Christmas Nosh

Given that Dakota is not a normal "Labrador Retriever" and doesn't follow the same traits as the dog breed, we often forget that we do have a Lab in the house. Cheyenne is a very typical Lab and has gone through the negative and positive of the Lab dog breed. She is a great hunter, tracks very well, very affectionate with kisses, needs to be around people all the time, and so on. However, she is also a big chewer, has a great deal of energy, and is a little harder to train at times. Let's go back to the "chewer" comment. I want to illustrate my point on Labs and their need to put things in their mouth.

We returned home after a couple of hours of shopping to find white, green, and yellow plastic pieces all over the house. I wouldn't have recognized what it was if I didn't find a large letter "G" on one of the pieces. It was my husband's Green Bay Packer Christmas ornament - well, at least it WAS his ornament. Normally people would try to figure out which dog did it but we didn't have to guess cause Cheyenne walked away with her head down as soon as I picked up a clump of white plastic. Of course, Dakota then walked away with her head down because whenever Cheyenne is in trouble, Dakota goes to hide. We thought we had lucked out that it was plastic but then horror struck - we couldn't find the metal hook to attach it to the tree. Was this going to be another $1,000 vet bill to open up our little Cheyenne and empty out her stomach? We kept a watchful eye on her for a couple of days without any problems. Two days later, my heart was relieved as I vacuumed up the metal object from the other side of the room. She must have tried biting on it, didn't like it, and left it away from where the mutilation of our poor ornament occurred.

The tree has now been moved to our basement recreation room, which is behind a gated stairway. We can't blame the Lab but only teach it that chewing on such things is wrong. Whenever a Labrador comes in contact with something it should chew on, the item needs to be removed. And that is what we did - even if it means Christmas in the basement until she is older and better trained.

Sick with Labs

No, I am not sick of Labs, I am sick with Labs. Stricken with a bad cold, my body needs to rest and fight off this nasty bug that has ahold of me. Unfortunately, my Lab Brats think that just cause I am home, I am home to play with them and shower them with attention every single minute. Every time I move, they believe I am going to get a ball or run around with them. Unfortunately, this cold has wiped me of all of my energy and that means it is taken me away from my pups. The girls know something is wrong with me and if they had it their way, they would climb up in my lap and cuddle with me. They would do anything to make me feel better, but, alas, all I need is rest and since they are Labs, they don't understand.

Having high energy dogs is not easy when you aren't able to give them the attention and energy outlet that they need. Does that mean that I regret having them? Not in the least! Lucky for me, their daddy will be home in a couple of hours and be able to help burn all that Labrador energy... thank goodness! Once I am better, they will get a nice run in the dog park. That is the great thing about dogs though - they don't keep tabs on how much time you aren't able to spend with them - they are just happy for any small moments of quality time.

Housebreaking

So many people ask and I give this advice over and over again. So, I thought I would finally write an article about housebreaking to let other dog parents know they are not alone.

Housebreaking Your Lab: http://www.8pawsup.com/articles/training/housebreaking.html

Constructive feedback is always welcome!

How Embarrassing!

The past weekend was Cheyenne's second training session and everything went very well. The trainer split up the class to separate the crazy dogs from the calm dogs. What a relief that we were moved to the "calm" dog training session! With only 3 dogs in this class, things went a lot

Cheyenne did all the commands very well and I was a proud momma! She is learning to stay and recall with very little hesitation. Well, I was proud until my husband showed up after class for Dakota's assessment. Yes, Dakota was getting assessed to find out if she would do better in the Intermediate or Advanced training class before signing her up for the next formal training session.

So, here comes my husband with Dakota dragging him down the aisle. Cheyenne got a little excited, greeted her sister, and then listened on the first command of "sit" (which she usually never listens around her sister). Unfortunately, Dakota totally forgot what "sit" was and wouldn't listen at all. We finally got her to sit while the trainer moved past her 3 times. Out of those time, she got up twice and tried to follow the trainer, and on the third time her head spun around 180 degrees to keep an eye on the trainer. From what we were told, the CGC examiner will do this for the actual test and Dakota would have failed since she needs to sit and not pay attention to anyone but the trainer all 3 times. Heck, the blasted dog wouldn't even keep her rear end on the floor for too long.

How embarrassing! Dakota is the older and calmer Lab and yet her sister, Cheyenne, was a perfect angel. It was like they switched bodies! Needless to say, Dakota will be starting Intermediate training in December and boy does she need it cause everything I taught her went right out the window!

Formal Training: Day 1

Cheyenne's first training session was this past weekend and she made me so proud! There were 9 dogs there ranging from around 4 months old to 2 years old. Each was as different as the next and although there were a couple of loud dogs (one booming bark came in a very small terrier!), there was one particular dog that stood out.

Enter a giant male yellow Labrador Retriever with the attention span of a gnat. My heart sank because he was accompanied by 4 family members: the father, the mother, the teenage daughter, and the pre-teen son. Not one of them knew how to handle this dog and they just kept passing this ball of energy in fur from one person to the next. It was clear there was a problem; this family knew nothing about Labrador Retrievers.

The poor pup wouldn't do any of the commands because they could not get his attention. They resorted to raising their voices and, as any Lab owner knows, this does nothing but wear the human out. The "treat" they brought in as part of the requirement was a plain biscuit, which the dog cared not about.

So, during this training session, the mother and father kept asking the trainer things ranging from why the Lab was so energetic to why their Lab was so un-trainable. Lucky for them, this trainer has not only a Lab but also a Pit Bull and two Great Danes. This trainer knew how each breed is different and said in a very plain and kind of bored tone: "Your Lab needs exercise!" The mother was taken back and explained how he went in and out of the house all day and they have 2 acres of land. Hello!?! Anyone listening?? Your Lab needs exercise! Since when does walking in and out of a doorway, with no ball/fetch/run/play time, constitute exercise? They never make use of the 2 acres, never take the dog to the park, don't make the dog work for food/treats, and pretty much expect the dog to entertain himself.

This is why I applaud those that do their research on dog breeds first before bringing one into their homes. Clearly, these people had no idea what a Lab needs because they kept looking at Cheyenne and stating how good she was. Sure, she is good cause I started her training from 8 weeks old and she was also at the dog park running around with other dogs for an hour before coming to the training class. The last thing I wanted was a hyper 1-year old Lab pup with too much energy in a small space with other dogs and not listening to me.

Luckily, this trainer understood the breed well and devised a strategy to get him into a class with less dogs and teach this particular family about the breed. She even started by handing the family some stinky smelling dried liver treats, which immediately got this big Lab's attention! I hope and pray it all works well for them. The last thing we need is another Lab brought to a kill shelter because the family never took the time to understand the breed.

Upon leaving our training session, my heart skipped a beat when the trainer turned to me and said: "You have done very well with Cheyenne. She is very well trained." I thought the smile on my face would be permanent until she then added: "Next week, we will try weaning the treats from Cheyenne's training." I have to laugh because we both knew that Cheyenne will do anything for food - now we just have to get her to do anything for me - without the food.

Happy Birthday Cheyenne!!

I cant believe it was 1 year ago today that our baby pup Cheyenne was born! Dakota was 9 months old when her baby sister was brought into the world and for the last 10 months she has been a wonderful part of this family.

Let's see, in her first year she had:

• 4 months of housebreaking


• 1 instance of coccidia


• 3 bouts of kennel cough


• 9 months of training not to mouth/bite


• 4 dog beds which she has tone apart (2 were Dakota's)


• 1 near death experience when she ate something glass-like and had to have major surgery


• 1 spaying


• 1 diagnosis of OCD (elbow displacement which was a misdiagnosis)

That is all my mind can recollect at this moment.

Needless to say, she has still been a wonderful part of this family and I wouldnt trade my little "sassy" girl for the world! In celebration of her birthday, she and her sister will get some giant cow bones from the butcher tomorrow and best of all, Cheyenne will start her first formal obedience training tomorrow!! Wow! That latter part makes me feel like it is my birthday!

Happy Birthday, Cheyenne! You are a gem! Here's to many, many more years!