"Don't Throw Me In the Deep End of the Lake!"

Maizey had her first real swim in the lake. Since I don't believe in the "throw the baby in the deep end of the pool" school of thought and since she has never got into deep water like that before, we let her take it slow. At first she wasn't so sure.

"Are you sure this is going to be fun crazymomlady?"

But since she really does love water and she'll do anything for food we gradually got into the deeper water.

 

"Mmmmm. . .Cheerios!"

Meeka however does not think dogs should go in water deeper than their ankles, no matter what you try to bribe them with.

"Uggg dirty lake water! This is soooo not worth a measly cheerio!"

So she spent her time being the sunbathing beauty on the beach and generally thinking Maizey and I were insane.

"I'm too beautiful to get wet!"

It was a beautiful evening and the lake was gorgeous, and not even too cold.

"Why go in that yucky water when there are so many good sniffs out here?"

Eventually after Maizey had waded around as deep as she could go and still touch the bottom I carried her out to the deeper water.

She seemed a little nervous, but being such a water lover soon got the hang of it and took off on her own. I was like proud momma watching her baby swim for the first time! Pathetic I know, but I can be such a sap!


Of course Maizey being Maizey as soon as the life jacket came off headed straight into the deepest sand she could find for a good roll in the dirt to dry off.

"Aaahhh dirt! Princessface looooves dirt!"

It was a wonderful day surrounded by beauty and being with mehusbandy and my girls.

"Thanks for taking us to the lake crazymomlady and crazymoneybagsdad!"

Fun In The Mountains, Fun In The Country, Fun on the Farm

We had so much fun on our trip I decided to make a whole post of the fun stuff before we get into the intense mind boggling(for me) training we did.

We did some formal training, but mostly we did fun things, with training mixed in. I might need some new training equipment for pets to use with all of the new experiences and pets she saw! This Billy Goat was just one of the exciting animals she saw out at the farm.

Of course we had to take her to the lake for some swimming. She was a little timid since there wasn't too much beach and the water was very deep, but she got wet enough to need a good roll in the dirt to dry off! I wrapped her in her blanket to try to dry her off and keep some of the mud off me, but of course the dirt roll left me needing a lot of new pets grooming supplies!

 

"Uggg crazymomlady this water doesn't taste too good!"

"Look out, I'm wet and about to get muddy!"

"Ohhh ya. . .that dirt feels sooo good!"

In between the walks in the country, the hikes in the mountains, the swimming in the lake, and of course the mud rolling, we did take time to just relax and kick back. Of course all of the dogs have their own beds and tons of blankets but Lucy and Penny, the two biggest of the girls, really seemed to enjoy Maizey's crate the best. Maybe I'll suggest to my friend she invest in some new blankets and beds for her pets just to keep them happy until I bring Maizey's stuff back!LOL

The best dog bed in the house is always the couch!

"Ahhh. . . .Maizey's crate is so nice and cozy"

Everything said and done it was a wonderful trip. Many four legged lessons were learned and even more two legged lessons! I want to thank our two legged friends for letting us come and stay and Maizey wants to thank Penny, Lucy, Zoe, Raven, Twist, Dare and of course her favorite buddy Layla for all the good times they had.

And Meeka wants to lodge an official complaint that she didn't get to share in the fun this time!

"Next time I get to go, okay crazymomlady?"

A Full 4 Legged Day

Today was a full day of training fun stuff!

Maizey tested her L1 target and passed. When a dog tests a behavior it must be tested "cold". Meaning w/ no practice on that day. Some behaviors must be tested w/ no treats and clicker in the room. The L1 target test is as follows, "The dog must deliberately Touch the handler’s hand with her nose on only one voice cue. The hand in position is, naturally, a second, allowable cue." So Maizey's voice cue for a nose touch is simply "touch". Today she gets an A+ on her L1 touch! Tomorrow: L2 here we come.

Today was also bath day, which we usually combine w/ swimming. The tub isn't deep enough to actually doggy paddle(no pun intended;)). But she can wade around and it is the best exercise for her knees. Today we started working on helping her put her face in the water. Turns out cheerios are perfect for this, as they float and gradually sink. I throw a handful in the water and from there it's a simple matter of capturing when she dunks her face to go after the cheerio w/ a click/treat.

Along w/bath day we naturally worked on L2 handling since you should never bathe a dog w/ out brushing her out first. The handling test is, "Dog allows the handler to handle his ears, tail, and feet. This may be done on a table or on the floor. There must be minimal fussing." Maizey handles well, she should after 3 surgeries in a year! But this level builds a better association with being handled as a groomer, or vet would handle her. It also introduces grooming on a table, which we haven't done and is an interesting dynamic.

She also went for a ride w/ me so she worked on sitting nice in her seat, and being calm in the car otherwise known as "car zen." We also did our first barking/hush session at the dog park. But more to come on both "car zen" and "tell me/hush" later. 

Car zen:

"This "car seat zen" is no sweat!"