We’re getting close to that time again!
Friday, August 26th, 2011 | Dogs, Indigo, Obedience Training, Ozzy, Random Stuff
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
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
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
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?
Am I the crazy dog lady?
Tuesday, August 9th, 2011 | Indigo
I was wondering about this the other day, as I was having a fairly candid discussion with Indy on our walk.
I think that last statement should be my first clue that I am a crazy dog lady. But while I believe that she answered in her own way, I wasn’t wacko enough to start speaking to myself in a voice that I believe to be Indy’s. So maybe not so crazy?
Honestly, I know I am not the only person that talks to my dog. Indy, in particular, is a great listener. She will make faces, cock her head, and sometimes start smiling if it’s a funny story. But I do feel a bit weird about it, especially now that I’ve shared it with you.
Anyone else out there have good conversations with their dogs?
Thursday Randomness
Thursday, August 4th, 2011 | Indigo, Ozzy
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!
Getting ready for 2012
Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011 | Dogs, GSMD Rescue Fundraiser
Kind of scary to think about, isn’t it? I feel like 2011 just started, and we’re more than halfway through.
You know what 2012 means, right? No, it does not mean another Paula Dean Holiday Eats special magazine in the store, although I did see one on Saturday. (Really? I’m still wearing tank tops and shorts. I don’t want to think about what I’ll make for my fam’s Christmas dinner!!!)
It means another Swiss Lick fundraiser calendar!
Yup, you heard me. Another. We’re doing it again. And this time, it would be awesome if we had more pictures from the Swissy community to include. We had a bunch last year, but it was still about 30-40% pictures of Indy, Ozzy and Gryffin. We’d like to include your Swissies too.
So here’s the scoop. I can include 3-4 pictures per month, and a 12 month calendar seems to work the best. If you have something to send me, contact me here (or via my forum or Facebook) and I’ll tell you where to send them.
Oh, and the sooner you send them the better. I’ll start putting it together in mid-September.
Payback’s a bitch named Indy…
Friday, July 29th, 2011 | Indigo, Ozzy
I am still laughing, and it’s still going on, so I must share.
Ozzy has always been fixated on chewing Indy’s rear legs. He started as a wee boy, and he still does it now at 120 pounds and almost 15 months old. But tonight, the tables have turned. Just now, Indy has started to chew on Ozzy’s rear legs, and it’s driving him nuts. She’s also exhibiting other Ozzy-like play behaviors with him.
He is mighty perplexed, although he does enjoy it. Except for when he’s trying to chase the laser pointer.
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