Second puppy class

Wednesday:

Thought I'd pop in with just a few words about the puppy class last night.  Reilly and I barely made it in time, but managed to mention to the instructor that we didn't want Reilly getting treats from other people.  She was much more accommodating than I expected, although she did remind me that she could not then demonstrate technique to me using him, or help me work out another method on things.  That will be the price I have to pay, but it's worth it to me. 

The instructor was also much milder last night than she was the night.  I'm surprised I found her so, as I'd been dealing with a killer headache all day...the lovely kind that makes you want to scream when you move your eyes.  I had let each of my classes out early, as scanning the class and going back and forth to computer and them was turning me into a shaky mess.  So I wasn't looking forward to puppy class.  I was pleasantly surprised, and even more surprised to find my headache decreasing over the course of the hour.  But I did notice that the instructor was asking people to borrow their dogs for demos instead of just taking them, and using the owner treats instead of her own.  So a huge improvement.  And she was calmer, too.  So last week may have just been a tense week for everyone, and not indicative of "normal".

Reilly did fairly well last night, although he was tired and it showed.  I didn't do as well as he did, especially early on while the head was still pounding.  I was missing cues and forgetting to give commands when I should.  Dreadful.  My concentration was totally shot.  But Reilly did his part as well as he could around my stupidity.  Review on sit, down, come, spin (spin is the one we didn't practice), and loose leash walking.  Begin "stay" and "touch".  "Touch" is simply getting them to put nose to your palm.  It's listed as a trick, but it looks like a good precursor to getting him to do other things.  He picked up on that one really quickly.

I did have some serious logistics issues during class.  I have to leave one crutch in the car to handle the leash.  So I have a crutch in my right hand and a leash in my left, and I have to be careful of my balance, which is difficult with a puppy on a string!  Someone who doesn't have a crutch normally uses both hands on the leash, so they can reel in and let it out easily.  I have to slowly wrap the leash around my hand to pull in.  It's not a quick thing.  And then there's the treat bag.  Many people in class are using a tool bag such as is found at Lowe's.  Those are flat though, and I'd need two hands to get into one.  I bought a commercial treat bag that has a round opening, so I can get one hand in without needing the second one, but it falls off, swings, dumps itself when I bend over...all sorts of issues.  I can't use my pocket, as I can't easily get my hand in it.  So I need to come up with something I can get into and that's stable.  Maybe a cheap belt pack would work, although it would be likely to spill when I bent over.  I'll keep thinking on it.

The problems will all work out; they usually do. 

Reilly has a vet appointment in an hour.  We'll see how much he weighs now, and get some feedback on how his ever-changing legs are doing.

Thursday:

Reilly weighed in at 63.4 pounds.  Big puppy.  He's nowhere near grown into his tail, ears and feet.  I also took Jake in to be weighed, as he's gained since he got neutered and I  have to watch his heartworm preventative dosage.  He tipped the scales at 122.8. 

Reilly got his last Bordatella.  He also got his legs looked at.  His front legs have gone from the twisted out to stand on the outside of his feet, to twisted in to stand on the inside, to nearly square at the moment.  His hind legs were so cow-hocked as to nearly have his feet at 90 degree angles to his body.  Right now, although he's still cow-hocked, it's not as bad.  He changes almost on a weekly basis.  Since he's gaining about five pounds per week, it's not surprising.  We'll be watching, but we're expecting it all to settle out to normal by the time he's grown.  In the meantime, I'm careful with him; not letting him jump off furniture or out of the car.  He's been taught to get on his belly and slide off like an otter.  Since he's big, it's not far to the ground that way.

See you Saturday.
Meg and Reilly