Now that River has earned his Rally Excellent, what next for training? There is a higher level that can be earned by qualifying in both Advanced and Excellent at a show ten times. Amanda is not interested in pursuing this; fine by me. So she is starting Noche in a Beginning Rally class Thursday. River is in a Novice Obedience class; Amanda says she does not want to compete, but is interested in learning to train some of the skills. Directed retrieving, drop on recall could be fun in therapy work and she can just learn more about training in general.
Last weekend we attended an agility trial at In The Net, Palmyra, and she really wants to compete in agility next. Her agility teacher thinks that River can be ready for Novice level soon. She also think Noche, with some control - he has none now - has the potential to do well in agility - he is speedy. She has been out this summer with health issues and Amanda has missed her; first time back for River only tomorrow. Let's see what he remembers. Weave poles, hmmm?
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Quiet OT Schreiber Visits
River has been visiting in the OT dept, working with an 11 year old girl, a friend of ours, who is suffering from selective mutism. She talks at home to her family, but not to other people in general, at least adults. She has not spoken to the therapist or student interns at Schreiber. I believe that she sometimes uses sign language with them, but not consistently. Her older sister is friends with Amanda, and she sees Bernie (Occupational Therapist, whom we met at Schreiber, when we were visiting Pink Girl in PT.) She has been to our house and likes the dogs; enjoys having them do tricks for her and she usually talks to Amanda, if I am not present. So we suggested that River and Amanda might be a good addition to her OT therapy.
I wish I could say that the desire to have River do tricks got her to speak to him, but it's not true. She has interacted with River using hand signals - darn dog knows nonverbal signals for all tricks and actually responds better to those most times. I usually stay out of the area and let Amanda handle River. She has said a few words to Amanda when the therapist steps away. She has spoken to Amanda and her sister over Skype. She did speak to me once when here, when she needed a bandaid and Amanda/sister refused to ask for her.
The therapist has been very inventive. She understands working with a dog. They have used obstacle courses, running with a scooter, both put handprint/pawprint on the wall. She has also incorporated her own young daughter over the summer. There has been laughter and participation in the activities, but not speaking. So far.
I wish I could say that the desire to have River do tricks got her to speak to him, but it's not true. She has interacted with River using hand signals - darn dog knows nonverbal signals for all tricks and actually responds better to those most times. I usually stay out of the area and let Amanda handle River. She has said a few words to Amanda when the therapist steps away. She has spoken to Amanda and her sister over Skype. She did speak to me once when here, when she needed a bandaid and Amanda/sister refused to ask for her.
The therapist has been very inventive. She understands working with a dog. They have used obstacle courses, running with a scooter, both put handprint/pawprint on the wall. She has also incorporated her own young daughter over the summer. There has been laughter and participation in the activities, but not speaking. So far.
New Trial Visit - Fail
Cancellation that we didn't know about, no Pinkie ( Amanda's preferred name for pink Girl), so we asked if anyone else wanted a dog visit. An OT with a young autistic? boy took us up on the offer, so we crammed into a small room, with her, him , both parents and the 3 of us.
We had met dad and son briefly in the waiting area just beforehand and boy had not been willing to approach River and shown only a little interest, being more fascinated by the water fountain. River did very well with the situation, not even fazed when a chair fell over.
However, it soon became obvious, despite our efforts as well as River's, his parents and the OT, that he was not making much of a connection with the dog. Actually, he did pet him once, which his mom felt was significant. However, we bowed out after a bit. We sometimes see him when we are there for other visits, but he is unwilling to look at, touch or come close to River.
We had met dad and son briefly in the waiting area just beforehand and boy had not been willing to approach River and shown only a little interest, being more fascinated by the water fountain. River did very well with the situation, not even fazed when a chair fell over.
However, it soon became obvious, despite our efforts as well as River's, his parents and the OT, that he was not making much of a connection with the dog. Actually, he did pet him once, which his mom felt was significant. However, we bowed out after a bit. We sometimes see him when we are there for other visits, but he is unwilling to look at, touch or come close to River.
Encore the Festival - KPETS Info Booth
KPETS info booth at various events help to raise awareness of KPETS activities - and sometimes even a few funds - there's a donation jar and some items for sale. We've taken a time slot at several of these. Good to bring a chair and water & snacks for people and dogs, along with the ubiquitous poop bags. Usually have River wear his KPETS vest or bandana. Noche sometimes gets to come, depending on the venue, as a therapy-dog-in-training. The socialization opportunity is good for him.
Encore the Festival was very lightly attended, at least during our time slot, and reportedly for most others. However, it was the first year. There certainly was a lot of planning put into it - lots of big tents, organized schedule in multiple venues, performers, artists, food, demos, etc. The big draw was likely to be the evening concert and that may be why the daytime activities feel somewhat flat.
We entertained when we could, having River run through some rally and freestyle exercises could draw a small crowd. We also got to meet the other KPETS Portie and her owner. So not a total waste of time and maybe we spread the word, planted a seed that will flourish later.
Encore the Festival was very lightly attended, at least during our time slot, and reportedly for most others. However, it was the first year. There certainly was a lot of planning put into it - lots of big tents, organized schedule in multiple venues, performers, artists, food, demos, etc. The big draw was likely to be the evening concert and that may be why the daytime activities feel somewhat flat.
We entertained when we could, having River run through some rally and freestyle exercises could draw a small crowd. We also got to meet the other KPETS Portie and her owner. So not a total waste of time and maybe we spread the word, planted a seed that will flourish later.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Rally Excellent!
July 28 -31, Bloomsburg,PA, Mt Laurel Cluster
Our first away-from-home/hotel dog show experience was a success. River now has his Rally Excellent title. And we learned many lessons that weekend, not all pertaining to the ring experience.
Had to travel Thursday evening since the walk-through was at 8:45 and it was a 2 1/2 hr drive; traveling in the wee hours would not have worked. Drove first through thunderstorms and then fog, so that was an adventure itself. Discovered that River does not stay quietly in a crate in a hotel room, so that added stress and made it a challenge to enjoy our meals out. He handled everything else well; cooperative about being exercised, enjoyed joining us on the bed, of course. He was ok in his crate at the show; we did leave him a few times there and he only protested briefly once. The vendors were outside of the buildings, so no AC for them. We let River enjoy the very strong AC in the obedienece building while we shopped, etc. Food vendor and restrooms also outside. Turned out our room had a fridge, so we hit Walmart to get snacks and lunch supplies. Packing your own is the way to go.
So, how did his rally runs go? - well, Amanda had been diligently working on the trouble spots, especially not losing his attention at the beginning and not laying down on the "sit" during honor. And had gotten him to be way more reliable on those. Still, he lost points for laying down on the sit, out of position on first exercise and sniffing those stuffed toy distractions on figure eight. However, 93 the first day was a 3rd place, 97 the last day was first place, merely qualifed second day with 77. This was the time he broke the stay and Amanda did a sign wrong (paused too long on moving down and around, so pretty picky but cost 10 pts and I think he hit the jump that day too.) He really was awesome that last day; they looked so good together and friendly judge said she wished she could have given a 100. Still we were all pretty tired and wanting to go home, so couldn't wait until she was available for a photo. The other thing we learned was that Noche didn't handle the separation well. He gave Cara a rough time searching for Amanda, refusing to settle and sleep,protesting loudly, despite all her efforts. So another lesson learned.
And there is another level of Rally title - it requires qualifying in both Advanced and Excellent at 10 shows!! We decided to pass on that. Amanda is giving a Novice obedience class a try with River and a Performance Foundation class with Noche. And hoping for a return to agility training soon!
Our first away-from-home/hotel dog show experience was a success. River now has his Rally Excellent title. And we learned many lessons that weekend, not all pertaining to the ring experience.
Had to travel Thursday evening since the walk-through was at 8:45 and it was a 2 1/2 hr drive; traveling in the wee hours would not have worked. Drove first through thunderstorms and then fog, so that was an adventure itself. Discovered that River does not stay quietly in a crate in a hotel room, so that added stress and made it a challenge to enjoy our meals out. He handled everything else well; cooperative about being exercised, enjoyed joining us on the bed, of course. He was ok in his crate at the show; we did leave him a few times there and he only protested briefly once. The vendors were outside of the buildings, so no AC for them. We let River enjoy the very strong AC in the obedienece building while we shopped, etc. Food vendor and restrooms also outside. Turned out our room had a fridge, so we hit Walmart to get snacks and lunch supplies. Packing your own is the way to go.
So, how did his rally runs go? - well, Amanda had been diligently working on the trouble spots, especially not losing his attention at the beginning and not laying down on the "sit" during honor. And had gotten him to be way more reliable on those. Still, he lost points for laying down on the sit, out of position on first exercise and sniffing those stuffed toy distractions on figure eight. However, 93 the first day was a 3rd place, 97 the last day was first place, merely qualifed second day with 77. This was the time he broke the stay and Amanda did a sign wrong (paused too long on moving down and around, so pretty picky but cost 10 pts and I think he hit the jump that day too.) He really was awesome that last day; they looked so good together and friendly judge said she wished she could have given a 100. Still we were all pretty tired and wanting to go home, so couldn't wait until she was available for a photo. The other thing we learned was that Noche didn't handle the separation well. He gave Cara a rough time searching for Amanda, refusing to settle and sleep,protesting loudly, despite all her efforts. So another lesson learned.
And there is another level of Rally title - it requires qualifying in both Advanced and Excellent at 10 shows!! We decided to pass on that. Amanda is giving a Novice obedience class a try with River and a Performance Foundation class with Noche. And hoping for a return to agility training soon!
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Rally Advanced Title Somehow....
Amanda put a Rally Advanced title on River, finishing his third leg at the Lancaster KC show in Lebanon. A nice show to do so, as they provide a title finishing rosette, so we had a professional photo taken as well.
She was almost embarrassed to raise her hand during awards as having finished - his score was 73 (70 is the minimim) and she certainly did not think they had qualified when they left the ring. I didn't believe it until I checked the posted score myself. He certainly did not act like the dog she had been training. He was distracted from the moment they entered the ring. He left her at least twice - once to visit the stuffed dog distraction and another time to wag his tail at a young child ringside. Amanda worked very hard to get him back - everything but singing and dancing. I was surprised that the judge did not excuse them. And looking back, perhaps Amanda should have asked to be excused. But, she was persistant and the very kind judge rewarded that. She lost points for redoing signs and probably out of position, but he didn't leave the ring, he did do the exercises, although not well, so....
Now, the question is how to handle this going forward. Is he ringwise and won't work because he knows there is no food and no corrections in the ring or was he having a bad day? What kind of training can overcome this?
Attention work was suggested to us, but another trainer thinks he has excellent attention. Still another suggested working with treats not on person - going to get them after an exercise or 2 and gradually working up the length of time, keeping it random, making a big deal of "let's go get treats". I guess this is the "jackpot" method and I think Amanda wants to try this. Plus lots of on leash training. Excellent level is off leash also, plus has restrictions on clapping, slapping your leg and the added challenge of the honor exercise. Amanda wants to avoid the potential distractions of outdoor shows; so the next possibilities are in July. Plenty of time to prepare!
She was almost embarrassed to raise her hand during awards as having finished - his score was 73 (70 is the minimim) and she certainly did not think they had qualified when they left the ring. I didn't believe it until I checked the posted score myself. He certainly did not act like the dog she had been training. He was distracted from the moment they entered the ring. He left her at least twice - once to visit the stuffed dog distraction and another time to wag his tail at a young child ringside. Amanda worked very hard to get him back - everything but singing and dancing. I was surprised that the judge did not excuse them. And looking back, perhaps Amanda should have asked to be excused. But, she was persistant and the very kind judge rewarded that. She lost points for redoing signs and probably out of position, but he didn't leave the ring, he did do the exercises, although not well, so....
Now, the question is how to handle this going forward. Is he ringwise and won't work because he knows there is no food and no corrections in the ring or was he having a bad day? What kind of training can overcome this?
Attention work was suggested to us, but another trainer thinks he has excellent attention. Still another suggested working with treats not on person - going to get them after an exercise or 2 and gradually working up the length of time, keeping it random, making a big deal of "let's go get treats". I guess this is the "jackpot" method and I think Amanda wants to try this. Plus lots of on leash training. Excellent level is off leash also, plus has restrictions on clapping, slapping your leg and the added challenge of the honor exercise. Amanda wants to avoid the potential distractions of outdoor shows; so the next possibilities are in July. Plenty of time to prepare!
Driving a Power Chair
Pink Girl was test driving a power chair at this past week's visit. First her therapist tried to get her to walk over to the chair. She encouraged her to walk River - one of his leashes draped over her walker while I held the shorter one. Not much cooperation, so she was "helped" to get there.
Power chair driving is way more fun. I think this was only her second time in the chair and as this is not her personal chair, some adjustments had to be made. Finally she was off and moving. Still learning to steer, but clearly enjoying herself, she headed down the hallway. She was able to raise her self up to look in the pool window; later she could lower herself to give River a drink - these are the kinds of things we tend to take for granted.
River was not at all fazed by the chair 's movement or sound, gotta love his adaptability - we did have to keep an eye on his tail - as she moves so much faster, the chance of it getting caught increases. We found it helpful to tell her to aim the joystick at River and his bright yellow vest (yes, he finally has one). This helped to keep her straight and encouraged her to sit upright and minimized bumping the wall as we headed down the hallway.
Power chair driving is way more fun. I think this was only her second time in the chair and as this is not her personal chair, some adjustments had to be made. Finally she was off and moving. Still learning to steer, but clearly enjoying herself, she headed down the hallway. She was able to raise her self up to look in the pool window; later she could lower herself to give River a drink - these are the kinds of things we tend to take for granted.
River was not at all fazed by the chair 's movement or sound, gotta love his adaptability - we did have to keep an eye on his tail - as she moves so much faster, the chance of it getting caught increases. We found it helpful to tell her to aim the joystick at River and his bright yellow vest (yes, he finally has one). This helped to keep her straight and encouraged her to sit upright and minimized bumping the wall as we headed down the hallway.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Pink Girl Makes a Tunnel
Leaning into a large exercise ball, the therapist encouraged her to straighten her arms, making a tunnel for River to go "under" between her and the ball. He was happy to comply and Pink Girl laughed as his tail tickled her when he zipped through. That idea I learned at the last KPETS roundtable was successfully put into action at this session. We also did the usual: having her hold the hula hoop (with Amanda on the other side) for him to jump, a crawling competition, squeezing his water bottle to give him a drink, having River "play/paw" the piano - which always must be followed by Pink Girl's more melodious piano efforts. Walking wasn't as successful - we offered walking him on leash, chasing his tail with the walker wheels, tricks as a rewards for steps, distracting conversation (guess River's age) but there were more tears than steps.
River wore his new KPETS bandana embroidered with his name. She admired that, but did try to use the bandana to pull him which I tried to discourage. She hasn't done that with other bandanas. There were sweet moments, too - she enjoyed a few kisses and she gave him a hug. Overall much of the session was positive; as her therapist said - she really "goes up and down" in mood and degree of cooperation.
River wore his new KPETS bandana embroidered with his name. She admired that, but did try to use the bandana to pull him which I tried to discourage. She hasn't done that with other bandanas. There were sweet moments, too - she enjoyed a few kisses and she gave him a hug. Overall much of the session was positive; as her therapist said - she really "goes up and down" in mood and degree of cooperation.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Rally Novice Title and 2 legs of Advanced
March -Rally Novice title earned in a 3 day show cluster in York!!!! Rah!!! for River and Amanda. Scores of 87,9?, 97 Placements of second, 1 point out of ribbons and first to finish. Now if I could just figure out how to add photos.
April - I started this a while ago - they now have 2 legs towards Advanced, earned with scores of 94 - a first and second place in Harrisburg. Headed to Lancaster KC show in Lebanon May 15 - maybe to finish Advanced.
"Even there, River got to be a therapy dog." wrote this part earlier, Hmm, wish I remember where I was going with this.... maybe that people petted him as opposed to ring- prepped dogs who couldn't be touched. We took him with us when we shopped the vendors so he got lots of attention which he enjoyed.
April - I started this a while ago - they now have 2 legs towards Advanced, earned with scores of 94 - a first and second place in Harrisburg. Headed to Lancaster KC show in Lebanon May 15 - maybe to finish Advanced.
"Even there, River got to be a therapy dog." wrote this part earlier, Hmm, wish I remember where I was going with this.... maybe that people petted him as opposed to ring- prepped dogs who couldn't be touched. We took him with us when we shopped the vendors so he got lots of attention which he enjoyed.
Photos for Ump
I didn't follow through on the lotto game idea, but his therapist Terri brought a camera to a session and took photos of Ump and River doing tricks. She made a great photo album, labeling thesem, with the goal of reinforcing the trick signals, as well as just having the photo "brag" book.
Ump seemed to love it and showed it to me proudly. Next time we saw him we learned that he took it along on his holiday visit to his relatives and gave it to one of them ( mom or sister?). Very generous of him; sadly, it still has not been replaced yet ( in April). We now see him with the original therapist Sheree ( she took maternity leave about 6 months after we started visiting). Seems complicated to get photos printed there. I really should bring a camera sometime and make something. Somehow, most weeks, it seems all I can do to get River and myself to the visit. Maybe I need to learn to be patient with myself - Ump enjoys what we are able to offer by visiting - I'm the one who sets the higher standards for myself. As Amanda pointed out - River could do the same tricks and we could have essentially the same conversations and Ump would enjoy his visits. He is so proud to give River the treats he made. He like to walk us to the door and if anyone asks, he insists that they get to have River do a trick for a treat from them as well. No wonder River is well-padded these days!
Ump seemed to love it and showed it to me proudly. Next time we saw him we learned that he took it along on his holiday visit to his relatives and gave it to one of them ( mom or sister?). Very generous of him; sadly, it still has not been replaced yet ( in April). We now see him with the original therapist Sheree ( she took maternity leave about 6 months after we started visiting). Seems complicated to get photos printed there. I really should bring a camera sometime and make something. Somehow, most weeks, it seems all I can do to get River and myself to the visit. Maybe I need to learn to be patient with myself - Ump enjoys what we are able to offer by visiting - I'm the one who sets the higher standards for myself. As Amanda pointed out - River could do the same tricks and we could have essentially the same conversations and Ump would enjoy his visits. He is so proud to give River the treats he made. He like to walk us to the door and if anyone asks, he insists that they get to have River do a trick for a treat from them as well. No wonder River is well-padded these days!
Reading Program Summary
River and I completed our stint at the Wickersham Elem reading program. It was to go through May, but I begged off at the end of April. Our end of year schedule is pretty busy and I needed to cut back. It was a learning experience for me and I think it was enjoyable to the children involved. I am not convinced that is was the most effective use of our time and River's particular skills. It was not set up along the lines of what has been shown to be effective at helping with improving reading. Specific goals and developing a relationship by working with the same children seem to be hallmarks of those programs.
I enjoyed the children and encouraging their reading, but preferred discussing their pets and demonstrating River's tricks and, if there was interest, telling them about training. River was agreeable to any activity and excited to be there for visits. His young mistress did not find it interesting and declined to participate. She likes working with children but much prefers the visits at Schreiber where we do AAT in PT area and work with one child over a period of time.
I enjoyed the children and encouraging their reading, but preferred discussing their pets and demonstrating River's tricks and, if there was interest, telling them about training. River was agreeable to any activity and excited to be there for visits. His young mistress did not find it interesting and declined to participate. She likes working with children but much prefers the visits at Schreiber where we do AAT in PT area and work with one child over a period of time.
April Schreiber Trial Visit
We did a one time visit with a child described as "very involved" as in no speech, little independent movement. He was,according to his mother,having a bad day, but overall he had more interest in River's ballon than the dog. So we gifted him the balloon and visited with another child who very much enjoyed River's company during his therapy. His mother took a KPETS card and I think would have requested us. In reality, her son was fairly well motivated to cooperate and not in big need of River - my assessment, but we haven't heard anything. And maybe I'm wrong and AAT could be used for other than motivation to participate,maybe would have an effect on rate of progress or attempting new things. My limited experience can't evaluate that.
I'm not sure what kind of a system would work - to inform therapists about AAT and using KPETS teams - to let them know specifics of how and when AAT can be helpful. What criteria determines if AAT would be useful and then, should there be specifics to match a team to the situation? It's an nteresting area that deserves more study.
I wonder if having teams available on a regular basis at Schreiber would provide a chance to demonstrate that - or is that too random and maybe an in-service type program would be more effective?
I'm not sure what kind of a system would work - to inform therapists about AAT and using KPETS teams - to let them know specifics of how and when AAT can be helpful. What criteria determines if AAT would be useful and then, should there be specifics to match a team to the situation? It's an nteresting area that deserves more study.
I wonder if having teams available on a regular basis at Schreiber would provide a chance to demonstrate that - or is that too random and maybe an in-service type program would be more effective?
Monday, March 14, 2011
Name That Dog
Got the idea from another blog to explain how the dogs got their names.
River seems reasonable for a Portuguese Water Dog. My short explanation - the kids named him for the nearest body of water; our property backs up to the Conestoga River. His registered name ( I like them to fit together)- Rockhill's River Valley Boy. We have used River Valley Homeschool Academy when we needed an official homeschool name.
Noche - Spanish for night,chosen because he is primarily black. Spanish because it's the langauge of Cuba, origin of Havanese. His registered name Bella Dulce's Starry Night ( he has some white markings) and there are other "stars" in his pedigree - Starborn Black Tie Affair ( Posh, love that call name) is his sire and NorthStar Bella Dulce Liliana ( Lilly, his dam).
My previous dogs - VicTerre's Shanagarry Girl "Shana" . Shanagarry was a castle in Ireland owned by William Penn's family - so perfect for an Irish Terrier from PA. Then Shangarry's Trailblazer "Blazer" was the first out of the whelping box, from our first litter and he had a white blaze on his chest ( not a preferred marking, but there it was). Pacific Poppy (I forget her kennel name at the moment)"Poppy" was born in California and she was a dark red.
River seems reasonable for a Portuguese Water Dog. My short explanation - the kids named him for the nearest body of water; our property backs up to the Conestoga River. His registered name ( I like them to fit together)- Rockhill's River Valley Boy. We have used River Valley Homeschool Academy when we needed an official homeschool name.
Noche - Spanish for night,chosen because he is primarily black. Spanish because it's the langauge of Cuba, origin of Havanese. His registered name Bella Dulce's Starry Night ( he has some white markings) and there are other "stars" in his pedigree - Starborn Black Tie Affair ( Posh, love that call name) is his sire and NorthStar Bella Dulce Liliana ( Lilly, his dam).
My previous dogs - VicTerre's Shanagarry Girl "Shana" . Shanagarry was a castle in Ireland owned by William Penn's family - so perfect for an Irish Terrier from PA. Then Shangarry's Trailblazer "Blazer" was the first out of the whelping box, from our first litter and he had a white blaze on his chest ( not a preferred marking, but there it was). Pacific Poppy (I forget her kennel name at the moment)"Poppy" was born in California and she was a dark red.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
March KPETS Roundtable - Dogs & Doorbells
River could "crawl/under" the bridge made by a child leaning on a therapy ball. Don't step into the ring until the judge calls you (DQ!); don't step even one foot out until your dog is leashed (-10 pts). Tips we learned today - one for AAT visits; the others (hard-earned) applied to rally competition.
The challenges of training your dog's reactions to the door were also discussed. The best tip from a trainer - teach them to come to you when the doorbell rings. The best story - the doorbell that produces multiple animal sounds.
Hmmm, we don't have problems with River. He will announce visitors and quiet on command. Noche is another story; he is very vocal in many situations and sometimes entices River to join in. His vocalizations range from "singing" along when I play violin ( and River has been making that a duet lately); to frantic barking when we return from an outing - it translates as "please release me from my crate now!and how could you ever leave me". He also has happy barking - morning greetings as the family comes downstairs, play barking - when he is chasing River for a toy and alert barking - "I heard something and I want everyone to know it!" Excitment barking - when he is watching River run agility and he wants his turn - this reaction to a flyball demo got him an invitation to train when he is a bit older. Noche has quite a vocabulary of barks and they are all quite loud for his size. Our goal is to get it a bit more under control. His bark needs an "off" switch.
The challenges of training your dog's reactions to the door were also discussed. The best tip from a trainer - teach them to come to you when the doorbell rings. The best story - the doorbell that produces multiple animal sounds.
Hmmm, we don't have problems with River. He will announce visitors and quiet on command. Noche is another story; he is very vocal in many situations and sometimes entices River to join in. His vocalizations range from "singing" along when I play violin ( and River has been making that a duet lately); to frantic barking when we return from an outing - it translates as "please release me from my crate now!and how could you ever leave me". He also has happy barking - morning greetings as the family comes downstairs, play barking - when he is chasing River for a toy and alert barking - "I heard something and I want everyone to know it!" Excitment barking - when he is watching River run agility and he wants his turn - this reaction to a flyball demo got him an invitation to train when he is a bit older. Noche has quite a vocabulary of barks and they are all quite loud for his size. Our goal is to get it a bit more under control. His bark needs an "off" switch.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
March Arrives, Schreiber Visit
River's friendly competition when he visited at pediatric physical therapy today - he soars at "over" the hula hoop, but she bested him in crawling "under" and the most "roll overs". Her reward- a vanilla milkshake; River settled for dog biscuits.
According to her therapist, this was one of Pink Girl's best sessions, as far as her being cooperative. It varies considerably session to session and even minute to minute during a session. We hadn't seen her frequently; it's been 3 weeks and weather and illness conspired to keep it to only one visit each month in Dec and January.
Her mom was helping her stretch over a "jelly bean" when we arrived and we positioned River on the mat in front of her so she could reach out and pet him. I think she enjoyed when Amanda hit "the spot" and he did that reflexive back leg scratching. She was eager to demonstrate rolling over for him and was even enticed to roll both directions (one is more difficult for her, so she prefers the easier).
Megan dashed in from the pool to start the session. She had Pink Girl sitting upright on a low bench to brush River. Grasping the soft plastic brush is a challenge for her and she preferred to just pet him. He prefers to sit or lay down, so both Amanda and I help him maintain a stand for this. Pink Girl did put a bit of weight on his back, using him to help her stand upright. This was not the therapist's goal - or ours, but I don't think he was hurt at all; she is a tiny thing. She had along a favorite pink teddy bear today that her mother explained had been in her isolette when she was a newborn ( premie at 26? weeks) and the bear was bigger than her. River kept wanting to play with it. We'll have to bring a stuffed toy of his along next time. We should try to dress him up a bit, too, a bandana at least, as she is always attired in coordinated outfits with cute hair accessories. Maybe that's just done by her mother, but they both might enjoy seeing River accessorized, too.
Standing for her and holding the hoop for River is always a favorite. She likes to mix it up with him doing "over" and "under". He won't always wait for the command. Megan(therapist) got her to show River both crawl/under and crawl/over. She got compliments on her crawl versus River's; he likes to pop up. She really seemed to enjoy showing River her crawling and rolling prowess today.
Next, she did a bit of walking too, some with a walker and they also tried a "cane" (it had a tripod base). The "chase River's tail" scenario works only a little with her. I think the walk to a certain point and rest while he does a trick for you went a little better. There was a distraction when another therapist brought over a little girl in a stroller to see River (she was a bit shy of him), but I think it made Pink Girl want River's attention back on her. She didn't quite make it to the water fountain, so she got to see River have a drink from his bottle, while she was happily slurping down her milkshake.
According to her therapist, this was one of Pink Girl's best sessions, as far as her being cooperative. It varies considerably session to session and even minute to minute during a session. We hadn't seen her frequently; it's been 3 weeks and weather and illness conspired to keep it to only one visit each month in Dec and January.
Her mom was helping her stretch over a "jelly bean" when we arrived and we positioned River on the mat in front of her so she could reach out and pet him. I think she enjoyed when Amanda hit "the spot" and he did that reflexive back leg scratching. She was eager to demonstrate rolling over for him and was even enticed to roll both directions (one is more difficult for her, so she prefers the easier).
Megan dashed in from the pool to start the session. She had Pink Girl sitting upright on a low bench to brush River. Grasping the soft plastic brush is a challenge for her and she preferred to just pet him. He prefers to sit or lay down, so both Amanda and I help him maintain a stand for this. Pink Girl did put a bit of weight on his back, using him to help her stand upright. This was not the therapist's goal - or ours, but I don't think he was hurt at all; she is a tiny thing. She had along a favorite pink teddy bear today that her mother explained had been in her isolette when she was a newborn ( premie at 26? weeks) and the bear was bigger than her. River kept wanting to play with it. We'll have to bring a stuffed toy of his along next time. We should try to dress him up a bit, too, a bandana at least, as she is always attired in coordinated outfits with cute hair accessories. Maybe that's just done by her mother, but they both might enjoy seeing River accessorized, too.
Standing for her and holding the hoop for River is always a favorite. She likes to mix it up with him doing "over" and "under". He won't always wait for the command. Megan(therapist) got her to show River both crawl/under and crawl/over. She got compliments on her crawl versus River's; he likes to pop up. She really seemed to enjoy showing River her crawling and rolling prowess today.
Next, she did a bit of walking too, some with a walker and they also tried a "cane" (it had a tripod base). The "chase River's tail" scenario works only a little with her. I think the walk to a certain point and rest while he does a trick for you went a little better. There was a distraction when another therapist brought over a little girl in a stroller to see River (she was a bit shy of him), but I think it made Pink Girl want River's attention back on her. She didn't quite make it to the water fountain, so she got to see River have a drink from his bottle, while she was happily slurping down her milkshake.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Schreiber January 11, 2010
A new year with Pink Girl; our visits have been infrequent as she is medically fragile and gets ill frequently. I was told she had been asking about River and was happy to see him. She asked about Amanda, who was sick and stayed home that day. Happy to see him didn't translate into happy to cooperate with the therapist. Pink Girl wanted to demonstrate her rolling skills instead of the crawling she was asked to do, much less working on walking. She did cooperate for her favorite, holding a hula hoop for him to jump through and this is hard work for her to stand as straight as possible and tell him "over". She also enjoys dropping treats for River, which I think is his favorite trick for her to do.
MIL Rest In Peace
My friend's MIL passed on a few days ago at hospice. I had taken just River for another visit right before Christmas while she was still at home. She was confined to bed at this point but still delighted to see him, although she could only talk in a whisper. River greeted her with kisses; he seems to know she enjoys them. She requested that he lay on the bed with her, so I told him "up" and got him laying along side of her where she could easily pet his head. We visted briefly; she drifted off occasionally, then woke to apologize and blame it on her medication. She still kept her hand on River. When the hospice nurse arrived, seemed the right time for us to go. I hugged her good bye and promised her a copy of the photos we were planning to take of River and Noche in Santa hats. I'm sorry we didn't get it done in time to show her.
Limping Along
That could describe the frequency of my blogging here, but today it refers to River. About 15 minutes into his agility class, the instructor and I noticed that he was limping, so no more jumping or training for him today.
She checked his nails and pads wihtout finding anything. We hadn't observed anything happen. He had been doing a series of 2 low jumps, with the goal of driving through the jumps to a target bag that Amanda was throwing. He tends to look at Amanda after each piece of equipment, which slows him down overall. He was making good progress on focusing on the bag and heading for that after 2 jumps. So then, he started from the pause table, took a bar jump and then turned to the 2 jumps in sequence. Coming back after the second time of this was when we spotted the limping. He put weight on it and moved fine at a walk, but with a little more speed, favored his left front. So, clipped the leash back on him and he got to rest. We got to help Wendy play with her 8 week old border collie puppies; gotta love that puppy breath smell.
River was still limping earlier at home and we have been discouraging running and jumping the rest of the day. It's late evening as I write this and he is walking without a limp right now. We're ignoring his requests to throw a toy so he won't run. I prefer to err on the side of caution and at least wait until tomorrow. Hoping this is the equivalent of a turned ankle, that maybe he just took a jump awkwardly, and will recover quickly.
She checked his nails and pads wihtout finding anything. We hadn't observed anything happen. He had been doing a series of 2 low jumps, with the goal of driving through the jumps to a target bag that Amanda was throwing. He tends to look at Amanda after each piece of equipment, which slows him down overall. He was making good progress on focusing on the bag and heading for that after 2 jumps. So then, he started from the pause table, took a bar jump and then turned to the 2 jumps in sequence. Coming back after the second time of this was when we spotted the limping. He put weight on it and moved fine at a walk, but with a little more speed, favored his left front. So, clipped the leash back on him and he got to rest. We got to help Wendy play with her 8 week old border collie puppies; gotta love that puppy breath smell.
River was still limping earlier at home and we have been discouraging running and jumping the rest of the day. It's late evening as I write this and he is walking without a limp right now. We're ignoring his requests to throw a toy so he won't run. I prefer to err on the side of caution and at least wait until tomorrow. Hoping this is the equivalent of a turned ankle, that maybe he just took a jump awkwardly, and will recover quickly.
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