Working Pia

Pia had a pretty big weekend last weekend, and I was hoping I'd have a chance to sit down and get it written out. My thanks to http://www.wooddogcrate.com for making this post possible.

Pia - 17 months

While farm-sitting for Julie last weekend I went over to Robin's to walk dogs and work Pia. One of the road-blocks I've had is that Pia needs a smaller space still, and she needs some fairly quiet and forgiving sheep. I've worked her very little, and she's still rocking a bit of the yeehaw. So, I loaded up some big woolies into Robin's round pen, and set about the business of trying to get Pia's attention.

We did three or four short sessions spaced out over several hours. The sheep were being fair, but she wasn't really learning from them, and didn't seem remotely concerned about fixing her messes. She was basically going back and forth between orbiting at 100 mph and then diving in for a little grab. Corrections weren't helpful, though speaking to her quietly seemed to help some. On one level she was trying to figure out what I wanted, but she just couldn't seem to get to that place.

I realized quickly as the sheep kept going from corner to corner that this situation was not a good one. Things were deteriorating.  I was getting frustrated.  Pia was getting frustrated. The sheep were not happy. I was not happy. I tried bringing in Linc, and I also tried tying him in one of the corners. It didn't seem to change the situation much.

Finally after a nice walk I decided to take the dogs back to Julie's and think about it for a while and come up with a new plan. I KNEW that if I could get into the sheep I could help her. I just had to figure out how to do that.  I hatched a new plan, and the new plan looked nothing like the old plan.

Nick

I took Nick with me, and took Pia into the smallest of Julie's pastures with her lambs that have been worked a decent bit. I'd say the space was roughly 3 to 4 times bigger than the round pen.  Maybe more. There were a few moments of yeehaw.  However, because Nick was there I was finally able to get into the sheep, and able to gently influence Pia at her problem spots - 10:00 and 2:00 quite specifically.  I tried to be as in the moment as possible and see her thinking about a dive so that I could put myself in the right place and speak to her.

I don't even know where Nick was, but suddenly everything came together.  Pia, for the first time, settled in behind the sheep and started walking them up.  She went to balance (first time) and started wearing the sheep to me.  She tucked in a few of the edges.

I almost cried right there in the field.  Ok, maybe I did a little. I think that Pia and I (because of Nick) were both able to get where we needed to be. In that moment the picture made sense to Pia.  From there I was able to lie Nick down, and Pia worked by herself.  It was good.  Really good. 

I love that moment. That first time when a dog actually settles in behind the sheep.  Poetry in motion.

Then because I love this photo, here is Linc:

"Old Dog" Vestibular Disease

This particular post is a little bit more about Ginger and "Old Dog" Vestibular disease. Special thanks to http://www.dogfencediy.com for making this post possible.

 

I've been thinking a lot about this, and many folks that I mention "Old Dog" Vestibular disease to seem to not really know what I'm talking about. That is, unless they've had a dog with it. At risk of repeating myself, I thought I might explain a little more about what's been going on.

The day Zippy went to the bridge I came home and noticed that Ginger seemed wobbly on the back end. It was so vague that I thought maybe she'd injured herself somehow. I even mentioned to Robin that I thought maybe her back or one of her legs was hurt. It would have been very easy to miss as it was very subtle.

That very next morning, however, Ginger was falling down on the floor. In some cases she'd actually fall and roll over several times (also referred to by some as gator rolling). Robin had mentioned the idea of it being vestibular related, so I immediately started reading up. The first clue? Her eyes. I took a look, and sure enough her eyes were tracking side to side - known as nystagmus. She was wobbling all over the place, and sometimes walked with her legs slightly splayed to the sides as if trying to get as low to the ground as possible. Her head was tilted to the side, too.

Days two and three she could barely stay on her feet. She (fortunately) was able to eat and also able to keep her food down, but she was clearly in trouble. Many dogs are unable to eat, or throw up what they do eat. I took her to our vet, and had a full blood panel and examination done. His diagnosis matched up with what I was thinking.

She was very slow to recover - in fact over the course of about 2 months she only recovered to about 90%, or what I call her new normal. Some of the things I've read suggest that most dogs recover fully, but some do not.

After having had a relapse at the end of June, I'm pleased to announce that she is actually back to better than her new normal. She's still wobbly sometimes, and seems to have the most issues when she is walking and tries to crane her neck around to see me behind her. She also seems to really struggle on uneven ground. When we're around ponds I have to watch her carefully - a few times she's almost fallen in (and Ginger does not believe in swimming, though she physically is able). She's able to jump back on the bed again without a spotter, though the ramp now lives next to the bed. She uses it as a spring board, and I'm OK with that.

There have been some things I've done to help her out a little. I do find that it's easier for the bigger dogs to knock her over now, so I've not been letting her stand on the porch and jockey for a spot with the bigger dogs. I put rubber backed (read that - won't slide around) area rugs on the linoleum floor in the kitchen, hooked her up with a ramp for the bed, and  made extra sure there weren't sharp corners/objects at Ginger height. Because she's not 100% steady on her feet it's a bit dicey sometimes.  I've also had to be very alert to not let her launch herself off of the bed in the mornings.

The scary thing about this is that often these symptoms come on like a freight train.  Many people think their dogs are having a stroke, and after seeing it I can understand why. I've even read heartbreaking stories of people having their dogs put to sleep for what may well have been vestibular related.  It's very, very scary.

 

Things to note if you suspect your dog is having a vestibular episode:

- It makes good sense to have a vet visit and blood work up.
- Ear infection is a possibility!
- Sometimes benadryl will help mitigate the symptoms just a little (it seemed to help Ginger).
- I shared my meclizine (for my vertigo) with Ginger per my vet's dosage instructions.
- Some vets suggest a round of prednisone.  Mine says the efficacy is debatable, but when she had the relapse we did a round just in case.
- pretty much the treatment is time - most cases resolve on their own

There is still some fear in my heart over the possibility of a brain lesion or tumor, but I keep reminding myself that we'll cross that bridge should we ever get to it. For now I'm just trying to keep enjoying every day I have with her, because it will never be long enough!

ps - Pia says "Hi Everyone!"

 

Worries

Yes, Ok, so I'm going to break my (3 months? How did THAT happen?) silence to dribble out a post on some of my dog worries. I feel like I'm going to pop, though, if I don't lay them down.

This morning Ginger seems to be having a relapse of her vestibular syndrome. I understand that relapses do occur, but the part concerning me is that her eyes are tracking differently this time from the last. First round her eyes tracked side to side, with a slight rotation. This time they're tracking up and down and she's blinking a lot. I don't know how normal THAT is. I'm going to watch her for the moment. She's in good spirits and having no issues eating, which is a good thing. She's not nearly as unsteady on her feet as she was in round one, but it may get worse. I worry mostly about the implications of the nystagmus.

I have this irrational fear after losing Zippy in April that I'm going to lose another one of my dogs this year.

I'm stressed because I have a 14 month old puppy that's not even started on sheep yet. I've had her out a few times but I haven't really started her yet. Part of me feels like I'm not doing her justice. I know that I WILL do her justice in time. It just frustrates me to be stuck in this place that I'm in.

That being said, though, I'm doing things for myself to get my financial house in order (which once done I'll be able to get my dog started, and hopefully get Linc finished!). I'm so tired of worrying about money, so while it makes things very tight for me in the short term I see the light at the end of the tunnel. That's a good thing! But it means my dogs are getting very little work (ie and Pia's not started yet). We have a set-out job coming up in a few months, and should do some farm-sitting in the fall. That'll help.

It frustrates me that the finals are going to be so close to home next year and I don't have the financial wherewithal to even *try* to get my dogs qualified (and with Nick in his prime).

A week ago I had a suspicious lump removed from Linc's wrist. It turned out to be a histiocytoma, which is good news indeed, so I can at least stop worrying about that part of things. I was a bit concerned as the incision was still oozing ever so slightly up until Saturday night, but only after going out to potty. The oozing has stopped though, thankfully, and the incision is looking good.

However, last night it appeared that one of his sutures had come... untied I guess, for lack of a better term. The incision looked good and closed in that spot, but because it's a high tension area I was concerned about losing it altogether and applying more tension on the spots that are already struggling to stay closed. So this morning before work I got out a flashlight and two pairs of tweezers and retied it. This was no easy feat, for sure. Lucky for me the vet left long ends so I could count stitches... and so I could retie, though I'm guessing she didn't exactly have that scenario in mind.

I'll be glad when Linc is able to get out of lock down. With his incision being near his wrist it's a very un-meaty place with a lot of tension, so he's on lockdown in the lampshade of doom. He's taking it mostly in stride though.

I suppose that's enough of this rambling pity/worry party. Those are the ones most on my mind. Maybe now I can let some of it go a little.

To add a little levity - this morning I ate my yogurt with a fork. Desperate times and all.

I'm reminded and comforted by the fact that the greatest gift I give my dogs is a good life and the opportunity to do things with me, and just BE with me.

If you even managed to make it this far without your eyes glazing over, cookie for you!

Pia on Sheep - 11 months

I haven't worked Pia at all since January. I thought last weekend I'd give her a whirl to see where we were, see if it's time to start actually training. I was very pleased - and do think it's time to start a little with her. I think I'm going to like her a lot. Back in January she was a little sensitive, so other than speaking to her a little when she was thinking about diving in, I just let her work.

Pia on Sheep - 8 months

I gave Pia a whirl on sheep over the weekend at Robin's. She was feeling a tad bit sensitive, but after the sheepsplosion naughty dog rodeo at Thanksgiving she needed to feel a little more sensitive. I like her responsiveness, and figure that in another month or two she'll settle into a place that will be just right for me. I think she and I will do just fine together. She's still not ready for much training pressure, but she is getting there. She is trying very hard to figure out what I want.

I really would prefer to just post vids where my dogs and I all look like rockstars, but I've promised myself to be real and post the good, the bad, and even the fat hiney-ed.

Saturday:



Sunday:



I'll give her a while before I work her again as I find the explode the sheep but be mushy to corrections phase difficult to manage. I've made mistakes in the past by trying to power through these phases, when waiting it out would have made sense. Maturity heals a lot of things.

Videos by Robin French.

A Little Something About Pia

Ever since Bree moved out with my ex-husband I've been waiting for a dog with this particular knack - one that Bree had that nobody since has had - until Pia. Bree was a naughty little dog in many respects, and hard headed as the day was long. However, the one thing that Bree would do for me that none of the other dogs would do is retrieve random items from tight spaces based on my verbal shaping.

Pia seems to have this knack. It makes me SO happy.

Pia knows what "get your toy" means. But sometimes I drop things that I cannot reach, and sometimes things get crammed in the back of crates (and I cannot reach them without getting down on the floor). Having a dog around that will get these things is a VERY good thing. Not to mention they don't get enough work these days, so anything else I can give them makes them happy.

I've noticed that I can tell her "get your toy" and if she's going to the wrong one I can say "no" and then when she shifts I can say "yes" and follow that "yes" with a "good girl" and get her to get the toy I'm thinking of. June will do this to a smaller degree but the other dogs (Nick, Linc, and Ginger) all look at me like I'm crazy. But Pia? She's a little rockstar. The fact that she likes to put things in her mouth that do not belong to her seems to help with directing her. The other dogs just plain flat out won't pick up things that don't belong to them.

The other day Pia had wrestled her food bowl up on one end and had plastered it to the back of her crate. I let her out and sighed... knowing I was going to have to get on my hands and knees and go get it. Then on a whim I called her over there. I told her, "Get your bowl". She hopped in and out of her crate. So she understood that I wanted something from her crate, but not what. So she hopped in, and as she was facing her bowl I said, "YES! Good girl." From that point I verbally shaped it until I got her to pick up her bowl and bring it out to me.

Same thing with my slippers last night.

Nevermind the fact that I had to have her retrieve them because she'd run off with them in the first place.



Hey, we're not perfect. Just enthusiastic.

Pia is one of these dogs that wants to DO something for me. I like that. I shape behaviors in the other dogs with food sometimes (in a home setting), but I like that she can listen to my voice and respond without food. She seems to want to make me happy, and that makes me happy. Hopefully I can get her back on sheep before too long and see if she's grown up a little. I sure am looking forward to it!

Pia and Jade

I took dogs out to Denise's last weekend, mostly so that Pia and Jade could visit, and so that Denise and I could visit. Denise got some lovely shots of them both - and as always all photos belong to her and please do not use without permission.

Now that THAT is out of the way, the pups are now 16 weeks old. I was a bit dismayed last week as one of Pia's ears had deflated. But they're back up - either tipped:



or completely pricked:



She's teething right now, so I'll be interested to see how they wind up. When I weighed Pia a couple of days ago she clocked in at 15 pounds - though she'd not yet pooped so lets call it 14.5.

Jade has great ears too!



Both pups seem to just, as Denise puts it, have good intentions.



At home right now mostly Pia is just learning to have general manners. She's learning that while Zippy likes to play with her she's too big and too rough for him now. She's learning that yes, she has to come when I call her, and that my socks and flip flops are not for puppies.

She did have her first exposure to sheep this past weekend. She showed some glimmers of interest - and even at one point was going to head them. I could see her checking in and flaring out. Very cool.

It's always interesting to me to see how each new dog reacts to the first exposure to sheep. Linc? He followed me around hopping up and down going "Hi Mom! Hi Mom! Hi Mom!". Nick took off the second his little (or not so little) feet hit the ground, went around, and brought me the sheep. Pia showed some interest and instinct - and almost went around a couple of times, but wasn't completely turned on yet. Very neat. Can't wait to see what she does next time!

I think this is my favorite part - the first few times on sheep. It's all so fresh, free and exciting... yet timeless.

Pia and Jade Reunion

Last weekend I took Pia over to visit with her littermate, Denise Wall's Jade. Denise got some lovely photos, and I thought I'd share them with you all. They were about 10.5 weeks at the time of the photos - are 11.5 weeks now. Pia is growing SO fast.

Clearly I belong to Pia.


Jade disagrees. A little.


I can eat ur face.


I'm such a sucker for this puppy.


Love. Major love.

She's learning to come when called right now (she was already pretty good at that). She sits on command, and is learning to lie down. She shakes, by the way. I noticed that she was very paw oriented, and all it took was a couple (literally) of "good girl" praises from me and she picked it up. She's connecting the command to it too.

She's also learning to wait to come in the back door until her name is called. Boy was that a tough lesson for her yesterday. That's my version of gate sorting dogs at the door, by the way. They're expected to wait to come through until their name is called - that way I can let in or out only the ones I want (though just as often they go in or out together if the doggie door is open).

Plus she got promoted to the big girl crate today. Why, you ask? Because yesterday she chewed another Pia-mouth sized hole into my drywall. She also managed to pry the plate that covers the motor off of the freezer. All of this she did from inside of the ex-pen. So the ex-pen will only now be for playing when I'm home, and she'll go in a big-girl crate next to June when I'm gone.

So that's the Pia update for today! Happy Friday, everyone.

Photos are courtesy of Denise Wall. Please do not use without permission from her.

I Just Can't Help Myself

I am pathetic and I know it. I'm on stay-cation and all I can do is squeeze my puppy and take endlessly boringly bad pictures. Well, that and watch old-people aerobics on channel 13. For thirty minutes. That's almost as special as watching the genie bra infomercials.

But hey... they don't stay this small for long.



Pia looks pretty tiny next to Nick. She's not really quite THAT small. I just find this sort of comparison amusing. As a side note... notice the Noodleman leeeeeeaaaaning...



In case you were wondering, Linc is not about to take a dump on the porch. I caught him mid sit. He wasn't even part of the photo shoot but he just Wouldn't. Go. Away.

She is SO going to have really great ears.



He likes her - though not in a BFF sort of way. It's more of an, "Oh. Hi. You don't completely suck for a puppy" sort of way. He actually lowered himself to playing with her last night. I was pleasantly surprised. But in the light of day...



He thinks maybe if he yawns really big that she'll go away when he's finished. Nope, not a chance.



But really, do you see how she looks at me?

He's already teaching her to vulture appropriately.



Ginger, on the other hand, is so grateful that I brought her home a new puppy.



Oh wait! That's not Ginger. It's a wookie. This is what the wookie and Princess P do sometimes:



For those of you who don't know, why yes that is indeed cream colored carpet. Don't judge me - I only had Ginger when I bought my house. I'd been living in this tiny little house with knotty pine paneling on the walls and ceilings and hardwood floors. It was like a cave in there, and I wanted something bright and airy. Whatever.

Just to be fair, here is that first photo uncropped for a better size comparison. Ginger is about 24 lbs. Pia clocked in yesterday at about 8 with my very scientific way of measuring it.



Ginger knows all about these photo shoots. I make them do this pretty much every time I get a new puppy. She is clearly not amused.

For reference, lets review the "Troublemakers" photo from long ago. Here is Nick, Ginger, and Zippy from... oh... almost five years ago now. See? Noodleman was once quite tiny:



Whew. Thus endeth public patheticness for today.

Insert the not a photographer disclaimer here.

Pia Maria Anna Lucia Monday

My apologies to my Facebook peeps who've already seen these, but I wanted to post a couple of my favorite pictures of Pia from yesterday. She's just turned nine weeks old. She's SO sweet, still feisty, and I adore her. She's being such a good puppy - and took her first overnight trip to Robin's like a champ. The big dogs like her, though surprisingly the one who likes to play with her is Zippy. Go figure. The Old Guy is on a roll these days.

Hey! It's another fuzzy running shot! I can't help it though - she's so enthusiastic.



This one is my favorite. I love the way the light worked out. I was fooling around with the camera's manual settings (I have a 4 year old Kodak easyshare Z710... not nearly as exciting as the equipment most blogging folks have) and managed to get this. I started to edit it but preferred the raw image:



They set the fireworks off right up the street from my house last night. Pia laid on the couch next to me fully and happily sacked out propped up against my leg. There's something about her that makes me silly, but then she's my first female border collie puppy (I don't count the BC Mix, Bree, that my ex-husband took with him).

She swam at Robin's this weekend. She was down at the pond messing around, and next thing I knew she was out there just tooling around. Too bad we didn't have a camera ready. When she got out she looked like a chihuahua with her body wet and those ears up like they are right now. She then proceeded to barrel roll her way down the hill to dry off. She makes me laugh all the time.

And no, she's not sleeping on the bed. Yet.

Until next time...



PS - next time may be soon since I'm on staycation this week

PS2 - I just realized it's not Monday. Oh well.

She's Here! (and no, she doens't have a name, yet)

In case you were wondering, it's very difficult to take pictures of a puppy who won't go do something else. I have several pictures just like this one. Oh, and one amazingly bad shot of her running to me. wanna see it? Of course you do. 'Cuz it's a puppy, and we already know that I'm no photographer.



That being said, I love a puppy that loves me, and this puppy LOVES me.

See?



How can I not melt when she looks at me like that? Sadly she still doesn't have a name yet. I'm leaning towards "Pia" though. I don't know why. I just like the name, and it seems to suit her.

Ginger totally digs her. Ginger dug all three of the puppies yesterday, and wished she could stay and play with puppies forever. Hey! This puppy is wearing a ginger-tailed hat!



She's met all of the dogs. Though she's a tiny bit apprehensive about them, she's doing just great. They like her. A lot. She's still trying occasionally to nurse. On Nick. He's not impressed.

Gratuitous Zippy picture:



This is our "going home" shot taken by Denise Wall yesterday. Those ears are SO going up. Sure do hope so, anyway.



Ok, ok. One last one.