Comment on training..

So.. I've been constantly feeling like Lexx and I have not been progressing in training and that we've accomplished little in his 19 months of time here with me.

Last night, my best friend was over for dinner and i was showing her Lexx's new "back up" trick which he does when i flick my hand at him. He's still learning so its sketchy, but she thought that it was cute.

As we were returning to the kitchen with lexx trotting along side, she said the following:

" So, i've been watching you train lexx for over a year now, and it got me thinking about it, so when i was home at christmas I thought i'd do some stuff with Josie ( her family's lab mix rescue girl). I asked her to sit, and she did. then i told her to down, and she did. Then i asked her to sit again, and she stared at me like i had three heads. Your dog backs up, spins, rolls over, heels, moves laterally... and josie can't even sit-down-sit. It took me 4 days to get her to do it..but then again, the only time anyone ever even asks her to sit is when someone comes to the front door..."

Just got me thinking, maybe we're not doing SO bad and Lexx got an extra cookie, just for being himself.

Finally, just mom and ME

Well, finally everyone has left after the insanity of the xmas visit. Now don't get us wrong, lexx and I, we love company, but it just takes a lot out of me, making sure the kitchen is clean, that lexx has had his proper attention and runs etc. Finally. just back to normal.

Lexx had a great xmas overall, i was impressed with his overall behaviour and except one small jump on a guest, he's had close to perfect manners.

We've taken a bit of a break from training, mostly due to time constraints, but I did manage to squish in a few short 15 minute sessions for which he was quite well behaved.

I hate to admit it, but i enjoyed the break from the routine of training. Maybe i'm not meant to do any major training with a dog, i Like it... but I certainly don't LOVE it, and i certainly didn't MISS it when i stopped.

New obedience classes start next tuesday, so hopefully the new trainer and new atmosphere will get me back into the hype of obedience again. If not, well, maybe i'll just appreciate having a great best friend and forget about all that stuff.

Lexx's neuter is planned for next thursday, hopefully giving him enough time to recover before his next class the tuesday after. I'm nervous for him...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Lexx would like to wish everyone a very merry christmas.

he's currently passed out, stretched out on the floor. He wanted me to inform everyone that entertaining an entire table of holiday guests with may nubbin wiggles and soulful gazes for Turkey is VERY hard work.

have a great holiday!

housetraining reversion. at the end of my rope.

thats it. i've decided. lexx is getting neutered.

if he pees on my floor ONE MORE TIME this week, i am literally going to banish him to his crate 24 hours a day. no. seriously.

this dog is 19 months old. he was perfectly housetrained. inside alone all day no accidents, all night out of his crate, no accidents.

now all of a sudden i can't trust him out of my SIGHT.I feel like i cant trust him anywhere anymore.

honestly last night i just sat down on the floor and started to cry. its just one more thing. can't my dog just be NORMAL and WELL BEHAVED and HEALTHY. just for ONE month.

one month with no extra vet bills, no accidents, nothing...it would be amazing.

dear mommy

Dear mommy

I do not understand why all the humans have suddenly gone crazy. WHY did you bring a tree IN to the house? A tree that i'm clearly not allowed to mark.. even though marking on trees is wonderful. Also, why is there suddenly many new things around t sniff? and why do i get reminded to mind my manners when I try to sneak a small bite out of a garland or knock over a new candle stick? you KNOW that i'm just going my due diligence as a dragon slayer. making sure that things are safe...

Also, why are things being wrapped in pretty shiny paper with "bows". The "bows" look like they would be much more fun to play with and eat than they are sitting still and un noticed on top of those random boxes. They look forgotten and I feel that they should come play with a doberman.

Why are you playing music ALL the time? its quite loud for dober-ears and there are a lot of strange bell sounds in it. Plus, you made me WEAR a bell? how am i supposed to chase kitties wearing a BELL mom! HOW? I don't understand what you mean when you say i look festive... and i don't see how looking "festive" involves having a bath. A waterless bath, but a bath all the same. Did i really smell THAT bad?

Also, mommy, WHY is there so much white stuff on the ground? Why do i have to wear two layers everywhere? Its up to my tummy mom. its wet. and cold. and my paws get full of it. walking just isn't as much fun mom.

mommy... why has the world gone crazy?

Durham region humane society fire

Last night a regional humane society fell victim to a fire. Unfortunately, many of the animals inside could not be saved.

i was in tears this morning listening to the story on the news. What a horrible horrible tragedy.


please spend a minute today to remember all the poor souls that perished in that fire. Hopefully they're in a better place.

RIP

Neurologist

Lexx had his first visit with an OVC neurologist today. After finding out that three members of his mother's line suffered from brain tumors, and since lexx has seizures, i thought the visit to be required.

first of all, the people were all amazing and very very nice. I was really impressed with the whole ordeal and pleasantly surprised at the cost, which was by all means decent.

After giving lexx's entire life story ( really quite long.. it hasn't been an easy road) they smiled and thanked me for such a wonderful history, remarking on how thorough and observant i was about all things lexxington. Normal people just would have said..um.. he has seizures whereas i had everything from puppyhood, every funny movement, refusal of food, shaking, anything. then i had dates, times, how long seizures lasted, when they occured, every test that the vet has ever done, she even typed up a time line and results for me. everything.

They then took lexx ball to do the neurological exam. i was sad that i couldn't observe, but understood and got a coffee.

they then brought me back in and explained that he had passed all the reflex tests ( no wobblers!) but that they had remarked two things. one, his nose is crooked... who knew.. now it will bother me

two, he is strangely calm and complacent for an 18mo intact male doberman. They also mentioned that his manners were close to perfect and that clearly he was well trained.. though.. she couldn't get him to listen to several commands..then she realized that lexx is trained mostly in german after which he responded much better.

he was a bit sleepy today, but we just upped his bromide, plus went for a 40 minute off leash run in the morning then another 35 minute walk before the appointment. Lexx is very comfortable at the vets office and with vet techs/vets. he's spent so much time with them over the last few months, that he settles very well with them and I think that they find it odd. hes just SO trusting.

anyways... recommendation for MRI but not needed immediately. more just for piece of mind...

at this point, i'm still thinking about what to do. its been a stressful day for me

reasons lexx is awesome

I felt that after my last post, i should take some time and make a list of the reasons that lexx is awesome. partially because i felt it would be helpful to me, and also, because i felt badly saying bad things about him

1. he's friendly. to everyone. always
2. he's never barked, growled or snapped at a person in his entire life
3. he loves other dogs. hes only once growled at a dog and even after been brutally attacked, maintains a friendly disposition
4. hes the best cuddler i know, always ready to curl up with me on the couch
5. he doesn't REQUIRE a daily run. He's easier to handle, but still completely mangeable without
6. he doesn't hump legs, furniture or other dogs even though he's intact
7. hes never destroyed any shoes, even ones that have been tempting
8. hes never even thought about destroying furniture, or anything important or expensive, even as a pup
9. he knows when im sick or not feeling well and will lay down and not bounce on me, even without walks
10. he loves me even when i'm in a bad mood
11. his nubbin wiggles are possibly the cutest thing i've ever seen in my entire life
12. he doesn't resent me for cutting half of his ears off and sticking them to tampons for 6 months... seriously... thats love
13. he lets me dremmel his nails, brush his teeth and clean his ears with minimal complaint
14.he forces me to get exercise. as a rule i hate walking, but i LOVE walking the dog
15. i can walk him on a flat collar with a loose leash 90% of the time without getting dragged anywhere
16. he's never marked in the house
17. he let me dress him up for Hallowe'en without a complaint
18. he always takes my side if kyle and i fight
19. he's the best tear remover, rant listener and upset leanne kisser that there is
20. he doesn't destroy toys, blankets or dog beds
21. hes my best friend

depressed

Its official. friday, the last day of my work week of Hell and I"m totally and completely depressed.

I've been calling around to vet clinics in my area to find an orthopedic surgeon to take a look at Lexx. I had convinced myself that things with this dog were going to get better. but they just aren't. His movement is more off, its increasingly bad after a long training session and i watched him eat an entire meal with his leg held up against his stomach today. I've officially had enough.

Kyle shakes his head in dismay. MORE vet bills. MORE time. MORE money that we just don't have at this point. MORE problems. My insurance has already called to inform me that they are dropping my coverage for the second time in a year. now its only 60% instead of the original 80%.

This dog has put me into tears more times than i can count over the last year and I half.

I'm sickened, saddened and frustrated about how many problems i've had. This wasn't supposed to be like this. I'm angry at my breeder. i'm angry at my vet and i'm angry at the world. How can such a beautiful little soul have so many problems. what did he do to deserve this? what did I DO to deserve this?

The heartbreak, fear, saddness, and emotional frustration and turmoil that i've been through over the last 19 months has almost been enough to kill me.

I have also decided that after the new training classes ( that i have already payed for) are over, if i don't see SIGNIFICANT improvement in lexx's obedience, will be the last classes we enroll in. I will officially take my dreams of having a rally and an obedience dog and stack them neatly on a shelf to be forgotten about, beside my dreams of having a show dog, a running partner, a dog that i can take to the barn, and a healthy happy puppy.

Im at the point where i can't even watch other people's videos of their new tricks, their obedience ribbons, or appreciate their accomplishments, it just renders me bitter and resentful and most of all, genuinely sad.

this last year and a half has been a great deal of lowered expectations and regret.


Lexx is my best friend. he has an amazing personality, he loves everyone and everyone loves him. But i didn't need to spend months researching, or spend almost 2 thousand dollars to get a dog that would be my best friend. that little dog sitting at the local humane society could have been my best friend too.

Now, almost another 3 grand down after vet bills, my 5 thousand dollar dog will likely turn out to be nothing but a great pet and a best friend. My friends and neighbours will all be proven right, why would you ever want a doberman... why would you EVER pay that much for a dog... why would you EVER buy from a breeder.....

I spent months force feeding him, stressing and crying every morning because my puppy wouldn't eat breakfast.
I've watched his faulty movement throw him out of contention for the show ring, affect his ability to perform obedience and most of all, watched his every step, on every walk, trying to figure out what could be wrong. Everyone told me i was over reacting, that he'd grown out of it... well he hasn't. its worse. I've spend hundreds of dollars for people to tell me that they have no idea. they are supposed to be experts.

I've watched him convulse, act lost, scream, and become aggressive with Kyle during his seizures. I've watched the vets run test upon test upon test. i have a file 6 inches thick of vet bills. I put medication in his food every morning and he's not even two.

I've become so frustrated training him that its barely even fun anymore. Does he not have a brain? or is he physically INCAPABLE of what i'm asking? He still can't sit straight or properly for god sakes... he's almost two and its not like i haven't tried.

I've struggled with the fact that he's a good deal smaller than i wanted, people call me petty, but YES it bothers me. I wanted a larger, stronger, more imposing dog. Period. He doesn't have the look that i wanted or thought of when i pictured a doberman. He hasn't gained a pound since 8 months, and honestly, after months of complaining, even the VETS are wondering why he's so tiny.

its a good thing that he's got the most friendly, solid, even attitude of any dog i know. atleast he likes to cuddle and is ALWAYS happy to see us. His nubbin wiggles are my favourite thing in the world. none of this meaning that i don't love him to bits and wouldn't do everything and anything for him, of course, i have and i will continue to do so. But he just isn't turning into the dog that i wanted. he's nothing close to what i expected.

TAGGED

6 things that lexx lives for:


1. FRIENDS! Lexx loves friends. by friends i mean...people, children, other dogs.. kitties, squirrels. Anything that moves and might possibly want to scratch him, coo over him or play with him. Every single thing that moves is awesome and wonderful and obviously thinks that nothing would be better than playing with a doberman. Every person on the planet is in desperate need of nubbin wiggles, happy eyes, spins of excitement and dober-leans. EVERYONE.

2..MOM!me. anything to do with me. me coming is awesome, me leaving is horrible. mom mom mom. Every morning when i leave he runs to the door and stares after me until my car has turned the corner of the street, then proceeds to do "mom is GONNNEEE" zoomies and sadly climbs on to the couch to wait patiently until i return ( so kyle tells me). Every day when i return its like he hasn't seen me in years. its the best thing ever. mom is home and its AMAZING!! I can't go into the bathroom, make dinner, or go upstairs without a doberman glued to me, or atleast a STRONG amount of nubbin wiggles when i return.

3.CHUCK IT. Lexx is obsessed with his chuck it toy. bringing it out and you have a bouncing squeaking barking doberman. Its the first toy he ever barked about. he stares at it when its out of his reach. i have an entire post about it. he actually doesn't like to play fetch... he doesn't really understand the game. but his chuck it is awesome.

4..cookies. Lexx has never been a big fan of food. Since i used to have to force him to eat every single meal, i can't really put "food" on the list. But say the word cookie? Cookies means "I've been good!" Cookie means "someone is paying attention to me" cookie means "i have to run through every single trick mom has ever taught me until i do the RIGHT trick and i get the cookie" Please note. I normally don't ask for a trick before he starts through the list.

5. guarding the yard from evil, horrible, terrible CROWS. Lexx, who loves EVERYTHING, HATES crows and LOVES patrolling to ensure that they don't get too cocky or too close to his mother. He will watch them intently, growl at them, alert because of them. He will follow their waddling walk across the yard from inside, jumping from window to window, nubbin and ears at FULL and TOTAL alert.

6. SLEEP. Lexx loves to sleep. he sleeps at least 12 hours a day. given any opportunity when there is no possibility of walks, runs, play, food or mommy time he curls up on "his" couch spot in a variety of interesting and seemingly uncomfortable positions, grumbling and snoring and enjoying full blown puppy dreams of barking and running.

SO there we go. i'm assuming that is what i was supposed to do.. having been tagged by Kim.?

seizure update

this entry is for my OWN records... sorry to everyone else


day: december 6th
time: 6:14 am
length of seizure: around 1.5 minutes
recovery time: 15 minutes pacing, sleep 1 hour. 20 minutes more pacing.
time from last seizure: 3.5 months
current medication level: KBr 2.3ml 1x a day, down from 3, 1.5ml/2x a day about 4 weeks ago


notes: less paddling than normal, more drooling. loss of bowel control after episode. immediate nap in crate right after seizure. took longer than normal to recover. extreme confusion.

vet: call to get therapeutic levels checked. ensure meds haven't fallen below min. range. get shot for emergencies, seizures lasting longer.

training update-december 5th

BIG news. my dog is the most amazing thing in the entire world.

ok. maybe not. but definitely an exciting training session yesterday!

We ran through our normal heeling/attention work. practiced some stands making sure that his front feet didn't move forward. He seemed so happy to SEE me that he was fully attentive and seemed to really ENJOY working.

near the end of our session, i worked on recalls. Nice straight finishes and snappy listening. He was doing so well that i thought... hey! lets try the test that Maylissa was talking about in her blog!

so i set up lexx in a "wait" and walked a straight line in front of him and turned around so that my back was to him. I put myself into a normal recall stance, feet together, standing straight arms at my sides and took a reallllly deep breath ( please note, i was totally expecting a complete failure here).

COME! i say. And what happens? lexx launches himself from a sit, runs straight at me, around my legs and sits in front of me. straight in FRONT of me. looks up and says, mom? cookie? why are you staring at me with big eyes? mom? helloo?

I was so STUNNED. he gets it! he got it? He REALLY got it!!! he ran right around me and SAT in front of me! straight!

i cannot even explain how happy this made me. he got the entire bag of treats and a huge tug session and that was the end of training for that day.

:)

maybe some defensiveness? finally?

Lexx is the friendliest, most mellow, unreactive dog i've ever met.

People can run right up to him, people can walk up the driveway, through the backyard and 90% of the time, he'll just sleep right through it. Hey.. I can even walk right IN to the house without so much as an ear twitch from the sleeping doberball on the couch.

now, don't get me wrong, i LOVE that lexx is friendly. I love that when people like my parents are visiting I can give them a key and they can come and go as they please without any word of complaint from a barking doberman, BUT... I do live on a large property and i would kinda like a dog that would let me know when something is up... or that would defend me if I needed it.

I'd never EVER even consider testing this, other than doing a TT test ( which i'm sure he'd fail due to non reaction) but...

Last night, kyle got home from work around 5:10, and it was dark outside. I heard him put the key in the door, then stop ( probably to pick something up...) and lexx kinda woke up and stretched. When the noise resumed I looked right at lexx and in an anxious voice i asked " lexx, whats that? whats that noise?" not in an excited tone, just an anxious quiet voice.

He went NUTS. He stopped for a second and listened, then erupted into a fit of loud barking and growling and RAN to the door, barking the whole way. As soon as this started I stood up and said Thanks lexx, its ok, its dad. Its alright! and he stopped immediately and resumed normal "happy to see you nubbin wiggly" lexx as kyle came through the door.

interesting...

New Training facility

I finally got the chance to visit that new facility that I've been talking about for the last two weeks. After I found the place I settled into a nice comfy chair to watch the class that they refer to as "Attention 1".

The facility was housed in a refurbished barn, with only one training room that i could see, but it was clean, with a nice grippy rubber floor and ribbons and pictures hung all over the walls.

The class consisted of only 4 dogs and handlers one of which was a golden missing a front leg. She was awesome!

I really liked the attitude of the instructor, not angry, very positive but at the same time willing to demand work out of the dogs AND the handlers. Some of the exercises in the classes lexx already knows, like the down and sit stays and the basic attention, but everything can always use a brushing up and since we haven't been in a formal class in awhile, i think that this level will suit us just fine.

I stayed through the entire class and registered lexx for the next session which starts on January 6th. The prices were reasonable and when the instructor asked me what type of dog I had, she told me that her first competition dog was a dobe. EXCELLENT.

anyways, i'm quite excited. I almost wish that it started next week instead of having to wait all the way until JANUARY!

Training update-december 3 08

I'm working from home again today and after practicing my departmental presentation about 5 times in a row, i decided that i needed a break. What is more perfect than a 10-15 minute indoor training session with lexx?

I cut up treats, broke out his tug, put on a collar and grabbed a leash.

Starting with focus exercises. Lexx has very on and off days with his focus. Looking me straight in the eyes seems to bother him... or make him uncomfortable when he has to do it for long periods of time. Lots of treats don't really seem to help, but at least he's not moving DOWN hill in this respect.

Worked on some heeling, very difficult inside as I only have ONE carpeted room and i means i have to continuously turn in circles. After a little bit of frustration from the wandering, not engaged dog face following me around, he finally clicked in and started to focus. I've decided that im not happy with his heeling position and that he's a bit too far back. Since he backs into his sits a bit anyways, the fact that he's STARTING too far back is definitely NOT helping matters. I worked on really bringing him up farther beside me. He doesn't seem to like this position, but we're working on it.

Sits looked maybe a bit better today? he's definitely getting MORE good sits over time and i actually caught him doing a tuck sit today! wow! a TUCK sit! who knew that was even possible...Ive learned that the more energy and speed that i heel with, the better and straighter his sits seem to be. One thing I will say is that he now SITS everytime i stop while heeling. These sits are by no means straight, or anywhere close to perfect everytime.. but atleast he doesn't just stop and STARE at me, like..what? we've stopped.. so?

His fronts aren't as straight as i'd like either. I've been over exaggerating the treats/hand motion combo to get him to come in close and straight and i REFUSE to acknowledge the front if its even a little bit crooked, much to lexx's dismay.

My biggest concern currently is that lexx doesn't seem to KNOW to correct himself. If his sit isn't straight, i have to lure him into a straight sit before i treat him, he won't do it himself.

I'm visiting the new training facility tonight, no longer sick and i'm QUITE excited about it. I'm hoping that Kyle might even join me, not that he'd take lexx, but it would be nice to have the company. I have NO money to enroll lexx into classes right now. My horse has been suffuring some medical issues, lexx has had a lot of vet bills... and paired with christmas i'm flat out broke. However, i'm SO frustrated with his issues and i'm honestly not having as much fun training lately as i feel like we're not improving as much as i'd like... so... onto the credit card the classes go. I'll figure SOMETHING out.. right?

Training update-nov 28

I'm still sick, but i spent 15 minutes working on training with lexx this afternoon to try to pass the time. Result: i'm exhausted, ny neck is KILLING from looking at him...

It took me longer than normal to get lexxball's attention today. He was listening to the commands, but he wasn't really engaged. It bothers me when he's like that. I prefer for him to be OVER excited about training and bouncing and jumping then just kinda dragging along through the movements like a machine.

Some focus games brought him back a little bit and we did some short heeling exercises. He's still having issues with the inside turns, his bum doesn't move but he tries to keep his shoulders in line with me. poor thing always looks confused.

I got about 5 excellent sits today!!! the first one that he did was amazing. The more "in focus" he is, the better that his sits seem to be. Im concentrating on HIGH VALUE reward for perfect sits, and i refuse to treat a crooked one. Maybe he'll get it eventually.

Finishes are getting better though i still need to step back for the left hand finish. I need to get it to the point where he'll move himself into position more.

We also worked on the STAND from SIT today without moving forward. He definitely won't just pop his back end up, but he's not looking all confused about STAND anymore and will hold it while i walk around him in a circle. I'll have to continue this and move to the stand for examination phase.

progression is being seen.

a day in the life...

well, im sick with some sort of strange flu that pretty much just totally knocks me out with muscle pain and exhaustion so I spent yesterday at home working instead of driving to work.

i finally understand why lexx is so stressed all the time. he lives a very tough life.

schedule:

6am RUDLEY awakened and FORCED into the snow to pee

6:45am Walk time. takes too long for dad to get ready. forced to wait patiently. not allowed to chase animals, not allowed to eat grass, not allowed to run away.

7:30 Breakfast. mom takes WAY too long to put the bowl down. practically STARVING by now

8am: nap time. sleep on fuzzy fleece blanket on couch. obviously not arranged properly.grumbling ensues

10am: toys look lonely. must look after them. give each one some attention, VERY time consuming...

11:30 nap more. clearly exhausted.

this continues most of the day.

4pm, walk time. WET WET WET. how DARE it snow on MY walk.

5:30: dinner. again. practically STARVED. I only eat THREE times the recommended amount... can't you see? starved!

6:30: people are ignoring me. i'm trying to push my nose on the counter to investigate their dinner. don't they know that it could be poisoned? I really SHOULD try it first...

7:30 nap time again.

honestly.. i don't know how he survives...

loose leash CLICK

Yesterday, Lexx and I braved the blowing snow to go on our evening walk before i collapsed in exhaustion due to my current flu bug.

I put him on a martingale collar ( flat, no chain) and clipped on the 6ft leather training leash i love to death ( best thing ever in the whole entire world) and off we went.

after walking halfway around the block ( about 500m) i realized... wait... he's not pulling. he's not twisting... he's not..doing anything!

And i glanced down and there was my baby lexx ball, ears up, body straight, TROTTING with all four legs nice and straight and even at my side.

The dream didn't last the entire walk, following someone was very difficult (FRIENDS!) but I am totally and completely AMAZED by his behaviour. I thought i would never ever be able to walk him on a normal collar and enjoy it.

maybe he really IS growing up!

training update-nov 24

Its officially gross outside. snowy, slushy, rainy and gross.

Lexx and I have started training in the living room. The space is by no means big enough, but its the only area of the house that is carpeted so that he doesn't slip.

Last night we worked on a lot of sits, finishes and spins ( 360, 270) in the living room, probably looking like idiots. Kyle's mother is visiting and she seemed inconvenienced by my movements, silly high pitched voice and generally by both my and lexx's existences in the livingroom. *sigh*

needless to say i got a few FANTASTIC sits out of him, but he's still so inconsistent. Sometimes they are straight, sometimes they are at 90 degrees. Working on it though...

finishes and getting better and the spins are coming along. He still isn't quite sure that he has a hind end so the inside turns are difficult for him and he gets all confused.

luckily we have lots of time to practice.

I'm going to visit my (hopefully) new training facility tomorrow. Pretty excited about that!

Learning with Dante

Today was Dante and Maylissa's FIRST EVER rally trial. I was interested in learning more about rally, and of course, wanted to provide some support for Lexxingtons brother (my favourite black and tan dobe boy) and Maylissa on their big day.

I was surprised about how CALM and collected and beautifully behaved Dante was during the entire day. Im sure Maylissa thought it was nothing, but he showed an EXTREME contrast to his littler red brother who is generally insane.

After an unfortunate start in their first run, where an off leash advanced trialing JRT ran through the barrier and attacked Dante at his FIRST station, they performed very very well and earned two legs of their RN title.

I must admit, I was a bit jealous about his beautiful sits. I officially think I have "sit envy"...

Now that I've spent the entire day at a trial, I'm even MORE determined to get Lexx into form so that one day it will be he and I in that ring.

must get to work.....

one doberman: free to good home

free to good home.

male. 18mo red and tan doberman pinscher, well behaved for the most part. excellent cuddler, has obedience training. Prefers to live on couch with owner at all times. Melts when in contact with rain or any other form of precipitation....


Lexx peed on the floor AGAIN tonight. I'm about ready to give up.


too bad i love him so much

Lexx meets a new friend

Yesterday on our evening walk, in the snow, Lexx and I came across my neighbour with the Deer hound Harper. Lexx and Harper have hung out together before, but Harper isn't much of a player and Lexx gets bored with him easily. However, it turns out that Harper has a new little brother named Harlem, a great pyranese/border collie cross pup who is 5 months.

She asked if we wanted to go play at the park, a question that i tentatively agreed to, since I've been unsure of Lexx's ability to cope with other dogs since his attack. I said we'd go, but I'd keep Lexx on a leash until I was certain that he would be ok around the male pup.

The puppy play bowed immediately and lexx bowed back jumping and leaping and asking me to allow him to play. So i did. The two of them bounded through the snow, followed by lumbering Harper. I kept a 100% two eye watch on lexx's behaviour and corrected any sniffing, posturing or pink thing appearances. They played together for around 25 minutes of non stop fun, with absolutely no problems other than the fact that Lexx out ran both of them by 10x in speed, grace and beauty ( in mom's opinion). My neighbour was star struck with how fast and agile Lexx was, commenting several times on his extreme speed.

After our small adventure we trotted home. Lexx happy because he had a good romp and got to eat lots of snow and mom happy because her baby was such a good boy.

training update-nov 18 08

training lexx was the ONLY thing that went well yesterday.

Worked at the local park again, braving the vicious wind and the frozen ground. Training is going to get a lot harder when the snow hits.

Started out by working on some simple straight lines of heeling utilizing Lexx's jute. He was a bit MORE hyped up about heeling than i might have liked, bouncing along more than walking, but he maintained a moderately stable position with only a bit of forging when he thought i'd gone too long without giving up the tug.

Proceeded by adding in some patterns to the heeling, U-turns, about turns, figure 8s and large circles and spent most of my time trying to keep his focus through the different movements. He's actually really improved about this and is reading my shoulder cues better and better all the time. He still forgets about his bum when we're doing left hand U turns and 360's, he maintains his shoulders in a good spot and the focus is there, but his bum gets left behind and then at the last second he SPINS it around to continue walking.

Since I'm pretty sure that Lexx thinks that dobermans end directly behind their shoulders, some hind end awareness is in order though i'm not entirely sure how to proceed in this...

Did some work on fronts and finishes to both the right and the left. his fronts are getting really snappy and i'm being more and more demanding about his straightness. He gets annoyed at me, but why do it if you're not going to do it right? His finishes are coming along at a surprising pace with the only issue still being the straightness of his sits.

I practiced his sits when i stop ( straight) along the fence at the field again. Its annoying, but I hope it helps him get it in his head that he has to be facing the SAME direction as me and not at a 90 degree angle when he sits. I was quite proud of him since he maintained a nice heel ( not as focused as i usually demand, but even and straight) and continued his sits even though there was a lab playing "chuck it" right outside the fence.

His ability to work under distraction will be his greatest fault i think. I'm hoping it will improve with neutering and I plan on enrolling him in a group rally class starting in january to get him used to the idea of working with other dogs present.

all in all a great time at the park even with the frozen feet.

Jogging

Lexx and I went running yesterday.

He's never been particularily GOOD at running with me ( we've tried short distances) because he always gets upset that i'm running AWAY and he tries to dive in front of me, with the end result being me sitting on my bum on the pavement twisted up in a doberleash and a squirmy doberman, that though his mission of "stopping mommy" was a success, doesn't like being squished in the process...

I've recently been walking lexx with a flat martingale collar instead of the prong, and allowing him to walk out in front of me on a 6ft leash. Pulling is still NOT allowed and we often need a reminder, BUT he's much more relaxed and is enjoying walks more.

I've decided that Lexx is maturing slowly. we have a lifetime to compete. I'm not going to rush it. Training is training and walking is walking. I'm going to stop expecting so much from him ALL the time before his brain explodes.

Anyways, back to jogging. He's finally figured out that jogging is FUN. he stays out in front of me, bouncing along with no thoughts that mom is running away anymore. The only near disasters come when a VERY good smell happens and he GRINDS to a halt right in front of me.

We did 2kms yesterday in the driving rain. I hate running as a rule, but i think its good for us both as I don't have time to make it to the gym anymore, so we're going to do it here and there.

Bad time to start, right as winter hits... i suppose that was an oversight.

I'm also buying lexx a treadmill. Im looking around and I hope to have one by xmas time.

FINISH

Yesterday was my birthday and My idea of a wonderful evening was spending it with my doberboy.

As soon as I got home from work we headed out for a nice long walk. Lexx was a huge ball of walking anxiety, squeaking, walking sideways, shaking... he was a terrible mess.

finally i resolved that I would walk back and forth along the street until 1) he calmed down 2) he stopped pulling and darting in front of my feet, inevitably leading to his paws being squished under my feet and 3) i felt like i'd accomplished something.

So, like idiots, back and forth walk walk walk turn walk walk walk turn down the street we go. I'm sure my neighbours think that i should likely be committed.

amazingly... it worked. he started to relax, stopped panting, stopping pulling and started LOOKING at me. I started mixing up the style of turns, normal U turns, left hand U turns and about turns with the same calm consistent walk in between. He's still very sketchy on his left U turns and forgets to move his bum and just sort of stares at me then jumps back at my side, but atleast he was doing it.

given m new found calm, minorly focused dog, i started mixing up the commands, fronts, downs, sits. and our newest accomplishment, "get in" or left hand finish. He was doing all of these so well that i decided to attempt to teach a right hand finish, around behind me and sit at the left.

this is the dog that doesn't sit. and he did it!
TWICE!
With a nice straight sit looking up at his mommy for the next command.

Movement in a forward direction... things are progressing

TOO connected?

Sorry for the absence things have been busy around here.

Late last week I started feeling kinda "off" for lack of a better word. After a few days of symptoms coming and going, I decided to go to the doctor on monday and... what do you know, I have a UTI. Great. MORE antibiotics for the girl who can't take antibiotics.

I come home on monday to Lexx having knocked his gate over. Doing what any proper 18 month old doberman would do, he went EXPLORING! He was upstairs eating all the kitty food when I got home and looked rather proud of himself. I would normally not have been too upset about all of this, but.....turns out in the excitement of being out he had taken a big poo in my dining room. then walked through it. twice.

if i had not been so upset, I would have taken pictures to demonstrate the horrible state that my ground floor was in. I spent over 40 minutes scrubbing my floors... my carpets... everywhere.

Later that evening, we go to bed and Lexx is left in his domain, sleeping soundly on his very favourite couch spot and all is well. I am awaken at 2 am to find pee everywhere. I can not even begin to describe the extent to which I am in fact NOT blowing this issue out of proportion. It looks like he has peed while doing a good set of zoomies all over my house. For the record i HATE mopping... and mopping at 2am...well let it just be said doesn't put me in a good mood.

The next day, still thoroughly confused about this behavior since Lexx has been very trustworthy in the house for quite some time now, I get home from the barn and find that he has peed AGAIN on the floor, luckily ( a word to be taken lightly in this situation) only in one spot....should I also mention that kyle was in the same room and didn't notice?

Off to the vet we go. Turns out that Lexx has a UTI too.

case and point? we are MUCH too connected.

Training update-nov 3 08

So, I finally got myself back into gear and got in a good training session with Lexx last night.

Considering the bit of a break that we've taken ( a few 5-10 minute sessions over the last week but nothing heavy) I wasn't expecting too much.

As I expected, he was a bit sloppy, focus wasn't right there, his heeling was a bit off and he was generally not trying very hard. We practiced some heeling patterns and even though his hind end was slanted out at an angle more than i'd like, his focus came back pretty well and he was listening to shoulder cues for both left and right turns as well as completing nice figure eights. We actually managed to get some pretty decent sits on my halt cues too, but his sits are so damn frustrating that i don't even WANT to work on them anymore. *sigh*

practiced some lateral focus into heeling patterns, some halts to downs and some short recalls, where his finishes were still a bit wobbly but getting better on the whole.

I decided to be gutsy and try working on some finishes, or "get in" as I refer to it as and Lexx really surprised me by doing not one, not two but THREE beautiful sits beside me at the finish. I was stunned, but figure it might have been luck.

I then introduced the "stand" command. Lexx knows "stand" from when I was teaching him to stack back in the day when I naively thought that he might ever be able to show. Even though he knows the word, hes not used to being left to free stack from a halt or a heel, and kinda stopped and looked at me in a confused type of way like " what? you're not moving my feet or luring me.... what's going on here...." but it wasn't bad for a first go.

Over all nothing stunning or really more than just ok. But i blame myself for not practicing more as of late. I ahve to admit that atleast he had tonnes of energy and spring, not dead like he wasn't having fun practicing, so thats a bonus in my mind.

Trick or Dog cookie?

Sorry for the wait, but here is the account of Lexxington's first ever Trick or Treating experience!

I got home just as my neighbour and her two little girls ( aged 4 and 8) were leaving to go Trick or treating. They both yelled that they wanted to see Lexx's costume, so I told them I would put it on and come trick or treating with them, which, of course, was very exciting.

Lexx donned his dober-dragon costume and we headed out to join the madness of Hallowe'en. Having been at home alone for 8 hours and being that everything was QUITE exciting, he was a huge hyper ball, jumping, lunging and generally bouncing off the walls. Good thing I had his prong on or it could have been a disaster.

As much as the girls were excited about Lexx joining their trick or treating party, they are afraid of dogs, and lexx is quite a challange for the both of them due to his size and energy level.

After about 6 or 7 houses and about a million comments "look! the dog is dressed up!!!" "oooooh! he's soooo cuteee!" and about 4 dog cookies from people giving out candy that rushed away to get Lexx an etra treat, Lexx decided that he quite LIKED trick or dog cookie-ing and he calmed right down! After about 30 minutes, the 4 year old girl would go to the door and say " I"M A PRINCESS AND LEXXXXXXX IS A DRRRAAAAGGGOOOONNNN" and pat him on the head as he sat beside her.

After about an hour, lexx was walking with one girl on each side of him and the little girl would lean over him and let him kiss her chin then squeal and say "mommmmmmmy! i'm getting Lexxx kisssesss! lookkkkk!" This is a VERY large development.

by the end of the night he had kids in capes running up to him and patting him on the head, hugging him around the neck and was generally an amazing example of perfect dober-dragon behaviour.

I even ran into one group of adults who just LOVED him and one lady said as she patted him " if i ever got a dog, it would be a doberman...... and i HATE dogs"... lexx looked proud of himself.

After the 1.5 hours or trick or dog-cookie-ing we took him the RONA in his costume where he got MORE love.

Needless to say he was one EXHAUSTED puppy by the end of the night.

I am so proud of my boy. Lexx by nature is a very anxious dog, he gets quite upset easily and overwhelmed often. I am so proud that he was a wonderful ambassador for the breed and that he took to the chaos of hallowe'en quite well. I feel that this is a HUGE step for him and I'm just SO happy. The only time he got upset was when the girls ran up to a door and we waited on the street. He didn't like members of his "pack" running away into the dark and he would squeak and stare after them. I would ask him to down and he listened but I could tell that he was perturbed. After I started going up to every door with him, he was much happier.

As A side note to this post. I would like to congratulate Tab and Redders for a PERFECT score of 100 on their very first rally novice trial. I am absolutely amazed with the perfection that they are together and she doesn't know it but she is a big part of my inspiration to do wonderful things with Lexx as well. We are both first time dog owners and I really look up to both her and Red and everything that they've accomplished. Congrats! I knew that you could do it!

Dober-dragon

Well its officially hallowe'en and since we don't have kids ( thank goodness) of course poor lexx has to get dressed up for a trot around the neighbourhood. Even though i would love to dress him up as some demonic image, I feel it would be bad for the breed and I have the creativity of a spoon.

A few weeks ago however, kyle returned home with the perfect costume. So here it is, the Dober-Dragon!

mom... I hate you


no really.. i hate you


ok without the hat, not so bad





someone please tell mom that she's abusing me....



Im pretty excited to take him walking tonight... its going to be great!

vet appointment update

Lexx had a vet appointment on tuesday, i haven't had the chance to update everyone about it yet.

He's currently gone 8 whole weeks without a seizure. Not even a hint of seizure behaviour, nothing. I'm so happy, relieved and proud of my boy for hanging in there through all this scary stuff. Ever since he's started on his meds ( low level potassium bromide only) he has been acting a little bit different, in a mostly positive way. When he first started I noticed signs of ataxia, but it seems to have subsided. Other than that, he just loves to eat now.

I spent the first 14 months of lexx's life being stressed out at every meal because he had a strong hatred for eating. I can't explain it any other way than a hatred. Dogs are supposed to LOVE food I kept thinking to myself, SOMETHING has to be wrong. Every time he turned his nose up at a meal, i hated myself more for doing something wrong. every time someone commented on how small he was, i was sure it was all my fault. I was feeding him Raw, it was supposed to be the best option... I spent months researching and hundreds of dollars on food, cleaning supplies, supplements... all to no avail, he would sometimes go days without eating a thing.

Now, he's eating kibble. boring, dry kibble. Notably, its Wellness CORE high quality high protein kibble, but I still can't see the draw next to a big juicy steak. Now, he will PLOW over me for every meal. he licks the bowl clean and asks for more. can't explain it, but I'm not arguing. He is eating almost twice the recommended amount to give and has yet to gain a pound.. ok ONE pound, but thats it.

All of his vaccinations are now up to date and we discussed his neuter which I'm hoping to get done before then end of the year. i was holding out to see if he'd gain weight, or get taller..... but since neither seems to be happening, i guess i'll just have to be satisfied with my little guy just the way he is.

People often comment on his small stature and i always smile and say, "well he's within the proper standard" and act like i don't care one bit. But the truth is, i DO care. I AM disappointed. I'm sorry, maybe I'm a jerk for saying this, but quite honestly, I haven't really gotten ANYTHING that i wanted from this dog other than the best friend i've ever had. ( which don't get me wrong, is worth a lot to me and I'd never trade him for anything).

I had a list of expectations for a doberman. Good sized ( nope), defensive ( nope), easy to train (nope), showable even if it was just for fun ( nope), cuddly ( not really so much)... I see people with their velcro dogs and their rally dogs and i always think to myself... what did i do wrong...

but all that aside, he seems to be HEALTHY again, which is the biggest and most important thing. People can tell me that i'm an awful person for being bitter than he's not bigger, but its the way i feel and I can't change it.

aggression issues

Well.. one of my biggest fears seems to be materializing before my very eyes. My sweet, loving, friendly, "wants to love everyone" doberman is showing signs of aggression. Towards dogs.

Im happy that its dogs and not people, but I'm still not terribly happy that its happened at all. I was pretty psyched that he didn't seem to have any lasting issues from his attack a month ago... but it would seem that I was wrong, and that the symptoms have simply taken awhile to appear.

Yesterday I took Lexx for a walk after work. He'd been alone for 8 hours, so he was a big ball of bouncy excitement. I had planned on walking around the 1km block to the park to let him have a run, then to continue walking and pick Kyle up at work ( about another 1.5 kms away).

As we turned the first corner, my neighbour's mini schnauzer came bounding off his lawn, electric fence collar on ( and apparently not working), owners nowhere in sight. This dog is known to be dog aggressive, he's barked and growled at Lexx before and once when we let them meet he went for Lexx in a very rude fashion. Needless to say i was NOT impressed and kept him far from lexx with my foot until he turned and ran home. At this point I thought Lexx was being a good boy. He was excited that a dog-friend had run over to say hi, but was in no way acting badly. I continued our walk with a whining, trilling, bouncing doberboy who, in the most accurate way I can describe it, was PROTESTING that he had not been allowed to play. Tirill Trill Trill, bounce bounce bounce, grumble grumble grumble.

As we turned the NEXT corner we came across another neighbour with her 9 month old pug. She asked if lexx was friendly ( which i said yes to) and asked if she could say hello ( which i also said yes to). She approached quietly and lexx wiggled his nubbin and said hello to her. THEN he realized that she had the pug with him and as he stared at it, he started a low growl whcih transformed into a snarl. I immediately pulled him away and made him sit in a firm voice said "NO we will NOT have THAT behaviour". I explained that the other dog had rushed him and apologized for his rudeness.

She didn't seem concerned in the least but I felt TERRIBLE. This isn't being a good ambassador for the breed at ALL.

Now, several things happened here that were my own mistake.

First off, I knew he was frazzled and shouldn't have allowed him to say hello at all.
Second the pug is an unaltered MALE and I should have recognized this and not allowed him to say hello.

but im so used to my dog getting along with everyone, all the time. After seeing that dog fight I'm petrified to allow him to run free with other dogs again. I'm nervous that something will happen again. I'm sure that he's sensing that and going more on the defensive.

after i returned home, I mentioned the incident to Kyle who told me that when he was visiting his mom in PA with Lexx last weekend, a dog had rushed up the street side while they were walking him and barked at them. Apparently Lexx got huge and just growled and showed his teeth and was "very unhappy with this dog's presence" as Kyle described it.

I don't so much have an issue with him being defensive against rushing/barking dogs while he's on leash, but I'm concerned about growly or aggressive behaviour when its in a controlled situation, like meeting another dog who is NOT barking/running at him.

not sure what to do now...

The dobercow

Lately, since the ticks are gone after the frost, Kyle and I have made a point of taking Lexx for a 40 minute ish off leash run on the paths behind our house. He thoroughly enjoys this time, and we always take him immediately in the morning, post yawn, pre breakfast.

hes required to stay on leash as we pass through our neighbours back yard until we pass through the tree line and hit the path where he knows that he has to sit politely, and shaking in anticipation of freedom, wait until i say OK after unclipping the leash.

The immediate response is a BURST of doberzoomies, "woww i'm free, i've never been free ever beforeee" ( this from the dog with the massive fenced back yard) but the paths are truly his favourite place.

The walk includes a lot of pee-mail leaving, zoomie laps around mom/dad and running ahead, stopping and glancing back with an undeniable look that says " geez could you walk a little faster guys? there is cool stuff up there!" even though we never limit his range, he has a self limiter on his "distance from mommy" radar.

This ensues for the entire way out to our turning point ( about a mile).

The way back is a frantic, nose to the ground, follow my own/my mom/my dad's path. tracking adn snuffling and bouncing in joy we turn towards home...

then at some point.. the dobercow emerges and he starts eating grass from everywhere.. zoom, eat some grass, tear it out and shake it like prey then GULP, down it goes. bounce, eat more... etc etc for at least the last ten minutes of the walk.

This wouldn't bother me so much, but lexx has a terribly sensitive stomach, and this always leads to mom having to clean up dog puke from her once light green but now light blueish gross carpet. or, diarreah full of grass.

WHY? why does he INSIST on eating it every day? WHY? i KNOW that scallops make me sick, so i don't eat them! Its really simple... I just don't understand.

Having been the owner of an intact male doberman teen for the past few months, one thing i feel i've learned is to pick my battles. In the beginning, the dobercow battle was worth it to me... but as it turns out.. I don't think I'll ever win.

Training update-october 15

sorry for the long wait, I didn't get the chance to write before I left for my conference in Tahoe California.

The day before I left, Lexx and I had a training date at the local park.

We started by working on calm, quiet walking. Lexx has a habit of getting very anxious and stressed and the more stressed he gets, the worse he acts, the more the prong works and the more stressed he gets. So, i've been working on maintaining a calm, leadership attitude and starting every training session with calm walking at my side, back and forth in a straight line for around 10 minutes.

This sounds incredibly boring, and I will admit, it is. It really works though. He relaxes and starts to trot along beside me in a good pace and relatively straight at that.

After our calming exercises we worked on focus, this is coming along quite nicely. We worked on fronts, turns from my shoulders and lateral movement with focus. He's excelling at following me from the front with his head UP and eyes on me. I'm quite proud of him in this respect.

We then worked on recalls for around 10 minutes, though he's very good about COMING he's rarely straight in the finish and sometimes has to be reminded to get his little nubbin to me. I've been working on the recalls from a shorter distance and being adamant about a STRAIGHT finish.

We did some work on heeling, practicing our stops and sits near the park fence to make sure that he was straight. He's learning not to back up when he sits and actually stopped and sat immediately a few times.

We've started driling the "get in" command. I've been utilizing Kim's " get it get it get it" game, and he seems to be taking to it, though as expected his sits are rarely straight.

The biggest difference that I saw in this session was that lexx seemed to be really TRYING to please me. If he didn't get a nice straight finish, we'd try again until he did, then tonnes of treats and energy. He didn't get it everytime, but i could see him trying, focusing on me, trying to determine exactly what it is that i want of him. This is a dramatic difference in the last month. before this, most of the time my largest frustration is that he just doesn't seem to CARE about what i want. He doesn't seem driven to please... all these things that dobemans are SUPPOSED to want...

I am in a constant state of questioning myself. Lexx is my first dog, my first doberman and my first time training a novice dog. I know that he's a challange because I've had several experienced dog trainers and dog owners say "wow... thats a challange.." but at the same time, I'm sure that he's WAY smarter than I am. Im sure that 90% of the time I'm just not asking him properly.

My biggest improvment is my ability to handle frustration. Im not a patient person. I'm not a person that can handle stupidity from people around me, or anything else from that matter. My other issue is that i tend to be very good at things. I don't say this to gloat or brag, its just a fact, I do tend to be good at things... mostly because i only DO things that i'm good at.

Dog training? This is NOT something that i seem to be good at, atleast not immediately. Its been a large challange for me.

I am thankful that Lexx is here to teach me all these skills, patience, tolerance, challanging myself on a daily basis.

Thanks Lexxball for hanging in there!

Thanksgiving!

Yesterday was thanksgiving here in Canada. I was actually excited about it since my dad is in town and we were making a big turkey dinner. I invited three of the girls that I work with who are all from out of the city ( and country for two of them) and they didn't have anywhere else to go. Can't have that!

One of the girls was terrified of animals period. Imagine a doberman when you're afraid of cats!!! I was a little concerned about this since Lexx still believes that everyone comes into this house to see HIM and demands that every single visitor scratch his ears and tell him how wonderful and handsome he is... and he's still rather bouncy about it.

Needless to say, when they got here we just put lexx outside. When i brought him in, held his collar and we greeted each person individually, staying calm and in control of our urges to jump on people ( a habit that i cannot seem to break him of when he's at home and excited to see people).

After the introduction, he just ignored everyone. Ruth even stated that she quite liked him as dogs go because he just ignored her.

He spent the majority of the evening sleeping on the couch or begging for turkey scraps ( bad boy!!) but was very calm and well behaved and I think acted as quite a good ambassador for the breed, which made me proud

Training class-Oct 11th 2008

Lexx had a private lesson today. Last time we were there he was such a MESS that we decided that maybe a private lesson was in order.

Started out with some "calming" walking, when he gets anxious he fights everything, you, the leash, the prong collar... it turns into a disaster and you just have to work through it, walk forward in a confident but consistent way until he gets a clue and calms down. It didn't take long when he was alone, less distractions and less thinking with his male parts than his brain.

Heeling work went well and his focus was bang on. His lateral movements to the right are becoming smooth with my shoulders actually controlling the movement of his hind end, enabling him to track sideways in a straight fashion. For some reason the left is harder for both of us, but we're working on it, hopefully next class we'll have that one down too.

Worked on his send out today, sending him around a barrel and back to me. Surprisingly this went alright today, but I think he REALLY wanted the steak in my pocket and figured out that he only got it when he went AROUND the barrel, not beside it and back.

Continuing working on his stupid sits. Its difficult since he gets so anxious about them and it ruins a nice heel. Eventually we had him doing them every so often, but I still can't get him doing them close together ( ie I have to walk a LONG way between them ) or he starts to get upset about it. He still twists his bum out and tries to BACK into them, leaving him too far behind my leg. I've been leaning down and scooping his bum under him while holding and rather right leash so he cant back up. Its working slowly, but this is one thing that i find very frustrating and slow. I just don't understand how HE DOESN"T GET IT. Working on the "get in" should help this, atleast that way i can correct if he sits too far. I just wish that he'd do it the first time, every time.

tracking went well today, considering this dog can't find a treat that you drop right in front of him on a tile floor, finding things in grass should be hopeless, but hes actually moderately skilled at it. We definitely need to practice, but I think this will be a good training break for him as he seems to enjoy it.

overall i'd rate this class 7/10 for his behaviour, definitely still needs a lot of work, but he is getting there.

the chuck it

kyle bought lexx a chuckit. This isn't a new development, we've had it a few weeks now, but i was thinking about it today ( what else is there to think about while writing grants anyways?)

At first I was shocked. You bought Lexx a WHAT?....YOU? The person who has to be reminded 4 times to pick of dog food... the person who sighs and shakes his head everytime we go to a pet store and I'm running around like a maniac "wouldn't lexx love this??!" "Wouldn't this look handsome on lexx??" "Doesn't lexx need one of these!!??".. YOU bought Lexx a TOY?

Anyways, joyfull, the toy was purchased. An energy burning, play with daddy toy.

It has been determined that Lexx has a very "individual" way of playing chuck-it...

When you so much as look at it, he starts bouncing, squeaking,quivering in anticipation. if you take too long to throw it he jumps at you, barks and generally grumbles about the stupidity of human kind, and jeez seriously how long does it REALLY take to THROW THE BALL!

When you launch it, he's off like a rocket, full, swept back fast ears flying over the ground at a blistering pace....

then he ignores the actual ball all together.
zooms in the direction of the throw, then zooms back to your feet, waiting happily for the next throw.

Begrudgingly, we trek across the field/backyard/trail to find the now partially lost ball. Sighing and grumbling as Lexx bounces along at our side, interested in what we might possibly be looking for.

When the ball is found, he pounces on it, fighting you to let HIM pick it up, i mean it is HIS ball after all.

The ball is replaced in the plastic cup and the game starts again.

I feel that one of two things is happening here:
ONE: Lexx is missing understanding of the fundamental principle of CATCH. He loves the throw, but cares not for the target or the return
TWO: Lexx is smarter than both of us, and has fabricated himself a "ball throwing and retrieving" machine.

dobermans...

Training update, October 7

So, this is my first training update for Lexx.

Today I decided to take Lexx up to the local park to do some training exercises with him. His focus is normally pretty sporadic but we're improving day by day.

We worked on a lot of heeling and focus exercises today. I'm really really happy with Lexx's heeling progress. He's really learning to keep his focus up on my face and not to crowd me when we're moving forward. He had the most irritating habit of moving almost sideways so that his front paws would get caught up under my left foot.  This would cause me to step on his foot every so often, an excuse for him to look like a broken, abused and horribly treated dog, while, obviously ruining his focus.  I am pleased that he is learning to stay farther back while just leaving his head at my thigh so that he can look up at me.

Using a jute has been a large breakthrough in his training. His food motivation is increasing all the time, but his prey drive is becoming absolutely amazing and he LOVES to heel for his jute.

Today we worked on right turns cued by my shoulder, which I was surprised that he picked up right away.  His only issue now seems to be that when I U turn, he moves too far out from my leg, we'll have to work on it.

I've taken Kim's advice and started working his sits right next to a barrier to prevent him from twisting to the side when we stop. He knows that he has to sit when I stop, but hasn't QUITE picked up the whole "straight" thing.

Our progress on "tuck" sits has been horrendous, he just isn't picking it up at all, and now he gets nervous when he thinks i might tuck his bum for him.

All and all today was a great day, I'm proud of my boy.

here's a picture!

everyone has to take it easy on me!

Just started this blog... take it easy on me, I'm FAR from computer intelligent.  This is mostly here to log Lexxington's training, behavior and health!

Enjoy!