Things I Learned From a Dog About Dog Toy-Making

I've discussed dog toy-making previously, but have had so many inquiries and requests it warrants re-visiting to answer the questions I've had.  

Do you make stuffed dog toys for sale? No, I don't make them to sell because I haven't the time; and the prices for my toys would have to be utterly outrageous to cover my time and materials.  I do make some for donations to charities; and  I've made some for clubs and sponsors of event prizes.  I make some for friends that want them when I have time. I am willing to share my knowledge, experience, and pattern-making with anyone who would like to make their own dog toys.  Some of that information will follow in this post.

 

What's wrong with store bought stuffies for dogs?  In my quests for stuffed dog squeaky toys over the years, I've found that most stuffed dog toys are poorly made, not very durable; many are unsafe; and many of them have only one squeaker.  It irks me that so many stuffed dog toys are made with unsafe items or things that plainly won't last 10 minutes in the mouths of the even the kindest, gentlest dogs.  Things like felt or plastic eyes and noses have no place on a dog toy; yet I see them on a number of toys from cheap box store toys to ultra posh pet store toys.  The stuffings and fabrics from which dog toys are made also amazes me as anyone with a brain should know that tiny plastic or styrofoam beads, shredded foam, or nut hulls aren't something dogs should ingest.  Rule of thumb for buying dog toys should be to examine them as though you're buying the toys for a small toddler child-if a child could easily pull it apart, choke on a piece if it comes off, or it seems otherwise unsafe for a small child, it's probably not any safer for your puppy or dog.

In addition, the costs for dog toys are pricey. Even cheap toys aren't so cheap when you factor in the length of time dogs like mine will have stuffed toys before they're shredded.  A few months ago, I bought three stuffed toys bearing a major brand name of typically durable, safe dog toys. I looked them over and although I didn't think they would last long, they seemed far better than the available alternatives so I took a chance. Within three days of giving them to my dogs the stuffies were shredded. That sent me back to making dog toys myself.  I know not everyone wants to invest their time and effort in making dog toys, but with three Border Collies and a minimal disposable income, making their dog toys yields having stuffed squeaker toys for my dogs that are far more durable and safer than those I've bought from stores.  I can also re-use most of the stuffing and squeakers as the toys are destroyed/worn out; and I often have old jeans, canvas, and scrap fleece I can use - also making homemade toys even more cost effective.

Things I learned from a dog about making dog toys:  In raising Gilley, I learned a lot about dog toy-making and durability that I didn't learn with any other dogs. Gilley is a great toy tester because if it can be shredded, he's the one to do it-"gone in 60 seconds!"  If it squeaks, Gilley's going to destroy it. Gilley will also use anything to play a game of tug with Buzz so the two of them will "tug test" any toy to pieces too. From Gilley, a dog,  I learned that dog toys need:

• To be multiple layers of heavy fabrics like denim and canvas. Heavy polar fleece is good
   for some softness and texture difference. 
• Randomly quilting 2-3 layers of fabric increases the durability because it makes separating the layers extremely difficult or impossible.  
• When using fleece, double layer and use a light denim or canvas base layer with it for durability.
• Sew all seams at least twice for durability.  
• Stuffing too much makes them too hard to squeeze; and squeakers won't squeak. Stuffing too little makes the toy less fun and less durable.  Stuffing the right amount is the greatest "art" in the overall process beyond the initial design.  
• The imperative part of any stuffed dog toy is having at least 2-5 squeakers strategically located in the toy.  One isn't usually enough because the dog will tend to mouth that area most trying to squeak it, wearing the toy out in that spot. Two or more squeakers give the dog several places and ways to make the toy squeak and tends to be more uniformly worn.
• Covering the squeaker air holes with something like a piece of lightweight cotton, t-shirt fabric, or heavy sock hose is required allows the air to pass through, but not the stuffing fibers. Left uncovered, the squeaker air holes get plugged with stuffing fibers and stop squeaking.
• Dogs don't care what shapes or colors their toys are-any toy that you make will be fine.   
• If making tug toys, be sure to use wide strips rather than narrower because they last longer and most dogs like them better when they are a little big. 
• If making toys that could become objects of a tug game (elephants with big ears), be sure to sew them extra securely.
• ALWAYS use upholstery thread for hand sewing and do your best to hide the stitching. Exposed stitching tends to be a target for doggy tongues and once they find a loose stitch or knot, they tend to work on pulling at it.
• Making facial features is more for people than dogs. Dogs won't care if the toy has no
  
  face.  If you want facial features, use a permanent maker to draw them on; or use your sewing machine to make "embroidered" features.  Making things like tongues or eyes of felt or other fabrics is fun to look at, but they aren't durable.
• Where there is a seam or a change of fabric or texture, the dog will likely focus more on one feature of the multiples.
• No matter how badly you think the toy turns out because the toy doesn't look as you imagined it would; the sewing isn't as good as you'd hoped; or you hate the fabric choice for that toy - the dog will still have a toy and won't care.
• ALWAYS supervise dogs playing with any toys and it's a good idea to inspect their toys every day to be sure they aren't coming apart.  If they are starting to have seams popping or small holes, patch and repair it as soon as you spot it to extend the longevity of the toy.
• Simple patterns with fewer pieces are best and easiest; and cutting them out about 1/4larger than you want the finished product to be makes it easier to make and stuff them. 
• Once you start making your own dog toys, you'll want to buy your squeakers in bulk and in different sizes.  Amazon is a good resource; and I usually buy mine in bags of 40 - 100  for $6 - $20 per bag depending on the kind and sizes.

    

As I said, I don't make them for sale, but I am willing to help anyone who wants to make their own stuffed dog squeaker toys.  Additionally, once you can make a good dog toy, making children's toys will be EASY if you want a special gift for baby showers and holiday gifts!

Thank you for all the interest and inquiries!  I hope I answered all the questions I've recieved but if not, please contact me and I'll be glad to help you any way I can.  

If you're thinking, "Yeah, right! When pigs fly!"  I can help you out with that one too!  It's not a dog toy, but check out Pygmalia SuperPig :

 

 

 

Cheers!

Chris

Reactivity-The First Step to Recovery is Admitting the Problem

Discovering your dog’s flaws is a lot like discovering your child’s-it hurts to the core of your soul.  It’s compounded when you realize you probably caused those flaws.  Sadly, though Cinder is the last puppy I will have and I’ve tried very hard to do right by her at every opportunity, I have failed her miserably in something very important-early socialization.  As a result,  Cinder is “reactive.”  She is definitely very “leash reactive” to new dogs and she’s mildly-moderately reactive to humans unless they talk to her or me; until she actually meets them, when she is almost immediately their BFF.  This is a very ugly thing and may haunt her forever. In theory, her youth is on our side and makes it more likely we can work through it to get her back to a better place. However, once a dog is reactive, it’s generally like having something like diabetes-you can manage it, but the odds of actually being “cured” are low.  I suppose this is the admission of our problem, making it the first step on the road to recovery.

    This is my effort to share the little information I've learned and in no way is this a definitive thesis on dog reactivity:

      What is a “reactive dog?”  There are numerous variations on the definition of a reactive dog, but reactivity is generally a fear based series of behaviors (reactions) to certain people, other dogs, noises, other animals, things, or situations.  The fear is so significant it generally elicits some serious behaviors.    

     Reactive dogs often react “normally” to many or most things and are only reactive to one or two things.  In fact, many dogs are actually reactive, but their owners don’t recognize it as such; and their lifestyles don’t reveal the extent to which they may be reactive because they are well “contained” within their home lives.  Signs of reactivity include: excessive barking at something-even at a distance; raised heckles; lunging at the target of their reactivity; snarling and baring teeth; and/or growling.  Other signs can include things like: trembling/shivering, pulling/chewing their own tail; circling frantically; and cowering or hiding  in/under something-some of them are classified as "neurotic" when they are actually reactive behaviors responding to something that scares or stresses the dog.  

     Dogs can be reactive to anything including: noises, motion, other dogs, cats, people (even just men or just women), only big dogs or small dogs.  July 4^th tends to scare many dogs and those responses are  a form of reactivity.  However, the reactive dog has more than an inclination to hide or bark a little.  Some dogs are only “leash reactive”-they’re reactive to other dogs ONLY when one or both dogs are on leashes.  In cases such as Cinder’s, the reactivity is totally fear and anxiety motivated; and her reactivity is nasty barking, lunging, snarling, baring teeth, and growling.  In many if not most cases like Cinder's, the dogs are actually using a “preemptive strike” approach to the person/dog/thing they fear; using displays of aggression  to drive the target away before it has a chance to get close. When the target keeps closing in on them, their anxiety increases and their behavior escalates. When it peaks at threshold level, they are acting on total instinct, usually to the exclusion of all their handler's efforts to control or alter their behavior.  Of course, the reactive behavior is frustrating to their handler and then that adds fuel to the reactive behavior too.

     Like people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or anxiety disorders, reactive dogs can have one or many of the behaviors that reflect their disorder; and they may suffer to greater or lesser degrees. Reactivity can be mild to profound.  It can manifest in behaviors that are often considered quirky or annoying to downright frightening.  The behaviors include a bell curve of anxiety/fear that goes from “sub threshold” (no or low reactivity) to at/over threshold (the dog has shut down and is acting on pure instinct with anxiety at maximum tolerances).  The back side of the bell curve is the decrease in reactivity and anxiety.  Once at or over threshold level, the dog will only calm if the target object is not visible-removed from their view.   Generally, the profoundly reactive dog is suffering serious levels of anxiety and is less likely to be easily managed or controlled.  Many mildly reactive dogs are often considered quirky and their owners live with the “quirky” behaviors because they are tolerable, even entertaining.  The more reactive dogs are often considered and labeled as vicious and/or threatening – and they can become vicious if not well managed and handled. 

     In my research, it seems that researchers see reactivity in all breeds of dogs, from all countries but there are a large percentage of herding and terrier breeds frequently affected.  It tends to be more prevalent in females than males; and sometimes spaying or neutering seems to lessen the severity so a hormonal link may exist.  Known causes include: no or poor socialization as puppies; abuse and neglect; genetic predisposition; a traumatic experience (in the dog's mind, not necessarily the handler's); and they suspect that there are many other causes yet unknown and unproven. 

     Many think that “immersion” sorts of training will correct their reactive dog’s behaviors, but frequently, it contributes to increasing reactivity.  The more successful approaches seem to be centered identifying the things that cause the dog to be reactive; at what distance or in what circumstances the dogs become reactive; at what point they are at sub threshold and at/over threshold levels.  Once you identify those features of the reactivity, then training begins. Knowing what causes the dog to be reactive and at what points-what distance is safe or causes problems-then learning to manage the dog’s reactivity can occur.  For dogs that are reactive to other dogs, going places like PetSmart and dog parks is OUT.  The anxieties that cause reactivity are pushed beyond tolerances and fuel worse reactivity.  Putting puppies like Cinder in group training classes is a waste of time and money because it sets them up for failure since other dogs are the cause of such horrible anxiety that drives them into reactive frenzies and many trainers are not qualified or skilled to effectively handle a reactive dog-especially in their group classes.  One-on-one training with someone who knows and understands how to handle reactive dogs is the best way to achieve success-at least in the beginning.  If you can find a behaviorist who also specializes in working with the dog’s breed, that is especially helpful because they are likely to know the best techniques for handling that breed.  Progress for improving reactivity seems best through various training exercises designed to help the handler and dog develop better skills as a team; and learning how to handle a variety of situations while the dog is not under the stress of seeing a target that elicits reactivity.  Gradually, the dog is introduced to distractions while working with its’ handler; and as they progress, they begin to introduce the person/dog/thing that elicits reactivity by seeing the target at the sub threshold level.  Gradually, over weeks or months, the target is brought closer as the reactive dog and handler learn timing and techniques to handle the situation.  If done well, time and training will help the reactive dog and handler learn to manage the situation effectively.  However, as stated earlier, every case is different and success is dependent on many variables.  

     Cinder’s reactivity is likely due to our inability to socialize her outside our home during the winter months when she was small and the window of time for socialization is most critical for many dogs.  Being so young and small through the hardest winter in the last 40 years meant being holed up until Spring – past those critical weeks during which she would’ve otherwise been socialized.  My understanding is that Cinder is mild-moderate in her reactivity, but exhibits the nastier signs of reactivity that could easily lead people to think her vicious.  That's what makes her reactivity a true life and death issue for her.  As we all know, these days if a dog bites someone regardless of reason, it can result in their euthanization.  However, her youth is on our side; along with my commitment to make this as right as I can for her.  Certainly I never plan to give her up for any reason, but life takes us down roads we don’t always plan to take. 

      When Cinder’s at home, she’s as normal as any puppy ever.  I guess one may wonder why we ever need to worry about the reactivity if we just stick around home.  I like to travel my dogs with me when I go places.  We do all kinds of things and they all involve other dogs too.  Keeping her at home to avoid the issue will only inhibit her life.  She’s a Border Collie and she needs to be busy to be healthy and happy.  It’s in her best interest that I work as hard as I can to help her overcome her reactivity or at least learn how to manage it acceptably-I owe her that effort. 

     I suppose that this is about to be a long chapter I'd never thought I'd have to contend with-or write about.  But, I began this blog and our Facebook page to chronicle raising Cinder in hope that aside from being about our journey through life; we might also somehow help others on their journeys too.  For the most part, life for us and Cinder remains fine and progressing. This is a side-step I hadn't anticipated, but we'll get through it somehow.  Another day and another part of the commitment that is all part of Raising Cinder.

Cheers!

Chris

Comparing Pets

   I’d like to thank all our friends and followers for choosing to include our posts as part of your routine reading.  It is an honor to know so many wonderful people enjoy the pictures and tidbits we share; and have come to be part of our repertoire too.  However, there is something about sharing that bothers me:  those who compare our lives or our pets to themselves and their pets.  Comparing our lives or pets is a losing proposition for us all because any time comparisons are made, they reveal short-falls and cause negative feelings. 

   It’s natural to read about others and think maybe they’re living better; or they’re better at grabbing more of the brass rings in life; or that their dogs are smarter, prettier, do more than our own.  But, I certainly hope when you all post things saying that Cinder is already smarter and doing more than your beloved best friends, you are not feeling your own pups/dogs are less valuable or less loved.  I hope you are not feeling that somehow you or your dog(s) and/or your relationships with your dogs are less meaningful or less rewarding-that you have somehow missed out. 

     This is not a competition to see who’s doing more, better, faster at anything-at least, not for me.  I am merely sharing our puppy and the assortment of things that occur in our lives as we raise Cinder, knowing she will truly be our last puppy.  It is an on-going chronicle of things we do and learn; things that happen; hoping we can raise Cinder to be a good dog; and sharing the ways our lives are greatly enriched through life with our dogs.  It is my hope that regardless of what we or  anyone else does with their pets, you don’t really compare our pets and yours.  We all lead different lives with different backgrounds and goals for our pets.  

     Part of the enjoyment of being friends and followers with so many on this blog, Facebook, and in real life is enjoying the diversity of our lives and pets; and sharing things about our common bonds that create(d) our friendships – our love of our animals. 

      I'm as guilty as anyone of comparing myself and what I do or could/should do with my dogs.  I look at Tina and Chandi-now Tina and Gracie (http://tinaandchandi.wordpress.com/), or Zolza and her Border Collies and think, "Geez! I should really be teaching Cinder all that stuff!"  Then reality sets in and I realize they are trying to achieve different goals with their dogs-including competions. Those aren't my goals. Cinder will never reach her ultimate potential with me and I know it.  I have to be content with making her the best that I can, fitting our lifestyle.  After all, she doesn't even know what a competition is so she certainly doesn't care about how well she learns tricks, obedience, agility or anything else.  She doesn't even know what "beautiful" or "ugly" mean to care where she falls in the spectrum.  Caring about those things is a human thing, not the dog's.

     Please don’t compare our pets and their intelligence or beauty.  When I compare my three dogs, I realize how different they are and how much more or different I could have done and could yet do with them, “if….”  If I had: more time, more money, more space, more help, more knowledge, more talent, more energy, more…  I didn’t and don’t have all the “if” items, in the past or now, so the “if factor” does not apply and therefore, my own comparisons are silly.  It’s not fair to compare my dogs to each other or your dogs.  In reality, I’ve done as much as I could for each of them given my resources and abilities; so second-guessing myself now is futile.   Life gives us all enough hard knocks without comparing what we or our pets do or don’t do.  Comparisons only apply in competition and this is not a competition-at least not for me.  It's a journey through life raising Cinder with our other wonderful dogs and trying to get through life one day at a time.

     

       As I said earlier, we are extremely appreciative of all our friends and followers, but please remember that nothing about what we're doing is about being competitive or compared.  What we’re doing is about sharing, caring, and learning with each of you and anyone else who wants to share the journey. 

     Be well and be good to yourselves and your pets! As Cinder would say, “Pooch smoochies to everyone!”

Cheers!

                                 Chris

Cinder the Huntress

Last week started out to be a grand week, but due to some seriously bad storms and tornadoes, it quickly turned out to be far less grand than it began. 

Early in the week, we were able to take Gilley and Cinder to the pond and as anticipated, we got Cinder to swim a little bit by capitalizing on her need to follow Gilley everywhere - including into the deep waters of the pond.  I let Gilley and Cinder start out by wading in the shallow spot for a few minutes. Once that was no longer exciting, I threw Gilley's Frisbee for him to retrieve. Cinder quickly followed and swam quite well for about 10 -15 feet, until she looked at the bank and realized how far she'd gotten from it.  She managed to turn herself around and keep swimming; and by then Gilley had come alongside her so it was a race to shore!  She did that a couple more times.  On the last round, she started to have trouble and I feared I may have to dive in after her, but as I was about to, Gilley saw her and let go of his Frisbee to swim over to and help Cinder; nudging her and then grabbing her and putting her right to swim back to shore.  They swam back to shore together and after that, she was content to wade while watching Gilley swim a few more times.  I'm sure she'd become too tired and started to lose it until Gilley rescued her. Until that point, she was a serious little power stroke swimmer - major power in her push through the water. It was impressive.  It's been too cold to try again since, but as soon as it warms up again, we'll give it another try.  Next time, we won't swim after a long run on the farm and I won't let her swim so much that she gets too tired to be safe.  That was my fault for not realizing she would tire so quickly-she is just a puppy of five months after all.

Day before yesterday, I was finally able to go on a longer walk with the dogs than I've been able to do yet this year. Not that it was a long walk, but it's better than I've been able to do because of my back problems this spring.  I went roughly 2.3 miles and of course, the dogs went about 7-10 miles because of all their circling back to check in with me; and playing our games along the way.  I opted to leave Buzz at home and take only Gilley and Cinder because the two of them are more manageable than all three dogs.  As we went on our walk, I started out feeling pretty great and ready to tackle at least five miles. That was not meant to be and was clearly punctuated by a minor incident at the outset of our walk.  

As we cleared the little creek behind the barn, we turned and headed for "The Billy Goats Gruff Bridge." After navigating my way through the mud at the creek without incident, I felt confident my walk was going to be awesome.  Imagine my surprise when I topped a small knoll, still feeling pretty good until suddenly, I had my leg knocked from under me and fell to the ground in one big thud!  When you've had a knee (or hip) replacement, the idea of a fall is scary and you always try to miss landing on or wrenching the replacement joint.  I had no chance to think about it, but luckily, it was my good leg that was knocked from beneath me and on that side I landed.  What caused my sudden fall? Cinder on the run, chasing Gilley, careened into me on her way by! I swear it felt as though I'd been struck by a wrecking ball that took my leg out from under me!  I could've been 50 shades of angry, but I was too busy deciding whether I was hurt or just stunned as I lay on the ground assessing my body functionality.  Brian had seen the whole thing unfold and made his way to me, worried about my back and my knee.  I managed to get  up and decided that I was a little less enthusiastic about the walk, but still determined to continue. What a powerhouse she is at a full run - no wonder she's a power stroke swimmer! Brian warned me then that I should scale back my goals for the walk, but I pushed forward, a little more cautiously. Brian went along and we played with Gilley and Cinder the whole way.

Did you know that if you're a bird and you attempt to dive bomb a Border Collie, you should probably fly higher than the Border Collie can jump?  There's one less bird flying the friendly skies because that bird missed the memo! As we were nearing the edge of the woods and a field, a bird flew about five feet off the ground and attracted Cinder's eye.  She began watching the bird intently as it continued flying low and getting closer to us.  As the bird got closer, I could see Cinder's little brain calculating the height of jump and trajectory required to nab it.  Sure enough, she plucked that bird from full flight as it came over her!  She jumped at least four feet straight up and nabbed that bird like it was nothing!  The bad news was that I made her drop and leave it - which took some doing because she kept circling back to it as I walked ahead. But, ultimately, Cinder left it behind, clearly feeling deprived of the bird carcass reward she'd earned as Cinder the Huntress.

Gilley watched everything and you could see his experienced mind,"Dumb pup. Mom NEVER lets us catch or pick up any critters. You'll learn eventually. Some things you have to do when mom's not around or just not do them at all."  I have no fear that if she had to, Cinder would survive in the wild quite well.  This is not the first display of her hunting prowess as she has run across a couple rabbits, mutliple squirrels, and she's run up a few deer. Her little nose is ALWAYS going, sniffing out all kinds of things around the house and yard so she hones her ability to scent all the time. 

As the walk progressed, I started feeling pretty sore in my back again. Spasms began, but they were pretty minor initially.  We checked some of the woods trails; cleared a few small down limbs; and realigned the boards of a makeshift corduroy road through a boggy area that had floated the boards out of position in our recent weeks of storms. After that, I told Brian I needed to begin the trek back to the barn while I could still make it relatively pain free.  I was actually already in some pain, but I didn't want to mention that. However, Gilley being my constant companion and smart boy seemed to already be very aware of my pain.  He stopped going so far ahead and waiting or circling in order to stay closer to me.  When I needed to stop for brief breaks because of spasms, Gilley waited with me, watching me. When the spasms eased, hed walk beside me for a bit - until Cinder urged him to run with her.  Gilley seemed to know he was supposed to keep Cinder going to wear her out and he'd oblige for a few minutes; returning to walk with me again.  A few times, I slowed down and my steps were small because I hurt, but I wanted to keep moving. During those times, Gilley seemed to sense I needed his help and he'd nudge me and give me a look as if to say, "Come on Mom, you can do it. Keep trying Mom, I'm right here to help you if you need me."  Then, Cinder would bound back and urge him to romp a little more. Gilley performed that same dual duty performance all the way back to the barn.  By the time we'd gotten to the known barn route, Cinder too seemed to become aware that I was not feeling good and needed a little extra help.  She and Gilley both slowed their pace to stay close all the way back up the lane, through the creek; and up the hill to the barn.  By that point, it took everything I had to make the last half mile of that walk. I think I'd even told Brian to get the Jeep and come pick me up, but he knew I didn't really want to quit.  We made it all the way and both Gilley and Cinder jumped in the back of the car without hesitating long enough to blink.  

Quite the eventful little jaunt we had for my first real walk of the year that was more than an eighth of a mile. I came home and decided to ice pack my back & rest it for a couple hours with the dogs on the bed with me while I watched a movie.  Then, I got up and although I still hurt, kept piddling at house chores and things to keep moving.  Then it was time to go back to the barn to get Ebbie in for the night and I wanted to take Buzz since Gilley and Cinder went earlier.  Buzz was happy to tag along and although his walk was very short, he got one-on-one time he truly enjoyed. 

Cinder proves to be an entertaining addition to our world and as we expand her world, there are almost always some new tricks she pulls out and shows us. Knocking me off my feet to start our walk; plucking a bird from mid-air flight; being able to go the distance of a walk in new areas; and trying to be a helper when she realized I wasn't doing so well. For a blue merle - a dog whose color is black, white and gray - she sure is a colorful pup!  But it's all just another day in our lives as we continue raising Cinder.  

Cheers!

Chris

Cinder's First Swim

Today was another high point in puppy life because today was Cinder's first day to try swimming.  It was an impromptu event - the kind upon which you capitalize once you realize the direction things are headed.  It was a grand finale to our day at the barn, which was less than thrilling.

Our norm is to take at least one dog to the barn if not all of them. Today we took the gleesome threesome so they could all run off some steam - literally and figuratively since it was a steamy 83 degrees after a rainy couple days. Luckily, our little creek was running wildly again, so the dogs had the creek close to go grab a drink and cool off.  After our relatively routine walk, it was Gilley's time to have some singular fun playing in the pond-chasing his soft Frisbee and swimming to bring it back to me.  I had Brian put Buzz in the Jeep with the windows down because Buzz doesn't swim and he was tired so that suited him fine. Cinder was with Gilley and me, off to the pond to play.  

I'd hoped that taking Cinder with me, she'd see Gilley swimming and try to follow him without even thinking.  When we got to the pond, Gilley knew why we were there, but I convinced him to wade a little bit, enticing Cinder into the water too.  That plan worked great. Cinder followed Gilley right into the shallow wading ledge and the edge of the pond.  I let them wade a few minutes and then I decided to see what happened if Gilley's gaming began.  As I expected, Gilley went after his Frisbee and Cinder dove in and began swimming without a single thought-until she had gone about 10 feet from the wading ledge and realized she couldn't touch ground.  She got herself turned around and Gilley got beside her as he returned with his Frisbee, so she was chasing him back to shore.  This happened two more times and of course I couldn't get video or pictures at the time because I had too many things in my hands and I was at the edge of the pond (not wanting to risk dropping my phone into it). I did get some of her in the pond but not swimming-they're at the end of this post. Each time Cinder followed Gilley and part way out, realized she was getting pretty far from shore and turned to come back, but the third time, she started to struggle.  Just as I was about to dive in after her, Gilley came back on his return and he knew she was in trouble. He let go of his Frisbee (we call it "flier") and got close enough to nudge her and grab her to put her right. She kept swimming with Gilley alongside all the way to shore - until Gilley realized he had to go get the Frisbee.  After that, Cinder remained content to follow Gilley only to the edge of the drop-off and stop.  She would bounce around in the water, anxiously watching and awaiting Gilley's returns to meet him and climb back onto the bank to bring me the Frisbee.  Overall, Cinder did great and she proved that she's pretty smart by realizing she'd gone too far and trying to get herself back to safety each time-until that last time when she must've been just a little too tired and got into trouble.  Luckily, Gilley saw and helped her so I didn't need to race into the pond and save her.  Some lessons are better when the other dogs teach them and the humans stay out of it. After that, she proved her smarts by knowing about where the drop-off was and staying where she could safely wade and play without pushing her limits and really getting herself into serious trouble.  

It was really awesome for her first time swimming in deep water. To see her realize she'd gone too far and figure out how to get herself turned around and start swimming back - seeing the power strokes she was using with those legs of hers was impressive!  She was quite something. Her turn-arounds were pretty good too. She figured them out without even seeing Gilley do it so it was all her own brain power for that maneuvering.   Even Gilley's first swim wasn't that good - he really nearly drowned before he figured out how to paddle well enough not to go below the water surface. He was so skinny that he had NO bouyancy to help keep his head out of the water-he HAD to learn to paddle or he was going under!  Now he's an expert to the extent of being able to herd while swimming, but you'd never have believed it watching his first THREE swimming days.  I'm very proud of Cinder's first swimming efforts; and Gilley's leaving his Frisbee to go save Cinder when she got in a little trouble. 

Overall, a great day for the dogs at the barn. I'm so anxious to see Cinder try the swimming again when she isn't quite so tired to start out. I see a LOT of swimming in Cinder's future-at least, I hope so. 

Meanwhile, thanks for checking in on another day of small adventures as we continue raising Cinder.

Check out the pictures I managed to get below.  

Cheers!

Chris

Cinder watching Gilley swim for Frisbee

Four Months a Grown Pup

 

   It's been two weeks since the last post so we have a bit of updating to do. Grab a beverage and a comfy spot and I'll get started.

     Ever since Cinder discovered jumping, back when she was a mere babe of 10 weeks old, she's been a jumping fiend! No matter how I discourage it, she continues to strive for new ways and places to jump as well as showing me how high she can go. Her newest feats of jumping

have finally extended to getting on our bed, which sits 32" from floor to the top of the mattress. It is an old bed and sits pretty high.  I wouldn't let her jump off the bed, but she was easily able to jump right up onto it to surprise me when I was trying to make the bed a few days ago.  Her next feat was jumping OVER my agility tunnel (made from a paintball tunnel) - at 28" tall.  I saw it unfold before my eyes as she was chasing

 around the A-frame to get Gilley, when she almost slammed into the tunnel and suddenly opted to go over it - with PLENTY of air space between she and the top of it!  She made it look easy too. Her next fun surprise came when I was getting ready to load her into the  back of the Jeep Patriot last week to go to the barn; she jumped right in when I was getting things situated and handed me her safety tie-down strap to hook to her harness.  "Jumping Bean Queen" is her new nickname. She's ever so proud she can jump and she's not afraid to use it.  

     The other news we've been working on a couple of new things.  I have a Hula Hoop that I use for several fun dog tricks with Gilley so I thought we'd work on those.  Nope. She again had to show me that the Hula Hoop is for jumping through too.  So, I let her do a few small jumps through the Hula Hoop just because she absolutely loves it and we'll build to other things with it as she gets older.  Meanwhile, we also transferred that ability to agility and she goes through my tire jump on the ground level height.  She looks as me as if I'm supposed to raise it for her to actually jump it because walking or tiny hops through it are clearly not challenging enough for her-just ask her!  

     She has gotten shutting doors down pretty well now, so now I have to work on transferring that ability to more than two doors in the house; and then transfer it to some other tricks.  She totally loves shutting the door for me when I have my hands full and ask her to shut it. She seems to understand my hands are full so shutting the door for me is really good.  In fact, several times we've left the door from our kitchen to the garage open and she's shut it because she thought it should be closed. I think that means she's starting to evolve mentally too because she can think for herself that the door is open and should be closed.  Maybe I should be afraid of her brain power, very afraid. Hmmm.

     We got out her teeter-totter trainer and she's outgrown it so now I have to make an actual teeter totter  just because she's already so big that I may as well make a real one as to make another training version. However, she readily climbed on, walked her three steps across and off without a problem.  Of course she also does the tunnel-every time I turn around, she's going through the tunnel.  I think it's time to put the tunnel away for a while, just so she doesn't want to do it when I really ask for it.

     Last weekend we took all three dogs to a local state park.  I found out that Cinder is quite attached to the older boys because when they went a slightly different way (still very close and very visible), she was constantly pulling and barking for them.  It wasn't until I got her completely out of sight of them that she calmed down and paid attention to what I was asking.  When we go off to do things by ourselves, leaving the boys home, she's absolutely golden so I was a little surprised by her separation anxiety.  Obviously we'll have to do more of that to try and get her over it.  

   

 Cinder is growing by leaps and bounds - ha ha.  She is now 18" tall at the shoulders and 31 pounds.  That's as big as a lot of smaller adult Border Collies, but I know by her feet that she is not even close to done growing yet.  She's in the leggy stage right now. She's finally big enough that she's becoming a much tougher wrestling opponent for the boys. Gilley sometimes struggles to break free of her when she pounces on him and pins him down. I think the boys are going to be in for some serious wrestling as she grows bigger. 

     That's the highlight reel from the last two weeks. There have been a few minor adventures here and there, but nothing exciting-yet.  I'm sure more fun things will start happening now that she's finished all her vaccinations and we can take her more places.  Thanks for checking in to see how we're doing as we continue raising Cinder!  

Cheers!

Chris

Cinder's Got Game!

     Last week was nothing remarkable throughout the week.  We didn't really do anything special and nothing new was added to Cinder's repertoire until the weekend.  My time was spent attending appointments and preparing for the Easter weekend.  

     Easter Sunday, in the early morning hours, we were having coffee in the living room while the dogs played.  Suddenly I realized that Cinder had another growth spurt - legs, she's all legs right now!  At four months old, she is a nice sized girl. I can only imagine what her biggest brother, Storm, must look like now! As I watched silently, I noted that her coat is changing.  Her coat is getting thicker and she's developing feathering on her legs and backside; she's getting a rough; and she already has tail feathering.  Her soft, fluffy, puppy-smelling coat is now being exchanged for a real dog coat. My puppy is now officially a teenager.

     Gilley and I began a game of ball.  He LOVES playing ball in any variation.  Out of the corner of my eye I spied Cinder watching intently. She stopped playing with Buzz to watch Gilley and I play ball. She sat down and intently watched our every move-still as a statue except for her eyes darting side to side. Gilley and I continued playing ball when suddenly, Cinder darted across the room, careened into Gilley; grabbing the rolling tennis ball just as it went under a kitchen chair. She grabbed the ball, turned around, and brought me the ball!  Then she nudged me and nosed the ball as if to tell me, "Hey, I wanna try now!"  I rolled it and she retrieved it, bringing it back to me again.  The next time, I opted to do a close little ball toss to see her response.  Imagine my surprise at her catching it in her mouth, first time, first try!  After that, it became clear that rolling the ball on the floor was not interesting, but tossing it led to her trying to jump into the air to catch it rather than sitting or standing and waiting for it.  That was the first time Cinder's show n any interest in balls or playing with them. I guess we can now say she's interested in playing ball, but not if it's only rolled along the ground.  I guess in her world, she subscribes to the "go big or go home" theory. After all, why sit on your butt when you can vault into the air and snatch something mid-air? I guess the mid-air jump and snatch is more fun and definitely more entertaining. I'm just excited that Cinder's got it - Cinder's got game!

 
 

     The irony of the timing was appropriate because the day before, I said I have the only Border Collie puppy I've ever known or heard of that doesn't have any interest in balls of any kind. It didn't matter in the scheme of things, but being able to play ball with the dogs is fun for them and me. 

     I finally got to play ball with Cinder for the first time - on Easter!  Gotta love the little darlin' because she's keeping me guessing about what she'll do in her future. That's the highlight of another week raising Cinder.

Cheers!

Chris

     

Home Dog Bather for the Financially Challenged

     If you wash your dog in the bathtub as I do, then you’ve probably discovered the joys of using a hand-held dog bath sprayer that connects to your faucet or your showerhead.  They’re similar to kitchen sink sprayers for dog bathing. If you’ve got one of the average dog bath sprayers and connected it to your showerhead, then you’ve probably been a little disillusioned by the short length of the hose (unless you splurged on a higher-end model). The hoses average 6 - 7 feet long, but if you have a 6’ tall showerhead, it’s about two feet too short of being perfect for dogs shorter than Great Danes. I have GREAT NEWS if that’s your experience!

     Our old dog bath sprayer recently died an ugly death after years of great service (I got a good one).  I was disheartened by the selection of new models.  They’re cheaply made and of course, none of them have hoses longer than 72 inches until you get into the higher priced versions.  Prices vary widely; but higher prices don’t always equate to better quality.   Frustrated by the quality and costs of new dog specific bath sprayers, I went to Lowe’s in search of a way to make a dog bath sprayer that connects to my showerhead AND has enough hose to easily reach the whole distance from showerhead to the opposite end of the tub. 

         I looked at bathtub hand-held shower sprayers and kitchen sink sprayers.  I opted to for a hand-held shower sprayer primarily because I liked the larger sprayer head and multiple spray settings that aren’t available in kitchen sink sprayers. My search revealed several cheap models that quickly and easily attach to the existing showerhead. However, they too came with an average 60 – 72” hose.  Grrrrr! I decided to use our old sprayer hose and use a coupler to attach the new sprayer hose to it, creating a 12’ hose with a coupler joint in the middle.

    We left Lowe’s with a $13 hand-held shower sprayer kit and a coupler to fix two hoses together for a total of a 12 foot length of hose.  Our total cost was $21.  One detail I overlooked was that the shower sprayer doesn’t turn on/off by depressing a trigger.  Another easy fix for with an in-line hose shut-off valve placed at the base of the sprayer handle.  All of this was EASY and we ended up with a much better dog bath sprayer that now has a 12’ hose and three spray adjustments.  We could’ve gotten a dog sprayer for the same or less money, but they are much poorer quality at less than $50. This isn’t high quality, but it’s better than the average dog sprayers and cheaper than most of them. It’s a little better sprayer and a LOT better hose length – all for under $25.

     Cinder, Gilley and Buzz may now get as dirty as they want as often as they want because now, I’m armed with our new bath sprayer to make it easy to get them in the tub and bathe them clean again.  I already tested it on Buzz-it was wonderful and he enjoyed not being made to move around so I could reach all of him. Now it’s time for bathing a certain puppy - another adventure in raising Cinder.

Cheers!

Chris

Growing up Fast

Raising Cinder is pretty similar to being a parent: constant supervision required, constant trips to potty outside (also supervised), feeding, teaching things, play time, disrupted sleep in early morning hours...  Even bedtime has a ritual similar to my son's-a snack of frozen yogurt; and off to bed.  You try your best to love and raise them, hoping you're doing the right things-at least as right as you can in the given conditions. But the hardest thing is to spend every day with them and suddenly REALLY notice that they're growing up-fast!

I can hide behind this!

I be stuck now!

     Sometimes it seems like I just brought home my tiny little Cinder puppy. She was a little bit smaller than my foot at the time.  Two months have passed since then.  I look at her now and wonder where my little puppy went!  In two months, she's grown so fast that there have been times when one day she was so small she could fit into the tiniest spaces and the next day, she's either gotten stuck or can't even get into those same spaces because she's truly grown overnight.

"Sit"-GOOD CINDER!"

    Like children, it's sometimes hard to remember that despite her growth and all she's learned, she's really only been to "kindergarten."  It seems she ought to be in "middle school" by now, but she's only rounding the corner to head for first grade in another month or so.  I have friends that due to time and distance, have not yet met Cinder in person. By the time they do, she will surely seem at least half grown even at less than six months old.

      I have totally enjoyed having a puppy in the house again, but I'm glad I am able to do it now and not in the five years from now that I'd planned to think about another puppy.  Waiting five more years would've been too long.  Gilley and Buzz would definitely be too old to play with a puppy by then; and they'd be far less tolerant of one by then.  As it is, it took three weeks before the boys accepted and regularly engaged with Cinder for more than a couple minutes. Now, they are all BFF's-playing and racing together as if they've always been a threesome.  

      Cinder's been good for all of us despite the moments of frustration we've all had with her puppy antics at times.  Buzz has truly learned to play for the first time in his life since he was a tiny puppy.  Gilley has always loved playing and now, Cinder is his regular play pal.  Cinder is such a sweetheart and lovebug that we're enjoying her puppy neediness of us and our affections.  She's reminded Brian that parenting-puppies or children-really is a job and doesn't wait just because we're tired or we don't feel great. She's reminded me that despite the hardships of daily struggles, there can be great joys and one of those is being needed; another is being loved.  There is something to be said about being a parent - to a child or a puppy - you can learn as much from them as they will ever learn from you if you allow yourself to be taught.  Cinder's turning out to be a good little teacher for such a young puppy that's growing up fast!

     And now, a return to daily life and the evening chores that await, including those chores that are part of raising Cinder.

Cheers!

Chris

   

Recalls-The Canine Kind or "Cinder, COME!"

  If you ask different trainers what they think are the top two most important things to teach a puppy, you're bound to start a conversation that could go on for weeks.  Everyone has their own version of what's important and sometimes picking a "most important" becomes a matter of perspective.  In my world, it's always subjective and varies with situations and settings as to the importance of certain things a dog should know. I'm topping my list with having a good recall. For those who may not know what a recall is: recall is your dog coming when you call, without any hesitation; and without detours along the way.

   Cinder will never be a working herder. We have nothing for her to herd. However, we will be taking her to all kinds of places and doing all kinds of things aside from the 340 acres of farm we roam regularly.  I'm also hoping that if she likes and shows promise for agility, MAYBE we will try a few trials. Obviously that means she needs a good recall.  

     Today was our first trial run to test her recall on the farm without the big boys with us. Gilley has a FANTASTIC recall for which I am grateful, but Cinder needs to learn to come on her own, without Gilley or Buzz.  We took her to the horse barn with us and took a walk with her on a long-line (25' rope). 

     The first test was just getting her past the chickens darting around the barnyard! Once we got her out of the barnyard and headed to the back fields, we were able to start letting her loose. I was apprehensive because she has a great recall within the confines of our house, but when she's with the big boys, she's merely following them.  With 340 acres to run, I got concerned when our first dozen recalls on the long-line were questionable because she kept sniffing and snooting - I had to tug her most of the way to me.  After about another dozen successful but lacklustre recalls, I was a little less hesitant to turn her loose, but not entirely convinced. 

   Finally I decided to let her loose with her long-line on.  My thinking was that if she headed into the woods, she'd get snagged up and I'd be able to get to her.  Once she discovered she was free, she took off at dead run and I was a bit afraid she may not stop.  As I crested the hill, I spied her atop the hill, stopped and staring at me.  I called her and  she came. Yay!  After that, Brian and I kept her in a big field punctuated with small hills; and surrounded by woods.  Using the hills, edge of the woods, and some old round bales of hay, one of us would "hide" while Cinder wasn't looking. After a few minutes, the person hiding would yell for Cinder to come.  It was me to start and then we alternated calling her between us.  Each and every time, she came running directly to whomever called, trailing her long-line behind.  A few times I thought to detach the long-line, but I decided it wasn't hurting anything to leave it alone.  We played this game all the way back to the little creek.  

     At the creek, we generally leash the dogs because that's a sort of last rest area before we're back in the barn yard and turn-out area.  Buzz has a horrible track record around the horses and chickens; and no recall once he starts a chase.  Gilley's awesome because I raised him going to the barn every day and he learned how to behave around the barn animals, but Buzz was already three when we got him. We worked to teach him barn rules and on leash, he's GREAT but the minute he's free, he becomes an unstoppable Tazmanian Devil, killing chickens and chasing horses (NOT herding, chasing); and he ignores all efforts to recall him or stop him.  Rather than fight it, we just habitually don't give him the chance. Cinder will learn by trips as the single dog with us and trips with Gilley. Hopefully she'll become trustworthy at the barn like Gilley, but right now, we have to reinforce the whole recall and be able to get it reliably before we tempt fate and let her loose at the barn. 

   

 Overall, Cinder did well for her first test on recall over distance and without the big boys.  I'm very pleased because I sure wasn't counting on it. Now we just have to keep working on it and add distractions to start making that recall reliable. Next time, I'll take a drag rope (a leash about two feet long) to attach so she'll have something we could grab if we need to, but not something 25 feet long trailing behind her.  We'll start varying where we walk so she learns in different settings, including the woods. For now, I'm happy enough she had good recalls in the open field and the trail to the creek.  She gets an "A" for today.  Bonus: she got her exercise, we got ours; and now she's tired enough she'll be easier on the big dogs this evening.

 That's one more small hurdle successfully accomplished in our daily life as we continue raising Cinder.

Cheers!

Chris