Updates....

So sorry that I haven't published for awhile. We had this big reunion party that we were planning, and executed...let's just say I no longer remember what it was I did with my time before the party LOL. Unlike my husband, I didn't have vacation the previous week, and have been enjoying a very busy business this summer, despite the state of the economy.

Then a bit of recovery period was needed. So what has been going on here:

Hoobie: Hoobie is staying with us through August. He needed to have a biopsy while in my care, and while his owners came up to visit and get a taste for handling him. He regressed a bit after the biopsy, but I am happy to say we have him largely back and moving onto more things. He is a very detailed dog, so these things are going to sound ridiculous as a goal to any dog trainer LOL. Collars on and off without taking a fit, being brushed while not taking a fit, nail clippings---while not taking a fit, not guarding the back seat of the car, still working on the food resource guarding (this remains the most difficult) and toy resource guarding (not so much except to hand him the toy, this is when he gets most aggressive otherwise he will drop it so you can pick it up), not panicking when strangers are around, and on and on. Oh, and all things related to grooming (ear cleaning, clippers).

There is the most fun loving friendly dog in here, but I would say this is the most phobic dog that I have ever seen. It's very very easy to loose his trust for a bit. The fact that he is allergic to everything, has thyroid, and a chronic stomach problem not so helpful. He rallies though. For instance today he had the most fun for an hour or two or racing through the woods and swamp with everyone else. A Springer is a sight to behold in the wild woods!!!

Magoo: Doing wonderfully in his training of course. Surprisingly, this is Hoobie's best friend as far as playing goes. Magoo and Hoobie race through the woods and swamp together. Very, very opposite dogs. Magoo is willing to please always whether it benefits him or not. Hoobie is only willing to please if it benefits him, however, that does not mean he's not a friendly and loving dog. Hoobie is very complicated in every way, and Magoo is very simply. Magoo is WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get). Hoobie's system is complicated and needs frequent repair. Hoobie is super smart, which can either make him easy or super hard to train LOL. Magoo has smarts, but he is not super smart, making him very easy to train. Magoo trains with whatever. Pets, treats, toys, play, or nothing; Magoo is willing. Hoobie is food intolerant, a resource guarder, but also works best for fun or exercise and of course the outdoors.

Magoo is going to be a dog that you never need to worry about in any situation. Hoobie is a dog that his owners will always need to be aware of his body language. They are both great pals. Go figure!!

Leon the Boxer: Leon knows how to heel now, it's necessary for his owners to take the lessons now as well. Looks like this might work out next week. Leon is a boxer that is just too eager to play with other dogs, while having just a bit of a worry about what the other dog might do. His is really the sweetest thing with everyone, and when he knows the other canines, it looks like he is a friend for life. I expect that he will have many new friends in his future, and the rough edges will smooth out with his owners careful care and training. I am not sure that he will ever be very happy with dogs that growl at him as a greeting at first, but he may get the hang of ignoring that as long as his owners always keep him safe. When you get a rescue, you don't ever know everything that happened in his past, and he may have had a few rough encounters with other dogs in the past. Many dogs enjoy coming here, as they know this is pretty much a safe place for socializing with other dogs.

Leon My Doberman: Looks like his knee is recovering, and it may have been another injury other than his ACL that was bothering him. So thankfully, we don't need to consider bringing him for surgery at the moment, plus he is able to enjoy the rest of his summer with supervision and an eye on his activity level.

Leon took his very first watery adventure in the swamp lands today. I was very impressed. I think it finally dawned on him that the water really is only so deep. I hope one day that he warms up to swimming!!

Jack My Doberman: I hate to even jinx myself by saying this. Finally, I think I have come up with the formula for Jack to enjoy quite a bit of other dogs being here. Ironically, it has also affected the way I operate with the dogs. Jack likes a good two sessions of hard play during the day with the dogs he likes. Those are most of the dogs here. The exceptions to that rule seem to be Petey, Magoo, Logan, Teddy (who is coming in a few days), and I am sure there are a few others that I did not think of.

Molly: Not a current dog, but one that was here a few years ago. She turned out so well, that her owners are actually about to pull the trigger on dog number two!! They enjoyed the training so much, that dog number two will also be training with me. No better compliment than that. They also let me know that Molly is enjoying another off leash summer on the beach as a good little citizen.

Brujo: Having an excellent if stinky time here. My friend brought his dog who had just been skunked up on vacation. He did let me know of the incident before hand. Brujo was just dashing through the creeks here with his buds (Oona, Hoobie, Magoo, Leon, Jackie, and Lucey). Brujo is also adept at opening just about any door in our house with the exception of the outside doors (unless the front door is open to the screen door) and the door to or from the mudroom. He is very talented, and serves as a warning as to try not to have lever doors when you have a smart dog.

Oona: Oona's owners are welcoming a pink and furless new family member to their pack. A ten pound boy has arrived, and Oona is enjoying her time here as her owners concentrate on their new arrival. Oona has fallen for Minny Manny, the chihuahua and pug mix that comes here to play. She also likes Brujo, but prefers the smaller Minny Mann. Poor Bru Bru.

Oona also has a very maternal side, as does Lucey below. It's so cute to see her try and groom little Minny Mann from head to toe.

Minny Manny: Still remains the boss of the pack when he comes. For a dog that's like three pounds, he is quite impressive as he plays with dogs that are 100 plus. He is also not afraid to tell them to back off. He shares the love connection with Oona. Everyone loves Minny for some reason, even though he can be a bit bossy at times. He's Hoobie's favorite to hang with as well.

Lucey: Our Westie girl still remains a little spit fire and hunter. She is the perfect mix of ruff and tumble, and lady like demureness. Somehow she pulls this off!! Lucey is also very maternal. She is so patient with the big ruffian boys that we have here.


Mannerly Mutts Dog Training
Mannerly Mutts Blog
mannerly_mutt@yahoo.com