Flash loves the snow

Just after we finished Flash's lesson, it started to snow and kept snowing until this morning. Flash loves the snow. There was about 4" on the ground and the snow was still falling when we went on our walk.

 After our walk, Flash went out to play in the snow in the back yard.

What are we going to do next?

Training Lesson

Rachel came over for Flash's training session. We took him out into the pasture where the horses were grazing to see if he could get desensitized to them.

I think Flash did very well. He walked around in front and in back of the horses and stayed down when we asked him to. He's a very smart dog; he's keeping us on our toes.

Looks like I'm his trainer and Dennis gets to be Disneyland.

Flash and the Horses

I took Flash out to the road in front of the house to do some training. He did fairly well on the Get and To Ready commands, but he still pulls at the end of the leash when walking. I am tired out. I took him to let the horses out and he was horrible. Did not listen; would not obey commands to sit and stay even though I had a death grip on the leash.

I was leaning over to open Doc's door when Flash dashed under my arm and lurched at Doc. Doc isn't particularly forgiving when it comes to unruly dogs. He struck out and clipped Flash on the foreleg. Flash yelped and pulled back. I let Doc out and checked Flash's leg. He was ok, just stunned that anything would attack him. I think he gained a little respect for the horses...maybe.

Then we went to let Shalla out. Shalla was fine and Flash was by my side because I had him on a short leash, again with a death grip. Not too much trauma.

Then we walked out to where the horses were and I had Flash sit and lie down. He was ok. He stayed down and just watched the horses. We were about 20 feet away.

We went closer and Shalla did nothing and Doc just moved away. We were about 4 feet away and Flash was lying down.

We stayed there for a while then went home and played ball in the back yard. When we went back in the house, we hugged and kissed and all was well. Flash must be a little tired because he is lying down in one of his "spots."  I am in my spot on the sofa.

Flash's Registered Name

I finally completed the AKC registration papers for Flash. His call name is Flash. His registered name is Premier Lightning Storm. I did a lot of research on the internet to choose a suitable name. Turns out the word "lightning" links directly to the word "flash" on Wikipedia's word map.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Since Dennis is still away skiing in Mammoth, I had to feed the horses and birds and let out the turkeys. First Flash and I went to the barn to feed the horses. I was very pleased that he pretty much ignored the horses.

Afterward, we went on our walk and then I put Flash in the back yard so I could let the turkeys out. I don't think he is turkey proof yet.

Flash's feet were so dirty I left him outside in the back while I fixed my breakfast (orange and almonds). I took my breakfast outside and let Flash out to run around in the front yard for a while. It was nice and warm even at 7:30.

Flash insisted on having some of my orange. I gave him a few pieces and he actually ate them. He likes bananas, too.

First visit to the vet

I took Flash to the vet this morning for his vaccinations, including his first rattlesnake shot. He whimpered like a girl, but didn't hold a grudge. The staff thought he was great.

Flexi-dog

Flash stretches out sliding front legs forward, back legs backward. Cracks me up.

An extra long walk

This morning Flash and I took our normal walk around the 1-mile trail, then I took him up the road in back of the house. This is a really steep trail--for me, not Flash. It was all the same to him.

 We went up the steepest end of the trail first, the part by the upper pond. 

Flash is waiting for me to struggle up the hill.

Flash visits the pond

I took Flash to the pond yesterday. He hasn't shown any interest in the ducks or geese, so I thought it would be safe to let him run loose and have some fun. The first thing he did was explore the turkey pen and steal a small plastic grain shovel. I told him to "leave it" and he dropped it. Good boy.

Next he found a goose egg and ate it. Oh, well.

After that he just ran around looking at the water, taking a drink; but he didn't get his feet wet. Will he be a swimmer?

Finally, We Wore Him Out

Today was lesson day for Flash. This morning he had a run with Honey when we walked the ranch trail. We played in the back yard for a while, then later in the morning I walked him alongside Doc who was led by Betsy. We walked the 1/4-mile trail, then I sat on the mounting block in the arena with Flash by my side. I'd like to say all went well, but Flash lurched and tried to bite Doc on the nose. Luckily Doc is a very calm horse. Also, he is used to many dogs.

Needless to say I was exhausted after the horse lesson. We have a lot of work to do.

At 1 p.m. Rachel came to give Flash (and me) a training lesson. With his new collar, we practiced walking on a loose lead. He actually did very well considering he was horrible at it initially. We will continue to work on this, but I have hope.

After our lesson, Homero took Flash for a run. When Flash got back he flopped down and is sleeping peacefully. Tired dog.

Flash is a Very Good Boy

Today was Movie Tuesday. Dennis left for a meeting early this morning and I left for the movies at 10:30. I was gone until about 4:30. When I came back home, I didn't see Flash in the back yard where he usually is. Then I remembered that I forgot to lock his dog door so he couldn't come in the house while we were gone.

I opened the kitchen door and there he was, looking sheepish and a little guarded. He didn't know if he was going to be punished. But I looked around, expecting toilet paper rolls torn to bits or other mayhem. But the house was perfect. He was so good, he didn't do anything except perhaps sleep.

So I rewarded him with another walk on the 1-mile trail. That made 2 miles for us today.

Flash's Routine

Flash seems to be comfortable in the family now. He has a lot of different experiences every day, starting with our 1-mile walk. Flash runs most of the way, playing with Honey if she's with us. Towards the end of the walk, Flash takes off to the middle of the pasture, chasing birds and running as fast as he can. It's fun to watch him.

We have a couple of things to work on:

1.  Walking on a loose leash; heeling. On a 6 ft. leash with his normal collar, Flash pulls and resists the leash. He does better with the prong collar, but it's obvious he has never been trained to walk nicely on leash.

2.  Getting along with the horses. I am very disappointed that I can't ride my horse and have Flash run along with us. He would have so much fun and exercise if he would just get along with the horses.

Otherwise, Flash is a quick learner. I started teaching him to "Place," meaning to step around me from my right to my left side and then sit. If he does it, he gets a cookie. I began with a light lead, coaxing him to step around me. He did well, and I stopped using the leash, having him "Place" off leash. That's hard, but he's getting it.

He also likes to play ball in the back yard and play tug with his toys in the living room

He loves to run to the office while Dennis rides his bike. Then Homero takes him for a run in the afternoon. All-in-all, he is an active little dog and seems very happy.

Yesterday, Honey came to visit, showing up at our door all by herself. I let her in the back yard with Flash and they had a good time playing until Mom called her home.

Cabin Fever

Flash and I have cabin fever. We worked on a few training exercises, did some playtime, and then collapsed in the effort of finding things to do inside while the weather outside was snowy and raining. Now the rain has stopped and I called on Homero to take Flash for a run and keep him outside for awhile. I'm just recovering from a cold and prefer to stay inside today.

Dad's Back

Dennis was back from his one-day trip and Flash spent the whole day with him...after our morning walk together. He got to run back and forth from home to office and visited with people and with Honey, Mom's dog.

Flash's Big Ride

Yesterday, I had a doctor's appointment in Santee and Mom said she would ride along. I thought this would be a good opportunity to take Flash for a ride in the car, so I emptied everything from the back and lined it with a soft throw. Flash jumped right in and we were off!

He was great in the car. He had to wait while I was at the doctor's, then we went to Pet Smart and he got to walk around and pick out his own dog bed. He is surprisingly long and takes a big bed. 

Lots of people stopped to pet him (such a ham) and he paid no mind to any of the dogs. There were about 20 dogs in the play area but he scarcely gave them a glance.

We went to Mom's bank and then home after that. It was a big day for Flash.

Flash Meets Snow

Poor Flash. Mommy was sick all week and had only minimal energy to train and play with him. But today Flash got a great surprise. It snowed overnight and this morning Flash was asking, "What is all that white stuff...I like it!"

Feb 8 Training Day

Rachel of Maverick Way Dog Training (www.maverickwaydogtraining.com) came to the ranch today to help with Flash's training. I have been working with Flash especially on the Stay command this week. I demonstrated to Rachel our progress and she had some suggestions to make the Stay "stick." We attached a clothesline leash to his collar and tugged on it a little when he was in the Stay position to see if he would stay. He was great. He stayed until I (or Rachel) returned to him and rewarded him with a cookie and pats.

Dennis has been working on the "Here" command when Flash is off leash wandering around the ranch, and Flash comes bounding to him and slides in for a sit in from of him. Really cool.

Rachel also showed us (me and Flash) how to go from Down to Settle. The Settle command kind of puts the dog in a laying down on his side position. I tried it after Rachel left ... we have work to do.

The rest of our lesson was working on the preliminary steps to the Heel command. The first step is "Get." In the Get command, I stand facing Flash at a sit (him not me) with my cookie-holding hands at my sides. I then raise one or the other hand and say "Get!" Flash then jumps up and gets the cookie. Later on, we'll turn this into a swirl bringing Flash to my side and ready to heel.  Again, we have work to do.

We brought Flash out to Rachel's car and she let out her border collie. I was surprised to see Flash lunging and growling at her dog just like he does with the horses. It's important to take hold of both sides of his neck and sternly say "Knock it off!" or some other phrase that let's him know it's not okay to threaten other dogs. Rachel said we could bring him out to her ranch to socialize him with other dogs. We may do that at some point.

So, we have our work cut out for us next week. When Dennis got home, I showed him what we did in our lesson so he can keep up with Flash's training, too.

I told Rachel that when I walk from room to room in the house, Flash is there. It seems like we have many Flashes because he is so quick it seems like he was already in the room. Weird. She said that indicated that Flash was bonding to me.

I am enjoying working with Flash and I know Dennis likes to take him on bike runs. I think Flash knows he is at home now. The only thing is he "loves the one he's with." When Vivian was leaving after spending some time cleaning the pantry, I helped carry some of her things to the car. She opened the door and Flash jumped in!

One thing I forgot to tell Rachel is that Flash is chasing cars when they come in to the ranch. We'll have to see if this continues.

Movie Tuesday

Today was Tuesday, the day Dennis, Mom and I go to the movies. We took Flash on a walk in the morning, but then we left him outside in the back yard.

Dennis is doing really well with Flash. If he is some distance away (say at Mom's house), Dennis can call him and he will race back and slide in for a "sit" at his feet. Pretty cool.

Flash, Stay

I've been working with Flash on the stay command (as well as sit, down, here and don't bite my fingers). Today was a breakthrough. He finally gets it, I think, but only if cookies are involved. That's ok. Stay is a good command.

We did our lesson and then played in the back yard for awhile. Later I took him on leash to the barn where Homero was grooming Doc. I made Flash sit and just watch. Then Homero walked Doc down the road while I walked Flash alongside. I had to keep Flash on a short leash because he kept lunging at the horse. We have to work on this.

We also need to work on the Heel command or whatever it's called. He's not very good at walking on a loose leash.

Homero took Flash for a run in the afternoon and Dennis took him on a bike run to the office this morning. Right now he is sleeping.

Feb 5 Superbowl Sunday

Luckily we don't watch football so we have lots of time to spend with Flash. First, as usual, we took our morning walk on the ranch trail. Mom was washing her hair so we took Honey with us. Flash loves to run, run, run. We love it when he self-exercises.

Look how pretty he is. I brush him every day.

At the beginning of the morning walks, we feed the horses. This is my opportunity to hold Flash on leash and have him sit and meet the horses without lunging at them. He's getting a little better, but I was hoping he would like to be around the horses. He doesn't. He wants to growl and bark at them. If he had the opportunity, I'm pretty sure he would chase them, too. We really have to work on this. My dream is to have him run along on trail rides. We are far from this goal right now.

After the walk, we came back for breakfast. Flash is pretty good at leaving us alone while we eat. After breakfast I was doing chores around the house and Dennis played ball with Flash--in the house. We gave Flash a bone with some meat on it that we got at Sprouts. We looked for marrow bones but can't seem to find them, so Flash hit the jackpot. He spent a long time chewing his bone on the grass in the back yard.

Later, in the afternoon, I spent some time doing a training lesson with Flash. I was very happy to get him to stay for a limited time with me standing about 2 feet away. He's getting the idea, I think, but his main interest is the cookie in my hand.

Afterward, for playtime, Dennis took Flash for a long walk up the hills around the ranch. This was very good for all of us. The only problem was that Dennis brought him to the barn while he turned out the horses into the pasture and refilled the water buckets and put in their feed for the night feeding. He had Flash on a length of clothesline and tied him to the horse trailer while he did the chores. Flash broke loose and went into Doc's corral. Doc almost kicked him, but Dennis got Flash out of there quickly. Like I said, we need to work on the horse problem.

I looked out the window, though, and saw Flash and Dennis walking out in the main pasture where the horses were grazing and it didn't seem to bother Flash at all. Hmmmm.

Flash was exercised enough that he just lazed around the house in the evening. At one point he tried to bring his slimy bone in the house but I took it from him (no growling or anything!) and put it in his outdoor crate. He seemed okay with this.

All in all, I think the three of us are forming a family unit, especially since Flash now sleeps in the house on the floor at either my side or Dennis's side of the bed.

Feb 4 Saturday morning

Flash sleeping on cat bed in my office

We started off our morning walk as usual. I had Flash on leash while we fed the horses. I had trouble holding him back even before we got to the barn. Although he wanted to bark and lunge at the horses, I made him sit in from of each stall while Dennis put in the food.

Mom met us at the barn with Honey. We walked past the pond then let the dogs off leash. Then the fun began for them.

Flash is doing very well with the dog door, but Dennis thinks we should take it back because it doesn't work the way it should. Flash is just so smart he waits until the door finally unlocks, then pops himself through.

He also has a lot of fun with Bowling, a 6 or 8 inch black plastic "bowling ball" toy that was Lui's. Lui never liked it but Flash chases it all over the place. The trainer said to put it away until we leave the house so he will have something to do while we're gone.

Feb. 3 Flash Learns the Dog Door

The dog door just hasn't been working right. It takes a long time to click open, which makes it difficult for Flash to use it. Dennis and I worked on it this morning, resetting it to default and starting over with the Learn feature. I need to call tech support to see what's wrong.

But...this morning I saw Flash sitting in front of the door until it clicked, then he went out. Way smart.

In the afternoon we walked over to Mom's house to bring her the cauliflower she's cooking for dinner. Flash and Honey played together. I think Flash really likes Honey. When we left, he stopped at the end of the driveway and I had to coax him to come along home.

We had a training session in the back yard when we got home, then played with his toys for awhile. In the house he's learning to sit, wait (stay), and down. Wait is not so good.

Feb 2 Inside at Last

Flash rode alongside Dennis on his bicycle going to and from the office, took a ride in the car, ran along with Homero on the trail, and got plenty of toy play time and a few training lessons. Oh, yeah, we also took our morning walk at 7 a.m. with the temperature at 37 degrees. It was frosty.

Bill installed Flash's new dog door and we're training him to use it. It unlocks with his magnet and then relocks. I don't think he has the hang of it yet.

Dennis went to a meeting last night and I put Flash out before I went to bed. As it turned out, Flash did learn how to use the door dog. He was back in my bedroom after about 15 minutes. I let him stay.

When Dennis got home, he also let Flash stay inside although I heard a lot of sighs.

Feb. 1 We're Keeping the Dog

In the afternoon, a dog trainer from The Maverick Way Dog Training Center came to the house to evaluate Flash and get us started on his training. She agreed with us that he needed basic obedience and said that he seemed less insecure since the last time she'd seen him. He is doing very well here and settling in nicely. She showed us how to do some of the initial training, which Flash picked up easily. Dennis and I, on the other hand, had to write everything down so we would remember what to do and how to do it.

This morning we took our regular walk around the ranch with Mom and Honey; then there was the training session in the back yard; and later we took a walk to the gate and back, about a half mile, and played tug with Flash's favorite toy when we got back to the house. Flash was done in for the night, lying at our feet at first, then moving to his indoor crate.

Breakthrough! Tonight when we put Flash out for the night, he didn't whine or scratch at the door once! I think he knows he will have another fun day tomorrow. Another breakthrough: Dennis bought a $199 dog door and I heard him say to the dog, "This will probably be the last night you spend outdoors," or something like that. Things are working out and it looks like we're keeping the dog.

Jan. 30 More Experiences with Flash

Today started off again with a walk on the Sandy Creek Ranch Trail after feeding the horses. Flash and Honey ran ahead of us but too far ahead. Later we went home and had breakfast and watched some of our Sunday morning shows. We took a break around 11 a.m. and drove Flash to the Pine Valley park to take a walk and give him a car riding lesson. He seemed to have fun, walking pretty much with his nose to the ground. Then we drove home. Flash was pretty nervous on the way out, but after walking in the park, was very happy to see that he got to come home again. When we got to our street we found the turkeys who had run off when they spied Flash yesterday. We herded them home but they disappeared again later.

We played with Flash on the front lawn awhile in the afternoon. He chases the Frisbee and brings it back to within 10 feet or so. We decided to throw the Frisbee down the road and take a walk at the same time, picking up the Frisbee that Flash dropped. We went up to the warehouse and let him explore the area for awhile. Then we went back home.

Later in the day, Dennis took Flash in my car up to the Wisteria Candy Shop in Boulevard to pick up some chocolate candy for the guys a the Port. We didn't get any. Flash was getting pretty good in the car by that time. The turkeys were in the carport so Dennis herded them to their pen and I retrieved Flash from the car.

Flash had a pretty good day. He now goes out the door when we ask him to, realizing, I think, that he will be able to come in again. Same with the car.

We made sure he peed and pooped outside several times so there would be no accidents at night in the house. Our new life's work is to tire out Flash so he'll sleep at night. I wonder who's getting tired?

We had dinner with Mom at our house (pasta), then watched some TV. Dessert was bear claws and coffee. Mom went home at 7, her witching hour.

I went to bed early, around 8:30, because I was really tired from the last two sleepless nights. Flash and Dennis stayed up (well, I suspect they both slept). The only bad part was that Flashed pooped in the house during the evening some time. Dennis cleaned it up and put Flash outside for the night. This night there was no whining or scratching at the door--an improvement.

I still got up at 1-ish, but that's my routine. When I finish this post, I'm going to read myself to sleep again.

Jan. 29 Sleepless in Sandy Creek

Dennis wants Flash to sleep outside; Flash wants to sleep inside. I just want to sleep. We put Flash outside last night and he whined and scratched at the door all night. I had left the breezeway light on as we usually do. Around 1 a.m. Dennis turned out the light and Flash finally quieted down. I still had a hard time going back to sleep.

This morning we all (Dennis, Mom and me plus Honey and Flash) went for a walk around the ranch. This is a one-mile trail, so it's good exercise for everyone.

Photos: (1) Flash finally got used to his inside crate. (2) But he really likes lying at Dennis's feet.

Jan. 28 Flash Day One

It's very different having a puppy, even a 6-mo-old one. He wants to play all the time and cannot be tired out. Flash arrived around 2 p.m., and after his owner left, we took him for his first walk around the ranch. We had him on a leash so he learn the territory. He did finally settle down in the evening, but was very unhappy about having to sleep outside. We have a very nice, large crate for him, doorless, but he whined and scratched on the door until early in the morning.

Finally, by the time we got up, he was just standing in the breezeway looking at us. We let him in, fed him, then took him for a walk down to feed the horses. Then we walked down to Grandma's house and met up with Grandma and Honey then continued on around the ranch trail with no leashes. Honey and Flash got along just fine. They played and ran around. If they got ahead of us, Flash would look back to see if we were coming. I don't think we have to worry about him running away. He likes us and he likes the ranch. Who wouldn't?

After breakfast Dennis and I threw the Frisbee for Flash. He loves to run after it and he brings it back to within 5 feet or so. We need to work on this.

At noon I took him with me on leash to let the horses out. I knew I would have to train him not to chase the horses, but I thought he would be more submissive and/or respectful of the horses (they are bigger after all). It's a good thing I had him on leash because he was after the horses even before I let them out. We got through it, but it wasn't fun. We have to work on this, too.

Next Friday I have a trainer coming out to the ranch to help me learn how to train Flash. I'm looking forward to it.

Right now Flash is sacked out in front of one of the recliners. After I finish this I'm going back to my knitting while he's resting.

January 27, 2012

Dennis and I have been doing a lot of thinking about getting a new dog and researching the breeds. The house is just too lonely without a dog, especially without Spike. Today, we took the plunge and bought a Border Collie. Meet Flash, 6 mos. old. We took him for a walk this afternoon, on leash. He was very good and very curious. This evening we spent some time playing and some time resting. We're getting to know each other so we're all feeling a little tentative. Right now Flash is lying at our feet. He doesn't want to go outside unless we go with him, then he wants to come back with us in the house. This is going to be tricky getting him to sleep outside in his crate.

He ate my knitting needles.