Pupparoos and the hens

We've been taking Tucker to the chicken coop so that gets to know our hens and they to get to know him.  He watches them closely, waiting, observing.  You can see the instinctive herding thoughts filling his mind.  They stare at him just as closely.  Stewie ignores them.  He learned along time ago to keep his distance as they weren't going to play.  But that chicken poop is sure tasty (icky, icky icky!!!!!)!

Oh and I snapped this photo really quick because the two of them were being all sweet and cozy with each other........

Tucker's manners

Oh me, oh my....Tucker must be in the terrible puppy stage.  

He is getting stronger and of course doesn't realize it.  Let me just say that it still is cute all the puppy antics and exuberance, just that there is a good time and then there is the not so good time.

I'm taking the food manners head on.  Feeding time is not cute anymore.  Now Tucker is getting really good at sitting and the "don't touch" of having to wait till I say "take it" that he and Stewie can eat.  No the big problem is getting the food out of the bins in my pantry.

Tucker goes ballistic with the vertical jumping in place.  Like he is a puppy pogo stick.  Then as I am trying to open the bin top he starts trying to stick his nose in to grab food.  Not cute.  When he was little he couldn't see that high, but now he is all paws and pushy.  Oh, and the barking at the same time with all of this.

At first I would hold him off with my one hand while I scooped out his and Stewie's food but now the claws and noise is unacceptable.  Mr. Stewie sits so calmly, watching what is going on.  He looks confused and annoyed with Tuckeroo.  Me too.

Lesson one:  Stay calm (me).   

Lesson two:  Food is earned by good behavior.  This is going to be a huge challenge for Tucker.  My goal is for him to sit, just like Stewie, while waiting for a meal.  


For a few times I put him in his puppy pen to fend him off but that didn't stop the annoying barking and jumping around.  Now I have been holding him by the collar and asking him to "sit, stay".  So it is one thing to ask him to sit which he does quite well but to stay in a sit is a lesson in progress.  This is my goal though.  Now I sometimes confuse the command with a "sit, don't touch".  This is a quandary for me, because I don't want him to touch it either till he is released to do so by my "take it" command.

Yes, it feels like Tucker is challenging us to see what he can get away with and if we will allow it.  I realize I need to step up with tethering him with me.  When I am busy around the house it can be easy to put him in the puppy pen and not have to think about watching him.  Problem is that he doesn't have the chance to learn from being tethered to me, of what he can do or not do.  He may think he can chew that chair leg (not), or bark (not).  With him near me I can set up a positive of what he can do.  Provide him that pad to lay on and give him something he can chew.  If I am going room to room he comes with me and learns about the house as well as he has to do what I am expecting him to do which is to follow around me, not the other way around.  I am the "Alpha"

I know I have written about this previously but if you have any advice you can share of this stage of raising a puppy to be a welcome family member I would really like to hear about it.  Wish us luck and smooth training!

Shopping, treats, training, Puppiness

I took Tucker down to a shop in our town called Molly's Pup-Purr-Ee to find Tucker a new harness.  The young woman in the shop was enjoying herself thoroughly with him.  Getting Tucker to sit and giving him a treat.  He was excited to get treats and attention.  Well of course!

I picked out a royal blue and green plaid harness with the style name of "Yarmouth Plaid" made by Up Country.   Yarmouth is near where my daughter's fiance's family have their family run motel so I like the link of names.  Not to mention I have a thing for plaid on Shelties.  Our Jessie had a red plaid harness and he always looked so dapper in it.

I feel much better using a harness with Tucker in case he slips out of the collar while we are out.  Everything away from home is new and exciting but can be questionable too.  He doesn't seem scared just that he may not know what an object is and jerk away.

I have Puppia harnesses for Stewie that fit quite well for the small guys or girls.  Collars slip right off Stewie's wide neck.  Once we were walking in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco and I looked down and Stewie was nowhere in sight with the leash.  I looked back and he was standing there puzzled and confused.  That scared me so that I decided a collar was not for walks, but only for the tags.  Puppia makes so many cute harnesses and patterns that is impossible to choose. Of course I can say the same for Up Country.

It's been so long since I did Dog Training Classes that I wonder if they have changed in 11 years.  I see so many poochies with Gentle Leaders or other types of harnesses versus Choke Chains.  I am really excited to start the training classes in early January.  I love seeing all the different types of dogs and their owners.  I wish we could have done the Puppy Classes but it's not that big a deal.

In the shop today a Boston Terrier came in and then a small white pup.  Tucker was happy as could be.  I think he would have loved to stay there and hang out.  I didn't bring Stewie since it can be enough to handle Tucker at this point without having the potential tangle of leashes in a store.  I'll bring Stewie another time.  

I think Santa Paws will be bringing a new collar for Stewie for Christmas.  But shhhhhh don't tell!

Barbara Woodhouse

So now we are set for some more walkies.  Did you ever watch the TV series "Training Dogs the Woodhouse Way" back in the 80's?   Tim and I use to watch Barbara Woodhouse's show every time we could find it on the TV.  We loved to hear her call everyone to "Walkies!".  I wonder if I can find that series on Netflix?   Just to hear her would give me a big smile.  It seemed like all the doggie owners were in dire need of training and the doggies would look at them confused.  It really is the dog owner/trainer who needs the training!  If every dog training class would take a movie of their class and play it back as part of the lesson I am sure it could be invaluable to everyone.  How do we talk to our dogs?  How do we stand?  Our body language says as much to them as it does to another person.  How often do you see a meek person who decides to pick a breed that they haven't a clue about let alone train?  The trainer picks up that dog's leash and instantly the dog responds.  

Let's face it.  Pups at 4 to 6 months can be quite full of themselves just as they have begun to grow into the body they will have as an adult dog.  The large dogs get strong and the little ones unmanageable.  If they haven't had any training beyond that age you have a pup into a dog that gets shoved into the backyard who becomes even more unruly.  So sad.

Me wild?  Huh?

A biggie that I need to work on with Tucker is when I am getting his and Stewie's food out of the bins in my pantry.  Tucker goes crazy to have it as soon as he can.  He jumps, barks, repeat....oh boy.  I have put him in his puppy pen to keep him        out of the pantry but he still is jumping up and down and barking.  He is getting pretty good with waiting after I have the food and put it in front of him.  He waits till I say "take it!" though I wouldn't say he is 100% willing to do this.  Any suggestions?   I'm thinking I need to get him to sit before I even open the bins or put food in their bowls.  Stewie is such a gentleman, sitting patiently.  He knows the ropes quite well.  He looks at Tucker like he is some crazed dog who is living with him.  

Walkies!

Tuckered out after a walk

Whoo hooo!   We got to go for a real walk with Tucker!!!  On Thanksgiving Tucker got his third shot so we could officially stroll among other poochies.  

First walk was in the neighborhood which is semi-rural.  Stewie was as usual, happy as could be to take a walk and actually tail wagging happy to have Tucker walking side by side with him.  I had both dogs with two leashes and I had to do a bit of changing leashes between my two hands.  So cute to see Tucker sashaying along with Stewie.  He would look over every once in awhile as if he was saying "Wow, where are we?"  We walked for about 20 minutes then headed home.  We saw my husbands truck get ready to turn up the steep driveway and Tucker started getting excited.  He knows his Daddy's truck.  He barked in greeting and of course he got a welcome response.

Yesterday my husband and I took him on the paved trail in our town called the Ironhorse trail.  Ages ago it was the old train route till they removed the rails and made it into a trail.  Tucker was with me and Stewie with Tim.  Now this trail can get busy with bikes, baby strollers, joggers, skaters as well as walkers.  Tucker definitely got all of that as well as children and adults that wanted to give him lots of puppy love.  I felt bad for Stewie who was sadly overlooked.  Normally on a walk he gets lots of attention.  

What Tucker had a fear of was the bikes that zoomed by.  He didn't expect the whoosh of them and would stop or do an about face behind me and stare.  He got a bit better towards the end but this is something we can work on to get him use to sights and sounds he has not been around.  We passed the high school football field which had a loud kids football game going on which he didn't care about. 

On the bright side it was a lovely Fall afternoon, just the perfect temperature for a stroll.  He sniffed to his hearts content and loved being out with Stewie who led us along.

I need to get him a harness for these walks as I worry he will slip out of his collar if he does a quick back up on me.  I tried on one we had but it was too big and Stewie's Puppia harnesses are too small.  


He was such a good boy in the car sitting next to me on the back seat with he and Stewie.  He just lay there or sat up wondering what we were going to do.  We can't wait to get back into our long hikes like we use to do with Annie and Stewie.  Tucker has a whole new world about to open for him of sights and smells!