:D happiness

we played in the yard yesterday, :) he just makes my heart leap with happiness when he is jolly. that goofy face prodding me for more play :P

he is so in tune to my every move and emotion. i hope to bring together pets and their people through training and show them just how deep their connection can be with their dogs!!!

laughter and positive training

my bugaloo has been such a jollybutt recently. we've been going to the park more and playing games everywhere we go. he just had me laughing so hard i couldn't stop. he thought it was funny too--> wagging his stiff little tail and barking at me and cinnamon. too much fun!
I LOVE POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT!!!! it has changed our lives SO much. i love when he is happy!!!!! he now enjoys seeing other dogs from a distance. the gentle leader isn't our favorite thing-- it pulls the skin on his face :/ but it helps when he gets carried away. natural balance treat roll-lamb. his favorite treat when we see other dogs.

walkin and wabbit huntin

oh what fun we have on walks! when i dont expect much of them they always make me happy and do so great :P we played recall games while they were 'huntin wabbits' and they did wonderful. tired pups ready for a nap while i finish up work

clicker session #2 for the day :)

clicker training is such a blast! i love seeing my kids using their brains to figure out what i am asking them to do.
we are introducing a new behavior- shaping a deliberate look at a familiar dog. this will help with their dog aggression modification protocol. working on it with both doggens :)
they did SO good today, YAY!!!!!!!!!

oh he's a happy boy!

How adorable and reassuring it is to see my boy completely comfortable and happy in our new home only days after we have moved. All three of the kids have adjusted so well. I'm superbly proud of my boy for laying on his side completely relaxed for long periods of time.. he didn't even do that at our old house much. i guess that's why I like seeing it SO much! Time to clicker train and then go for a walk in the new neighborhood :)

birthday baby boy

happy birthday my sunshine boy, im sorry i didnt remember this morning :( we will go for an extra long walk and sniff everything under the sun!

chewy

Maple chewed up his birthday hat from last year today. It was quite amuzsing! He did NOT want that silly thing on his head!! So, when he pulled it off he chewed it.
He, Cinnamon, and both mommies played for over an hour today. It was stupendous! Played dig to china, jump over things to get the toys, drop, speak, and find the toy.. they were both being so adorable and playful. Afterwards he came up on the bed and laid his head on my chest for a while. It's times like those that makes having a canine pal so pleasurable. I love my buboy!

tick lump removed yesterday

Maple has had this strange tick sized lump/growth on his right ribcage for about four years. It never caused any problems until last week.. He and Cinnamon started licking it raw and he began kicking at it with his back leg, too. I was scared that he was gona kick it off!
We decided to remove it yesterday, using local/injectable sedation. It was so sad watching him go out like a light. The surgery went well, very quick. He was so pitiful all day after that. Whining at everything and nothing. Yes, he got rimadyl. I think that was too intense so today we switched to tramadol. He is doing better today, but still whiney :) Very needy buhboy.

The connection that can be created by two totally different species is precious. When I come home from a rough day, ready to break down, I can look into my boys eyes as he's givin kisses and feel complete calm and happiness. As I lay in bed reading with my arm around his chest, I get an awe of peace and fulfillment. This is what dog love is all about for me, and knowing that he feels the same happiness just puts an exclaimation on my heart. :) I'm happy to share this part of my life with you Maple baby boy. You've helped me with so much over these recent years. You are my precious.

attack attack! .. so upsetting

So.. last night I had given maple a pinch of shredded cheese for staying out of the kitchen. He must not have cleaned it all.. stormy came near and I didnt see the beginning of their interaction, but maple went after stormy screaming his upset, leave it alone, its mine type of yelling. He wouldn't stop biting her, following and cornering her. I hollered no, stop! While going towards him as fast as I could.. he didn't stop until I had my hands on his flanks. He was still snarling at anything and everything while I put both hands on the sides of his cheeks/stuff. I had planned on picking him up to remove him from the situation(my kids don't wear collars indoors)- he told me with his growling and snarling face to put him down NOW.. I was soooo upset. I loudly request that my partners mom grab me a leash RIGHT NOW since there was four cats running around confused and frightened. Cinnamon was two feet away peering over the couch to see what his problem was. So, once he had the leash on I briskly put him in his kennel with no words until we got to the kennel- I tested him by tapping under chin to see if he would still threaten me.. he did not. He stayed in the kennel for an hour.
He keeps getting worse at his aggression towards the cats. It's very much scaring me. He is a grouch now. He used to sleep with his stormy kitty.. now he growls at her a third of the time when she walks by. I have just begun reading 'mine!' By jean donaldson. I really hope this does some good for the boy. I am absolutely NOT in a position to hire a behaviorist, however.. I will be doing so if I cannot adjust the problem myself. Considering I aspire to be a behaviorist myself, I truly hope I can overcome the issue with my buddy myself..