With me

Well, I'm finally back at school which means I'll be getting back into something of a rhythm as far as training schedules go. While at home, I worked pretty exclusively on the "with me" command, which I've defined as a loose leash walk which requires that the dog stay beside or behind me and not pull on the lead. I don't mind if the dog sniffs around or wanders a little further away from me at times but I want no tension on the lead and no forging ahead. This training has been going well so I'm beginning to ask for the "with me" under increasing distractions and in different environments. So far Keiko can hold the command up and down the street. If she sees a person, she will break the command but yesterday I was able to get her attention back by simply heading in a different direction. She's not quite ready to maintain a "with me" while going head on towards another person but we're working on it. She did very well yesterday coming down the hall to see the officers after our club meeting. I had to stop a couple of times when she pulled on the lead in an attempt to forge ahead but after the second stop, she understood. That didn't stop her body from wriggling with excitement, though.

It took a while for this pup to wear on me...I was constantly worrying about whether or not she would be what I wanted. But every week, every day even I realize how much she is what I wanted and may be even more than I wanted. It seems that during our training sessions or even when just lounging about she does something small that makes me excited to have her. She is also beginning to show me more attention (with age, of course) and has surprised me more than once when I've tried to call her off of a distraction. Yesterday for instance, my roommate was holding her dogs by the collar while I brought Keiko in from the backyard. I expected her to pull and pull towards them. She did go towards them but a simple "eh-eh" followed by the slight direction turn towards my room and a "with me" had her immediately focused on me! She did a similar thing when one of the officers arrived in our driveway for the meeting while we were working the "with me" outside yesterday. It seems that if I communicate to her that I would rather she didn't pay attention to something I know she considers high value (i.e. another person or dog) she is becoming more and more willing to say "okay, whatever you want!" I suppose I am beginning to see the "willingness to please" in the breed which is what I was seeking when I decided I wanted a herding breed dog in the first place. If you can't tell, I'm happy with her! I'll try to get some new photos within the next few weeks or so once things have settled down and I'm completely moved into my house.

A Sample Dinner

While I don't have any video of Keiko eating dinner, I decided to share a picture of what her meal for tonight looked like.

Pictured is a 1/2 lb chicken leg quarter which has been cut into two. The glob on the right hand side is a teaspoon of veggies. I just bought vitamin C so once her stomach gets used to digesting veggies which are separate from the meat (not mixed in like they are in the premix) I will begin adding it to her food. Vitamin C addition has to be meticulous and slow, as it can very quickly cause a dog to have a loose stool. Within the next month, I plan to have also obtained salmon oil (or some other form of omega 3's) and vitamin E to supplement with.

On another note, the family dog, Rhasta, has been having some digestive issues. A few weeks ago he got into a rotting rabbit carcass. (Note: Rhasta is not raw fed - not to say that even a raw fed dog wouldn't have had a problem with a rotting carcass) His stomach went haywire. It took him a couple of weeks to get right but I really don't think his digestive system has been right since. Amongst the medications he was on was an antibiotic. The Vet prescribed a probiotic that was supposed to replenish the good bacteria in the stomach that is depleted by antibiotics but I just don't think it was enough. Tomorrow I am going to get a different probiotic and get him started on it, and I'm also going to search for a formula for sensitive stomachs to try out with him. I am going to chat with my parents about trying him on The Honest Kitchen's Thrive formula and go from there. I wish I had him with me at school because then I could just start him on a raw diet and be in complete control of everything he was eating. Then I would know precisely what was causing his digestive upsets. In the meantime, I'll skip his morning meal (aside from giving him the probiotic) and then begin working up to his full ration again in painstakingly slow fashion. Poor little dude.

Intent

I wanted to take a moment to establish the intent of this blog. It has changed so much in the past few months and it will help me post more regularly and with more direction if I state the purpose (so please bare with me :: grin :: ). My intent in maintaining this blog is to discuss dog related subjects as they come to mind. These subjects are usually brought to mind by whatever I happen to be doing with my new puppy and first working dog, Keiko (an Australian Shepherd). I predict that this most common subjects discussed on this blog will be raw feeding and dog training. I will try and get more pictures and videos posted as I get organized and get started with fall semester. Until the next post, happy living! :)

Question - do I need to make a separate blog for Keiko and dog training, and reserve this one for discussion regarding raw feeding/holistic treatment for pets/biking? (I haven't talked about biking in QUITE a while and it's part of the web address for this site!)

RMBs

Raw Feeding Dictionary

RMB - "raw meaty bone"
Common RMBs:
chicken leg quarters, chicken/turkey necks, chicken backs, and many many more...
Raw meaty bones are commonly referred to as the "dessert" although really they hold the prime nutrition a dog receives when feeding a raw diet. They are referred to as dessert because many dogs will skip all other ingredients (veggies if you feed them, supplements, yogurt/probiotics, etc) in their bowls and only eat the tasty RMBs! Many raw feeders withhold the RMB until the dog has finished the rest of the meal, then place the RMB down for eating.

Keiko has eaten chicken legs, thighs, and turkey necks. The turkey necks have had mixed success for us (I've only tried them twice; once she ate it, the other time she didn't) but I've decided to put them on hold and save them as a "novel" protein - one Keiko has never really had before and something I can fall back on if I ever need to stop feeding protein sources she's had for whatever reason. I've posted a couple of photos below of Keiko eating a ~1/4 lb chicken leg. Sorry for the poor quality, I took them on my cell phone in poor lighting.



At this point in time, I'm beginning to introduce Keiko to beef through a beef premix made by the same woman who made the chicken premix I started her out on. Once her stomach settles on beef, I will be able to add small amounts of hamburger to her meals (of course with bone added) and that will serve as an additional protein source. If I save turkey for emergencies, then I plan on introducing Keiko to fish next and then rabbit. Stay tuned for photos and blog updates!

Disclaimer: At this point in time I am a "newb" to raw feeding. I have been feeding raw for almost three weeks and this is my first raw fed dog/puppy. As such, I should not be a prime source of information for someone looking to begin feeding a raw diet. I also post information as I understand it. I will do my best to be sure that the information I relay is 100% correct, and will also remain diligent in correcting what errors may be posted.

My decision to go raw

I have been in a constant quest towards improving the quality of care I provide to my animals ever since I first started owning them. I didn't make a real push towards pursuing more natural nutrition for my dogs until about three years ago when it was brought to my attention that certain commercial dog food brands were not the nutritional powerhouses they advertised themselves to be. I did some research and discovered (mostly through this site in the beginning) that the problem with these foods is largely in the excessive use of grains as sources for proteins and other nutrients, along with the preservatives used to give the kibble shelf life.

I have since learned that things such as vaccination protocols and spaying & neutering are also areas of pet care that can be approached from a more natural and healthier standpoint for our pets. But that is for another post.

After doing some research, I switched my dog at the time (a Jack Russell Terrier) over to a holistic, grain-free kibble (EVO). It had higher meat contents, no grains, and overall better quality ingredient content. I observed a change in the brightness of his coloring, his coat was softer, and he produced less stools which broke down quicker than he did on the previous diet he was on. He also had more energy.

I started looking into a raw diet when I joined an online training forum manned by a well-known dog trainer: Ed Frawley. After some online research, purchasing a couple of books, a few conversations with people who fed raw, and a gentle push from a friend I made the leap to raw feeding. I decided to change because I have come to the conclusion that feeding a species-appropriate diet (raw food) provides our dogs with the most readily available nutrients for them, as the nutrients are in their most natural sources. Keiko has been on a raw diet for two and a half weeks now which means the changes often noted when switching from kibble to raw are beginning to show. Previously, Keiko was on Innova Puppy - a high quality low grain (they also have no grain formulas) kibble with specific meat sources and no corn. Also, there are no byproducts!! I want to give things a few more days before I blog about them but a few visible changes have been noted to me by my family: her coat has an even healthier and shinier look to it without the "oily" feeling, her teeth are very clean (although she is a puppy so they shouldn't be very dirty anyway), and she is more excited about meal time than I have ever seen a dog be. This means that breakfast and dinner have become training sessions during which she gets a very high value reward.

Grr, technology.

Well, I typed a post about raw feeding and my first days doing so with Keiko on the LJ app on my iPhone. Somewhere between typing and pushing "send" (at least I'm 99.9% certain I pushed send) and driving to grab something to eat with my sister, my message disappeared. While a bit upsetting, I will simply retype and post the message only this time I'll try to have some pictures to share.

Raw feeding

...looks like it will be a reality for my pup sooner than later. Details on a species-appropriate diet for my dog will be coming in the next couple of weeks. :) I'll try to get it up asap.

Keiko's First Thunderstorm

Yesterday I went down to the World Series of Dog Shows in Houston, the last BIG dog show before Westminster. I had a great time! I was going to bring the puppy (usually you can't bring personal pets to dog shows) as this show made an exception but was told at the last minute that they weren't allowing personal pets. That bit of information turned out to be false so I was a little bummed that I hadn't brought the puppy along but by the same token I was kind of glad that I got to experience the show without having to worry about what my puppy was doing. I bought some more Zuke's Natural Minis (this time the peanut butter flavor) and a tan british slip lead (like this: http://leerburg.com/mendota.htm#883) I like the tan color...it's perfect for my little red stockdog. :) I also got some sample packets of THK (The Honest Kitchen Dog Food) which means I will probably start feeding that in the next month or so. /grin/ I'm not sure if I've mentioned it in a previous post, but I'm considering the prospect of moving to feeding a raw diet along with the natural kibble Keiko is on or feeding THK along with a raw diet. While feeding raw is comparable to what I pay for Innova, I think as a college student there may be times when I forget or run out of time to always have the proper ingredients stocked in the fridge. So for now I will feed a combination that offers me a little more flexibility. I'll update with the research as I get on with it.

So I originally started this post to talk about the progress Keiko is made and to point out how pleased I am with her. But then a thunderstorm started (whoop for the first serious rain in this area all summer!!) as I began typing so I got distracted. It is raining pretty hard and thundering fairly loud too. Herding breeds (like the Collie, BC, and Aussie) tend to be a little more sensitive to loud noises than your average dog. I don't think Aussies are as bad as BCs but I think they are a little more sensitive than others. Keiko looked a little bewildered but I ignored her behavior (as opposed to petting and "comforting" her which would actually enable the fear) and made her wire crate more "den-like". I covered the side of it with a thick, large bathroom rug which she usually lays on and put the box it came in over the top of it. That will help it seem more enclosed and also helps block some of the sound. However, I didn't lock her inside of it. I left the door open for her to retreat and come out as she pleases. I also set up a little comfort spot in the closet for her to check out in case that made her feel more comfortable. Right now she is laying down on the floor in front of my bed, checking out her rawhide bone. She seems to be a bit more at ease. Looks like all is going well during our first thunderstorm. :)

Update: Keiko is now laying down on the floor beside my bed (now next to me) and is not looking up when the thunder sounds. Yay!

Jotting down some training ideas

I'm supposed to be typing up lab reports for organic lab which are due tomorrow so naturally I decided to blog about some ideas of what I want to begin tackling in my training this week.

1. Stand

- I think I will start this by capturing the stand when I groom Keiko, which I do twice a day

(after her morning walk and after our last outdoor activity of the night). I make her stand still when I do that so I will start marking for her just standing still while grooming. Making the transition from this to standing from a sit/down I haven't quite planned out yet but that's something for me to ponder.

2. Down

- I want to put a command to this by the end of the week, but I want her to do it from a standing position as opposed to having to sit first. I think I will first teach it by luring, because I am aiming for a competition obedience style down, not a down with her hips flopped to one side or the other. (The obedience style is with all four legs facing forward)

3. Hand touch

- I want to clean up the hand touch. By next Sunday, I hope to be getting real nose punches out of the hand touch which means I will have to work fairly intensively with her #1 reward (which to date is a lick out of a frozen can of baby food). This reward sends her fairly high into drive so I'm looking forward to making the hand touch concrete with her.

4. Come

- Up until now I've only worked on an "informal" recall. I say "c'mere" and Keiko has to come back to me. At some point in the next few weeks, I want to teach a more formal "Come" where she is required to actually come TO ME.

5. Here

- Here means come to me and sit right in front of me, looking up at me. I will work on here after I have the recall come down, as I think here is a bit more specific and difficult a task.

I also have seen a lot more toy drive out of Keiko lately. She has always been more interested in her soft/fuzzy toys so I'm considering purchasing another "Lambiedoodle" for the purpose of drive building...we'll see. Maybe I'll get something smaller but still soft and attach it to some sort of line to do some drive building with.

I'm also still about 5% undecided about SAR. I have been going to the practices all summer and have become a little SAR sponge, but for some reason I can't say that I'm 100% sure I want to do SAR with my pup. In fact in some ways, I see all of the herding instinct she has (and she came from an old working line breeder, so if I didn't have her she would most likely be off on some ranch working) and I almost feel like I would be wasting it if I didn't trial her (or work her...which I can't do now because I don't have cattle, sheep, or ducks lol). We'll see...I've still got time to decide whether I want to work her in SAR for certain and I plan to get her instinct tested sometime in the next few months. I know things will work out for the best in the end though.

I had something else I wanted to jot here but I forgot what it was and I'm getting tired so I'm going to finish my lab reports and call it a night. I'll update later!

Taking the next step

I need to jot down these thoughts before I lose them in the swarm of organic chemistry reactions I'm currently trying to memorize for tomorrow's test.. /grin/

First, the sit - Keiko can perform it 8/10 times with a verbal command but I have found two flaws in it which I need to fix. The first and most simple is that she doesn't hold it sometimes; she'll immediately go into offering the down (which I have marked for but have not put a command to yet) if I don't reward quickly enough. So now I will mark for her HOLDING the sit after being told to do so. It will go like this.. "Sit... (pause one second, two seconds) Yes!" and reward. We will work our way up to five, then ten, but will start at two seconds.

The second thing about the sit is that I need to put a signal to it. A little backwards, I know, but since I have made her sit before going in/out of every door since the very first day I got her, she's heard enough repetitions of the word "sit" to know what it means without receiving a signal first.

Second, the down - she offers this readily in our training sessions. I need to do a few sessions where I select only for the down. Then I will put a signal to it, then a command. I imagine this should be complete (not with distractions) within the next couple of days. I need to be careful how I select for this. I would like for her to do an obedience style down (all four legs facing forward, not with her hips flopped over to one side) but am not sure if I want to teach that yet. I could have an alternate command (platz - german for down) but it may be confusing to allow her to do the more leisurely down now and then try to select for the more correct down (platz) later. I need to ponder on that before I start marking for it.

I also need to decide exactly what I want my hand signals to be. Never have I given this much thought to what hand signals I want to use for various commands...that's proof that newfound freedom goes to people's heads. Haha!

Training aside, a figured a little update on Keiko was due. I'm not sure how much she weighs but I estimate her being between 20 and 25 lbs now. I'd like to get her height measured as well. E seems to think she's small, but she is supposed to be at the smaller end of the standard so I imagine she's on track. I'll have to ask her about it tomorrow. She's also earned more "big girl responsibilities" and gets to sleep in her "big girl crate" (her 36" wire crate) now. :) I had no choice but to put her in the wire crate after she got sick last week (I was not about to clean out her plastic crate at 5:45 AM after she threw up in it) and she was well behaved so she has been sleeping and staying in it ever since.

She also gets more free time in the house. I used to confine her to the kitchen while I was there, but now I leave her 15' lead on with her collar and let her roam. I gave her a knuckle bone which she happily took into the living room and gnawed on while I made my dinner. I was able to keep an eye on her over the bar counter. She behaved well so she also stayed out while I ate and she left me completely alone. :) I was very proud of her today!

We went home for July 4th and she also got more free time there, including some of the time loose in my room there (no leash, no collar even). It's fun to see her mature but I'm also already missing the little red puppy she came to me as.

We went to a NADAC agility trial in town today and that went great. She was very alert when we went in (in case you've never been to an agility trial - they're very loud between the radio playing, the people there, and the dogs barking) but settled quickly and then just wanted attention from everyone. It reminded me that we need to work on not jumping on people, which needs to be done by that person telling her to sit before giving her any excited or happy attention...which is a real problem because everyone sees her and goes "ohh!! Hey there cutie!" which is enough to send her butt a'wigglin'. We'll have to be sure to take a few extra trips to PetSmart this next month or so as well as out to some of the kids sports games over the summer so we can work on all of this.

Another positive note, I think we're getting closer to the point where I can actually bring her to search & rescue practice. I'm about 90% sure that I'm going to go ahead and actually make the commitment to the team, thus submitting my taskbook for review. I really like the idea of it and think both I and Keiko are cut out for it. I just need to make sure that I can make the time commitment to the team. I also want to be sure that my mind will be in it as well. The good thing is that the team would rather have someone be honest and tell them they can't handle the load anymore than have someone keep showing up to practice but their heart and mind not really be there.

Wow, I rambled much more than I was expecting to! I really should get some sleep. I'll have more updates later this week though.

The Hand Touch

So now that the mark is charged, the real fun begins. I feel like a kid in a candy shop with the opportunities I've got to begin laying the foundation for Keiko as a working dog. As of the past 24 hours, I've been marking for "go to bed" (her wire crate) and "go in your kennel" (her plastic crate where she is actually kept when I can't supervise). It made going in the kennel more pleasant, as over the past couple of days she'd decided she no longer wanted to go in there on command. She wanted to go in her bed instead (I don't shut the door on her in that one yet lol). So I've been marking for the kennel and have seen an immediate difference. What I like about marker training is that I can use a food reward, but I can also use anything she wants as a reward! For example if it's dinner time, she is hungry and she wants to eat. I want her to go in her kennel so I can feed her. So I tell her "go in your kennel" (she knows what this command means) and when she does, I mark "yes!" and place her food down for her to eat. There are other everyday applications but I started this post to talk about teaching Keiko the hand touch so the rest of my everyday applications will have to wait for a later post.

I began teaching the hand touch today. I believe I said I was going to start with the down but of course since that's how I planned it, things went differently. Normally you have to break the hand touch down into a small series of steps (dog looks at it, steps towards it, sniffs it, touches it) but Keiko immediately touched my hand when I stuck it out so I marked it. She quickly caught onto this touching game. I have done two small sessions of hand touch with her. In the second, she'd layed down. When I put my hand out for her to touch it, she stretched her neck out to touch it. I marked. We did this three times, then I told her to go to her kennel and marked that. It seems that she is catching on to the hand touch game. So my training plan has changed a bit. [Note: I will try and get a picture of the hand touch uploaded sometime in the next couple of weeks. We're due for some pictures but it'll be another week before I see my photographer :D (my sister, lol)]

1. Continue marking and rewarding the hand touch at close range.

2. When Keiko can do this reliably 8/10 times, move the hand further away so that she must take 1-2 steps to reach the hand. (The distance to be moved away will be judged in training, depending on what she demonstrates she's ready for)

3. Put the command "hand touch" on the action.

4. When she can reliably perform the hand touch after being commanded to do so, wait until she is across the room, command the hand touch, and present the hand as a target.

Of course these steps could change at any given point in time as I learn more and as I actually work with Keiko. You can put lots of things on paper but no one thing works for every dog and it's best to see what works best for your dog in a situation and work from there. Anyway, I'm really enjoying my puppy. :) Times were a bit frustrating there for a while but I'm finally coming to the realization that this puppy is actually mine and I am the only person in charge of what I do with her and when. It's a neat realization and has allowed me to relax a little and just enjoy her. I also came to the realization that I'm not going to do everything perfect and that's OK! I think that is the biggest, most important issue I have come to terms with and is also what has allowed me to make less mistakes. Imagine that! /giggle/

Marker Training

Wow, a lot has happened in the long while since I posted last. I got serious about marker training and have introduced Keiko to the pool. I will save the pool experience for a future post.

I am proud to say that the mark has officially been charged! Keiko confirmed this for me today after a long walk on campus. I was in my room and wandering about, waiting for her to lose interest in me. When she did, I said "yes" and her head snapped in my direction looking for her treat! To be sure this concept is clear, I will probably charge the mark in the living room in two short sessions before her breakfast and dinner tomorrow and again outside the following day. For the time being, any new behaviors taught will be done in my room. Currently I am marking her entrance to the kennel. Previously I was just praising for going into the crate which was working well. I will transition it to marker training...simply because I can, lol. Once I am sure that she understands the command "go in your kennel" then I will wean off of the mark and onto pure praise with the occasional reward - such as getting to come right back out or getting a tasty treat or a special toy (i.e. her peanut butter filled kong).

To charge the mark in marker (also known as clicker) training, you must give your mark and immediately follow with a high value reward. Many people have heard of clicker training, which is a form of marker training in which a clicker is used to mark a desired behavior. For a number of reasons which I will discuss in a later post, I prefer to use a verbal marker. Specifically - the word "yes!". The point of this training method is to teach the dog that whatever they were doing when you gave their mark was correct and their reward is coming. The theory is that this style of training makes up for the 2-3 second delay that may come in rewarding a dog for a desired behavior (say, for example, you're doing a down-stay at a distance.)

When I originally started charging the mark, I would say "yes", pause, and then reward. During the pause, Keiko was sometimes able to sit or down. (Both commands which I had previously taught her) I decided after a few days of this that I didn't think this was the response I was looking for. I did a bit of problem solving and consulted the Leerburg forums and decided that the pause I was giving between the yes and the reward was too long. So I went back to square one. To charge the mark I held an even number of treats in both hands, gave the mark and then immediately gave the reward. Now that Keiko looks at me expecting a treat when she hears the word "yes", I will probably give a couple of seconds pause between the yes and the reward so that she knows that it may take a second, but the reward is coming. After a brief session of this, I will move on to actually using the mark to train new behaviors. Once I apply this to training new behaviors, there will be NO MORE charging the mark! Unless I decide to add an additional mark (i.e. the word "good" or using the clicker).

I also watched a video by a dog trainer that reminded me of why I was previously opposed to the idea of marker (specifically clicker) training. That I may discuss at another time or add an amendment to this post which explains why. While at first I was a bit confused as to what I wanted to do, I'm glad that I watched the video because it reminded me of my purpose for using MT and the direction I wanted to go with it - the idea is to use MT to teach the new behaviors, then to phase the food reward out save for on random occasion. At this point in time, I also prefer to us MT to train commands which don't come naturally to the dog - i.e. tricks and behaviors required for working dog (specifically SAR at this point in time) training. I also want to use it to train a few games that you can play with a dog that is marker trained. I previously was not going to use it to train behaviors such as sit, down, etc. but I may try it on the down and see how I feel about it.

I need to get some pictures of Keiko in the pool. I've attached a photo at the bottom of this post which isn't great, but it is recent - I snapped it on my iPhone two days ago. I hope to post more often but between class, work, and puppy I can't always find time to blog.

Have a great night!

I keep meaning to update but every time I get on my computer, I get sidetracked while reading stuff about training. I will try and get my post up in the next few days, though things are pretty busy for me right now.

This update is just to remind myself to come back and update...probably next weekend. I've got an o-chem test on Friday so I'll be pretty busy studying for that. At least by then I should have complete charging the mark for marker training and should have something interesting to say about my progress with that.

Down, Keiko

Well I was going to post my training plan for teaching "down" but of course I got ahead of myself and started already. :) I started inside, with her wubba since I know she's got drive built up for it now. I took the toy out and got her going by asking "you want it?" which quickly gets her attention now. Then I ducked the toy behind my back and said her name "Keiko" to get her attention, at which point she made eye contact. I praised her (we're still reinforcing her name) then I produced the toy from behind my back. She was already sitting so I placed the toy down between her front paws and drew it towards myself. I said "down" in conjunction with drawing the toy towards myself. At first she just tried to pick up the toy with her mouth so I applied gentle pressure to her shoulders to get her to drop them. She did so quickly and as soon as her chest was on the ground, I praised her excitedly and played a little tug with her and the wubba. The second time I went through the same procedure, but had to reset a couple of times. Since I'd already reset a couple of times, I took her front legs (she was in a sitting position) and guided her into the down position. She plopped quickly on her own then so I praised her lavishly and again played tug. I stopped after a third try.

We worked on this during two more sessions today, keeping them at just three to four repetitions each. During her session tonight, before bedtime, she already got the jist of what she was supposed to do. I now hide the toy behind my back and put her in a sitting position. I make eye contact with her, then use a closed fist to guide her into the down position and saying "down". She quickly dropped down to the lying position the last three times I tried, at which point I produced the toy from behind my back and immediately tossed it onto her front legs for her to play a little tug with. On the last rep, I let her carry the toy back to my room before putting it away for the night. I don't remember how it was raising Rhasta, but I'm really excited to be teaching her down. It's nice to have another option of commands to give her, haha. We'll see how tomorrow's sessions go.

Keiko is really getting the point as far as this toy drive business is going. I think I will introduce another toy tomorrow, but I haven't decided which one yet. I've also resolved to think of an effective way to tie strings to the squeaky tennis balls I have. If that doesn't work, I'll go ahead and get small cuz balls this weekend and tie them to strings.

One of the SAR guys is making me a crate pad for Keiko's home crate...I'm super excited! :D Yay! No more lying on the plastic floor or the thin padding of a towel in the crate! I don't think Keiko actually cares (if anything, she prefers to ly on the plastic as she always bunches the towel up and just puts her head on it) but I will sleep better at night if I think she's sleeping on something comfortable. ;) I've decided that I will keep a simple bath rug in the crate she rides in, in the car so I also need to go buy one of those.

Alright, it's way past my bedtime and I have class in the morning. Goodnight!

Training plan

Today wasn't very special.  The best thing about today is that by Keiko's reaction when I say "you want it?" I can tell that the drive building is working.  She perks up when I say those three special words and goes consistently after the toy now.  I'm a little worried about being able to teach the retrieve as there is a small window you really have to work with when they're puppies and I'm afraid that by getting her at 4 months, I may be in the tail end of that window.  But we'll continue working and see how it goes.  I need to get another Wubba so that I can just trade her one for the other and I don't become the "bad guy" for taking the wubba way from her to throw it again. (For now anyway)

I have decided that I need a more concrete training plan as far as what I want to teach next and how I want to teach it.  I don't like to make training too regimented as far as this puppy stuff goes because I feel a lot of it should be integrated into play, as opposed to being structured teaching time...mostly because puppies at this age get bored FAST!  I will update this post after I've had a chance to jot down some notes regarding how I want to teach the "down", which I've decided is the next command I want to teach her.  I haven't fully deciphered the way Keiko's brain works; what makes her tick and what motivates her, so I'm going to wait until I have a better feel for her to teach "stay" and "come".  I am beginning to feel more bonded to her now though.  I was actually missing her while I was in class (first day of summer classes...ugh!) and at lunch with a friend today, and I felt a little more genuine when I loved on her when I first saw her today.  I think it's finally settling in that this is my dog that I bought with my money and I make all the rules concerning her!  Foreign concept, I know.

Building drive for the "wubba"

Keiko has a blue puppy "wubba" toy, pictured below.

I realized the other day that while she would play with her toys inside, she quickly lost interest in them outside. I decided that this was a problem, mainly because I am planning to train her for a job (whether that ends up being search and rescue or herding) and it is important that she has a drive for toys - primarily for the SAR training. I also decided this was a bit of a problem because I enjoy playing fetch and other games that involve with toys my dog but if I have a pup that doesn't have much desire to play with toys outside (or at all), that would seriously hamper my ability to enjoy the activities I like to do with my pup.   I also prefer to do a majority of my training with toys as opposed to with treats.  Luckily, I have a puppy! Which means that my dog is still open to being molded and also means that some things just have to be taught to her - i.e. HOW to play with certain toys!

So I decided that I would begin making a more serious effort to build her toy drive. Many puppies don't take to playing with toys outside because their owners only play with them inside. So I have switched to only playing with toys with Keiko (for now it's just the wubba) outside. Inside, she gets either her puppy kong or her chilly bone and those are just to keep her company in her crate/to help ease her poor gums as she gets into the teething stage. Otherwise, if we are going to play with a toy we go outside to do so.

How I'm beginning to build drive
My first session began with me taking Keiko out into the backyard to potty. At this point, she hadn't played with a toy inside since yesterday. I hid the wubba in my back pocket. Once Keiko pottied, I produced the wubba from my back pocket. I got her attention, squeezed it a few times in rapid succession, and asked in a high voice "you want it? You want it? You want it?" This has been the phrase that comes naturally to me as I try to build her excitement over whatever I have in my hand. Then I wiggled it a bit so that the long pieces of fabric flapped about. When I knew I had her attention (her eyes were bright, big, and on me, and her ears were pressed forward) I drew the toy down to the ground, squeaked it, and dragged it about a foot across the ground in front of her. As I did this, I shouted "get it!" which is the cue I've been giving her to go after her toy. She went after it and I let her "kill" it - she pounced and grabbed it. I immediately erupted into praise: "Good girl! Good Keiko! Good girl!" and I let her carry it around a bit. I took the toy and did this two more times. As usual, I got excited about the good response I was receiving and threw it a fourth time, which proved to be one too many. She went after the toy but didn't pick it up. She is a puppy and as such, was bored with the game. I resolved to make sure I didn't push it too far the next time.

We went out into the backyard a total of four times today. On the second time, I threw the toy three times following the same procedure. The only thing I changed is that I ran backwards, calling her to me while she carried the toy. All the while I made it exciting, using animated body language and a high-pitched voice to indicate that I liked what she was doing. I concluded the second, third, and fourth sessions by letting her carry the toy back into the house and into my room.  Once in my room I took the toy and put it away until the next session.

In the third session, I tied a thin leash around the wubba to turn it into an improvised ball-on-string sort of toy. I plan on buying a couple of the Cuz balls and tying strings to them, but for now I will stick with what I have available to me. This made it much more convenient, as I could extend the distance I dragged the toy without being directly attached to it or having Keiko target my hand or legs as opposed to the toy (which she has done in the past). Each session I would throw it about three or four times, never pressing my luck and always having Keiko carry it back into the house and to my room. On the third time, I began playing a little tug with her.  I allowed her to win the tug and carry the toy around for a bit before I took it away. I decided that for the sake of building her toy drive, I could sacrifice the potential for creating any "hierarchy confusion" that may be involved in letting her win the game of tug of war for now. 

The fourth session was the last of the evening. Between the third and the fourth session, Keiko and I went on an hour walk down to a nearby park and back. I brought the wubba-on-a-string with me in a bag and went out to a bit of open field. I latched on her fifteen foot leash, let her explore the immediate area, then produced the wubba. I can already tell by the look in her eye that she is beginning to understand this game. She is more excited and focused on the toy, and goes after it more times. I played the game a bit in the field, then continued our walk on down the road. We got lucky and the cows were out by a fence we walked by. Well, my affinity for cattle and the fact that my puppy IS a herding dog and may have a future in herding...I just had to stop! Keiko looked at them like "what the heck are those?" at first, but we settled down beside the fence near some calves for a while and she kept trying to find a way under the fence to investigate. The calves were about four months old, and just as intrigued by us as Keiko was by them. It was a great experience and I'm really glad that I had the chance to introduce her to some livestock so close to us. After meeting the calves, we went on down the road where we played the wubba game again in another stretch of open field. This went well. On our walk back to the house, we crossed some rocky terrain which Keiko handled well so I was extremely pleased with our evening.

I will continue to post on building drive, as this is a very important topic and blogging will help me keep a good record of what works, doesn't work, and how we improve over time.  I will also try to get some pictures of the toy and Keiko with the toy, if I can.  Usually there is too much commotion for me to try and operate a camera and actually get a picture in action.

P.S. I apologize for less-than-decently worded passages and any hint of scatterbrained-ness in my posts.  One of my personal goals in maintaining this blog is that I become better able to express my my thoughts in coherent statements.

WOW. Today was my first Saturday practice as a pre-apprentice on the search and rescue team and boy was it hot! I had a lot of fun, but the heat definitely took a toll on me. We were out from 7 am until about 12 pm. Thank goodness we didn't stay much longer, because the sun was out in full effect by 10:30 or 11 or so. Man, that Texas sun combined with the gentle humidity down here really will take a lot out of you! I always admire the dogs' ability to work in this heat, though we always have to be careful that they don't overheat.

I have been doing a lot of socialization with Keiko. Every day, we've done something new. This week we drove back from visiting home on Wednesday. Thursday we went to to the local feed store to buy her a collar that fits and to meet some new people. We also saw chickens, which she barked at when she first saw them. We revisited them and this time she handled it better, just looking on with intense curiosity. The employees at the store loved her! Later that evening we went to agility class, where she was loved on (and given one too many liver treats) by the participants. I really got to see her 'be an Aussie', which was fun! We let her romp around a bit and the instructor's stud dog (who is a black tri Aussie) taught Keiko a little bit about how Aussies play. I'm excited for next week so that she can get out and play with him a bit again. Friday we walked around the northern part of campus, near the dorms. We went up and down stairs, some small, some tall, some wide, etc etc. She handles the various terrain VERY well. I was very pleased with how well she took in campus. There weren't many people around since summer school hasn't started yet but we walked by a few people and some bikers passed us and she didn't bark. (yay!) We'll tackle another part of campus tomorrow, the other half of north east campus.

I keep reminding myself that she IS a puppy and I need to let her be one. She's at a bit of a frustrating age for me...four months. She's smart enough to learn things but she's not quite to the point where I can actually start really working and training her. This is somewhat of a new experience for me, since she's four months old but has no training basis on her so I'm starting from scratch but not with an 8 week old puppy. I'm glad, however, that I'm having this experience because I will gain handling skills from it! So now, I'm focusing on building her toy drive and teaching a few basic commands but keeping it fun. I will have to purchase a couple of Cuz toys so that I can tie a string to them and build some of her drive with the ball-on-a-string toy. I also have moved to only playing with her toys outside, as she was getting to the point where she would only play with toys inside and not outside. The only toys she gets inside are either her kong or her chilly bone, and those are given in her crate since she's still teething. We'll see how it goes.

Well, I'm going to go play with her for a bit. More will come later!

Today we worked a little more frequently and deliberately on the sit. I want to begin having short, five minute training sessions with her so that I can get some real progress on commands underway. A huge problem I am encountering is that I haven't yet selected a name for her. I think it is hindering my training process. I just can't seem to settle on one. I need to stop being indecisive and pick one so that I can teach it to her tomorrow...that is my goal.

I am trying to take my own advice and relish on the baby steps forward we are making. This morning after our walk and breakfast, I crated her (this is when she'll be crated when I go to work for a few hours) and was able to go empty and refill the dishwasher with minimal crying on her part which eventually diminished as she fell asleep.

After feeding lunch, I took her to a friend's apartment complex where we met my friend (though I limited my friend's interaction with her for the time being) and where she also met her first dog since she's been in my possession. A guy was coming down the apartment stairs, moving some of his things out. Accompanying him was a female black lab, heeling naturally. I trusted her body language and the two met very well. I'm pleased with how the brief meeting went and am glad the dog had as good of a temperament as she did.

I then left her alone in the house (in her crate) for the first time while I ran to the bank and picked up something to eat for lunch. She was resting quietly when I returned home. I left her a second time for a slightly longer period of time when I went to get dessert with a friend. When I returned, she was again resting quietly. This is good news! I have to look at the positives as we move through the steps involved in crate training. I find that this is one of the areas where I am quicker to become frustrated and as such, I need to monitor my patience.

Tomorrow we were supposed to be taking a walk and meeting another dog but I'm not sure how or if that's going to go yet...we'll see.

I wonder what they dream about...

As I write, there is a ridiculously adorable red pup in a crate beside my bed...growling and barking in her sleep.  She's quite an active sleeper, I wonder what she dreams about.

Since my earlier post, we've worked more on the sit.  It's going well.  The pup is 15 weeks old (almost 16) so she's definitely ready to begin working on some simple commands.  I just make sure I have her attention, then guide her gently into the sitting position.  She's gotten to the point where (if she's not sitting already) I only have to gently touch her back end with a couple of fingers and she plops it down.  She picked up the sitting thing REALLY quickly when it was dinner time (of course) haha.  I'm also working more on building positive associations with the crate during the day - of course she eats in there, and today I continued to leave treats inside at random and would toss her toys inside for her to retrieve.  Tonight, I met less resistance while getting her in there and though she "screamed" nearly the entire time I was in the shower, it was less intense and had more frequent and longer pauses in between fits than there were yesterday.  I just took my time, not opening the bathroom door until she'd paused and been quiet for a few seconds and then if the waterworks started up again, I waited for another pause and short bout of silence before stepping out of the bathroom. Overall, I think she's making good progress for only having been here for 48 hours.

I've been reading Leerburg's article on marker training and I'm considering using it to work with this puppy.  I won't be going the more well-known "clicker training" route, rather, I would use the word "yes" or something of that sort as my marker.  I'm not a big fan of clickers, mainly because I prefer to have the source of praise come from you.  For me that means that I would rather use my voice to mark a desired behavior (which is what you do when you praise, anyway) than a click.  The article is fairly long but I plan to get through it over the next day or so.  The prospect of having a few more mentally stimulating games to play and a way to redirect attention towards me when I need it is what has got my interest peaked at the moment.

New Arrival

So, the puppy is here! I went to the airport with a friend on Friday night and returned home around midnight. We took a little walk around the neighborhood, then became acquainted with each room in the house one by one, and finally went to bed for the night.

The pup is a little handful (as puppies can be), but I'm satisfied with what I see because it is an early indicator to me that she may have the drive and the energy level I am looking for as she matures. I've attached some photos of her below.

So far she's walking great on a leash! When I picked her up at the cargo facility, I brought her crate out to my SUV and set it in the trunk. Then I took her down and out of it, put her on a leash, and took her over to a grassy area to try and get her to relieve herself. Of course she fought the leash a bit but gentle guidance and "smooching" noises helped her quickly overcome its foreign feeling. She didn't have to go, so instead we spent a few minutes beginning our bonding...just walking around a bit and stretching our legs. Then we loaded back up and came home.

The next morning, we went out on a 20-30 minute walk through the neighborhood. She perked up at things she was unsure of but showed a great amount of confidence, which concurs with the breeder's description of her being an "outgoing" pup. She barked a little at a girl in a yellow dress but I kept us moving forward so that she didn't have time to dwell on it. She also showed some interest as a jogger (which to herding dogs, would be a sheep on two legs) so we turned around and followed the jogger a short ways until she saw that there wasn't much that was exciting about the jogger besides the fact that she was going faster than us. The walk went very well and she took a nice nap when we got back.

The rest of the day consisted of short periods of time in the crate and a brief visit from a friend who was going out of town. She was very friendly with my friend, which is another characteristic the breeder described her as having, but for the time being I had my friend ignore her save towards the end of her visit when she was allowed to give her a little pat.

We took another walk this morning...about 30-40 minutes this time, I'd say. I have to get my Vet's opinion on exercise. I don't want to over-exercise her, although she is a fairly high energy puppy and I'd like to be able to take her out for at least 30 minutes one time a day. The second time I take her out, I could cut down to 10 or 20 minutes if need be. I just don't want to put too much stress on her joints. The topic of exercise in puppies seems to be somewhat controversial. I have my opinion which is based mostly upon the fact that different puppies have different exercise needs and so the 5-minute rule I've read about (5 minutes for every month of age the puppy is) would be absolutely ludicrous (i.e. for my Jack Russell - as a puppy, 15 minutes of exercise per day at 4 months of age would have practically been abuse! He had way too much energy to not get more physical exercise than that) but for other puppies, that would be more than enough. We'll see what the Vet says.

Her first appointment is Wednesday afternoon with one of the various vets here in town. He was recommended to me by a Vet I know back at home, as well as by a friend of mine who worked there and a coworker in the research lab I work in. I'm looking forward to it!

Today we began working on an intentional sit for food, to go in/out of doors, and for toys. She doesn't know what the command means just yet but she's already beginning to pick up on when I want her to pause for things and so if I reach to touch her just under her chin, she usually plops her bottom down into the sitting position. At which point I lavish her with praise ("good girl! good sit!") and reward her with whatever she was waiting for, be it her meal, going into the house, or playing with her toys.

So now, after all of my rambling, here are the much awaited pictures:

The Art of Praise

This post will be redone at a later date. I wasn't pleased with the quality or content and as such, I would rather rewrite it. Sorry for any inconvenience!

Fresh ideas

The day draws near for the arrival of my pup and with it will come a change in the direction of this blog.  I will use this blog to record my training of said pup and other dogs I interact with, so that I may better understand just what my training philosophy is!  Of course I will also have some ramblings regarding bikes and my mountain biking adventures but I will center the focus of the blog around training and the development and progress of my puppy.  This will help me keep a record of what has and has not worked for me, and why.  I'm really excited about shaping my beliefs regarding dog training and behavior and I believe this blog will be great for facilitating just that!  I also feel this will help me move towards some personal goals I have for myself and I'm excited about getting this underway.  However, I have four finals between now and then so I will be absent for a period of time (a week or so).  Until then, goodbye!

Vida

Lots has been going on lately. I have had the hardest time getting back in the swing of things since Spring Break, which means I made a couple of poor grades on tests. I'm not very happy about that but all I can do is do well on this last round and hope the previous round didn't ruin the good things I had going.

School aside, things are going well! I've picked a puppy - a little red merle female who is coming to me from Idaho. I'm purchasing her from an old ranch breeder who has been around since the makings of the breed, since before the AKC recognized Australian Shepherds as a breed and before ASCA (the Australian Shepherd Club of America) even existed! I'm excited, to say the least! She should be a good little pup, ready to come work. I really hope that we excel in search and rescue but only time will tell! I will post pictures of her when I update next - hopefully I will have received more than the one that I have right now by then.

Lately, I have been considering my future career. I have always wanted to go to Vet School, since I was a little kid. But maybe that's because you are conditioned to believe that the only thing people who like animals do for a job is be a Vet...then later you learn that you can chase them around with cameras too. All lame jokes aside, I have always had a particular interest, fascination, and maybe even a gift, if you will, in our canid counterparts and particularly in their behavior. It was recently suggested to me by a friend that perhaps I should consider a career in canine behavior. I scoffed at first...then asked myself what was I scoffing for? Isn't canine behavior what makes me tick? Don't I find myself at peace when I'm out walking through the woods with friends and a pack of dogs, all coexisting peacefully? Don't I love to see an owner marvel as their dog does something they were previously convinced he just simply could not do? I realized that I scoffed because I am afraid that I would not succeed in the field of canine behavior. Why? I'm not really sure. But I know one thing, I need to get over that and real quick! So now I am really giving this some serious consideration. I set up an appointment to chat with a Behaviorist I know and respect back home this weekend...so we'll see where my mind is after Sunday. Until then, I'll just be pondering and praying...praying and pondering.

My first AKC Dog Show/ASCA Agility Trial

Last weekend was event filled and definitely a mile stone for me. On saturday, I went to an AKC dog show in Houston with my sister and some friends from the dog club. It was great! I've been a purebred fancier my entire life but have never gotten to meet some of the less popular breeds (in America, anyway) in person. The breeds that I got the most excited over were the Saluki, the Ibizan Hound, and the Novia Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. I found it quite odd that there were more Tollers enrolled in the show than Weimaraners...but that's okay! There were about ten rings running at once but we only watched the Brittany, Weimaraner, Australian Shepherd, Great Dane, and Novia Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers show. I also met an Aussie breeder who had some rather attractive dogs but I'm thinking they're not going to fit the 'style' of Aussie I'm looking for. I will post another update on the two different styles of Aussies so that statement makes more sense.
On sunday, we went to an ASCA agility trial which was also fun. We stayed for a few hours and I met three Slash V Aussies in person. As is often rumored, two of the three were shy but one was friendly as can be and extremely biddable. Slash V is a prominent kennel in the Australian Shepherd world on the stockdog end of things. I will explain more about them when I post about the two different types/styles of Australian Shepherds. We watched a jumpers class and then the beginners on the actual agility course. It made me pretty excited! I'm looking forward to the prospect of competing in agility with my next pup. I suppose we'll see where things take me.
Well...it's rather late at night and my mind is in a million places! I'll try and make it a point to update more frequently again - midterms sort of threw off my schedule these past few weeks.

Cardiomyopathy

Here is my post from my other blog on Cardiomyopathy. A bit of the information is about cats and cardiomyopathy but most is valid for both species or dog-specific.

I did some research on cardiomyopathy and I must say that it is quite an extensive topic.

To put it simply, dogs and cats (and other animals as well) can suffer from Cardiomyopathy. Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart which causes it to function improperly/poorly. Boxers seem to have their own set of symptoms when suffering from cardiomyopathy (search: boxer cardiomyopathy). Large/giant breeds of dogs have a higher rate of incidence with this disease (FYI - Doberman Pinchers, Scottish Deer Hounds, and Irish Wolfhounds were commonly named in the articles I read). There are two types of cardiomyopathy that occur in dogs: hypertrophic and dilated. Cats can suffer from three types of cardiomyopathy: hypertrophic, dilated, and restrictive. The details listed in this article are brief descriptions of what occurs in dilated and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. For more information regarding either of these diseases in cats or dogs, please visit the links listed below the definitions.

Dilated cardiomyopathy is the most common form. It occurs when the chambers of the heart increase in size and the muscles that form the walls become thinner.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a rare form of this disease, but occurs when the heart's chamber walls thicken, causing decreased pumping efficiency.

More information on cardiomyopathy in Cats -
http://www.2ndchance.info/cardiomyopathy-cat.htm
More information on cardiomyopathy in Dogs -
http://www.2ndchance.info/dogdilcardiomyopathy.htm
http://www.2ndchance.info/conghtfaildog.htm


SOURCES
Hines DVM PhD, Dr. Ron (2006, 06 24). Heart Failure In Dogs - Congestive Cardiomyopathy. Web site: http://www.2ndchance.info/dogdilcardiomyopathy.htm

Cardiac Diseases of Dogs and Cats. from Pets Health Web site: http://www.petshealth.com/dr_library/cardiac.html

10:30 PM Fixies, Unis, and Trials Riders

Tonight I went on a ride with G, A, and E. It was a lot of fun. I was able to keep up with them better (though I still lagged behind at times) as we zipped around campus and town. We rode about fourteen miles total (just piddling around, jumping off of stairs and such) and took a break in the middle to ride to Marble Slab and get some ice cream. On the way back, we stopped by Kyle Field where every Wednesday night at 10:30 PM, fixie riders, unicyclists, and sometimes BMXers gather to just converse and ride their bikes. They do lots of neat tricks and have pretty nifty looking bikes. They also have a very different culture from road bikers or mountain bikers and in my opinion, fixie riders (in general) have a very different culture than BMXers too. I think I will stick to mountain/road biking but it was neat to watch them for a while. The trials riders were awesome...they were a couple and the girl bunny hopped her bike like three or four feet in the air. Then they jumped/rode over the concrete benches in the area...needless to say, I developed a complex tonight haha. No, just kidding. All in all I had a lot of fun and got some exercise in the process (as well as a break from studying) so what more could I ask for?

Ouch!

This weekend I took my sister out to one of the local bike trails for her first mountain ride. It was a lot of fun and she really enjoyed herself, even though she fell off her bike after going over some tough roots just before a descent. She bumped her head (thank goodness for helmets!) and scraped up her knees and arms. I guess we'll be investing in some elbow/knee pads...no more scars! I rode about 6 miles, as I did two and a half laps - one by myself and one and a half (the half was when she fell) with her. We were going to complete her second lap but I didn't have enough tape in my first aid kit to keep the bandages on her knee so we had to duck out early. I'm off to class but will update soon with a post about canine cardiomyopathy - something I posted about a while back on my other blog.

Finally!

Today is a 'finally!' day - first, because I am finally going to post about the mutant MDR1 gene.

[Note: MDR stands for "Multi Drug Resistance".] Collies and other similar breeds (i.e. the Australian Shepherd, and other breeds from the herding group) as well as mixes including one or more of these breeds have proven to be sensitive to some drugs such as ivermectin (antiparasitic), loperamide (antidiarrheal), butorphanol (pain control and pre-anesthetic), and others that serve various functions. This sensitivity is present when a dog is a carrier of the mutated MDR1 gene. The mutation in the gene prevents dogs from being able to remove drugs from the brain unlike normal dogs, who can. When one of these drugs is adminstered to a dog with a sensitivity to them, they will show abnormal neurological symptoms. This includes things such as excessive salivation, blindness, tremor, depression, coma, death, and a few others.
So what do you do if you've got a dog who is 'at risk'?
Many Vets just avoid the use of drugs that are known to cause complications in breeds with a prevalence of the mutant gene. However, a test has been developed that screens for the presence of the gene. This test is performed by using a cheek brush sample. Ask your Vet about it! More information on the test can be found at this page on Washington State University's Veterinary Medical School website.
- Please note that the dosages of Ivermection in heartworm prevention tablets are safe for dogs with the mutant mdr1 gene. Many of these drugs are only harmful to dogs in high dosages.


The second reason today is a 'finally!' day is because I found a breeder with reasonably priced Aussies who has most of the important qualities I look for in a breeder. I'm quite excited because I can afford them and he will have puppies ready probably sometime around mid-May to early June...that will leave plenty of training and bonding time before the fall semester starts. I'll be sure to update once I know about due dates and when I decide whether or not I'm going to commit to this breeder.

The last reason today is a 'finally!' day is I've come to an agreement with my parents on my living situation next semester as far as on campus vs. off campus goes. It looks like I'll be living off campus in a duplex with a classmate (and fellow dog enthusiast) from my Biology lab. She's got one and a half year old female German Shepherd and just obtained a six month old male so it looks like we'll have a house full of herding dogs - sounds highly entertaining to me!

Sources/More information on MDR1 and testing:
http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/depts-vcpl/
http://www.healthgene.com/canine/tests.asp?testcode=C142
http://www.windhound.com/eng/mdr1.htm
http://www.mwcr.org/be_aware.htm

Nine miles of treacherous terrain, all the while being chased by flying baboons with scimitars...

Or so I imagined as I huffed and puffed up the windy switchback towards the end of my ride today out at Lake Bryan with G and E. It was a great ride. My body is tired...which I love! No pain, no gain. In the words of a quote I see here and there, "Pain is weakness leaving the body!" I love it. We rode roughly nine miles (I forgot to set my computer back to zero when we began) in rather cold weather but once we got into the woods and built up speed, we were sweating! I'm looking forward to more mountain rides this semester. I also wish people would be courteous and not ride the trails when it's muddy...there were a few places where there were ruts in the trail where people had ridden while it was muddy. I thought it was well known mountain bike etiquette to not ride when the trails were muddy? Sheesh! I'm really not as put out by the ruts as I sound, but I do wish people would follow basic etiquette such as that.

I'm considering taking one of my parents' old ten-speeds and using it as a road bike. It would be nice to have something to keep up with my friend on when I ride back at home, and it would also be nice to have something equipped for the road to ride when I don't want to stunt around on campus or hit the trails.

MDR1 is coming soon...!

Hybridization, interpersonal conflict, & evolution

Back to school it is for me. I know I said I would update about the MDR1 gene mutation once I got settled in at school but things have been much too hectic! I will make it a point to post about it this weekend. My classes are going well so far...I like my professors and I'm enjoying my schedule.

I got in a ride yesterday with some of the guys from the shop - G, A, and E respectively. G picked me up and we drove out to his house so that I could use his pump to change my flat rear tire. Then we rode back to campus which was a little over three miles. We messed around on main campus and then made a loop around west campus. Then we came back to main campus and messed around on the quad where G broke his chain (for like the five millionth time). After a quick fix, we all headed back home. According to my bike computer, we rode about nine miles. It was nice and definitely a workout...mainly because A and G are extremely fast and experienced riders but also because I'm sick and probably shouldn't have been riding in the cold anyway. I forgot to mention that we were playing bike tag along the way which also explains my fatigue.

On another note, I'm thinking of exporting this blog to wordpress.com. I'm not sure yet but of course if I do, I'll post about it.

First Post

Well, I've finally created a new blog to capture my ramblings about veterinary medicine and other interests of mine. How exciting! I'm glad I've finally gotten it started up. I'm packing to head back to school now...or I'm supposed to be, anyway. I got tired and ended up on here. Once I get back to my dorm and all settled in I'll sit down and post about the MDR1 mutation gene - something all Collie and similar breed owners or potential owners should read! (Mixed breed dog owners should also take a look at this)