Peteyfoozer’s Journey (because journaling’s not enough)

[peteyfoozer]

Did WAY more than I should have or planned to, today. But sourdough got baked, rabbit meat boned out and canned, dishes done, kitchen cleaned, 3 dozen scotch cookies made for Randy, kitchen cleaned again, top of stove scrubbed from Randy’s cooking while I was immobilized (why do men NEVER think to wipe down counters and stovetops?) his online medical stuff taken care of, dinner put together and in the oven, kitchen cleaned again, dogs’ dinners prepared because Boone came in and stood next to me crying “Boooooone, Boooone, Boooooone” which means he wants to eat. Again, counters wiped down………. I am beginning to see a pattern of why I never seem to get the rest of the house cleaned…
I finally went and laid down just in time for Boone to come gah-lopping through the door and sailing his 90+ lb of puppy love through the air, landing on top of me with his inconceivably sharp and pointy elbow in my boob, swiping his massive tongue across my face.

Life doesn’t get a whole lot better than that, my friend

 

[Baymule]

Sounds like a good day!

 

[peteyfoozer]

Had to make the 4 hr drive into town again this morning.
So much training to do, so little opportunity.
Teaching a giant breed puppy to squeeze under tables is a little more of a challenge than I thought it would be but it’s going fairly well. Training a Service Dog is a lot of work in the best of situations but living 4 hr from town, with minimal human contact adds a ridiculous element of difficulty.
If it wasn’t hard enough, one also has to deal with well meaning but pushy people who think your dog wants their attention more than yours
I do make exceptions for particular strangers that I feel could concern him at maturity when his instincts influence him more. I want him to have a history of positive interactions with people that could cause his concern ie: bearded men, people with an odd gait, folks in wheelchairs, walkers, canes, etc.
He’s so far, a very social pup. I need to find the balance between his being social and his becoming distracted or soliciting attention.

He seems to be enjoying the work. He watches everything with curious interest and he’s been tasking in spite of high distraction which is HUGE for his age and breed.
There were several people waiting with us at the elevator when my phone fell out of my jacket I was carrying. I asked him for it, and he didn’t hesitate to pick it up and hand it to me.
While waiting for Randy’s appt, we did some puppy pushups and I asked him to hand me his leash several times and he happily did so.
We did a lot of walking outside on grass so he could pee. He’s started picking up on “left, right, wait and forward”. His heel isn’t perfect but I’m pretty happy with it. He will put just enough tension on the short handle to help me when I need a little. I keep a pinch collar on him, attached to hands free leash, only because he is 100lb, someday could be 150lb and it’s there as an emergency brake, should I ever need it. Mostly we are working on loose leash walking like Heath did, unless I take the handle.

Boon is becoming pretty well known at the hospital and it’s good for him to see familiar faces.
Like with Fen, laying quietly under tables or in waiting rooms is the biggest challenge for him, but he doesn’t have as hard a time dealing with it as he is content to spend a great deal of his day quietly observing, whereas, Fen really needs a release. He’s happiest bossing anyone or everyone around and being in charge. Letting him off the hook as my SD has made the entire family happier and Boone is picking up a lot more of the slack than I thought he would.

I had to leave Boo in the waiting room with Randy as he began farting. If it turned out to be pre-poop faht, I couldn’t afford to be stuck back in a Dr office with him.
He needs to learn to obey Randy anyway and accept his leadership in case I am ever hospitalized again, as he would be the one to take him out for potty runs.

FYI-Boone fahts are pretty potent. I doubt they will need an exterminator in the building for some time to come

 

[SageHill]

Thinking outside the box and trying to learn LGD mindset and processing …..
I know that you want to get him out and about way more than you are. As one would with say a herding breed for socialization. But here’s me trying to “think”
LGD - and mostly because it sounds like Boone is doing so well. You guys have all said that LGDs need to “think things over” and that they take awhile to think - so here’s what popped into my head - perhaps the amount you are able to get him out is what is right for an LGD to think/process the social outing. Whereas if you were getting him out all the time maybe that would be too much and overwhelming for him.
So all you LGD folks - am I thinking right or just blowing smoke??

 

[peteyfoozer]

@SageHill
I think the thought definitely has some validity. The difficult part is 4 hr of driving each way, with so many experiences crammed into one day. It’s not so bad for a mature dog but for puppies it can be stressful and exhausting. Fen didn’t deal with it well at all. He sometimes even refused to get out of the car, cuz it was just too much input for him.
I honestly think, in my case, the only reason it worked for Heath and I, and is working with Boone is the bond. Both Boone and Heathen bonded insanely deep, and being with me makes the experience much more palatable, whereas to Fen, it was torture

 

[Baymule]

I think it may be a combination of being deeply bonded and time to think about and process the events of the day.

Boone is doing outstanding. Do the people who meet him know Anatolians and how unsurmountable this would be for most Anatolians?

 

[peteyfoozer]

I think it may be a combination of being deeply bonded and time to think about and process the events of the day.

Boone is doing outstanding. Do the people who meet him know Anatolians and how unsurmountable this would be for most Anatolians?

I let people know it is highly inadvisable. Also, sometimes I lie and say he is a baby Mastiff

 

[peteyfoozer]

Today’s pain is pretty intense.
Not much I can do besides lay in bed, look at dog pictures, talk to Boone.
I can’t stifle the laughter as TheMan goes into the bathroom and closes the door…just moments behind him, Fen waltzes in, grabs the tug, yanks the door open and goes in without hesitation to say whatever he had to say. I find his complete lack of boundaries hilarious

 

[Baymule]

At least Fen didn’t sniff The Man’s butt

 

[Mini Horses]

maybe???