NOTE1: WEEKS 7-9 WE TOOK OFF. SO THIS IS WEEK 13 POSTING TRAINING ACTIVITY BUT ACTUALLY WEEK 10 OF TRAINING. I MIGHT HAVE DONE SOME TRAINING THOSE WEEKS, BUT MY HEAD WAS NOT CLEARLY IN THE GAME AFTER RECOVERING FROM A PARTICULARLY HEAVY WORK LOAD THE MONTHS BEFORE.
NOTE2: SHANA IS STILL IN HEAT, AND THE END OF HER CYCLE IS COMING. COULD BE WHY SHE HAS HAD HER GRUMPY MOMENTS THIS WEEK. SHE DOES BECOME MOODY AT THE END OF THE CYCLE AFTER THE HYPER PERIOD OF TRYING TO TEASE THE BOYS FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS.
NOTE3: DAYS ARE CYCLING BETWEEN COOL AND HOT/MUGGY THIS WEEK. REDUCED SHANA ENERGY COULD JUST BE BECAUSE SHE HAS BEEN PARTICULARLY ACTIVE. AS ALWAYS I FEEL CONFLICTED ABOUT THIS, AS I NEVER LIKE TO SEE SIGNS OF MY DOGS GETTING OLDER (WHETHER THEY ARE OR NOT). ALSO COULD JUST BE A SIGN THAT SHE IS FEELING MORE RELAXED AND FULFILLED. THERE HAS BEEN A CONCERTED EFFORT TO MAKE SURE OUR DOGS (EVEN OUR THREE OLD MALES) ARE KEPT BUSY DURING THE DAY. SPRING, SUMMER, AND FALL ARE ALWAYS MORE ACTIVITY. IF SHE IS CRAZY AGAIN THIS WINTER, I WILL KNOW WHY LOL. (THOUGH I STILL TRY TO KEEP HER ACTIVE BUT IT IS STILL QUITE THE CHALLENGE)
Week 13 Day 1 6/10/2019 Monday:
Lucy, Shana's nemesis is here today. Stella who Shana is friendly with, but doesn't like her to be overly playful is here. Brody, everyone's favorite is also here today, and Shana is good buddies with him. Also new lesson at 6 pm today (we will be outside, but Shana will know strange dog is outside, which she is getting used to).
- Put Shana in place in bedroom (door closed) no equipment on Shana. She could hear Lucy and others through the baby monitor and open windows. I am typing blogs and such up, while Robert is playing with daycare (Stella, Lucy, and Brody). 1 hour and a 35 minutes RESULTS: SHANA BROKE FIRST TIME AT 5 MINUTES, NEXT TIME AT 25 MINUTES, NEXT TIME AT 15 MINUTES THEN AT 5 MINUTES AGAIN AND THEN AT 15 MINUTES (USUALLY WHEN SHE HEARD LUCY BEING LET IN OUR OUT) AND FINAL ONE WAS FOR 30 MINUTES
- Activities for the rest of the day to be more informal and relaxing for Shana.
Sage is here for Pack Learning today. Reggie, Shana's BFF, is also here today. Also
- Had Shana take the day off today. She seemed tired after keeping it together yesterday and having to exercise so much impulse control, and being worked until she got it.
- Activities today without much planned training included her favorite pink bubble gum jolly (which is almost destroyed), Frisbee, and chuck it with Boris.
Week 13 Day 3 6/12/2019 Wednesday:
Just Sage here for Pack Learning today. Good for Shana as she is curious and there are other dogs here to make her unduly nervous. Also Sage is a nice calm presence for a puppy of her age and breed LOL.
- Did my modified exercise that I am trying to come up with a name for with Shana. It comes from desensitization and calming plus a bastardized version of Margo's sit on the dog. I am calling it (as a trial balloon) Leash Assisted Behavioral Enhancement. We should probably be doing this everyday as being confined close on leash around friends and foes is where Shana is probably the most bossy and/or stressed. She goes down right away, now it is just a matter of can she keep herself from barking on going down (where she feels most vulnerable) and can she get to where she can really relax and not boss for the full thirty minutes. Today we got four our of six (really seven if you count the beginning) salmon treats. There was no need to correct because she just barked the one time in two of the five minute intervals not any kind of lengthy tantrum or lung attempt. I did have her on the muzzle, electronic collar (not using) and prong collar (just because we had finished up our release exercise which required that on her for optimal effect and I hadn't changed it). 30 minutes RESULTS: SHE HAS GOTTEN FOUR OUT OF SIX TREATS BEFORE. SHE HAS DONE BETTER:) STILL NOT A BAD DAY FOR THIS EXERCISE.
- Prong collar light pressure and release modeled after Mike Ellis video. We don't do this often enough, and I did this outside with Sage on tie out playing with Shana today (which is distracting in itself). 15 minutes RESULTS: SHE DID WELL CONSIDERING WE DO NOT DO THIS OFTEN ENOUGH. SOMETIMES REFUSED BECAUSE SHE THOUGHT SHE SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN A TREAT FOR THE ONE BEFORE LOL, SO SHE DID NOT MOVE FAST WITH LEASH AS WE WERE TRAINING FOR (MAYBE FOUR OR FIVE TIMES) VERY ENTHUSIASTIC AND NOT CONCERNED ABOUT SAGE WHILE WE WERE DOING THIS. SHE WAS HAVING A GOOD TIME AND FEELING LITTLE STRESS (KNOWING HER I AM SURE THERE WAS SOME IN THERE BUT SHANA WAS LOOKING GOOD) AS FOR ME, I FORGOT ABOUT THE JUMP BACK AND RELEASE. MY BAD, AND THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DO NOT PRACTICE. PLUS I HAVE TO KEEP GOING OVER THOSE TAPES TO BE SURE I AM DOING IT RIGHT.
Week 13 Day 4 6/13/2019 Thursday:
We got Sage (last week of Pack learning), Stella (friend who Shana is getting accustomed to having back here----sometimes Stella's play antics make Shana concerned), and Shana's BFF, Reggie with the silly hair cut is here today. So sort of mid level stress and distractions today on the lower end of the spectrum, but still affecting her.
- Robert took over with Shana today, while I was busy with Sage. Informal teaser ball leave it, out, lets go, down, spin, and over. Also stay when it was Boris's turn. 15 minutes
- Activity: woodsy walk with brothers 30 minutes (also many let's go).
- Lots of quiet time with brothers hanging out at tenants house.
Week 13 Day 5 6/14/2019 Friday:
How the day is: All Shana's very best buds over (except Reggie, Brody, and Stella---not quite best bud status but they are friends). So Sadie, Louie, Cujo, Bandit, and Boone are all here for daycare today. Shana very much likes all those dogs.
- Shana is so just grumpy and flat today, that I am having her take the day off from training. She ran like crazy in the woods yesterday, and though it's hard to think Shana would have overdone it, maybe she did.
- Other explanation is plain moody at the end of her heat, and they don't make Midol for dogs that I know of.
Week 13 Day 6 6/15/2019 Saturday:
Shana still looking a bit off. She was a bit too cooperative when I cut her nails today, and then went right back to sleep. So going to see what the day brings us today. I would like go out and train, but I need my girl to be feeling well and happy. Hopefully it is nothing more than end of the heat angst. Need to remember this for November, when her next one should arrive.
Week 13 Day 7 6/16/2019 Sunday:
Sunday, Shana looking better. Doing some of the "naughty things" I expect of her (always the double edged sword LOL). Her friend (who she is cautious of), Stella, is here.
NOTE: ABOUT WALKS WITH SHANA IN PUBLIC. SHE DOES PRETTY GOOD WITH ME ALONE, AND EVEN ME WITH A STRANGE OR LITTLE KNOWN OR WELL KNOWN DOG ALSO WALKING ON THE OTHER SIDE. SHE GETS MORE ANXIOUS WHEN ROBERT IS WITH US FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON (ESPECIALLY IF HE IS WALKING IN FRONT OF US WITH OR WITHOUT ANY DOG). POSSIBILITIES 1) SHE IS WORRIED FOR ROBERT ON THESE WALKS 2) SHE BELIEVES HER JOB IS TO BE IN THE FRONT OF THE PACK AND 3) I HAVEN'T COME UP WITH THREE YET.
- (Equipment, metal chain training collar---just because her leather collar is at the doctors, muzzle that came off and on as known loose dog houses passed, and salmon treats used to reward calmer behavior) As close to a relaxation walk as I could get for Shana. I do have to put her in command sometimes if she is 1) pulling or trying to dart off towards prey or item of concern (which is not too often but happens still though not as hard as it used to) or 2) car is coming so I want her on the inside position. 45 minutes RESULTS: 8 MINUTES OF VOCALIZATION ON AND OFF IN THE BEGINNING A LITTLE PAST THE POWER LINES, AND THEN STOPPED ONCE I GOT AHEAD OF ROBERT TO MAKE THE WALK A BIT LESS "EXTRA". LATER ON WHEN WE GOT TO NELLIE'S PLACE, I PUT HER IN THE MUZZLE BECAUSE WE WERE GOING TO PASS SOME HOUSES THAT SOMETIMES HAVE SMALL DOGS RUNNING LOOSE. SHE WAS STRESSED BUT ALSO CURIOUS AND ENJOYING (OR THINKING ABOUT KILLING) THE MANY BIRDS THAT WERE OUT AND SMELLS. SHE POKED STELLA IN THE BUT IN A FRIENDLY I AM HAVING FUN GESTURE, WHICH WAS NICE. WHILE IT MADE HER A LITTLE STRESSED, SHE SEEMED VERY MUCH TO BE ENJOYING STELLA'S COMPANY ON THE WALK. WE DID PASS A FEW DOGS, INCLUDING BEAGLE DAISY, WHO WAS STOPPED. SHANA DID NOT FOCUS ON BEAGLE DAISY AT ALL, AS ROBERT WAS DISAPPEARING TOWARDS THE POWER LINES, AND THAT WAS HER MAIN FOCUS OF STRESS AT THAT POINT. LET HER RUN A LITTLE AFTER CRITTERS WHEN WE GOT HOME, BUT SHE WANTED TO SEE HER BROTHER'S INSIDE MORE. PRETTY QUIET FOR THE REST OF THE DAY.
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