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!

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?

Last night (aka Tuesday) was Ozzy’s first puppy kindergarten class! Puppy K is new to us. We’ve never done it before. We’ve always just gone right into basic obedience using a friend as a trainer. But we decided to switch things up this time. So Ozzy is enrolled in an eight week class at…gasp…Petsmart!!!!

I’ll be honest, I never thought I’d enroll any of my dogs in a class at Petsmart, but what the heck. I was not overly pleased with any of the places I tried with Indy. One of them was a friend (who does great work, but I don’t think his approach is right for me or Swissies in general) who is a professional trainer. The other was the place 1.5 hours away in Rockford (they weren’t bad – just too far away). And the third was the facility that we tried for the Cautious Canine course. I was originally considering a class at a daycare/boarding facility that is walking distance from our house, but I kind of balked at their steep prices ($200 for 6 classes). So, when I took Ozzy on his first fun trip to Petsmart and met the trainer (not intentional), I checked it out.

This store has a separate training area in the back of the store. It is completely private – so not in the middle of the store with distractions galore. The trainer is nice enough, I think. She initially thought Ozzy was a Beagle, but quickly realized the error, so she is somewhat forgiven. (Although I reserve the right to give her crap for that down the line.) And this is puppy k, which is mainly for socialization. So, regardless of my preconceived notions about training at Petsmart, we’re trying it.

Our class is a good size. We have THREE Chihuahua puppies, all owned by the same people. They must be strong people with a lot of time. There’s a gorgeous GSD puppy that is just a little older than Ozzy and about the same weight. I think they are going to be great friends. And there’s a dog breed I’ve never heard of – the Boykin Spaniel, which is the state dog of South Carolina. There are ten dogs total, but I’ll probably talk about them another time.

Everyone introduced themselves and their puppies, and briefly mentioned issues that they have with their puppy. Every single one of them (except us) seems to have some major issues with biting. Makes me feel really lucky – Ozzy is a great little guy and doesn’t have issues. Yet. He is mouthy, but he is not a biter at all. I hope he stays that way.

I had initially tasked Dan with taking a few pictures. To be honest, there wasn’t really an opportunity. We’ll see what happens in coming weeks – we have seven more classes, so we should be able to get something, right?

Happy Wednesday!

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.

He experienced the dreaded Dremel on Wednesday night! Yup, his itty bitty claws needed some trimming, so we figured we’d start with the dremel. I was hoping that distracting him with food would help, but it did not, but he did finally chill a bit after one paw was done.

And yes, he was rewarded when done with a treat. All is good in his world.

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.

My pretty girl, Indy.

Ozzy attacking his new BFF, Cash.

Ozzy and Rufus, the puppy addict.

Leos and Swissies!

Juli, part of Juli’s human, and Cash. Juli has a blog too.

Indy was nice to Vasey’s human despite the fact that they did not bring Vasey.

Remember our good friend Reggie? He’s another blue-eyed boy.

Juli in “jail.” Sticking the face through there must be a Swissy thing. No other dog breed visiting our house (our living there) has ever done it.

Pretty Leo girl!

Recharging.

Is my puppy! Back off!

Beowulf got love too. And he tolerated Ozzy. Probably because he had Cash to torment, though.

More recharging.

I don’t know why, but I love taking pictures of Swissies from this angle. Cash was more than happy to oblige.

I think Cash needs a Swissy puppy of his own to play with, although he technically is a puppy himself.

Ozzy likes to climb on dogs when he plays with them. Most of them are ok with it, including Cash.

Cash and Huntley got in some good play time too.

See?

And then all dogs (except for Huntley) got tired and crashed.

Then humans continued on for a while, but I don’t think I’ll post any of those pics…

Ozzy got his inaugural Independence Day experience in Downers Grove. We started out with the Parade, which included people galore, sirens, muskets, and a cannon or two. We had lots of yummy treats to help him through all the noise and hubbub, but he was a champ. He got treats anyway – it was for the best, really. Oddly enough, he actually slept through a fair amount of the parade and noise that goes along with it.

Next came the neighbor get together. After a short nap in the house, we brought him outside to hang out with us. This meant more people, a dog or two, and loud fireworks going off here and there. And guess what? He was still a champ. I was very proud of my little guy.

Check back later!