Ozzy the Swissy
A first
Tuesday, October 4th, 2011 | Dogs, Ozzy | No Comments
The gorgeous weather here over the past few days has meant lots of walks for the dogs. On Saturday, we experienced a first.
Not only did we have to stop every 15 feet for the “what type of dog is that” questions, but we had three separate instances of stalking. Well, sort of stalking. Cars pulled over and parked, people jumped out and called after us. They’d yell something along the lines of “OMG, is that a Swissy??”! And then we’d proceed to answer questions for 15 minutes.
This is a good thing. I’m glad to see that people are more interested in Swissies. And they seem to be coming prepared with the right questions. And yes, they seem to be doing their research. I just need to remember to bring my business cards with me so it’s easier to keep track of them.
And it’s a good thing that this always happens with Ozzy.
There’s nothing better…
Sunday, September 18th, 2011 | Indigo, Ozzy | No Comments
You may have guessed, or not, that I was traveling last week. It was not fun at all. It was work. The only good thing about the week was getting home on Friday night.
I will admit that I was worried the dogs had forgotten me. Or maybe they just didn’t miss me that much at all. But I was greeted at the door (I almost sneaked in because my ride was a hybrid and super quiet) by a very happy Indy and Ozzy. OK, so it was mainly Indy that was overjoyed to see me. Ozzy was happy in his normal chilled out sort of way. But the joy Indy displayed melted the ice from my heart.
(Hanging out with sales reps will make your heart ice over. It’s the only way to survive.)
TTFN!
Walkies!
Sunday, September 4th, 2011 | Dogs, Indigo, Ozzy | 2 Comments
I’ve been wanting to do this for a while. Since Saturday was a bit too hot for either dog to take a decent hike, (and since walking was about all I could do since I hadn’t had any delicious carbs in 6 days) my walking companion was my camera. And you.
We have a few different routes we’ll take. I try not to take the dogs on the same route each time we go for a walk. I think it’s important for them to experience different smells, sounds and people. The one you are joining me for is one of the prettier walks that takes us through the woods and the downtown area of Downers Grove. It’s a good walk for Ozzy when it’s 60 to 80 degrees with no humidity. If it’s cooler, we’ll add at least a mile to it to make it the same as Indy’s standard walk.
Let’s get going.
Here’s a look down our street as we near our first park. The brick road makes it prettier than our block.
There tend to be lots of shady spots for Swissies at this time of year. It’s a good thing.
One of my favorite things about this walk.
It’s called Prince Pond.
Downers Grove has lots of parks and areas like this. This is probably the best one in the village, in my opinion.
OK, time to move on.
It was actually a lot of fun to walk around this way. I noticed so many things that I don’t normally when I’m walking the dogs. This was one of them.
This is an area outside an assisted living center. We’ve stopped here before because some of the residents like to pet Ozzy. (Indy, notsomuch.)
Even the bank area is pretty.
We have a train that runs from the western Chicago suburbs (that’s us!) into the the city. Of course, there are freight trains too. We got lucky and didn’t get stuck on this walk.
Townhomes – city living in the suburbs. About a block from the train.
Sometimes, I feel like I’m in the south. Not sure why.
I know where most of these are on our routes. This one happens to be a great family with a golden retriever. The fence is in the front yard too, but the dog never charges us when we walk by. And it doesn’t go all the way up to the sidewalk.
Ahh, another favorite part of this walk. This is the one area in my town that I’d love to move to. If I could afford it. And if I could take my neighborhood with me.
And yes, it’s the woods. Not just an area with a few extra trees.
Look – a creek! Or is that pronounced “crick”?
Never underestimate shade.
These people have the most gorgeous front yard. They love gardening. I do not.
A trail to the forest preserve. Too long for Ozzy at this time of year.
One of the exit routes from the woods (pedestrian only for this one) leads us to my mom’s church.
One of the best things is to walk by on a Sunday when there’s a service. If the weather is right and the windows are open, you can hear the congregation singing hymns. It’s one of the most peaceful and pleasant things. Otherwise, if we time it just right, we may go in and visit grandma. She is out of town now, but we ran into some of her friends and their kids outside today and they had fun with a very well behaved Ozzy.
I find it cool that people with students at Downers Grove North High School in athletics will frequently display these in their front yards.
It’s sad that the village actually has to post this.
The new band shelter.
There’s been a band shelter here as long as I can remember. This one was built over the last year to replace one that was about 30 years old. On Tuesday nights in the summer (weather permitting), they hold free concerts.
HA!
Downtown.
More interesting stuff for you. Downers Grove is one of the few cities in the US that has a cemetary on the main street.
We walk by, but never through with dogs. I don’t think it’s respectful. You know Ozzy would pee on every one of those graves.
The wine store. Ozzy got drunk here (kidding!), as a puppy.
A cool store.
One of my favorite places.
And every dog in Downers Grove’s favorite store.
The Barkery was having an adoption event for the West Suburban Humane Society on Saturday. So we spent a few minutes there. Polly, a Border Collie/Sneaky Neighbor Dog puppy was there and available. She was quite calm.
Inside, there was a gorgeous puppy (Beth, one of the Barkery’s owners is fostering). I am bad and cannot remember the pup’s name.
This is Shiloh. We actually met him last year at a dog park when he was a wee little puppy.
There were a few kittens available for adoption as well. Too bad I’m allergic.
Moving on…
I love that Downers Grove still has a book store.
And we have a gorgeous movie theater. Second run.
Everyone’s favorite vet. We love that they are walking distance – just about 4 blocks away.
Check out the wildlife!
And Dobby, the adorable dog around the corner.
Which means we’re home! Are you tired?
Thanks for reading!
Happy Anniversary? Birthday?
Friday, September 2nd, 2011 | Alex, Beowulf, Dogs, Gryffindor, Indigo, Ozzy | 3 Comments
Or maybe it’s Happy Blogiversary?
Either way, Indy, Ozzy and I (plus Alex, Gryffin and Beowulf) have been doing this for three whole years. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading, as I have definitely enjoyed writing.
To celebrate, we’re doing a giveaway. It’s not the same as the past two years – it will not be based on comments. I haven’t been blogging enough to do that, methinks, and I want it to be different. So, we’re doing a trivia contest! Which means one lucky person will receive some gifts from Indy and Ozzy!
I’ll bet you’re wondering what gifts Indy and Ozzy could possible give you that aren’t bio hazards, right? But never fear, I monitored their online shopping, and I think we’re good. The winner will receive a couple of things, but some are not determined yet. I will wait to see the size of the winner’s dog so they don’t end up with something bigger than their dog. Suffice it to say that those prizes will be Indy’s and Ozzy’s “favorite things”. (Ozzy is a HUGE Oprah fan…)
The one prize I know for sure is a Mountain Smith K-9 Cube, valued at $60.
It’s quite neat. It includes:
Drop down food tray
Collapsible water bowl with PEVA waterproof liner
Collapsible food bowl with cinch cord
Removable PEVA lined Food container for overnight stays
Removable interior divider
Unique top pocket access to plastic baggies
Two side mesh pockets for tennis ball carry
Soft sided Frisbee
Hmm, maybe I should keep it for myself. But the dogs really want one of YOU to get it, so I guess not.
So, on to that trivia contest thing. Here are your questions.
Why are we called “Swiss Lick” Swissies?
What particularly gross thing of Indy’s did Gryffin eat? (Yes, it made him sick.)
Who won our first anniversary giveaway? What did they win?
Who was visiting on Indy’s second birthday?
Name one thing I learned from Gryffin?
What did Beowulf receive for the Christmas of 2010?
Where did Ozzy take his “Puppy 2″ class?
What did the 2010 anniversary contest winners receive?
Name one thing I wish breeders did with puppies before they go to their new homes.
When did Indy get fixed?
Submit your answers to me via email at contests@swisslickswissies.com. All entries must be received by 10am central time on Wednesday, September 7th. In there is a tie, the winner will be chosen at random from the group of those with the same number of correct entries. All the answers can be found in blog posts over the past 3 years.
Good luck, and thanks for reading!
We’re getting close to that time again!
Friday, August 26th, 2011 | Dogs, Indigo, Obedience Training, Ozzy, Random Stuff | 6 Comments
Yup, we’re almost 3 years old! Which means there will be some give away. I just haven’t decided exactly what yet. Although I do have one thing already.
I’ve been thinking about the last year of blogging recently. It’s definitely become harder to keep up the pace, especially since I haven’t really been doing much in the way of dog events. I hate to say it, but there are a few things that have happened in the Swissy community since a little before we got Ozzy that have kind of put me off of being involved. So we’ve been hanging on our own, doing stuff with friends and not clubs. I’m not sure if that will change or not.
One of the great things that has happened in the last year (other than Ozzy in general) is finding an obedience school (Wiggles-n-Wags) that we can call home. I’ve taken Ozzy through 3 separate classes there, and Indy has 1 week left of her first class. It’s been difficult over the last several years trying to find a place that I was comfortable. Someplace that didn’t use methods I wasn’t comfy with (correction only), and with trainers that could actually teach me something. And it’s nice not to feel judged for my choices or my shy dog. It’s such a great thing for all of us.
So there you have it – my babblings for the day. Please check back next week for the announcement about our anniversary giveaway!
Puppy!
Monday, August 22nd, 2011 | Indigo, Litter Mates and Swissy Friends, Ozzy | 1 Comment
We had a visit from a cute little puppy named Hobbes on Sunday. And his sister Juli. And her humans. And Vasey and one of her humans.
Hobbes is 9 weeks old, and reminds me a lot of Ozzy as a puppy. He’s confident, but not arrogant. Friendly, but not pushy. I think he will turn out to be a fantastic boy. I will probably steal him once he’s house trained. OK, maybe we’ll just visit with him.
This little bugger is Hobbes.
And this gorgeous girl is Juli.
Hobbes was not afraid to chew on Ozzy. Which is good. Ozzy needs some payback from when he was a little bugger.
**Sigh**
Hobbes was quick to find the favorite puppy spot.
And was wondering who that handsome puppy in the window was.
He’s already got a great smile.
Oh, hey. I did take pictures of my dogs.
But Hobbes is a puppy. Have I mentioned that?
He found a nice, dirty bone to chew on. (Don’t worry, that’s just dirt.)
When Vasey arrived, there were some seriously silly faces.
And I believe someone likes mud.
Pretty girl Vasey.
And once again, the cute puppy posing.
Thanks for looking!
Country Weekend
Monday, August 15th, 2011 | Indigo, Ozzy | No Comments
We were lucky enough to spend some time out in Galena this weekend. This was only Ozzy’s third trip, and first time that we’ve been able to take him hiking on the trails. He took Indy’s queue and was fantastic off leash. Instead of talking about it, I’ll just give you something to look at.
The early, pre-hike rampage.
They settled in to the hike pretty quickly. Neither of them would stray too far from the other.
Sometimes they’d be super, super close. I think this is my favorite pic from the weekend.
I could get them separated periodically.
But somehow, the ended right back together.
We had them out in one of the other fields for play later on Saturday. In addition to chasing each other, one of the favorite games was chasing Dan around hay.
I think Dan enjoyed it too.
The only thing I can say about this is balls.
Indy’s favorite way to cool off is to roll around in the grass. But you probably knew that.
I did try to pose them on Sunday for a nice picture. As you can see, that didn’t go too well.
Perhaps it’s because Ozzy was looking right at a stick. Poor placement, right? They thought I planned it that way, I think.
Why do we ever bother buying toys?
Uh oh.
After a bit more rampaging, they got tired.
So we took them home.
Thanks for looking!
The Secret to Swissy Obedience
Thursday, August 11th, 2011 | Dogs, Indigo, Obedience Training, Ozzy, Training | 1 Comment
This could make me thousands, possibly millions of dollars! For this week, I have learned the secret to getting your Swissy to be obedient.
Are you ready for it? Maybe I shouldn’t put it here. Hmm…
OK, I’ll tell you.
This requires that you have at least two Swissies in your household. One should be older, and it should already have gone through obedience and know the basic commands, even if they have no desire to demonstrate that for you. You’ll need to take the younger one to class after class, watching him get good at many things, but being a holdout on one major thing. Like a down.
Next, you should decide that the younger Swissy, in this case it’s Ozzy, should take a little bit of a break for a while because the human (me) thinks he might do a little bit better after he has his parts snipped off. Since the older Swissy, in this case Indy, has been getting increasingly better with obedience while you’ve been training the younger one (Ozzy), you need to take them to a round of classes. (Indy started her Tricks class at WnW training this week.)
So now you are doing your “homework” with the older Swissy in the evenings. Or whenever you can. You separate yourself from the younger dog so that you can work with the older dog without interference. (Other than whining from the hall or the other room.) After about 5-10 minutes of work with the older dog, you switch and work with the younger dog. Otherwise, he’ll get all pouty, and we can’t have that. (There’s nothing right about a teenage Swissy throwing a hissy fit.)
You start running through your puppy pushups – sit, stay, stand and the ever elusive down. If you’re household is like mine, down has been the holdout for every Swissy we ever have. They will only do it with food (or a correction in the old days) until you hit that magic point.
All of the sudden, it happens. It’s crazy! The younger dog goes into a down with a verbal command! Is it a fluke? You don’t have food in your hands at all. There may not even be food in the room. So you praise him like crazy and try again. And shazaam! It happens again. And again, and again!
At this point, I think it’s best to end the current obedience session with your Swissy. End on a positive note, then try again a few hours later, or maybe the next day. Oh, and it does work with the ages reversed as well. Young Swissy getting continuous work is definite motivation for the older Swissy.
It may even work with other breeds. And husbands. (Wait, I think I only have one of those.)
So what do you think – will I make millions?
Thursday Randomness
Thursday, August 4th, 2011 | Indigo, Ozzy | No Comments
It was actually below 90 degrees when I got home from work today, so both dogs got walks. Here are some random thoughts that popped into my head on the walks.
1. Why do people think it’s ok to walk your dog on a flexilead? And let your dog roam at the end of it?
2. Do houses with an Invisible Fence that stretch into the front yard think it’s necessary to have it go all the way up to the sidewalk?
3. My girl dog is so awesome. She always seems to know just where to poop on a walk that we are within one block of a garbage can.
That’s it for now!
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