Lab Dobie mix?

Val, one of the dog trainers said to me that Maddie has the classic markings of a Doberman.  Really?  so I did some investigating.

Here's a shot of a lab/doberman with the classic eyebrows, chest and chin markings.



Here's a shot of Maddie:

You can see the markings on her eyebrows, and the patch of white on her chest, and her paws.  She's starting to get lighter color around her nose and chin too.  Look at those ears - almost identical!

What sealed the deal for me was the doberman temperament.  Loyal watchdogs, very loving, won't leave your side and the kicker.....they chew everything from about 8 months to 2 years!  That's her.  We can look forward to another year of this!


Here's some more shots of her - you can see the eyebrow markings better.

Progress

Yesterday was our last day of dog training.  Since we missed last week (I had the flu), we got to go early and Sandy worked with Maddie on leash training for 30 minutes.  Maddie is doing so much better with the halti/leash.  She has stopped fighting the halti most of the time, and will walk with a loose leash like she should.

Here's a shot of her with Sandy:

Both Sandy & Val remarked on how much weight she's lost, and how good she's looking.  I think Maddie knew it 'cuz she was prancing around at one time like..."look at me Mom- I'm looking good"  We were all laughing at her.  I think the grain free diet that I switched her to along with the 5 miles of walking everyday are doing the trick.  

She's getting really good on "go to your bed" and stay.  In fact, one day I grabbed the cheese (treats) and she immediately ran to her crate/bed without me saying anything.    We were supposed to teach a trick, so we've been working on "shake", because I thought that would easy. Ha ha ha.  Still got work to do on that.   The gals might offer an advanced obedience class , which they seem to think Maddie would be ready for.  We'll see.  I'll definitely book some playdates with Grady (Sandy's yellow lab) when the weather gets better.  

We watched the Westminster dog show the other night.  She was fascinated by it.  At one point, she was up on her hind legs with her nose touching the screen.  Really cute.  

She also sent birthday wishes to a friend of mine:

On tap for this week:  A date with the groomer.  It's bath time, and nail cutting time.  Should be interesting!!

Maddie = 1; Halti = 1

It's been a very interesting week.  After extreme frustration with leash training, I bought a Halti, which is a type of head halter for dogs that stops them from pulling.  It looks like this:

It's like a horse bridle.  The strap goes over the dog's nose, which immediately makes them more submissive, as this is what the mama dog does with her mouth to calm them.  Maddie jumped, and bucked, and threw herself around and around when I first put it on her. (so much for calming her down)  She did everything she could to get it off.  But it works.  She stopped pulling, and walking her was now pleasant instead of a chore.  

Not so fast though....  I came home thursday and found the halti on the floor.  The clasp had been chewed apart and was ruined.  She had gotten into the basket, pulled the halti out and proceeded to kill it.   

I bought another one from the trainers on Saturday, and we worked with her for a good 30 minutes on walking like she should.  No sniffing, no pulling, no throwing herself on the ground to try to get it off.  That's what I'll be practicing this week with her.

Maddie with her new halti - you can see how excited she is to have it on.  She immediately lies down and looks like she's pouting.   I'm also using a double training leash.  It's hooked on her collar and on the halti under her chin.

It's a gorgeous day, and we got Raymond out for a bit of a walk too.

I hate this thing and refuse to enjoy myself.  

Week 3

We had a great training class on Saturday.  I got there 30 minutes early, and Sandy (trainer) had her dog with her - a 6 year old yellow lab named Grady.  So Maddie had her first play date.  I was a little nervous, as she can be a bit reactive with other dogs, but Grady was very patient, and they just had a blast.  She plays a bit rough, so no playing with the puppies in class yet.  I'm going to go early for the rest of the classes so she can get some private time with the trainers and Grady.

This week we're working on leash walking.  I have to learn to be persistent, consistent and patient.   She has to learn not to pull.  Should be an interesting week.

Here's some shots of her in one of her favorite positions.  Loves to lie on her back with her feet in the air, or curled up on the chair with me.

I love this shot of her....

All things Maddie

It's been 2 weeks since Maddie came to live with us, and it seems like we've had her forever.  She's a very happy, playful,  and silly puppy dog.  Loves to chew and destroy her toys, my socks and any stray kleenex she can find.

We had our second day of dog training yesterday, and she did really well.  Next week we start leash training so we'll be practicing alot this week.  I would love to be able to walk her and not be pulled!

Here's some shots of her destroying her toys:

Having fun with her new toy.  It lasted 5 minutes!

She loves to hang out on the ottoman.  She'll lie on her stomach with her hind legs hanging over! We got a portable crate for her and will be training her to hang out in it.  Eventually we hope to leave her home alone using it.  

Winter 2014

Beautiful sunrise for a gorgeous day

Last Sunday was a gorgeous summer-like day.  65 degrees and no wind.  A perfect day to get out in the garden after months of doing nothing.  Plus, it would give me a chance to introduce Maddie to her new yard.  It's still too soon for her to be off the leash, so I hooked her up to a 30 foot chain that would allow her to wander a bit.   She found a few of Max's favorite digging spots, and one of his favorite sitting spots below.

Surveying her new yard

I lost a number of plants to the freezing spell a few weeks back, so I spent the time pulling out, pruning and general clean up.  Left the weeds for another day.  

Princess plant after the freeze.  Cut it way back

Lots of work to do