Day 94

We went to work early this morning to do some vehicle hides and Hops did better than the first time. He stuck to my car better and had some good lessons about wind and vehicle hides. Then my first lesson arrived, a very friendly 10mo Old English Sheepdog and she and Hops played for awhile before the lesson started. They both had a blast running around and chasing each other. Hops then slept through her lesson and my first class.



When we went home for my break we did some peanut, doughnut and balance disk work. I am going to try to do this every day with all three dogs for two weeks like the instruction video says too. He already seems to have great core strength and loves working on all the balance equipment.



Back at work Hops wanted to do nosework with the rest of the class and was a little fussy. When I covered the crate though he quieted. During the short break between that class and the next I took Hops on a short traffic walk in the dark and he was calm and comfortable. Then he and Rice raced around the agility arena, Hops barking as he chased Rice around and around. I then had Hops do some tunnels and chutes with chasing me and playing tug as a reward. I tried rear crossing a straight tunnel and not only did he continue forward to the tunnel despite my lateral motion behind him but he repeatedly turned the correct direction coming out! Good boy!



Hops was good through the next class then had his fun and focus one class. We started with pushes and pulls around chairs and out in the open, then I set up stations for the students to rotate through. At one station they practiced backing to a plank then staying in two on two off position despite treat, toy and motion distractions. In another they walked across a tippy board. At the next station they practiced doing forward sends around a jump standard then running through the short chute, and at the last station the digs ran through a long, dark, curved tunnel, then through a jump standard to the table to do auto downs. Jeremiah said Hops did much better focusing on him this week though he was still biting him. Hops also played tug well with Jeremiah between activities. After the stations the dogs did a short course consisting of a jump standard, a table, a jump standard, a curved tunnel, a plank, another jump standard and ended with the chute. Hops and Jeremiah did a great job with the sequence and boy is Hops fast!



For dinner I had Hops practice some of the cues he knows (sit, down, stand, face, back, roll, say hello, touch, heel and side) and he did a great job not getting them mixed up. I end the session by working on being able to release one dog at a time. I started by having both he and Rice in a sit and one cookie on the ground. I said Rice release and blocked Hops when he tried to get the cookie. I reset them both and this time said Hops release and let him get the cookie. After a few reps Hops was able to keep his sit while I released Rice and still get up right away when I released him. Later I brought Dillon into the game and Hops was able to stay while I released Dillon and Rice to cookies on the floor. Smart puppy!

Day 89-93

This had been a tough, busy week with being out of town last weekend, Leland passing, and a long USDAA trial this weekend so I am going to condense a few days into one post.

 

On Wednesday Hops rode to and from work in the back of the car with Rice (wearing a seat belt) for the first time in my car. He did a great job and seemed to enjoy being up with Rice. He was perfect at work, quiet all day in the crate. He stayed home from the boy’s agility class to play with Sammy, a Portuguese Water dog staying with us until Friday. They are a perfect match and have been playing non stop every chance they get!

 

 

On Thursday Hops again went to work with me, and was very good for most of the night but was a little noisy at end. I was a long day for him. After all my classes were over Hops got to play with Riser, Seek, Cedar, Seamus and Rice for a little while and they had lots of fun!

 

On Friday Hops was left alone for a few hours (unusual for him) while I taught a workshop and he seemed fine when I came home, food toys empty. Taffy and Renee then came over for a play date then Hops stayed home with Jeremiah while I taught another workshop. He and Jeremiah played some fetch and he was good for his dad!

 

Saturday we had a USDAA trial and Hops of course went with us. As usual, he was great at trial, met lots of people, dogs and puppies and was very calm in the environment. On the way home he was fussy in the crate which is unusual but he had been in it a long time… I put a new bed in his crate tonight, a larger flat one, and he fussed and fussed until I put a pillow in with him! It seems he likes something to be able to lay his head on like Rice : ) He always has liked to play blanket monster!

 

Sunday we went to the trial again and Hops was once again great. He continues to love everyone new he meets and is ecstatic to see people he has met before. I was easily able to get him to play tug with his leash and to do sends around cones. He was again fussy in car but it had been another long day for him. When we got home I played some fetch with him but he is so into it now that I started asking for different behaviors before letting him go get the ball. He had trouble at first but then was able to quickly perform to be released to the ball. After fetch I practiced sending him around a tall stool to chase and play tug with me. Since he is pretty good at the post turn now I introduced the reverse post turn. He did pretty good with it. Then I gave him a new puzzle toy and he figured it out pretty quickly. A little later we played on balance disks, the peanut and the doughnut then we end the session with some perch work. Finally, he is tired! Before bed I filed his nails and brushed him and he was very calm for it. Good puppy!

Day 88

Today Hops would like to make a tribute to Leland, his older brother that he barely knew. Leland was put to sleep today at twelve and a half years because of advanced bladder cancer. Leland was a wonderful boy and will be missed by the many people who loved him. Here is a link to his photo album if you are interested:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.101596566525097.3656.100000242626401&type=3

Leland 2000-2013

 

Day 87

Everybody rested today when we were not at work. We were tired from the big weekend Portland trip! When we were at work Hops did a great job as usual. He had a little play time between classes then had his fun and focus one class. In class everyone practiced running the inside and outside of a long, dark, curved tunnel, practiced sending their dog around a cone then running away to the table to do auto downs, practiced going through a short chute to a target plate, practiced forward and lateral sends through jump standards, and practiced moving sits and downs. Every time I watched Jeremiah and Hops they looked great but Jeremiah reported that it was difficult to keep his attention and that he kept biting him when taking treats. Hmmm, I think the teenage times are starting!

Day 86

Hops got up early and left with Jeremiah to go take photos again. Jeremiah said he was really good and loved playing in the snow!

		Hops’s 2nd snow! VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Hops would also like to say congratulations to his big brother Rice for earning his first MACH yesterday!

Day 85

Hops left with Jeremiah in the morning to go take photos and Jeremiah said he was a good puppy. When they joined us at the Rose City Classic trial later they rode a bus because the parking lot was full (it is a very large dog show with lots of public attendance). Jeremiah said he was a little afraid of getting on the bus but loving being on it and watching and sniffing all the people and dogs going by and that he was not afraid on the way back and seemed to love riding on the bus. This was the busiest and loudest environment Hops has been in and it did not disturb him one bit. He loved watching all the people and dogs, but he did not get fixated, no hard stares, just soft curiosity. If he was in my lap and there was someone sitting next to me he usually ended up in their lap! He just works his way over and he is so cute and sweet that everyone loves him. I love this pup too!

Hops's first time on a bus.

Hops's second time on a bus.

Hops loving up on stranger's laps.

Day 84

Hops went to an appointment with me in the morning and was very good, just munching on a kong for the hour. Then we went to work for a meeting where he practiced, crate games, stays, go to bed, and played with a BC pup and his friend Finn. Hops was very well behaved and was great with the training we did.

 

 

After dinner we drove down to Vancouver to stay the night for the big Rise City Classic in the morning. Hops did great with the car ride and in the hotel all night.

Day 83

Hops had a Manner’s Minder (MM) lesson for breakfast. I started with a few collar grabs to it then had him do hand touches, get in a bowl, get on a stool, and retrieve plastic rings to the MM. At first there was lots of talking to, pawing at and biting at the MM as I did not instruct him what to do, I shaped it. After he realized he had to do something away from the MM to get a treat from it he did a great job and stopped pawing at it. I was especially impressed with his retrieving. He seemed very happy to go pick up the ring and drop it at the MM.

 

Later Hops went to work with me and was once again a very good boy. He was quiet in the crate, great will all the dog and people he greeted between classes and he did a great, quick heeling demo. After classes he had a short play time with Rice, Riser, Seek and Cedar then went back in the crate while I taught one more lesson.

 

Proof Hops retrieves!

Day 82

Hops went to work with me today. Before classes started I played tug with him and did chutes and tunnels with tug as the reward on the agility side. He is fun and fast to run already! He spent most of the day crated but was an angel. He never complained and his crate was uncovered (and has been for awhile) all day. He did a few short demos, the chute, moving downs and going around a cone. He did all of them very well.

Hops's mom, Joy, watching her son's training video.

She watched it five times!

When we came home the dogs ran around the yard then I crated Hops and trained the boys, then traded and brought Hops outside to train. We had an assignment to video him going around things so I practiced having him go around a stool, a trash can and a jump standard. He sometimes turned before making it around because he knew I was going to run away, but then we would try again and he would make it around before driving after me. What a fun puppy!

Hops just had an amazing nosework session. He is such a great puppy. We started with boxes with one combination odor out and four pizza boxes as distractions. At first there was only dried cheese in the pizza boxes and Hops paid no attention to them, alerting on the odor box every time. When I put fresh, high value treats in the pizza boxes, Hops stopped and tried to get in it the first time but we ignored him then I tapped a different box (not the odor box) and he left the distractor, started searching again and alerted on the odor box. The second time he stopped at the pizza box but quickly moved on, then they no longer distracted him. What a smart puppy! Then we did interiors searches. The first room had a birch and a combo hide and he is still new to multiple odors. He found the first one right away but went back to it, I walked away from it and he came with me and as soon as he got into odor near the 2nd hide he forgot about the first and alerted on the 2nd. Smart pup! He then searched 5 more rooms, doing a great job in all of them. He saw lots of new pictures and found all the hides. Great puppy!

Day 81

Hops was just about perfect in his recalls today while I played fetch with Rice and Dillon. At first I would only call him when he was close to me and I would immediately release him. As the session went on I started calling him when he was already on his way back and almost back (in the middle of chasing Dillon though), then when he was further away, then just before Dillon grabbed the ball and started back, then when Dillon was nearing the ball, and by the end of the session I was able to call him off of Dillon when he was in full chase after him! Woohoo! After awhile I put the boys inside and played fetch with Hops. At first I just threw the ball, then I held his collar, threw the ball and sent him out to it. He was perfect and brought the ball directly back to me every time. I also rewarded him with a treat every time.

I looked outside to see if the dogs were ready to come in and see Hops lying on the chair, just watching the yard.

He spotted me!

Time for posing!

And more posing! Good boys!

For Hops’s dinner, I played the “Bermuda Triangle Game”. I had a crate, a bed and a tall stool arranged in a triangle and I sent him form one to the other. Bed meant go to the mat and down, kennel meant go into the kennel and around meant go around the stool. I always supported the object I was naming with appropriate body language (inside hand, shoulders facing object). He did a great job with the game. Then we did some perch work, then I had him get in and on a bowl, then we practiced roll over and he was able to do it while I remained standing and we ended with some heel and side work. He was great with everything we practiced tonight.

Day 80

 

Hops had a long day with me. It started with nosework class at work and since the other student did not show he had an hour private lesson with me! He did an amazing job. We started with boxes with one odor out and he nailed those. Then I added kibble and zukes to one box and he completely ignored it, going right over to down at the odor box, good puppy! Next came interior hides, all high because I noticed those were more challenging for him. Not today though! I did two rounds of three hides and he did a great job and found all of them! Next I introduced him to exterior hides. He worked just like he did indoors, finding them all quickly. To end with I introduced vehicles and he did great with those as well. I started him right in front of one hide and after finding that one he started searching the car. What a great puppy! Next I took him to a park but there was no one there, so I took him to Fred Meyer and walked him around the parking lot. He did great there and in Mud Bay, sitting for the people he met. Next we went back to Dog’s World and played tug and fetch then did a bunch of recalls with toy distractions. He had some trouble with his stays as I was leading out quiet a ways but he was still able to do them and almost always made the correct choice of which side of me to come to. Most of the time I had a toy dangling in my outside hand or the toy on the floor. If the toy was in my hand I brought it to my inside and when he reached it and played with him there. If it was on the ground I did a pull or front cross and released him to it if he came with me. He was then quiet for the 1.5 hour agility class I taught then we went home for a break.

 

 

At home Taffy came over for a short play time and they had a blast running around the yard together!

 

When we went back to work Hops was perfect in the crate. He was so tired from all our playing and training he fell right asleep. After sleeping through two classes Hops had his fun and focus class. He did great with everything we did: crate games, backing to a plank, forward and lateral sends to a jump standard, automatic downs on the table, recall, run, send with a short tunnel, perch work, retrained recalls, tug, and he demoed moving downs. He then went home with Jeremiah who he said he was very well behaved for him.

Day 79

Hops once again went with us to the trial and did great. On the way home we stopped by some horses. He was afraid but was able to eat treats off the ground right in front of the horses and was literally nose to nose with one of them as he was eating the treats. I love how curious and friendly so many horses are! I definitely need to continue to socialize him to livestock. Big dogs he does great with but horses are still intimidating!

 

Before the sun went down I took Hops on a walk for a little over an hour around the neighborhood near us. He did a really good job with the cars and barking dogs. We saw some people but he only met one, Vanilla’s owner (an 8wk old cockapoo we met). He was really friendly and calm with the puppy and the owner. He also had no problem doing moving sits, downs and stands while on the walk and responded to his name well. He spent most of the time out at the end of his six foot leash, pulling very lightly on his harness but would continue to check in.

 

All the boys were tired after a long day!

Day 78

Hops had a big day today. It started with him going to the the trial again and as always he loved all the attention he received and was wonderfully behaved. After the trial Jeremiah and I took Hops to Home Depo where Hops was beautifully behaved and was petted by a 8ish year old girl with no fear. He wanted to say hello to her! Big progress! Later we took all three boys on a walk at Allen York Park in Bonney Lake. Hops was hit right away by what have been two of his biggest fears, a skate park and a little kid. The skate park was in full use and Hops noticed it as soon as he was out of the car. He stayed calm though, sat close to me while I finished putting extra layers on and watched and flinched a little at the loud clanging sounds. I gave him treats when the skateboards clanged. The trail we were head for was just past the skaters so we headed closer and I feed Hops as we went. Before we even made it to the skaters though, a little girl (3 to 4ish) spots Hops and runs straight at him! Hops did a great job, he sat and squirmed (and peed) but held his ground, did not run away. He was afraid but he wanted to greet her. She petted him and he allowed it and I gave him lots of treats! I was very proud of how he handled that, it would have been different a month ago. Next came the skaters and he has made big strides there too. He was calm and was able to walk to about 20ft away (we could not go closer because of a fence) and watch the skaters. I gave him treats at the clangs and he was able to eat them and do tricks for them. When we started heading down the trail, I could swear Hops was tracking the little girl. He was out at the end of his 20ft leash and with his nose to the ground in the middle of the trail and soon we caught up to them and walked with them for a little while. Hops was very interested in the little girl. He would walk next to her and watch her, then look back at me or come back to me for a cookie. Then he would go back out and walk next to her and stare at her again. I am not sure what he was thinking, but I know he was thinking. We left them behind after a little while and continued on our walk. Hops was very confident and spent most of his time out at the end of his leash (but nose up, not tracking anymore). He always came when I called him and I could keep him with me if I wanted to. When we reached the end of the trail and walked through neighborhoods, I kept him on a shorter leash. He handled the cars without a problem and was not afraid when a barking dog charged a chain link fence we walked past. On the way back through the woods, we took a detour off the main trail. To do so we had to cross a small (6-8ft) stream. There were logs going across it, so Jeremiah, Dillon and I crossed on the logs, Rice of course walked through the stream, and Hops remained on the other side, too afraid to cross either way. It took some encouraging, but Jeremiah and I convinced Hops to join us and he crawled across the logs to us. Good boy! On the way back he he did not think twice about crossing on the logs, but because he did not slow down he fell into the stream as soon as got on the first log. He pulled him self back up though and crossed the rest of the way without a problem. We stopped by the skaters on the way back and Hops definitely does not like them but he is doing so much better and is not afraid anymore. Good boy!

 

For dinner Hops was brushed which he was really good for, had the hair on his toes trimmed which he was fussy for, and had a training lesson which he was great at. I started with perch work and he did better than ever, then I brought out the paw pods for some shaping. He interacted with them right away but only with his front feet which he has done before. So I put all four in a line behind him knowing that would cause him to back and hopefully get his back feet on them. I clicked and treated a couple of times when he stepped on them while backing up then held out for some duration. When he had backed up and over the pods several times in a row with no click he stopped and looked me in the eye. I could just see him thinking, telling me that he backed up, why didn’t that work? Then he would try again and he would get his back paws on the pods and hold them there. Click treat! Good boy! We went through that several times before he was able to do it a little more easily. Then we did a bunch of things just a few times. Hand touches, roll, face, sit, down, stand, heel, side, front, finish, and heeling with side steps and pushes and pulls. He did a great job with everything.

Day 77

Hops went to the trial with us this morning. He was great in the car when driving and when parked and crated. He walked nicely around the parking lot with me and was even able to do stays and recalls with tugging as the reward. He said hello to a sheltie puppy, a German Shepherd puppy, a couple of springer puppies and a few calm adult dogs. He said hello to many different people, greeting those he has met before with extra enthusiasm and he spent time in other people’s arms too. He was such a cuddle bug with me at the trial. We would sit under the heaters, watching dogs run and he would just snuggle into me and relax! He is such a good puppy! On the way home from the trial I stopped by the Buckley skate park. Hops was still afraid but not as much as the first time. He was quickly able to walk around and do pushups. We walked away and played on the playground equipment then walked back and watched the kids skateboard again. I gave him a treat every time they made a loud noise and he grew more comfortable with the sounds. I am sure if we continue to condition him to skate parks he will get over it. The last stop on our way home was Pet Pros for dog food. He met a couple of small barky dogs and some new humans too. He climbed on whatever he could while we walked around and waited nicely in a down while I purchased the food.

 

I played some fetch with Hops in the bedroom, randomly rewarding every, every other, or every third retrieve and he continued to bring the ball back with enthusiasm, good boy!

Day 76

I played fetch with Hops both inside and outside before going to work today. He did a great job bringing the ball right back to me and I started to not feed him every time he brought the ball back and that did not seem to effect his retrieve.

 

Later Hops went to work with me and was perfect all day while crated. He did not make a peep today. When I had a short break he went with me to the bank and was very good, downing and waiting calmly. After all my classes were over Hops and Rice got to play with with Riser, a three month old BC and two adult female BC’s Seek and Cedar. What fun they had! This was the second time Hops and Riser have played and they wrestled and tugged and chases and played like crazy! Good puppies!

 

Day 75

Hops went to work with me today and was really good as usual. There was not much time for training at work today though he did do a short recall to heel demo. He went to the vet for another shot and was good for that. We had to wait forever for our appointment so while we waited we practiced it’s your choice while he was on the exam table and I brushed him. He was great for the vet and for the shot and did a great sit stay on the scale, weighing in at 20.5 pounds!

 

 

Hops stayed at home alone for a little while then was good for Jeremiah while the big boys and I were at agility class. We did lots of playing after I came home but little training. I did find out he needs lots of work with playing gently when there are no toys! Ouch!

Day 74

Hops had breakfast out of a food toy today then a little later Taffy came over to play. They ran around and chased and wrestled then I had Hops do some long down stays while I did chores. He did great with that and just ended up falling asleep.

 

We went to my parents house for dinner because some friends of their wanted to see the dogs do nosework. Well the boys sure showed off! Rice and Dillon found all five hides right away and Hops was right behind them! He had no problem searching in a new area and was very focused. He went from room to room on him own, going ahead of me without a problem. He also sat or downed at each source, what a puppy! He found odor in a slipper, under a cabinet door, on the edge of a bathtub, on the leg of an exercise machine, on a plastic box, on the leg of a table, on a chest and on a bench. The only one he really had to search for was the table leg hide. He never stopped though, kept going until he found it! Hops was also great with meeting new people and he chewed quietly on his chewie while everyone ate dinner.

 

For dinner Hops had a training lesson starting with getting in and on a bowl then shaping him to get into smaller and smaller boxes, ending with him in a 8X6 inch box. Good puppy! Then he did some pushups with back and roll and touch mixed in and he rarely make a mistake, he seems to know all those words now. Then I had him retrieve a small and a large plastic cup, a plastic lid, a large metal and rubber clip, an old plastic cell phone, a toilet paper roll, a plastic dumbbell and a timer then Jeremiah had him do the same for him. He performed better for me, always going right for the item and returning to my hand. He dropped some of the items but always picked them back up again. He was not as focused with Jeremiah, trying to chew on some of the items instead of retrieving them.

Day 73

Hops went to work with me today and was a good boy the entire day. There was time between lessons and classes in the morning so when the puppy day camp had play times I took Hops over to play. He had so much fun racing around with his buddy Finn and the other puppies. In addition to Finn he played with a standard poodle, a golden, a welsh terrier, a spinoni and havanese mix, all around three to four months of age. What fun that was to watch! He played very nicely and came whenever I called him. He was great in nosework class, very focused. We started with two rows of boxes with one box with birch in it and he was perfect. He stayed focused on the boxes and downed as soon as he reached the odor box. He also stayed with it when I continued walking, he is such a good puppy! I had a star pattern set up for the second part of class, a chair in the middle with stools and cones surrounding it. The hide is on the chair and the dogs use the plastic cones and chairs to help them pinpoint where the odor is. He did great with most of the chair hides but the high one he really had to work for. I also did a couple of threshold hides and he nailed those. When it was just Hops I tried adding distractors to the boxes. When I put kibble in one box Hops paid no attention to it and went right on to alert on the odor box. When I put higher value treats in a box, he stopped at it though he did not alert. I kept moving and he came with me. After stopping at it twice he started to ignore it and focused only on the odor box. Smart puppy! In between classes we also worked a little bit on perch work, the chute, the tunnel, the table, and sends to jump standards. Hops did great with everything.

 

In the evening Hops is in fun and focus one class and he did a great job for Jeremiah. He did stays with distractions with release to play tug, backed to the narrow and of a plank and stayed there with food and motion distractions, he did forward and lateral sends to jump standards, quick sits and downs with release to play and he did crate games. He excelled at everything was a very good puppy! We measured the dogs after class and Hops was 16.5 inches, Love was 17 inches. He still has some catching up to do if he is going to get bigger than his sister!

Day 72

Hops started his morning with perch work on a balance disk. I added myself into the mix and worked on him taking side steps with his back feet to end up in heel. He moved into heel better than into side position. We then worked on picking up a plastic measuring cup, a plastic dumbbell, a rubber handle and his nylon leash. He did a fantastic job, picking up each item and raising it directly to my hand, no backing up, no tossing the item, lifting and holding. Wow! We then played find the hole with his agility leash then a gentle leader. After putting his nose through the nose loop several times I put the leader on and had him do pushups, roll, bang and say hello while he was wearing it. He focused very well with it on. I then took it off and worked on backing without a target and built up to me standing up. He did great! It is interesting that he continues to pus his head down when he backs.

 

Later in the morning I played fetch with Hops, again with a ball thrown down the hallway. He was perfect, retrieving the ball thirty times in a row. Unless he accidently dropped it he brought the ball right back to me and dropped it at my feet for a treat. If he did drop it he picked it right back up and continued on his way to me. Good puppy!

 

Hops went to work with me today and had lots of play during the gap between my classes. First he played with two aussies, one 10 months one 20 months. They chased and wrestled and had lots of fun! When they left I played tug with Hops then had him do forward and lateral sends to a jump standard with tugging as the reward. I then practiced sending him to wrap a standard or wing then ran away, calling him to my inside hand with his toy in my outside hand as a distraction. As usual, if he came to the correct hand I passed the toy to that hand and played tug. If he chose incorrectly I removed the toy and we tried again. Next I put him in a sit stay, led out to the first jump then ran with him past two more. If he ran through all three standards I tossed his toy out in front of him. To end with I had him do pushups while on a short elevated plank. I elevated him so I could work on distance without him being able to move forward. He was able to do all three position changes with me three or four feet away.

 

This evening we went to our friend Kate’s house for nosework. Hops did a great job with all the interior hides (there were seven in all). There was a hide in a cat door, in a cat scratching toy, up on cat furniture (about 3.5 feet high), in toilet paper roll holder, on a basket, on the bottom of a trash can and on a table leg. He was a little distracted by all the new smells but got to work quickly and then went from hide to hide! He downed at all the low hides and sat at the medium ones. He had a little trouble with the boxes but that might have been because they were outside and he has not yet done nosework outside. I also think I need to do more on leash nosework with him. It was a great experience for him though and we were very proud of how well he did. After all six dogs had their turn searching, we brought Hops and Jack (their 6 month old lab puppy) in to play. They were not very interested in playing with each other at first but they warmed up and then had a romping good time! One of the funniest moments of the night was when Hops found their cat’s cat nip nail scratcher and he started rubbing himself on it just like a cat! He then played like crazy with the cat nip toy they had! Silly puppy!

 

Before bed Jeremiah had a training session with Hops. They worked on backing without a target, rolling over, bang, getting in a box, going around a chair, touch, face, it’s your choice with food, say hello, retrieving a handle to his hand, and balancing on balance disks. What a good team they make!

Day 71

Hops can now easily and calmly stay on the mat by the backdoor while I go out of sight to the pantry to where the dog food is kept. After feeding him a little breakfast and letting him play around the house on his own for awhile I tried to play a game of fetch with him. I sat on the ground at on end of the house with a mat in front of me then a mat at the end of the hall at the other end of the house. I threw the ball down the hall : ) and Hops retrieved it twenty times before he stopped brining it directly back to me! Wow! What a good puppy!

 

All three boys and Jeremiah and I went to my parents house for dinner. Hops loved all the attention from my family that he knew and from the family he had not met before. He was calm around the cat again, was great about leaving the food alone that was at nose level and he was able to chill quietly with Rice and Dillon while the humans ate dinner.

 

Before bed I shaped Hops to get in and on a new box that was about four inches high. He was able to offer both behaviors but getting on was much easier for him then getting in.

Day 70

Hops had his breakfast in a food toy and in the afternoon Taffy came over for a play date. They ran around and played like mad for about an hour then Renee and I took them to a small local park. They were both a little spooked when we first arrived because there was a dog behind a fence fear barking, but they settled in and quickly forgot the barking when we came across a little boy and his mother. Hops was a little cautious but went up to the little boy (who was pretty calm) to say hello and he calmly greet the mom too. Then we walked the pups around the park and Hops was great for that. Some nearby crows caught his attention but when I called him to me after letting him watch them for a few moments he came right to me and was able to keep his focus on me. Then both puppies climbed on the playground equipment and when we walked to the shelter they walked along picnic table benches. An off leash dog came towards us and I picked Hops up because he did not look friendly. Luckily his owners came around the corner and were able to call him away.

 

Later we had to return a gift to Costco so I put Hops’s new little backpack on him (empty of course) and took him in with us. He was wonderful, just watched and took everything in stride. He was easily able to focus on me and do all his tricks in the busy environment.

 

Hops was brushed tonight and did a great job with keeping a stand while I brushed. There has been marked improvement with his stand stay.

Day 69

Hops had his breakfast out of a food toy and spent lots of time playing with Rice and Dillon this morning.

I took Hops to a park in Sumner before going to work today. He was able to play tug with me as soon as we got out of the car and he did a bunch of stays and comes with tugging as the reward. Then we walked across the park to the playground equipment and climbed all over it. Hops as usual had no fear of heights or of the surface under him moving (swaying bridge). He climbed up open mesh steps and slid down slides. He climbed up on a merry go round toy too and had no concern when I turned it! Good puppy!



Hops was good in the crate at work and greeted lots of dogs and people. He stood his ground and fearlessly greeted a huge Leonburger who crossed the room to say hello to him. I had a break in classes today so Hops had an outing to Petco and Home Depo. He was great in Petco, greeting people by wagging his body and sitting and he climbed on anything he could climb on. We tried putting booties on him, hoping for an entertaining show like Rice gave us when we first puts boots on him, but Hops just took them in stride and walked normally! No fun! He also had no problem wearing a small backpack we put on him. He is such a good puppy! He was great in Home Depo too, walking well and taking everything in stride. He offered a down on one of the carts and I pushed him around a little and he seemed to enjoy it! Which it should not have surprised me later when Hops decided he was ready to do a full size teeter on his own! I had just let him out of his crate and he ran over to it, up the plank, rode it down and stood at the end, looking up at me calmly for his cookie. Crazy good puppy!

Day 68

Hops went to work with me and was a good boy again. He met a new BC friend, loved up on his human friends, played with me, and snoozed and chewed in his crate. He was quiet for the most part though he fussed a couple of times near the end of classes. When I told him to be quiet though he did immediately.

 

When we came home, Hops played with Rice and Dillon in the yard then I put the boys in the house and I played with Hops outside. I brought out one of his favorite tug toys and started by just playing tug with him. Then I worked on being able to run away from him in a sit stay then call him to one side of me with the toy dangling on the other side. He made the correct choice about three fourths of the time and when he did I brought the tug to the side he came to and tugged with him. I also worked on doing some pulls and front crosses at speed, tugging with him if he ended up on the side he was supposed to. Pulling to the left was easier than to to right for some reason. He was fun to play with and boy is he fast already! He did get naughty once near the end of the session and nipped me on the heels. I stopped and told him no, that we do not do that! Then I put him on a sit stay and tried again. He did not nip again but I am sure this is something we will have to watch for!

 

I left Hops at home when the boys and I went to agility class and he had a blast playing with Jeremiah while we were gone. Jeremiah had Hops going to bed (he said he did great but could only go to the bed if he could see it), they worked on bang, rolling over and pushups and he did well with all of them. Jeremiah also had Hops playing fetch with a tennis ball! Real fetch! Running across the house to chase it and brining it right back. Even picking it back up if he dropped it! Good puppy! Hops also met the Swan’s guy and was good for that. The only thing Hops did not do well was back, but that is because it is still context specific (he is best with a foot target behind him and I have been on the ground, he does not know it as well if I am standing) and Jeremiah did not know that.

 

Day 67

Hops had a big day today. We woke up early so Jeremiah could take sunrise photos. After that then breakfast we took the boys to Celebration Park in Federal Way and walked the trails for almost 2 hours. Hops did great and surprised up both by how confident he was. I had him on a twenty foot leash and a harness and he was out at the end of it pulling for at least a third of the walk! He came every time either of us called him and was a pleasure to walk. He loved it when part of the pack ran ahead and he got to chase them!

After we came home, my friend Kristen and her two dogs Callie and Da Vinci came over for a play date. It is always fun to watch puppies play and make new friends!

Hops stayed at home with Jeremiah when I went to work in the afternoon and he said that Hops was quiet in his crate the entire time, even with him banging around in the garage. Good puppy!

It is official! Hops turned four months yesterday and today he lost his first tooth! He measured in at 16 inches tall and 19 pounds today!

Day 66

I did some pushups with Hops this morning and ended up focusing on him staying in the down because he started popping up whenever I praised him! Goodness! So I worked on cuing the down, praising, then if he stayed down rewarding. Once he started doing that better I had him do more position changes and he was good with those. Then I worked a little on roll and he was rolling on a verbal cue after needing a hand signal for the first one. We then did some recalls outside, calling him away from the boys. He did alright but still needs lots of work with coming and staying away from distractions!

 

I took Hops to work with me and tugged and ran around with him before my first student arrived. He played well and also did great when I sent him around standards and through tunnels and the chute. I continued to play with him after my student arrived and started warming her dog up. It was more difficult to keep his attention as he wanted to greet them but he was able to refocus on me and play and go through tunnels again so it was a great distraction to work through! After work Rice, Dillon Hops and I ran around the arena. Hops is getting really fast and boy does he like to bark when he really gets running!

 

Hops had a long training session for dinner tonight. I started with perch work on a balance disk. He is continuing to improve and I was able to step in and have him offer to take side steps to get himself into heel. Right now he steps better to the right then to the left. Then we did a take session, first with the handle we have been working with then with a plastic measuring cup. He continues to improve with this too, and put the handle in my hands many times. He does not always get it there though, sometimes he just tosses it or walks aimlessly with it. When I tried the cup for the first time tonight he did great. He picked it up right away and when he gripped it by the handle he brought it to my hand better than the handle. Then we reviewed shaping him to put his head through a nose loop and then I hooked the head collar around his neck for the first time. Hops did not respond at all, just sat there looking at me for a treat just like he did when it was just resting on his nose. When I tried to heel around the house while he wore it he did fuss some, stopped and tried to paw it off, but he was able to work through it and refocus while wearing it. Good puppy! To end the session I brought out my old rally book and went through the signs with Hops. There are only fifty signs in my book, it does not have any of the new signs but out of the fifty there were only a handful that Hops needs work on! He should have no problem competing in rally!

 

A little later everyone had a session on the peanut. Hops loves it! He is big enough now to jump on it by himself and he can sit, down, stand, turn around, and give paws while balancing on it. Good puppy!

 

Later Jeremiah played tug with Hops, having him do sits, downs, stays, comes and it’s your choice with reward to play tug. They had lots of fun together! When I asked Jeremiah for a report on the session he said “He is good at mopping the floor.” Hops seems to like to roll on his back while playing tug and be drug across the floor : )

 

Hops did fine with the fire works though he did not love them. He was very aware of them but was willing to go outside and go potty even when there were all going off at midnight. And, he was willing to go back outside into the fireworks because he needed to go #2! Good boy for telling me and good boy for being brave!