Monday, October 29, 2007

From Bondi to Bronte

Yesterday we hopped on a bus to Bondi Beach. We went to Iceburgs and then walked along the path from Bondi to Bronte. It was super fun. I got some off-lead play time at Tamarama. On our way home, we transferred to a different bus at railway square, near the UTS tower building.

Saturday, October 27, 2007

My first time on a boat!

I had a busy day! Since I have been moving past my defiance issues, I didn't have to miss out on any of the weekend fun. We had company visiting from Spain so we all went to pose for pictures in front of the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House and stuff like that.The Opera House is in Circular Quay. That is where we got on a ferry to go to north to Manly Beach. When we first sat down on the ferry, I had my tail in the walking aisle. I quickly moved to a better UNDER position and waited there the entire boat ride. Manly Beach was fun. I got to put my arms up on the ledge and watch what was happening on the beach. Then we sat and ate fish n' chips in the plaza area. I didn't get to eat any. There were lots of seagulls fighting for pieces of food. I think birds are super exciting but I didn't try to chase them. I was fairly distracted by them at first but then I was able to focus back on my parents and totally ignore the birds. Eventually, I got play time near the warf. After play time, we went to have some drinks at a restaurant near the ferry. All weekend we had to explain to various managers why it was OK that I was there because they we kept going to places that I haven't been been before.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

ADA video

Here is the pretty ADA video. It is on YouTube now.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Sydney City

I got to come back home last Friday. It was an interesting week away. There are two other dogs at Quincy's house. They put me in my place. It was a fun week.

Last night Mommy and I went into the city to pick up Daddy from work. We met some friends at Cruise Bar in Circular Quay. I really enjoyed watching the birds on the water at Circular Quay.

Monday, October 15, 2007

Quincy

Hi. I am Quincy. I am Quinta's brother.I had surgery on my elbows. I am not feeling very well but I am getting a little bit better every day. HERE is a photo album of my post-operation recovery period at the Moon house.

-- Quincy

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Quincy is here!

Quincy moved in last night. I got to be here to help him adjust. Well, I have to go to my bed every time Quincy comes out of his bed because we aren't supposed to play. He isn't allowed to play until his legs get better.Mommy and Daddy JerJer and I had a fun trip to the park this afternoon. I am leaving for Quincy's house soon.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Trading places

My brother Quincy had surgery on his front legs today - his elbows, I think. He is coming to stay at Mommy and JerJer's house while he recovers because our house is nice and flat - no stairs here!! I will go stay at his house where there are lots of stairs.

Bella let me borrow her pumpkin costume just in case I am not back in time for Halloween.

Monday, October 08, 2007

Back to Basics

Well, I have been having a little bit of trouble lately. I am starting to be a little bit defiant like Bella. It isn't all the time, just sometimes. For example, at the grocery store, there have been several times when I have decided to slide down to the ground when I have been asked to SIT and SHAKE. My parents have been drilling and drilling my basic commands with me ever since my defiance issue started.

I had a several hour evaluation with my teacher last week. She thinks that my problem may be that I am confused about getting commands from both of my parents. That made sense to my parents. Last Sunday during our walk, my mommy was holding my lead. At one point she said HEAL. I healed next to my daddy. It was a really hard choice for me because they were both standing right there and they were both looking at me. My parents are going to try to be more clear about whose turn it is to be in charge. The one who is NOT in charge has to look away and totally disengage.

But don't worry, I am still really good at a lot of things. Last puppy class we learned TIP. Here is a 3-second video of me doing TIP.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Best kid in IKEA

We made a big trip out to IKEA today. I was one of the only well-behaved kids there. Most of the other kids seemed to be screaming and refusing to listen to their parents. My parents were super proud of me, as usual.I have been working on WAIT a lot. I am increasing my waiting time but I have a long way to go to get to the 5 min. mark. Another thing that I have been working on is retrieving different things - besides my toys. I am comfortable with keys now. It is super fun to retrieve keys!

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Teaching and learning

I get out and about quite a bit. I am the first ADA dog to be raised in Sydney's Inner West and with that has come the responsibility of teaching my community about my organization. Many shops, pubs and restaurants in my area don’t know about my organization and my goals. They don’t know that I need practice behaving in the community. Mommy and Daddy have to explain these things to people all the time. We get to meet a lot of managers. Fortunately or unfortunately, so many puppies have such cute outfits these days, my ADA Learner coat is often just thought to be fun fashion and not as an indication of my association with ADA.
Another thing we have been teaching other people about is my training halti that I wear around my face when I am out walking. Some people seem to think it is a muzzle or something horribly inhumane. I guess it is sometimes hard for people to embrace new technology. My halti is very gentle and I can still eat, drink, yawn and so on, while I am wearing it. When I pull ahead or start heading away from where I need to be, there is a gentle pull on my face. It is a gentle reminder that I need to focus back on where I need to be walking. Before I got a halti, I had my lead attached to my collar during walks. When I pulled ahead, my collar would hurt my throat. I would cough and cough. That was really unpleasant. Choke collars can cut off the air supply and can do serious damage to the esophagus. The halti is a more gentle training tool but alas, it is not foolproof. If someone were to pull on my lead violently when I am wearing my halti, I could get whiplash. But fortunately, my parents know that a very gentle pull is all that it takes to remind me that I need to make a correction.