weaseldogs

[weaseldogs]

Did you know she’s a gamer?

[weaseldogs]

Happy New Year (pippin hated this)

[weaseldogs]

Annual reminder to double check that your pet ID tags are legible!

This time last year we found a lost dog and the only reason we were able to get them home was because we on a whim decided to take them for a walk and they walked us back to their house. Dude could have lost their family forever just because the tags were worn out!

Fireworks are scary, running off happens even in the most secure households, make sure it’s easy to get your pet back home! Replace worn out tags, see if the tattoo is legible, double check your microchip data is up to date!

[weaseldogs]

Pippin doing FastCAT in Montgomery, AL, Nov 2022

Photo credit: Brian Batista Photography

[weaseldogs]

art of my puppy dogs

[weaseldogs]

Pippin Christmas montage

[weaseldogs]

Love the art in this picture!! It reminds me so much of my dog. This is absolutely Pippin and why we don't do dog shows. She hates being touched by strangers. She will not growl but it's more like whale eye and slink as small as she can. We did a lot of socializing as a baby but she has always been like this. For this reason I do think it is genetic. She is fine when she is comfortable and trusts the person but she doesn't enjoy interactions with strangers. I don't think all mudis are like this but many are. It feels like there must be a level of trust between the dog and person before a physical interaction is accepted and enjoyed. This is a stark contrast between Croix (my pom mix) and Tobi (my lab mix who passed this year) who love everyone. I didn't get her as a show prospect so it's not a big deal to me. It's harder with other people and explaining to them consent with dogs LOL.

this wolf at a dog show don’t appreciate being manhandled

[weaseldogs]

Christmas haul (kind of) for my IGP prospect / new family member coming home next month. Most of this is hand me downs but some things like the bite roll and pink tug I bought in Orlando at AKC nationals. Some things were gifted to me from my partner and friends :)

[weaseldogs]

While I’m here visiting folks in Florida, I found that Pippin has a cracked molar. There is a slab fracture I am assuming from a benebone (which yes I will be throwing all of mine away 😭) on the outside of the molar. We went to a vet here to look at it and she thinks it could possibly be saved. Until we get home to my regular vet Tuesday for X-rays we have some antibiotics to keep any nastiness at bay. I was really thankful we found a vet willing to take us in because many were backed up due to the holidays. The vet tech there was also wonderful with Pippin which was a delight as she is timid with strangers. Luckily Pippin is not in any pain and acts completely normal, still wanting to tug and play even though I have doomed her to a life of softened kibble and soft toys until this is sorted out. She really likes the soggy dog food though, so I don’t think she cares.

That is the fun development of Pippin’s life called: how stressful can make my mother’s life while traveling. 😂

[weaseldogs]

Some hilarious frisbee pictures from yesterday. The best part of having a void dog is the ugly cryptic pictures you get of them

[weaseldogs]

Something that has been on my mind is thinking about how scared I am to push Pippin. I think because she was such a shy and timid puppy, I spent so much time pushing her confidence and going at her level. I have mentioned this previously in my posts because it is a mental head space I am just stuck in with her. I went at her pace and asked for no more than she was willing to give me because I was so scared of pushing her past her comfort level. It’s difficult for me to accept that she is resilient and intelligent, and that I can push her further in our training. It’s hard to not see her as a meek little baby still who needs to be coddled. In a breed like mudis who can shut down, it’s also hard to know how much is acceptable to push her in new environments. To ask for more than usual, to expect more from her than I previously did. Is this common with people with their first mudis, I have to wonder. I have to remember that she isn’t a scared baby. She is confident and capable with a dedicated and loving handler behind her.

[weaseldogs]

Getting in the Christmas spirit!

*had to be distracted by treats so he wouldn’t absolutely rip the sweater off his body*

[weaseldogs]

🎁 As the holiday season approaches and people are buying and receiving gifts, don't forget that you can repurpose card and paper packaging into super cheap and easy enrichment. Just wrap some kibble or treats in paper and stuff the bundles in a small box or envelope.

Please enjoy some card-shredding ASMR courtesy of Milo. 😂

[weaseldogs]

Today we played a game together. We were playing tug in the house and I started to tug, run, then tug again when she came to me. So I ran into my bedroom where the light was off and tugged with her. She ran out of the room expecting me to go with her and instead I didn’t. I stood against the wall, in the dark to the side of my dresser. She came in and didn’t see me. Immediately looked on the bed, jumped up thinking maybe I was sleeping there. She didn’t find me so she turned around, jumped down, and looked out the door way. It was so funny. I could see the gears in her head turning. “I saw you… But you didn’t leave…”

She turned back to the room and immediately looked at me. Not gonna lie, I lost it. I was laughing so hard. It was hilarious. And she thought it was hilarious. She got zoomies realizing I was there and started bouncing on my bed. It was the funniest thing. Despite our species difference and language barrier, it felt like we were having a moment. A funny inside joke together. It felt like we were both so in the moment and in tune, tied by this one hilarious instance.

I love moments like this with my dog. Something feels so profound when I am with Pippin sometimes. I don’t really believe in fate or soulmates or anything. But if I did, Pippin is definitely a soulmate. She is one of the best things to ever happen to me. It’s strange to think I ever lived without her.

[weaseldogs]

We went to a schutzhund trial the other weekend and had a weird scare with Pippin. There were quite a few people there, and someone wrapped in blankets and other loose clothing really spooked her. Then, she spooked at someone else who was bending down. She barked and lunged at the leash, something she has NEVER done to a person before. It was a hard day. I was super depressed about it. Socializing is something that Pippin and I have always struggled with and I am constantly at war with. I did extensive socializing with her as a baby. Some was pretty easy like going to dog trials and things like that. We had a harder time doing one on one socializing because covid was still a thing so it was hard to approach people or expect them to. It was hard to balance the I-need-to-socialize-my-dog with I-need-to-keep-myself-and-everyone-safe. So we did some but definitely not enough due to this. She struggles with one on one interactions. They make her unsure and that is where all of her anxiety comes from, so she reacts. Usually it is a bark or a low growl. But the lunge that day was new and I felt like a failure.

So we are focusing on that again, just as ever. I think genetically she is just predisposed to not want to be around new people. After introductions and exposure she is fine with a person and treats them with as much love as she does me. And then, the unsureness and unpredictability is what makes her nervous. She doesn't want to be stared at and feels it is too personal until she "knows" someone.

Maybe a bit romanticizing her behavior but, yes, she struggles with people. But wow, the lunging. That was new.

Luckily we have done some socializing this week and it has gone well. We have stood outside of store entrances, practicing walking past people and having people walk past us. We went to a dog show and had a good interaction with a lady who came up and talked to us about her but didn't look at her or interact with her after we told her she was shy. Pippin does better in those interactions where she can approach, give a few sniffs, then walk away. Her father when I met him was much like that though he was not scared of me, just disinterested and aloof. Pippin has that fear. Hopefully with more socialization we can get past that. My goal is just her feeling aloof and relaxed. I don't expect a golden retriever or for her to be happy about a person being there. Calm and content.

Anyway, at the dog show, she was really good. Excited and barked a bit by the FastCAT booth but it's understandable. Barked at some dogs here (maybe 2 or 3 total) and there but only once or twice. Again, out of being unsure with the situation. We sat inside the show for a while and she laid down then eventually curled into a ball (success). It was a good distance to the dogs but still where she could see and hear them. One looked at her which is one of the ones that set her off. Socializing be like :')

Outside of the socializing aspect, Pippin is doing great in agility. That has really been my only focus although I want to get her involved in some NASDA trials. Pippin has zero fears of any of the equipment. Trying to get her to understand that she is meant to go INTO the tunnel and not CLIMB ON IT. I reward a lot for jumping on things so I guess I can't blame her for the confusion. She loves the agility field and had some zoomies in our class. We chained a set of obstacles probably more than she could handle so it's to be understandable. I finished my classes so I can rent their field and I will probably start doing that and working on what I want in the field then taking their handling classes as I need to since they're drop in. I'm not sure how long it will be till I feel comfortable to compete with her. Hopefully we will one day but even if we don't I'm happy to continue this as a hobby fun for Pips.

[weaseldogs]

Trying out the Tumblr thing. We are normally on instagram (@weaseldogs) but I would like to use this as a platform for longer thoughts, maybe more fleshed out observations and more personal thoughts regarding dogs, dog training, and my own experiences in both of those venues. I also enjoy the tagging system so I can document things and see progress by looking up each dog's individual tag. Let's see how it goes!