Kids Museum

Back in June we had a great puppy meeting at a kids center. It's kind of like a museum, but it has lots of activities and fun things for young kids to do. It's very important that we expose the puppies to all different ages of kids because many dogs can develop a fear of children if they are not introduced to them early on, or frequently. The trip was definitely a success and lots of fun!

Doing some puppy obedience

From left going counter clockwise:

Charlotte (yellow),  Heather (black), Patty (black), Booker (black), Chris (black), Penny (yellow), Vivi (yellow), Inspire (yellow), Freela (black male lab)

 Before

No one realizes how much work and time it takes to get all the dogs sitting and ignoring each other just long enough for a picture!

After (5 minutes later)

 Learning to ignore balls

Scary window

Socializing

Getting a vet checkup!

 Chris taking a nap in the race car

More Socializing

Until the Next Adventure...

Book Fair and Park Meeting

At the beginning of the month our family went to a book fair for the weekend that we have been attending each year for the past 4 years. We took Baity last year and it went so well I thought it would be great to take Charlotte. It was a lot easier this time because I knew where all the best "Busy" (potty) spots were. There is a huge section of the book fair with lots of booths selling books which provides lots of great distractions and new exposures. I was able to talk to many people interested in puppy raising and even ran into someone who used to puppy raise in our group!

Charlotte finally finished all her shots so she was able to start going to puppy meetings! We went to a park that had lots of animals, bridges, and a creek which were great exposures for the puppies. The weather was also amazing! That day it was about 70 with a light breeze which was perfect for walking around. Charlotte even got the courage to run through the creek. Which unfortunately resulted in a VERY dirty, wet puppy. Luckily the meeting wore her out, so the minute we were in the car she crashed.

Until the Next Adventure...

Baity's Monthly Report # 3

Today is offically the first day of summer and getting Baity's monthly report couldn't have been a better start.

I am sooo proud of how well Baity is doing! He is on phase 2 of his training and has almost mastered everything on the list! Good job Baity!

In addition, all his behavior boxes, except one, are checked which means he's been a very good boy. The one that wasn't checked had to do with him getting dog distracted while working. He just can't get enough of his friends!

Here is what his trainer said:

Baity has a new theme song when we go out on routes: NANA NANA NANA NANA BAITMAN!!! Baity is full of personality and is always ready to go and have some fun out and about. He is a FABULIOUS worker and loves loves loves to play with his roommates!


Hearing that he is doing so well with his training definitely makes us all so happy and proud! And I know he is having a great time. It's also great to know he is getting along so well with his trainer :)

Charlotte is already 5 months old and will be 6 months at the beginning of next month which is hard to believe! It feels like we just got her. Unfortunately my computer is getting fixed and all my photos are on there so I can't give any photo updates. But lots of updates will be coming soon!

Until the next Adventure (or Update :) )...

Picnic Adventure

Olivia here with another adventure!

This morning my youngest sister and I decided to head to the park with the some friends. Of course going to the park is a perfect activity for a puppy, so we grabbed her stuff and went on our way!

Because we were eating lunch there I wanted to bring something to keep her occupied. The night before, just for fun, I made Charlotte a homemade Frosty Paw.

Frosty Paw's are like ice cream for dogs. We first discovered them at the Southeastern Walkathon, and they are fairly easy to make at home.

This kept her nice and occupied throughout the whole meal! Afterwards she just kept clinging to the bowl and kept it in her mouth (we were unable to get a picture though). 

After our meal we took a small walk. The park has a giant wooden stage with an awning that is used for the local orchestra's concerts. Wooden floors are especially good to expose the dogs too so we took a walk on the stage.

Charlotte was perfect on the wooden boardwalk and quite enjoyed being active compared to the last few days. 

The weather was also perfect! There was a nice cool breeze which is great for puppies who can easily get over heated. 

Our next stop after the park was the mall! The park happens to be right in the center of a nice business area. It has a lot of high end stores, as well as regular ones. We are pretty familiar with this mall and took Baity with us several times.

Charlotte did a great job staying next to the wall and leading. There was a lot of different distractions and new noises, which she did a great job ignoring. We stopped by the store Vera Bradley and Charlotte had fun time getting to meet someone new. She stayed seated the whole time while being petted. 

After a long day Charlotte was exhausted! So it was home for a nap.

As for the Frosty Paws recipe it is quite simple: First, take a small dish that can easily be filled to the top. I recommend washable silver cups or small plastic cups (the ones you use for punch at parties). Next, scoop some unsweetened plain yogurt into the cup and add a couple spoonfuls of peanut butter. Smooth the top of the mixture before you cover it with plastic wrap and pop it in the freezer. Then, wait a couple hours (or overnight) and let your puppy enjoy!

Until the next adventure...

Baity's Report Card #2

Today I just got sent Baity's report card for April. He has progressed so much since last month and we are very proud of him. He is still in phase one of his training which is: curbs, straight line, harness and turns. He is not being noisy in the crate anymore and is continuing to improve! Here are the comments from the trainer:

Baity continues to do well. He has stopped vocalizing while in the training crate, which is great. He hasn’t quite gotten the hang of jumping up into the upper crates, but we give him an A for effort. He is doing well learning his guide dog work, but is a little miffed that the treats are starting to disappear; he’s getting over it though and still enjoys receiving praise!  He lives in a community with 6 other boys and they all get along great. 

The comment about him not being able to jump up into the crate definitely made me laugh a little. He was always apprehensive when it came to jumping up and down from high places (which for him was the car) and is a tad bit on the clumsy side :) Glad to know he is getting along well with his group of boys and we are excited for him as he continues to learn!

Good job Baity, keep up the hard work!

Charlotte Update

This is a much needed update that I have finally been able to write. School is finally finished! Which means more time to update the blog!

Charlotte is already 4 months old which is hard to believe. She is growing quickly and is about 30 lbs at present!

The last few months haven't consisted of many things because Charlotte still hasn't had all her shots.

About a month ago we did have a very scary vet experience. She went in to get her shots, we took her home and then an hour later discovered that her entire face was swollen and her eyes were almost completely swollen shut. It was very scary for all of us since she was still so small. We rushed her to the vet and they were able to get her treated. Turns out she had a reaction to one of the shots, which isn't uncommon for this particular shot (Lepto). She had to stay the day to be monitored and we were told that from now on she was going to have to be monitored for the day when given the Lepto shot (she has to have it 3 times).

That all being said, her shot schedule is now having to be spread out incase there is another reaction, which means she won't able to go to many puppy meetings or have many exciting adventures for the next month or so.

I'm hoping to be able to take her to school with me this summer (I have a summer class) as soon as her shots are completed. I know this will be a great experience for her, and Baity loved it!

She is growing very quickly from dog to puppy and is a fun little bundle of energy who keeps us on our toes!

Here are some pictures we have taken of her over the last two months. Enjoy!

At the vet

Enjoying a ride in the car!

At church

 At Ben and Jerry's

Easter Bunny!

Until the next adventure...

Baity Update!

I'm finally getting around to updating! The month has been very busy with college and endless amounts of end of semester projects and tests, but I just had to give an update on Baity!

Wednesday was a very exciting day because we got Baity's official harness photo from the school. He looks so big and grown up in the pictures I can hardly believe it!

                                                         Baity at 6wks in the harness            

 Baity at 1 yr in the harness

A few weeks ago we also got his very first report card (which was for March), this is what the trainer said,

Baity is doing well at guide dog school.  His work and his roommates keep him active, so he is slimming down nicely. He LOVES clicker training and is responding well. His one thing to improve on is his vocalizing while in the crate. He is a big teddy bear and I enjoy working with him! 


We were very glad to hear he is doing so well! Not surprised at all that he loves clicker training and is being the big loving teddy bear he is! Although I did find it very surprising that he is having problems with being too vocal since he was always fine when left in his crate. Guess college can change you!

The other exciting news was that I got a message from another puppy raiser who keeps up with Southeastern's Twitter, that Baity was in one of the photos! I was super excited because they don't always post pictures of your dog in training with there are so many of them. They also posted 3 photos of him!

Pictures taken from Southeastern Twitter 

Baity and Paxton

Blossom, Baity and Paxton

Baity always has his eyes closed in pictures!

Blossom, Allie (Baity's sister), Baity, Paxton

Look at that meat scarf! 

It looks like Baity has gotten better with his dog distraction problem (which I figured he would!) and is having a great time hanging out with his friends and siblings! Keep being a good boy Baity!

Charlotte has also been doing great...growing quickly! I will have an update on her hopefully this weekend.

Until the Next Adventure...and Update!