Puppy Physics

Puppies poop.  A LOT.  More comes out the stinky end than goes in the sharp end.  Conservation of matter would seem to prohibit this, but Demon Puppy rips the stuffing out of the Laws of Physics.

And they GROW.  A LOT. 

It's a good thing they are cute.

Anyway, Demon Puppy, in brief breaks from producing stinky conundrums, is attending classes.  She goes to flyball practice and gets cuddled and goes to Puppy Fun and plays with flat, baby puppy versions of agility equipment.  Being a baby, she shouldn't jump, or bend, or any joint damaging thing, but she's learning about recalls and fetch, surfaces and tunnels, and having a blast.  Plus it involves hot dog bits.

It's on the same night as Weasel Puppy's agility class, so they both ride in the car there, then trade out waiting in the crate while the other does her thing.  I need to work out the finer details.  The first time, Weasel's agility class was cancelled, so I had time to dump her at home and grab the Demon.  However, this week, both classes were on and I had a variety of "issues."  There was the treat bag that I could NOT open.  I spent most of Weasel's agility drill tearing bits off of it trying to get to the good stuff, crinkling in a distracting way during every one's runs.  Finally, someone couldn't stand it and got their keys and stabbed the bag.  

Then, there was the problem of the moving puppy class.  Demon Puppy's class was partially indoors, partially outdoors, and so I was dragging Weasel, and her crate, and her water bowl, and her crate cover, and Demon Puppy back and forth.

Agility instructors, be glad I am not your student.  Anyway, they were patient with my excessive neediness. 

Tonight, I was working on flyball skills.  Weasel and the Spoiled One got to bounce off the wall.   I gave up on a touch stick and just lure them with the ball, then throw it, so they get the whole "launch" idea.  I am afraid to do it too much, as it is a repetitive stress on their joints.  Demon Puppy got to do fetch, but she was going through a "ball?  yeah right - you go get it!"  phase.  So I made the ball zip around, gently attacking her nose and feet and tail and various spots and she decided it was fun again. 

Now, everyone is happily panting and some toy is squeaking.  Fortunately, it's not the cat.  Demon Puppy has actually been rather good about that. 



 

Little Demon Puppy Goes Visiting

The little Demon Puppy is getting far enough in her sequence of shots that I am feeling more secure taking her out and about, and she needs to get socialization in. So she has been meeting other dogs,






and other people, including some young children and an infant, which I am thrilled she gets a chance to be around. (There are some VERY cute pictures of her with the baby, from flyball practice, but she's not my kid so I'm not going to post pictures on the web without asking her family. But they are VERY cute. I mean, seriously, a puppy, a baby, what more could you ask for in cuteness?)

Sekhmet and her Aunt Shock (in the picture above) went on a walkabout in a local pet store to see new things and new people, and lots of strangers skritched the puppy. I am amazed at how many people know exactly what she is:

"Oh, they are so cute! What color are their eyes?"
"The puppy has one blue eye and one brown eye"
"Akitas!"
"?"
"Akitas!"

That was a new one. I am used to people thinking she's an aussie. Maybe a cattledog. But an Akita?

I suspect it's karma coming to get me because I have a pound puppy border collie that I fake registered in AKC as a mixed breed so she can compete in events (I couldn't find the ILP link at the time), that people keep picking on me and telling me "that is a purebred border collie." Now I have an AKC registered purebred border collie that people are calling an Akita. Karma.

Practice, Practice, Practice

It was hot today, and muggy. I don't think our hearts were in it.

The dogs did okay, but were not particularly focused. The Demon Puppy of Albuquerque did some nice restrained recalls over a short distance for hot dog bits. Spoiled One was spooked by his nemesis being too close to him in the line-up and ran around the jumps. Weasel was almost going for the tug, but she's been almost going for the tug at Saturday practices forever.

Just sort of an "eh" practice. .

Gizzy and Gracie continue to be more and more solid. Zoe is getting the basics of box work. Nacho was a little wonky, but he had been on a sleepover.

On the home front, Demon Puppy is getting more and more house privileges as she continues to learn her house-training. She and Weasel love to play:
















and the ears do what the ears will do: