Today I Turned Twelve

Today, I turned 12.

I went for a walk in the woods.

I went on a loose leash walk.

I played in the backyard.

I got a new toy. I wasn't sure about it.

I ate a pup cup. 

I played with my friend, Lilly.

Our 12 year-old pup.

Today I Turned Eleven

Today I turned eleven.

I snuggled up in my Mama’s spot on the bed. 

I kept my Mama company while she was getting ready for work. 

I ate string beans from the garden.

I sniffed my way through a flower garden. 

I sniffed good stuff in a dirt mound.

I helped by Pappa take off his hat. 

I ate ice-cream with my Mama.

It tasted so good! 

I sat for a picture with my Mama. 

I took a picture with my Mama and Pappa. 

Our 11-year-old pup. 

August 23, 2023

Today I Turned Ten

I took a walk in the woods.

I smelled flowers.

I posed for pictures.

I played a game of gotcha with my boy.

I played with my boy.

I got my belly rubbed.

I ate a birthday cookie.

I got a new toy.

I took more pictures.

I sat with my Mama.

Our 10-year-old pup.
August 23, 2022

Today I Turned Nine

Today I turned nine.

I took a nap in my Mama and Papa's bed.

I went for a walk with my Papa.

I got a special birthday treat.

I got a new toy.

I posed for a picture.

Our nine-year-old pup. August 23, 2021.

Reliable Recall

Training a reliable recall is an important behavior to train. I learned how to train the 'come' command early in our journey. I remember Helen telling me it was something to practice a lot and often.

In his first year, I worked with Bo on the come command every day. The training involved a long lead, planned distractions, high value food and a lot of animation on my part. 

I can remember coming home from work and taking Bo outside to practice recall under the flood lights in our side yard. I still practice it with him, though I don't use a lead anymore.

Today, while walking Bo off-leash behind our house, I was reminded of the value of a reliable recall. You see, Bo is a dog that notices when something is out of the ordinary. (Daran says Bo takes after me in this regard.) Anyway, when we were on our walk we came upon other humans and a dog. It's rare to come across anyone behind our house because our property abuts conservation land. I could see one of the people was a neighbor whose property also abuts the land. He was talking to two women. 

I saw them from a distance before Bo did. I noticed the women had a dog. Bo soon noticed them too and moved ahead of me barking. He got about 15 feet in front of me and then stopped moving and barking. When he stopped, I gave him the come command. As soon as I said the command, he turned and ran right to me. (Even though my neighbor, who had recognized that it was us, acknowledged Bo by name.) When Bo returned to me, I attached his leash and treated him for his return. 

My neighbor and the women were a distance away from us, so with a bold voice I apologized for the interruption we had caused. Then with Bo on leash, I turned back the way we came and continued our walk. 

Thanks to Bo's training and his reliable recall, I was able to avoid a situation of Bo approaching people and a dog we didn't know. You'll never regret time spent training your dog to come to you when called. For more on how I trained Bo to come on command, read Training the Come Command.

Low Alert While Austin Was Sleeping

It was 3:30 pm today and I was just sitting down in my office to write letters, when Bo came to me and alerted.  Focused on getting my space ready for writing, I told him we'd check. He paw swiped me again and bowed. He was telling me Austin was low.

Austin was in his room taking a nap. He had an early start to the day. He had classes but he also gave a family friend's son a ride to school. By 3 pm he had finished his school work and decided to take a nap. 

I followed Bo to Austin's bedroom door, knocked and told Austin that Bo had alerted and he needed to check. Austin, as he always does, obliged without a complaint. As he opened his pack to get his glucometer, I asked him if he ate lunch. His words were all jumbled when he answered me. He took two and three tries and the words just weren't coming out in the right order. I could tell he was low. He had not eaten lunch. The meter read 64. 

"Good low, Bo," I announced heading toward the bedroom door. Bo circled me with excitement. 

Austin took a glucose tablet; while Bo and I went to the kitchen where I rewarded him with cheese and a game of 'get you.'

Fifteen minutes later, Austin came out of his room and had something to eat. He was fine; his words came back to him -- all in the right order. As for me, I couldn't stop thinking about the wonder of the work Bo does for us each and every day. 

High Value Food Rewards

When I started training with Helen, she taught me about high value rewards.This morning as I was trimming Bo’s nails, Bo reminded me of what I was taught. You see, I treat Bo with treats and peanut butter when I trim his nails. Today, I only grabbed the treats. I clipped a few nails and after getting a treat after each nail, he got off his Kurunda cot and left me to go in the bedroom. I didn’t say anything to him because nail trimming is always on his terms. Once he was in the bedroom I went to get the peanut butter. When I opened the jar he came back out. I’m convinced the low value treats were not worth the nail trimming. If he is going tolerate getting his nails cut, it’s going to be for high value food. I love this pup.