Showing 28 posts from November 2008
I spent the last week at "boot camp". At least that's what my puppy raiser called it... but, I didn't really think camp was very boot-ish at all! It was soooo much fun!
For camp I stayed with the lady who teaches our dog training classes. She's super nice and has 2 little kids that I LOVED hanging out with. The older one read to me, the younger one crawled on me, and... both of them even painted me! And, I loved every minute of it!
Of course, I also had to do some training. I worked on stuff like down-stays, heel and side positioning, bed, and roll. One time I was doing a roll so that I could get my nails dremmeled, and one of the kids came over and straddled me... it was so much fun!
My puppy raiser received a really good report on me! She was told that I am awesome with kids, I have great house manners, and my energy level is perfect (cause I love learning, but I'm not too crazy). Of course there are a few things to work on... my positioning (cause I get a little lazy) and when I get super excited I have a tendency to whine a little. But, if you ask me, I'm pretty dang perfect!
The trainer and I hooked up with my puppy raiser tonight, so that I could go back home. We met at this really cool place that has both a dog park and skate park! They said it was awesome for training cause there were so many distractions. Boy, were they right... it was such a fun place! Anyways, they were working with me on some training stuff and some guy came up and asked me if I was for sale! I was a little worried for a second that maybe I was and just didn't know it. But, my puppy raiser and the trainer just laughed and said, "Nope, he's not for sale!". Whew! What a relief! So, if any of you out there are interested in buying me... I'M NOT FOR SALE! But, if you really want to spend some money... you could buy some raffle tickets and help Carlo and me win this really cool basket of toys! Hee hee! :-)
For camp I stayed with the lady who teaches our dog training classes. She's super nice and has 2 little kids that I LOVED hanging out with. The older one read to me, the younger one crawled on me, and... both of them even painted me! And, I loved every minute of it!
Of course, I also had to do some training. I worked on stuff like down-stays, heel and side positioning, bed, and roll. One time I was doing a roll so that I could get my nails dremmeled, and one of the kids came over and straddled me... it was so much fun!
My puppy raiser received a really good report on me! She was told that I am awesome with kids, I have great house manners, and my energy level is perfect (cause I love learning, but I'm not too crazy). Of course there are a few things to work on... my positioning (cause I get a little lazy) and when I get super excited I have a tendency to whine a little. But, if you ask me, I'm pretty dang perfect!
The trainer and I hooked up with my puppy raiser tonight, so that I could go back home. We met at this really cool place that has both a dog park and skate park! They said it was awesome for training cause there were so many distractions. Boy, were they right... it was such a fun place! Anyways, they were working with me on some training stuff and some guy came up and asked me if I was for sale! I was a little worried for a second that maybe I was and just didn't know it. But, my puppy raiser and the trainer just laughed and said, "Nope, he's not for sale!". Whew! What a relief! So, if any of you out there are interested in buying me... I'M NOT FOR SALE! But, if you really want to spend some money... you could buy some raffle tickets and help Carlo and me win this really cool basket of toys! Hee hee! :-)
My life since coming home from doggie college (aka Advanced Training) has been full of summer time fun... napping, swimming, playing, and eating! It’s been GREAT! But, now that the dawg days of summer are winding down, it’s back to school for me!
My pal is taking a Delta Society workshop later this month. I don’t have to go with her to the workshop... but, I do have to go the evaluations with her, which will be sometime in October! So, my pal and I have been brushing up on some of my skills and reading the Delta Society training manual. We are going to be evaluated as a team! This means that my pal won’t be able to do pet therapy with any other doggie (as if she would want to!) and, likewise, I won’t be able to do pet therapy with any other person (as if I would want to!). We’re going to be a TEAM... sort of like a baseball team or football team... only there will just be just two of us! We’ll be like the dynamic duo, batman and robin! How cool is that?!
But, first we have to pass the evaluations. We were studying the manual the other day and my pal got kind of side-tracked. She put glasses on me and then pulled out her camera (ugh!). I finally had to tell her to stop messing around or we'd never pass the evaluations. Actually I just told her this cause I wanted her to take the dang glasses off my nose. Now, if she would put me in a cool Batman or Robin cape, she could take all the photos she wanted!
Today I asked my puppy raiser why I was different.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Well," I sighed, "I have that funny mark between my eyes. None of the other puppies I hang out with have it." (side note: You can see the funny mark in the photo above. It's an old photo... and you... errrr... have to look beyond all the mud. But, if you look real close, you can see a little dark spot right between my eyes. My hair actually grows a different direction in that spot. It's REALLY weird.)
My puppy raiser looked at me and smiled. She said, "Gerrit, all the other puppies wish they had a wish spot like yours."
"Huh?" I said, "What's a wish spot?"
"It's that special spot right between your eyes. Don't think of that spot as funny or different... cause it's actually extra special. It's so extra special that if someone kisses it, their wishes will come true!"
"Really?!" I said as my tail thumped up and down.
"Yes!" exclaimed my puppy raiser. "Why do you think I kiss that spot all the time? I don't kiss it just because you're so cute... I kiss it because I want my wishes to come true!"
"Wow!!!" I woofed. "So, I shouldn't be ashamed of it?"
"Heck no!" said my puppy raiser, "In fact I want to kiss that spot right now!" and she bent down and smooched me right between the eyes... right on my wish spot (which, by the way, was clean... and not muddy like in the photo above)!
I flopped down on my pillow as happy as can be that I have a wish spot! I then started thinking about how I wanted to make a wish... I wanted to wish that dinner would be served early tonight! But, as hard as I tried, I just couldn't kiss myself between the eyes! I bent this way and that and flipped my body round and round, but it just didn't work. I finally collapsed from all the effort and fell asleep. I guess I'll just have to ask my puppy raiser to make that wish for me!
I'll tell you what's wrong with the photos... I'm not in them... that's what's wrong with them!!! My pal and her Special Guy Friend (SGF) went to Hawaii last week. That's the reason why I (and Lucky and Gerrit) haven't been writing in the blog. Our paws aren't well suited for typing... so, we need my pal's help! But, she was off hanging out on the tropical Hawaii beaches... without us!!!
It wasn't all that bad though. Gerrit went off to another puppy raiser's house where he got to play with a bunch of other dogs. And, my pal's parents puppysat Lucky and me... and they are SO cool! They took us on lots and lots of walks. And, they gave us lots of treats! The best part is that they don't know all the rules... or (like all good grandparents) sorta forget about the rules. So, as you can imagine... we were livin' the high life! Party!
So, while I didn't get to go to Hawaii, I did have a pretty good week. The only problem is that I'm way behind on my blog writing. And, I've got LOTS to write about! But, I'm a little tired from breaking all the rules... hee hee... so, I've gotta take a nap first....
About a year ago I wrote about Cole and Ilia and posted their video on my blog.
Cole's mom recently wrote to me and told me the great news that Ilia has just been awarded the ASPCA's 2008 Dog of the Year Award! How cool is that?! They get to go to New York later this month for a special luncheon, where they will celebrate the important role companion animals play in people's lives!
A big Congrats and WOOF to both Cole and Ilia!!!
Cole's mom recently wrote to me and told me the great news that Ilia has just been awarded the ASPCA's 2008 Dog of the Year Award! How cool is that?! They get to go to New York later this month for a special luncheon, where they will celebrate the important role companion animals play in people's lives!
A big Congrats and WOOF to both Cole and Ilia!!!
