Thursday, May 26, 2011

Briar Aced his test at Puppy School!!!

So, I'm one proud fur baby mama today!! Last weekend, I took Briar to market days and he was just wonderful. He still pulled a bit too much on the leash but for the most part he was a living doll. Then, I went to Pet Smart to get some bird seed and kitty food. He was doing well but was very distracted when over stimulated by other dogs or attention....in come a pet trainer......"Ahem! Excuse me, miss...has your dog been to obedience training?” Me: "Oh, no...Not formally, but he's very smart and a fast learner." Trainer: "Well, we offer classes and he would be great in the beginner class." Me: thought to myself, why beginner?

So.....being open minded....walk over to the training section of the store....meanwhile Briar is just perfect mind you. So, I take a look-see. $100 for beginner classes $100 for intermediate $100 advanced, and so on.

Beginner...what is that about, I think to myself....
Your puppy ages 6 weeks to 6 months will learn to sit, stay, down, etc. Well, I know Briar already does that so I simply ask the trainer...could he not go into the intermediate class??

Yadda, yadda, yadda...he must test with the trainer....sigh. Okay...so I make an appt. for Thursday at 6pm just so the main trainer can assess my Briar and determine whether or not he is worthy of skipping a grade (so to speak).

Now it’s Thursday….Enter Briar and me after a long day at the office (both of us). We meet up with the trainer with his own dog who he's training. We enter the "class". Trainer says Briar must pass by executing one word commands with no delay, such as sit, down, stay and come. Whew....let's do this!!!

“Briar”, I state: “SIT”...Briar sits. Bravooooo my heart sang! “Briar, DOWN”....Briar goes down. Hurrayyy!!!! “Briar, STAY”.....Briar stays as I keep walking and pacing backwards.....Yes!!!! Even the trainer said that distance stay was more advanced than the beginner class! Hee hee!!! “Briar, COME”....and he came!!! What a special boy! So very smart! I just love this pup!

An all star, through and through! He skipped beginners and advanced right into intermediate. What a delight.

After testing out of the beginners class, Briar and I went into town where pups are allowed and celebrated with a glass of wine. We met some new folks and had a dandy time. Such a wonderful day for our dear Briar! :)

Monday, May 9, 2011

Goldendoodle's First Day at the Groomers

I read that it's a good idea to send your goldendoodle pup to the groomers around six months to establish good habits. It's important to establish a very positive and fun habit with the groomers so they are easy to groom in coming years.

I found a wonderful groomer at Posh Pets! She's fantastic and really took great care of Briar. The only thing I wanted for him this trip was a bath, blow dry, ear cleaning and nail trim - just to get a good rapport going.

I dropped him off at 9am and picked him up at 2:30 - and when I picked him up I hardly recognized him!!! He was so fluffy and soft...such a handsome boy!!
Here we are on our way to a local festival to further his socialization skills. My goal in taking him out is for him to get used to being around people in farmer's markets, outdoor festivals, and the like...without being a total spaz! Briar has a lot of energy and I'm working with him to tailor his energy in certain surroundings.

The outing went very well - we sat and enjoyed a nice glass of wine outside a local wine bistro. He got a lot of attention, mostly from people who were totally shocked he's only six months old! I heard a lot of horse and pony jokes - one person even asked me if I was going to put a saddle on him and ride him home. Geez.

The neat twist on this outing is who we met! Briar sparked a lot of conversation and one of those conversations led us to meeting our neighbor of 9 years - we had lived here all these years and it took an outing with Briar to serendipitously meet! That was neat.

After a long day of making friends and learning how to be a good boy in public, Briar came home and took a very long and restful nap on his favorite spot near the fireplace. He loves the cool tile as he naps.

....speaking of naps.....I think Briar's life style is contageous. Make lots of friends, be cheery, and nap often...now I could get used to that!

Briar Got Neutered

Briar turned six months at the end of April! He's growing so fast! Well, we made the appointment with his vet to schedule the neutering and we scheduled it just after his six month birthday. He did so well! Here he is on the way home - he looked so cute in his cone hat I had to turn around and take a picture. He had so much energy when I picked him up he hardly knew what to do with himself! Getting in the car was a bit of a challenge with his cone hat - but after many bangs and bumps I loaded him in and off we went.
When we got home, he banged into just about every wall (I have a lot of touch up painting to do!). Basil just stared at him and was by his side for the whole day. I think Basil really missed him and really has formed some sort of bond with him. Although they don't play - they certainly spend a lot of time together and really are aware of each other in a familial sort of way.
Briar was never bothered by his cone hat - it's as if nothing could weigh down his very happy spirit! He just keeps on truckin along - cone and all! Here he is showing off his smile.
Although, the back of my legs are very bruised from the run in's we had with his hard awful cone - I'm glad he never hurt Basil with it. Basil watched over him and Briar kept a safe distance when wearing the cone. So sweet.

10 days later, the hat came off! Briar really had a great time playing in the grass without his cone!
Briar being a silly boy in the grass!
Ahhh, no more cone!
Life is good when you're a pup - next up....the groomers!!