I thought for sure that these young deer? elk? would hop the fence
to eat the yucca blossoms in my front yard.
Smooch barked and scared them off before they had a chance.
Meanwhile, at her foster home, Alex can only dream of the adventures in store for her.
A delivery date has been set, and assuming the weather and my road cooperate,
she will arrive at the ranch on Wednesday, June 13.
The official countdown begins.
Alex is so beautiful
ReplyDeleteI NEED that chalkboard "to-do" list thingy. Can't wait 'til the pup arrives!
ReplyDeleteWow so close....Junior? Love their faces
ReplyDeleteLittle Alex will love all the love and attention and so many smells for a puppy. It’ll be the best thing for Smooch, whether she agrees or not in the beginning.
Ethel
She is a little doll.
ReplyDeleteMule Deer. Growing their annual antlers. There shouldn't be any elk in your area, they prefer the mountains areas of New Mexico.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the identification - I couldn't figure it out from google images.
DeleteThat sweet pup has no idea what a wonderful, adventure filled life she is going to have living with you and yours. I'm so excited for all of you, xoxo Oma Linda
ReplyDeleteIt's going to be a fun time around the ole ranch house in about 14 days. Looking forward to seeing the "meet and greet" between lil Miss Alex and Smooch.
ReplyDeletecan't wait to see you with them on long walks
ReplyDelete"Water Germans"...?
ReplyDeleteSweet puppy breath.
Shorthand for geraniums.
DeleteI thought it would be this week. Can't wait to see her in her new home.
ReplyDeleteBeen a while since we had a new puppy....I do recall that I lost 10 pounds with all the chasing, training, and going in and out! Can't wait to see all the pictures to come as she explores her new home. I do hope that Smooch loves her! Lisa G. in TN
ReplyDeleteDo you think you will be able to keep Alex off leash on your walks, as you will have Smooch on the leash? She will want to stay with you and Smooch, and that will be more fun for both of you, right? I never have any dogs on a leash, but the puppy learns to stay close by because the older dogs always stay close by, as they were taught by the previous older dogs! If my pup strays a little away or goes the wrong direction, I go the opposite direction, and then they learn to pay attention so they won't get left behind. That way they have lots of fun yet are safe. Not that I am a great dog trainer or anything, but all my dogs can be depended on to go on hikes off leash without leaving me, even if they see deer or other tempting animals.
ReplyDeleteI sure hope I can develop a recall in Alex and walk her off leash - that's been my biggest failure with Smooch.
Deleteoh and it would be nice to make friends with Johnny, the age difference make it more possible and Johnny also deserves a friend
DeleteI think you have a perfect setup to teach Alex to stay with you off-lead. I wrote about how I teach puppies to stay with me off lead and you may find it useful: http://thedancingdonkey.blogspot.com/2015/03/responsiblity-training.html
DeleteThanks for the link, Kris. It all makes so much sense – applying it and overcoming my own anxieties will be the challenge.
DeleteOooooooo~! I can't wait! 14 days...
ReplyDeleteI hope you can teach Alex to walk off leash, but it is a great big wide interesting place there out yonder!
OMG, she is so precious! What a wonderful addition to the family.
ReplyDeleteGreat post @TheDancingDonkey! I've trained 2 pups similarly … right now am working with my almost 16 week old pup, Emmett. Fortunately I live on 8 acres and my house is far back from a rural road. At any rate, even now, Emmett will run after me if I turn and run when he has decided that something besides me might be more interesting. We started when he was 8 weeks old much like you wrote. I've barely started on any leash training - I need to, though:) I've trained 2 older dogs but using a long line which I continually shortened. And used the exact same route so expected exploration territory was known. After I felt confident, expanded the route, i.e. built on the behavior. I was introduced to clicker/positive reinforcement training about 5 years ago. I helped my then 9 year old dog (and me) with some behaviors that I thought he was too old to change … I got him as a 6.5 year old after his person died. I always thought clicker training was a gimmick, but have "seen the light"! Lots of good resouces in books and youTube, but this trainer/site/youtube was recommended to me and I've used it a lot: https://smartdoguniversity.com/ The videos are short and to the point for what you are working on. Complex things like a long down stay, leave it (from a distance) are broken down into several so you can start slow and build. I've said more than my 2 cents but as I'm in the middle of puppy-hood headed into puppy-adolescence … it is up front for me :) FWIW, although certainly "work", all is so much fun and the positive approach makes training more of a game.
ReplyDelete