Poopy buisness

 Today Novel and I stopped by Walmart to do some errands. As usual, we stopped by a patch of grass so Novel could "hurry" before we went inside. He kept getting distracted by all the trash, but finally he did pee for me and we headed in to get our shopping done. He was being very good, keeping perfect heel position and almost a continuous gaze into my face. (Of course, it helped that I had a few pieces of kibble in my hand) We had gotten through the front doors and had started walking down the isle behind all the cash registers, when Novel suddenly stopped in his tracks.

I glanced back at him.

His poor little stubby face was a mask of terror and embarrassment. Without a seconds hesitation, I spun on my heels and we started high tailing it out of that store. In that split second glance, in Novel's panicked face, I saw the unmistakable expression of:

"MOM I HAVE TO POO RIGHT NOW!!!!"

Novel was pulling hard now, but I didn't really care...I wanted to get out of that store as badly as he did! Soon we were jogging, then running toward the big sliding door. People stared at us like we were out of our minds...not only did I have a dog in Walmart, but we were running! I took no notice. My one goal was to simply get OUT before Novel couldn't hold it any longer and embarrassed us both.

The front doors came into view. They opened for us and we charged through. We turned left down the sidewalk. I just needed to get out of the direct vicinity of the doors. Fifty feet later I knew he couldn't hold it any longer so we just stopped.

"Novel 'hurry!" I said. and, oh, he did.

As I was removing the evidence from the sidewalk, a man came out to gather up leftover carts. He remarked calmly on the gentle leader and how it worked so well on his dog. If only he knew what a close call we just escaped.

Dog toy

I just walked by Novel's toy basket and realized out of the corner of my eye that there was a new toy in it. Thankfully my camera was close at hand. What a fitting place for Novel's favorite kitty to nap!

Christmas

Exhausted, sore and stiff all over from head to toe in every. muscle. of my body, I stagger through the front door to the strong and unmistakable smell of a barn. Newspapers, sawdust, an old cat carrier, and a plastic food and water dish are scattered all across the living room carpet. And atop it all snuggles a chicken. Kinda brings the whole Christmas nativity barnyard scene close to home.

But it wasn't Christmas. Christmas happened two days earlier 814 miles and 13 hours away in a magical land filled with snow. At least for me it did. Three of my siblings and I drove all those miles there and back again to spend Christmas with our Sister's family. Novel spent it here at home. At our house which was converted into a barn.

Because I tend to draw things that I miss...

 I haven't had time yet to hear the full account of the adventures Novel had with my parents over Christmas, but from the snippets I have heard, he knocked over and broke a lamp, chased the cat, and generally pulled on the leash. Looks like we've got some training sessions ahead of us. Oh, and the chicken? It apparently wasn't feeling too well. Poor thing wasn't eating or moving, even to get into the chicken shed at night, so my dad brought it in side to doctor it up. She's eating and drinking now, and seems pretty happy with her nest in front of the wood stove, but still isn't moving around. Dad is wondering about a broken leg. Oh, and the kicker? The bird is absolutely crawling with tiny bugs. In our living room. Hooray. I can only hope we don't get a bird mite infestation in here.

My sister Rosie and her newly adopted
Doberman, Ava

Although I don't have much to tell you much about Novel's Christmas, I can give you a brief synopsis of mine. Saturday I got off work early, so we were able to leave earlier than originally planned. Even so, we didn't arrive at our destination until after midnight. However, the next 4 days were spent merrily with friends and family, eating good food, taking long walks, playing games, doing Krav Maga, watching movies, and snowboarding. And, of course, opening presents on Christmas Eve. We had planned to leave for home on Wednesday in order to get home for work Thursday morning, and indeed, 4am Wednesday Morning found us speeding south down the interstate, but snow and bad weather turned us back and 10am found us ringing the bell at our sister's house once again. And so, in this way, we had an unexpected, but very welcome extra day to spend in whatever way we wished. (that was the evening I went to Krav Maga class, thus accounting for my extraordinary soreness)







The drive home was pleasant as I am fortunate enough to have 3 sisters, one of which enjoys reading aloud.

All four of us sisters...together! In one place! On Christmas day!

She finished reading "The Hobbit," which she had started on our way there, and we all enjoyed it immensely. Upon getting home again, and making it past the bug-infested chicken in our living room, I was greeted by two very happy black dogs and a purring white cat. Although nearly bursting at the seams with joy in discovering that I had not deserted him forever, Novel was actually capable of holding a sit for petting (albeit after a few tries) which made me very proud and happy. Ah, it's good to be home again!

The next morning, I'm pretty sure the only thing Novel remembered about the whole week was that I brought tennis balls.

Guinea Pig

Novel was named very accurately, for he truly is a novel dog of many titles. You heard about his kangaroo thing right? Well he is also a Guinea Pig. (...and he loves to snuggle with horses and likes to suck on cat heads, but that's a whole nother story.)

Striking resemblance is it not?

Really though, I'm pretty sure Novel gets the Guinea Pig from me. ...ok that sounded weird. No I am NOT a Guinea Pig, or even part Guinea pig (I hope!)  I'm just a bit of a mad scientist.  ....Ok scrap that. That sounded even worse.

Lets put it this way, I work at an animal hospital that just hired some brand new techs. Brand new techs need training. Training involves taking x-rays and  drawing blood and draining anal glands and...well we'll just stop there before this gets too graphic. All that training requires practice. Practice requires subjects to practice on....like guinea pigs.

Enter Novel the happy guinea pig.

Treats? Oh you want to stick a needle in my neck first? Sure that sounds great! Where are the treats?

Today, Novel "volunteered" for the works. Restraining techniques, blood drawing in multiple locations, anal glands...you name it. He was awesome, and I was thrilled because it was really good practice for him, and we had all the time in the world to take it slow and make it as pleasant as possible for everyone involved.

Only part he had trouble with was getting his temperature taken in his ear. Funny, considering that is the least invasive and most commonly accepted thing we practiced doing on him. Looks like I need to work on messing with his ears a little more.

This is just a beefed out list of four things about Novel. Literally.

I just kinda have a lot of random things to say. I'll try to squeeze in a few pictures, but I just realized that I don't really have many recent ones of him. Anyway, here goes:

#1. I love Novel a lot, but he loves me more. Seriously, this dog has attachment issues. I am pretty sure that he thinks his goal in life is to be as close to me as possible at all times. If I get up to walk two steps across the room, so does he. If I leave him in a room - even a room with other people in it - for any amount of time, he plasters himself against the door until I return (I know because the door is always warm when I come back) If I am driving with him in the car, he rides leaned up against the front seat with his head resting over my shoulder. If something of mine happens to be on the floor...a pillow, a shirt, a sock...he is laying on it. I am constantly getting comments when we are out in public like "wow he sure loves you...look at how he just stares at you constantly!" And he does. I just hope he will be able to adjust when I leave him at CCI for advanced training.
  ....now, just as a note, Novel does spend plenty of time away from me, and does well with it. I am gone nearly all day Monday through Wednesday, and Novel stays at home. I am told that he does not whine or cry or panic, but waits quietly for me to return. It is when I return that he starts to get restless if he can't see me immediately. 

#2. Novel has so much trouble being still and quiet. He really just has so much trouble. He is marvelous when we are working actively. His focus and joy in his work are unmatched...but when he is asked to do a down for any length of time, he transforms from a responsible, seemingly mature young man to an unruly little boy who can't sit still in church. He cries and fidgets and moans and groans and plays with his leash and tries to rub his gentle leader off. So we've been working on that a lot. And he gets gobs of kibbles for being good. Novel adores kibbles. Almost as much as he adores me...almost ;)

Novel Practicing "Down stay" at the Library

Novel Practicing "Down stay" at Barns and Noble

#3. Ok, now this one is embarrassing, but at the same time it marks our first real, big victory so I can't help but share it with y'all: I think Novel has finally grasped the concept of housetraining! Yeah. I know. He's 9 months old and most pups are experts on this by 4 months, but Novel really struggled with this one. Even with a really strict schedule and 100% supervision, Novel was still peeing in the house at 7 months. Now it didn't happen frequently - it was only once or twice a month - but that was only because he was on such a strict schedule and he really didn't have the chance to do it more often. Unfortunately, even the strictest of schedules aren't completely pee proof. The problem was that he was just not grasping the concept that he wasn't supposed to do that in the house. Anyway, the good part is that I think that struggle is over. Novel has not had an accident in nearly 2 months and has finally started indicating when he needs to go out. Hooray for victories!

I chose this picture for #3 only because it was the only one I had that had anything remotely to do with the topic...there is water in the picture! LOL Novel loves water a lot. Maybe that's why he had so much trouble with house training! ;P

#4. Speaking of victories, Novel is finally starting to grasp another basic dog concept: Fetch. When he was really young he played this game wonderfully, but as he got older, he started to think that it was fun to just run around with things in his mouth without bringing them to me. We have worked on this so hard. Novel has such a mischievous streak and has a tendency to want to play "keep away" so fetch was a little difficult for us. Novel has always been wonderful at the "drop" command, and loves to chase the stick or ball or Frisbee or whatever, but he usually needs the help of a long leash to bring it back. Finally, however, he seems to be understanding that "Hey, If I bring it back to her, she will most likely throw it for me again, and I will get to chase it again!" 

Yeah, Yeah I know this one doesn't have anything even remotely related to fetching in it. But its a cute picture right?

I think that's enough for now. I just need to remember to take more pictures of this dude...

Service dogs in Public Restrooms.

Taking a service dog in training out into public always creates unusual situations, curious people, and often "interesting" comments. People just don't expect to see a dog in Walmart or the Mall or at the bookstore. What I have found accentuates this situation, however, is taking Novel into a public restroom. I mean, when you think about it, that truly is the last place on earth people expect to see a dog.

Fridays are a little interesting for me right now. I work in the mornings, and have Novel's training class in the evenings, but both are about 40 minutes from my home, so it is a waste of gas and time to try to get home in between them. Instead, I've been bringing Novel to work with me, and then hanging out at Barnes and Noble or the Library during the time in between work and training class. Those precious "quiet hours" are spent studying school and working with Novel on learning to be comfortable just laying down quietly for several hours at a time. (Preparation for bringing him to school with me)

Anyway, this afternoon, being a special Friday afternoon, Novel and I headed to B&N. I had a change of clothes with me in my backpack so I didn't have to sit around and then attend class in dirty, hairy, stinky scrubbs. (being a Vet Tech is dirty work!) For whatever reason, I forgot to change at work, so I went to the bathroom in B&N to change, Novel tagging faithfully along. Before I go any further, can I just say how thankful I am for handicap stalls? They are soo helpful when you have a dog with you. Ha.

Our adventures started before we even got into the restroom. I tried to open the door at the exact moment when someone else was exiting, and we very nearly collided. We both were startled, but she was clearly (and understandably) more so upon seeing the dog. So that was the first incident.

Novel is usually really good when it comes to public restrooms. Today...well, he wasn't bad, but he decided to lay down too close to the side of the stall...and his whole butt and tail slid under the partition into the occupied next stall. The poor innocent person who had no idea there was a dog in the restroom was clearly quite surprised and let out a rather loud "OH!" when Novel's ever wagging tail swept across her feet.

Our adventures were not over yet, however. As I was washing my hands, Novel was in a sit/stay being extremely good, when yet another person emerged from the stall that happened to be right behind Novel. Upon realizing someone was behind him, Novel politely got to his feet, his tail wagging a calm and friendly greeting. Her reaction however, was quite different. The start she received upon seeing a dog in the restroom sent her staggering quickly back to press her self against the wall. Several shrill screams shredded the air of the echoing restroom as she pressed her quivering hands to her chest. She was quite clearly terrified.
"I don't like dogs!" she quivered in her strong Asian accent. "I am afraid of dogs!"

Upon my first sight of her, I quickly moved Novel away. Profuse apologies, an explanation about Novel, Reassurances that he was exceptionally friendly, and his own perfect behavior (Thank you thank you thank you Novel!!!!) eventually calmed her down enough to recover and even laugh about the incident.

The things you run into with a service dog in training! whew...

Secrets

Novel has something he would like to tell you all. He isn't particularly proud of it, but I have finally convinced him that it is time to come clean about it. You see, Novel has been keeping a very deep secret:

Novel isn't really a dog

Nope. Shocking as it may sound, he is not, in fact, canine. He is actually a kangaroo. Naturally, as there aren't many kangaroos in this part of the world, Novel tends to feel a little out of place sometimes. The fact that he supposedly comes from the best of service dog parents only makes matters worse...he sees himself as the proverbial "ugly duckling." Now be honest, how can you blame him? How much tolerance do you think the service dog community really has for kangaroos? 

Novel tries so hard to fit in with the dog community, but you know, when you are a kangaroo, those bouncing genes are buried deep in your DNA and it can be hard to repress them. Novel does a marvelous job with it, but in those moments when he forgets to really concentrate on it, they tend to slip out. 

Despite this slight hiccup, Novel still aspires to follow in the paw prints of his ancestors to one day become a great service...er...kangaroo. Now that he has revealed his secret, he is willing to release footage either in the form of video or photograph to prove his true identity. The only problem is, we don't exactly have any footage of that...exactly. Of course, I'll get right on that...

Disclaimer: This post was written as a joke, and is not meant to be taken literally. No, Novel is not literally a kangaroo. The term actually refers to his truly uncanny ability to jump in place, all four feet at the same time, to astonishing heights when excited, and other tendencies toward bouncing in general.

Puppy raisers

Ok my fellow puppy raisers, I have a quick question. Lately I have been feeling a bit unworthy to be raising this pup called Novel. Ok, a lot unworthy. You know, you just worry that you are doing a good enough job. After all, raising a service dog is a pretty big responsibility...we're talking a potentially $45,000 dog here...one that will hopefully end up being responsible for changing someone's life. Oh, yeah, no pressure. So I've kinda been in the blues about this lately...you know, wondering if I'm doing Novel justice. My question is, do you all ever feel this way? Or is it just my overly competitive self feeling like I have to over-perform? 

Just for the sake of being more interesting...
Because pictures make everything more interesting :)

8 months

Novel is 8 months old today. I just can't stop thinking "How can he be 8 months old??!" It was just the other day that he was a wrinkly little puppy peeing in the airport wasn't it?

Top: 1st day (approx. 13 weeks old...yes,
I got Novel a little older than most pups)
Bottom: 8 months old

Novel has grown into a very handsome dog. He is not quite as big as I was expecting him to get though. At about 60 pounds, he is a nice, manageable size. Sure, he has some filling out to do, but I really don't think he is going to get much bigger.

Ever since school has started at the end of August, I have had much less time for outings with him, and he only comes to work with me 2 days a week, so he has been spending a bit more time at home recently. Honestly, I think it has been good for him. I have heard that one of the main reasons dogs fail is for separation anxiety, and for a little while there at the beginning of August, he was pretty attached to me. (some say that was because he heard me talking about neutering him, and he was simply scared to death, but that's debatable) Anyway, in the past few weeks, Novel has gotten to be pretty comfortable with being alone. Poor guy.

I THINK that Novel might be starting to actually grow up. He seems to be slowly learning to calm down. (*knocks on wood) Now, don't get me wrong...he still gets the zoomies and has a huge amount of Potential energy, ("Potential energy: The energy possessed by a body by virtue of its position relative to others, stresses within itself, electric charge, and other factors." If Novel's "position relative to others" is "close to other dogs," "Stresses within itself" are "Hungry," or "other factors" include "an off-limits item in his mouth" His potential energy approaches that of an atomic bomb) but he does seem to finally be grasping the concept of self-control... occasionally. 

In honor of his 8 month birthday, Here are 8 things I've noticed about Novel:

1. He. is a very. happy. dog. He loves everything. He loves most things a little too much.
2. He LOVES to hold things in his mouf. Espesaly big, fwuffy things.
3. He loves to make figure eights around legs. Something he will have to learn to stop!
4. He loves to work. and he works hard. When he is working, every. muscle. in his body. is focused on his job. He might even be a little too focused.
5. He loves food. He loves food. Oh, you didn't hear me? Novel loves food. And he eats it too fast at meal times. And he's getting faster. This month he threw up after eating 3 times so far. That's a record for him. Probably a record he's proud of too....
6. When Novel learns a new command, it becomes his favorite command for an indefinite amount of time. And he tries to do it every time I give any command. This can be a problem sometimes. (it really wasn't very fun with "Speak" at all. But he is getting better about that now)
7. Novel broke a glass with his tail the other day. A very lab-ish thing to do. Calm down buddy!
8. Novel is THE. messiest drinker I have ever witnessed. He sticks his whole nose in the water and then half sucks, half laps, and half just randomly flops his head around. every time. (and yes, I know that was three halfs. Novel always does everything at least 150%) And then he lifts up his head, literal rivers of water still flowing from his lips, and walks in circles around the room. Then, depending on just how much water he got on the floor, he will either lay in it, or splash in it and drink it off the floor. (see illustration below)

ok, ok, I just have to say one more thing...lol

9. Novel went on a 10.4 mile very steep hike on Sunday. Carrying a backpack. And guess what? He actually acted a tiny bit tired at the end! No pics. Sorry.

Pilot Mt. NC

Novel went camping with us over Labor day weekend!

Yep, that's me on the ground setting up the tent BY MYSELF while everyone else stands around watching...

Considering that included living about 100 yards from a beautiful pond for 2 days, he was pretty thrilled.

Can we go play now? In da water? Pweeeeaaase???

Our campsite also offered us with a beautiful view of Pilot Mt.

Also, on Saturday he got to hike Pilot Mt. with the fam! ...well part of the fam anyway. It was just me and three of my sibs. (out of five) but it's still fam :) You know, I should do a post introducing my fam to the nebulous strangers out there that my stats say read my blog. (hello nebulous strangers...did you know I like comments? Yeah, comments are good...so even if you don't have anything to say, introduce yourself or something) Anyway, it's a pretty fabulous fam. Wow I've gotten of on some crazy tangents. Back to the point...

"Novel the Noble" (or "Novel the Nutty"?) on top of Pilate Mt.

Novel did glorious on the Mountain! I mean, he was beautiful! It was pretty crowded with plenty of kids and other dogs running around and such, but Novel handled it all like a pro...well almost. I can't say he was perfect, but he was pretty darn good. He made a few friends, and left with more than a few admirers. Ya know, there's just something about that goofy, lovable, and yet "oh so serious" personality of his....and the adorable yellow "working dog" cape doesn't hurt either :)

Ok, now be honest: What's prettier, the view or the dog?

Novel did some "rock climbing" while we were there as well. He got some really good work in on the "jump" command. Considering his usual goofball self, I was actually surprised how good he was at clambering around on Rocks. I keep thinking that if he ends up not making it as a service dog, he would probably do really well as a search and rescue dog. Sure on his feet, endless energy, a HIGH drive to work, and a top rate nose (that he "knows" how to use)? sounds like a recipe for success to me.

Anyway, enjoy the rest of the pics. from Pilot Mt.

I's ma buddy!

He's such a goon!

He was actually quite high up in this picture. He had to do a bunch of good "jumps" to get up here :)

Two of my sibs on the same rock Novel was on in the previous pic.

This place is just so COOL looking!

And this is my crazy sister. Who decided to go on the hike on crutches with a sprained knee. ha.

Somehow my bro always manages to find things to do...

...that us girls just can't quite manage. 

LOL

Please let me try! Please let me try! I'm a boy! I just KNOW I can do it!

See that little red speck? Yeah, that's my brother.

Novel did the cutest "catwalk" along this wall. He "jumped" up here without any help, and was even able to turn around on it, but couldn't manage going on it much faster than a walk.

Know what's really amazing about this picture? There are no other people in it!! Honestly, this place was crowded!

Joie de Vivre

That's what Mom calls it anyway. Novel is seriously one of the happiest dogs I've ever met. His joy for life seems to be endless and unquenchable. As I've mentioned before, that is one of the things that I really love about him. Whatever he does, good or bad, he does it with gusto!! Of course, being a service dog, he will need to learn to control himself...even if it is adorable to see him run pel mel to his kennel as fast as he can when I give the command. Or to watch him charge me when I give the command "Here" (when he decides to obey that one...lol he is getting better) only to bounce off my legs when he gets to me. The good thing is that he does try. Self control is so difficult for him but he tries to control himself OH So Hard! He is just so full of happy, giddy, mischievous JOY that he can't help but bust at the seems a little. :) Oh how I love the little bugger.

Challenge Accepted.

A fellow puppy raiser sent forth this challenge: Can you spell your PIT's (puppy in training) name in front of them with kibble? Challenge Accepted.

This was not as easy as it looks. There is nothing on this planet that Novel loves more than dinner time and his puppy kibble, so for him to hold a "down" and "leave it" while I messed with his food right in front of him was a challenge indeed. Needless to say, he was NOT thrilled with this game. Nevertheless, Novel will prevail! Not only did he hold his "down," but he didn't steal even one piece of kibble. (Even though he did put his head down on the ground and stretch it as far toward the food as he could without getting up.) 

Yes, Novel, despite that last post about your teenage months, I still love you and am proud of you. I know your are trying your best.

Teenager

Novel has hit his teenage months like a freight train. He has transformed from a sweet, obedient happy puppy into a complaining, rebellious, mischievous >50 pound dog. Now, please don't get me wrong. He's not all bad. He still definitely has moments when he makes me proud, and he certainly still WANTS to please...that just doesn't seem to actually happen quite as much as it used too.

For one thing, he has started complaining about everything. Either that, or he decided that he likes the noise a very high pitched whine makes. Novel has always enjoyed talking, but he never used to complain. Mostly, he complains about being still, whether that be in his kennel at home, his kennel at work, when he is on a stay, or even if he lays down on his own. He just can't seem to settle down ever. He is restless He has to be in constant motion, or he gets bored and complains. Just a few seconds ago he came over to me, laid down beside me, and proceeded to whine and cry for no apparent reason at all. He didn't need to go out to "Hurry" because we had just been out. Besides, he has never whined to let us know he needed to go out...in fact he never really does or did anything to let us know he needed to go. This pointless complaining continued until a neighbor stopped by and he went downstairs to make figure eights around her legs and bite at her hands. (Biting is the other frustrating thing about Novel, although it has been going on ever since he got here, and he is making definite progress. You can tell he is trying to do better.)

As far as commands are concerned, Novel has really started to test the boundaries and push the limits to see just how much he can get away with. This can be pretty frustrating to me because, often if I try to correct him, he turns into a bouncing, rolling, biting, playful mess. "Here" is the worst. Often, it goes something like this:

Me: "Novel, Here!"
Novel: *picks his head up and looks at me with an intensely alert expression, but doesn't move.
Me: *waits a few seconds to see if he will decide to comply on his own.
Novel: *continues to stare at me keenly...often with a toy or stick hanging, forgotten, out of the side of his mouth. Please note, he is insanely adorable at this point.
Me: *begins to correct: "Ah.ah.!" *steps toward Novel or begins to pull on leash, depending on the situation.
Novel: *Erupts into a bouncing rolling biting playful mess, and commences making crazy circles. If off leash and possible, he begins a game of keep away.
Me: *Frustrated, runs in the opposite direction clapping my hands in an effort to get him to heed the command "here"
Novel: *notices that I am running the other way and speeds toward me
Me: "GOOD BOY NOVEL!! Good boy!"
Novel: *Speeds past me and continues with the crazy circles.
Me: *hides behind a tree in and effort to get him to look for me
Novel: *zooms past the tree in one of his crazy circles.
Me: *Finds a stick and waves it around trying to get Novel's attention
Novel: *Notices the stick, stops, and returns to his previously alert expression.
Me: "Novel, Here!"
Novel: *considers for a moment, then barrels toward me...or rather toward the stick, and slides to a sitting stop, simultaneously swinging around into perfect heel position. Looks expectantly at me for the stick.
Me: *Praise, Reward, Release, hide my secret weapon behind my back, and Repeat, hoping and praying for a better outcome this time.

Ok enough of all that. I suppose I do need to brag  a little on some of  Novel's good points. First of all is his confidence. Novel is very confident going into new places and situations. He is not afraid of loud noises or thunder, or people or heights or horses, or new things or really anything that I can think of a dog being afraid of.
Also, Novel is very friendly. Really, he just loves everyone and everything, although I have to say, horses are probably his all time favorite. These two things alone are especially nice to me, because I am used to working with dogs who are neither confident nor friendly. (I'm a vet tech...that should explain quite a bit)

Finally, there are some commands that Novel is still very good at. He is excellent with "Hurry" and "Let's Go" and very rarely pulls on the leash. He whatever reason, he still loves the command to "Kennel" even though he has started to whine while actually IN the Kennel. Finally, he (of course) loves the command "Speak!"

Novel gets neutered Tuesday, ironically on his 7 month birthday. Hopefully, that will help him to calm down at least a little.

6 Months!

Novel at 4 months

Novel at 6 months

How is it possible for a dog to grow up so fast? The past month has been both exciting and interesting for Novel and I as we have started doing public outings. Novel certainly seems to be an exceptional dog. His ability to FOCUS on his work with such intensity and enthusiasm continually makes me strive to be a better person myself. It encourages me to be a better puppy raiser as well in order to give him the best possible foundation he could have. He deserves the best. He has earned it. Novel never complains. Everything he does is done out of pure joy. Of course, he will need to learn to control his exuberant enthusiasm for life, but I have no qualms about his ability to mature into a steady dog. Since the very first day he arrived, his underlying steady temperament has been apparent.

This mixture of serious dedication and (sometimes mischievous) enthusiasm makes a dog that is a joy to work with...but also incredibly difficult to keep up with! Novel is curious about everything and unafraid of anything. He is curious and eager to learn about EVERYTHING! He has boundless amounts of energy, a brain that works around the clock, and streak of mischievousness with a definite sense of humor. He keeps me on my toes at home, but when he is working, he is a sight to behold!

Happy 6 Months Novel!

About Crates and Collars

I learned my lesson about crates and collars today. Never. And I mean NEVER leave a puppy untended in a crate wearing a collar. Yes, I knew that it wasn't advised. I knew that there was the possibility that the collar could get caught in the crate and maybe cause the pup to panic. Yes, I almost always took off his collar before crating him in order to avoid this. Unfortunately, I never took it too seriously.

This evening, Novel was playing (very nicely, I might add) in my bedroom while I cleaned up a bit and got things ready for work in the morning. Suddenly, I realized that I really needed to wash clothes before I left in the morning. Now, the laundry room is as far on the other side of our house from my bedroom as it could possibly be, and, although our house is by no means large, I figured that it would be easier to simply kennel Novel for a few minutes rather than to try to bring him with me through the whole house. After all, it would only be a few minutes.

I told him to "Kennel" and he happily trotted in, after which I latched the kennel door. To be honest, I didn't even think about removing his collar. After all, I would only step out of the room for a few minutes, and besides, my sister was upstairs. She could hear him if she needed to.

I had just started to load the washer when I heard high pitched yelping from upstairs. I called upstairs to find out if everything was ok, my sister spoke to Novel, and the crying stopped. I figured that he probably suddenly had to go to the bathroom, since he had just been playing and had drunk water recently. I hurried and finished the clothes and went upstairs to take Novel to the bathroom. As I mounted the stairs, I heard more yelping.

I got to Novel's kennel to find him sitting quietly, but hunched over and honestly looking quite miserable. Yep, I figured. He's gotta go bad.

Not so. When I opened the kennel door, I saw that one paw was picked up of the floor and his head was being pulled down by the collar. Poor Novel had somehow caught his front dewclaw on his bunch of tags and could not remove it. I immediately fixed it for him, and we had an apologetic snuggle session.

I am extremely grateful for several things because this situation could have turned out a lot worse. First of all, I am so very glad that this happened while I was in hearing distance and only a few seconds away, rather than at a time when I was gone. He would have been in big trouble if he had been stuck like that for more than a few seconds. Secondly, I am so proud of Novel for not totally freaking out! He calmed right down when told to and waited patiently for help. The way his dewclaw was caught, if he had panicked, I believe he would most likely have torn it off completely and we would be at the emergency vet right now. Thank goodness for calm puppies and lessons learned!

Memorial Day with a very grown up puppy

 First of all, Happy Memorial Day!! I am proud and thankful for our military, past and present, two legged and four legged. I would like to specifically thank my brother for his service in Iraq and here in the States. :)

Secondly, I realize that this post is long overdue. I will try to not neglect this blog for so long in the future, but don't ask for any promises ;) Novel and I have been quite busy for the past few weeks. I started working at as a veterinary assistant at an animal hospital, and Novel has started accompanying me some days. He does exceptionally well in his kennel at the vet, and totally chills out while I'm working, even when the other dogs are barking or whining. Of course, everyone there is very impressed with him.

During training, I started to raise the difficulty of distractions for Novel. Of course, he is doing well as usual, but there are some things he really needs to work on. For example, he gets WAY too excited when he meets new people or dogs. He bolts to the end of his leash if he thinks we are going over to see a person or dog, and is very bad at holding a sit for petting. I am happy that he is friendly, but he needs to learn to control himself! He used not to be so bad with this, so I am starting to drastically cut back on the amount of people who I let pet him. He needs to learn that not every person we see is going to play with him.

On another note, he did fantastic when we went kayaking last week! Yes, I take my dogs kayaking with me. It has helped Abbi to have fantastic balance and confidence on unstable surfaces, and I am hoping it will do the same for Novel. He loved it. Most of the time, he was curled up in my lap with one elbow hanging over the edge of the kayak, soaking up the sun. I got a bunch of killer pictures, but unfortunately I haven't been able to get them onto my computer...something wrong with the SD card adapter maybe?

Here are some pictures from today instead. I honestly can not believe how big he is getting...he doesn't look like a puppy any more! How can a four month old pup look so grown up?

 Ok, now I just had to make a few comments about the picture below. From the very first day, Novel has gotten along with the neighbor's horses like this. Today they nuzzled each other for probably close to five minutes before the horse finally walked away. Of course, he walked away right as I was starting a video :P However, I was very glad of the chance that I did get to finally get some good pictures of this adorable relationship. What amazes me is that Novel doesn't ever bite at the horses. He just kinda rubs his face on the side of their faces. And Riley (the horse in the picture below) literally pets Novel on the top of his head with his lips. Now is this picture not the cutest ever??

P.S. I just discovered that my sister made a blog post about our kayaking trip, pictures included! Check it out HERE

Ice Cubes and Tunnels

Novel loves Ice cubes. Especially on hot days like today.

In his mind, the cool kitchen floor with a nice cold ice cube to spread around and make it even colder is perfection.
He likes posing for pictures too. He'll lay there and look right at the camera, wait for me to take a picture, and the change his position and pause again for another picture. It's exactly like he is saying, "oh how about one of me like this?" :) Such a silly little man.

Of course, sometimes he just wiggles around with his ice cube...that's what burst mode on the camera is good for ;)

On another note, Novel learned about tunnels today. It's a little challenging for me to find enough stimulating and NEW experiences for Novel, and it has forced me to become more creative. Today his dog food bag subed for a short agility tunnel. Boy did he like that -- "Dog food flavored tunnel!"