morning breeze. When he got back to his kennel, Duffy curled up on his bed, and I put his blanket over his little paws to make him as cozy as possible. When it was time to go outside for his group, Duffy ran down the hall and out the door as fast as he could. As he ran around with his pals, he stopped a few times and sat for a few treats, before going back to playing around. Before it was time to go back inside, Duffy spent some time by my side getting some cuddles and treats.

For their walk this morning, Tasha and Boris got to spend some time with Boris’ half brother Justice. As the trio ran along, the half brothers stopped to play around for a bit while Tasha ran ahead, but soon enough, Tasha came over to tell them it was time to start walking again. Throughout their walk, Tasha and Boris spent some time sniffing around and staying by my side as Justice ran into the bushes. When they got back from their walk, Tasha and Boris curled up on a cot together and slept there until it was time to go back outside. When it was time to go out with their group the three of them ran around the yard, Boris and Tasha tackled each other over the picnic table as Justice sat back and enjoyed the show. While everyone ran around, Boris came over to give me a few kisses as I gave him some treats. Not long after Tasha noticed that I had a few treats in my hand and she came over for some more too.

Tasha was very enthusiastic during our training session today. She kept with me on our heel, worked some downs and embraced her go sniff time with gusto. When we got back inside, Tasha had quite a challenge to contend with. I had placed a bowl of liver treats on the table and the bed on the floor in front of it. I asked Tasha to stay on the bed and it was sooooo hard with that tempting bowl of treats just a leap away. It was a struggle for her, but with lots of breaks and rewards, she was victorious.
I am just so impressed with Boris. He has such great basic skills and attitude for his training and it's a pleasure to work with him. He knows how to stay in place even from a distance or in a different room and his heel work is fantastic. With more work, Boris will be a superstar!

Khal is such a delight to spend time with. On his walk this morning, Khal got to spend some time with his friend Aurora, which he really enjoyed. As we all walked along Khal stopped a few time to sniff around in the bushes while Aurora ran ahead. Khal really seemed to enjoy having another dog to keep him company this morning. When he got back to his kennel, Khal curled up on his bed and had a little nap. For his extra attention this morning, we spent some time in reception with Susan and Megan. While I sat on the floor brushing Khal, I gave him a few treats as I went along. As Khal got up to sniff around he went over to both Susan and Megan to sniff them and nudge them to pet him. When he came back over to me, I continued brushing him until he had no more hair coming out. For the rest of his time up front, I spent more time cuddling with him. When it was time to go outside, Khal ran out the door as fast as he could, excited to be outside again. For his group he spent most of his time sniffing around, but before it was time to go back inside he made sure to come see me for a few more treats.

Khal was quite happy to get outside for another training session and he found it a bit more distracting today. Somehow the smells were much more compelling and when we went into the lounge to practice some place work, it was just too much :) So much to sniff and he was supposed to sit on a cot? But he did it and the reward was even better - more sniffing. After a thorough explore in the lounge I decided to head inside to the reception area where the distractions might be a little less. There we practiced look and staying in place until released.

Max and Sadie had a great first day with us. As soon as they got here I went to get them ready for their walk. As we made our way to the field Max let out a big howl to show me just how excited he was, as Sadie stayed glued to my hip. Throughout their walk, Max and Sadie stayed beside me for most of the time, but they did stop a few times to investigate a few bushes. When they got back to their kennel, they curled up on their big bed. When it was for them to go outside the pair ran out the door and past me as fast as they could. As soon as they were in the yard they took some time to sniff around, before tackling each other to the ground a few times. As they rolled around, Sadie got up and came over to me for a few pieces of liver while Max ran around the yard. Before it was time to go back inside they both came over to me as I called them to give them some more liver treats.

Max and Sadie are very well behaved one on one and when worked with individually. Both of them know how to heel nicely beside me and are quite attentive during the walk. They are great about going to place (especially when it's a comfy bed :) but Max obviously doesn't see the point and protests a little with a few whines. I love how they sit so nicely to get out of their kennel; the work the pet activity coordinators do with them during daycare days has obviously paid off. Outside, they are both a little less willing to give up an interesting exploration or find to come when called, so that will be something to work on this week!