Indigo

Ah, our “baby” girl. At 6 months, she was pretty close to 70 pounds, so she’s not that small. I’m not sure she ever was. She was born in February of 2008. She’s the “I” litter, so we chose an “I” name so her call name matched the registered name. She’s Landhof’s Indigo of Brush Creek, AKA Indy, Indignant and Goat.

This is what she looked like when we brought her home.

She’s a fair bit bigger now, but I’ll let you see how she grows over time via blog posts.

Country Fun

Monday, July 26th, 2010 | Beowulf, Indigo, Ozzy

We braved the torrential downpours and headed out to beautiful Galena, Illinois this weekend. It was time to introduce Ozzy to the country and horses. You should realize just how much Ozzy is adored by his grandpa that he is allowed out to the cabin and he’s not completely house trained yet… Granted, the only one of our dogs that had an accident was Beowulf, but I think it was more marking his territory.

We were told that a new dog run area was added out to the yard by the house, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was very happy when we got there, as it was a very nicely sized area off of the screened porch that included a tree for shade. We still had to get the dogs from the house to it, but it is a wonderful addition to the property, and we are extremely grateful that it’s there. The in-laws have a couple of little dogs, and it is wonderful for all of us!

There were bad storms all Friday night, which means Beowulf had to be tranquilized. We thought at first he might be ok because he was sleeping in the room with us, but he was not. He didn’t whine continuously, but he paced around and around, which included several laps around the bed, many of which had him stepping on my head, hair, legs, etc. He was much more relaxed after the pills kicked in. Go figure.

Saturday was still a bit rainy in the morning (and a little in the afternoon), but we were able to squeeze in a visit to the horses (Ozzy’s first time!) and Indy and I were able to get a nice hike in. I would be very sad if she was unable to run around on the back hill/pasture area that she loves so much.

OK, picture time!

Ozzy “meeting” one of the minis. He was a little nervous at first and not really sure what to make of them.

Although the horses and Indy were definitely interested!

This was about as close as Ozzy got.

Then we moved on to the standard horses. Indy and Apache are good friends. She has never shown any hesitation with them, although she was about a year old when she first met them.

Hmmm, you’re a lot bigger than those other horses…

But within a couple of minutes, Ozzy was pretty much over Apache.

This is a very stoned (and happy) Basset Hound.

Because of his “condition” we could not take him around the property until late Saturday. His rear legs always have issues working, and the inner lid covers his eyes so much, he cannot see very well at all.

Hanging out on the screened porch – not sure if he’s going to play yet…

Teddy and Stella.

Stella is a Pomerian Poodle rescue, and is quite a cutie. Indy is almost obsessed with her, and they play quite well. Ozzy also enjoys playing with her.

Rawr! (OK, it’s a yawn…)

Passed out puppy.

Pink pads.

Teddy…

Although Stella and Indy played, Stella did seem a little more interested in Ozzy, likely because of his size. I wonder what she’ll think the next time she meets him.

As I mentioned, Indy and I got in a decent hike. I cannot deny her the opportunity to make crop circles.

And that long grass is quite tasty.

Recharging.

Come on! You are way too slow!

What a pretty girl dog.

Back at the cabin…

I love this shot of the sleepy boy.

Stella is totally fierce.

Sunday weather was gorgeous, of course…so we took a walk in the morning, and Ozzy totally pounced on Indy. I’m surprised I got anything on camera because it happened so fast.

Everyone got their zoomies out before we left for home.

They were all a little soggy and tired.

Even Indy.

It was a very nice weekend-a good time was had by all. And the return trip was so peaceful with a truck full of passed out dogs!

House training Ozzy

Friday, July 23rd, 2010 | Gryffindor, Indigo, Ozzy

You’ve likely read before that Swissies are very hard to house train. Or can be. Indy took about 9 months before she was slightly reliable outside of a crate. Similar (or longer) for Gryffin.

Well, Ozzy seems to be a bit better. I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Yes, he has accidents. But his signals are clear, and sometimes he even…get this…tells us he has to go! Especially this week.

It’s interesting, as I think the process has improved quite a bit this week, and it was never really bad. We’re clicker training this time around, which we’ve never tried before. And it’s working – with the other dogs too. But on average, he’s having one “oops” a day. It’s never been poop – only pee. And he’s never gone in his crate. (Although I suppose there’s always a first time.)

So I have high hopes for him-maybe he’ll be reliable before 9 months? Could he be one of those rare, not super hard to house train, Swissies?

Well, that was different.

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010 | Beowulf, Indigo, Ozzy

I woke up with the alarm clock this morning at 5:15am. Dan and I had a very quick mumbled discussion and determined that neither of us had to let Ozzy out over night, so we were very pleased.

Until I got to the door of the bedroom, that is. Then I realized why.

Ozzy was waiting at the baby gate in front of the door. He looked sleepy and felt all nice and warm. Yup, he was free and roaming our house for who knows how long.

I was up around 2am (the time he normally wakes up) and swear I heard him shift in his crate and sigh, but I could be manufacturing that memory or something. So, we don’t really know how long he was out. There was a small swizzle in the hall (I guess he only got the O of Ozzy out) and another pee spot that was likely his, but that was it.

We are not really sure what happened. It’s possible that the crate wasn’t completely closed when we went to bed. It’s also possible that Ozzy opened the crate because we didn’t lock it. The other possibility is that Beowulf let him out, as he is well versed in opening that specific crate when it’s not locked. (It used to be his crate…and he would regularly open it with a well placed shovel nose.)

It’s not something we want to have happen again, but it was the best night of sleep I’ve had in a while.

Wordless Wednesday

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010 | Indigo, Ozzy

Fun for the whole family!

Monday, July 12th, 2010 | Beowulf, Indigo, Litter Mates and Swissy Friends, Ozzy

Yup, we had that much fun!

We decided to have a few friends over with dogs (all healthy and immunized, of course) on Saturday to help with Ozzy’s socialization and just to have fun. The house seemed very crowded, but there weren’t that many people. I think it was the Leos, Saint Bernards and Swissies that made it seem crowded. Of course, when it cooled off a bit outside and the yard was all shaded, it was even better!

I think you’d prefer pictures to reading my diatribe…

Ozzy having sleepy time around the time they started arriving.