Author Archives: dazzlesmom

I wish I had a photo or video! Voodoo just brought his empty water bowl all the way through the house to me, even though the way he was carrying it meant he couldn’t see where he was going! It was over his head! LOL When my husband filled it, he got a long drink. So I know he was communicating a need. It’s the only time he’s picked up the bowl. Did I mention he’s incredibly smart? 🙂

In other news, he got a new toy from a friend of mine and he loves it!  Thank-you Serena! https://vimeo.com/173500686

It stopped raining just long enough to get this photo at a local park.  I wanted to get him next to a bed of pretty flowers, but none of the parks I checked had any in bloom. 😦 So we settled for a picnic table by the river. He got an entire handful of treats for holding these flags while I got the shot. The flash on my camera wouldn’t fire, even in manual mode, so I ended up getting fill light with an actual flashlight! He’s SO patient with me!  I cropped one in 8×10 landscape as well so I can put it in a calendar.

Voodoo grew another full inch the past week.  He’s now at 16″ tall!

Voodoo likes my rats.  He stares at them and they stare at him 🙂  I think he will be a good Barn Hunt dog. But he won’t be able to fit on the shelf where the rat cages are much longer!  Click on any photo to see it larger.

From 7-2-16

We had a fun day at the park yesterday evening (stayed till after it was dark). Voodoo took his first walk in the woods with me, played on a floating and moving dock, and played on a new playground slide (I think he really likes slides!):

The slide: https://vimeo.com/173181759/45b6e95426

The Dock: https://vimeo.com/173180999/4cb4c2ea10

And a mostly boring video of rewarding check-ins during our short walk:

I had a 25′ long line, but didn’t need that much length because he didn’t stray very far before checking in for another treat.

A few photos from the park outing:

He also got to meet a visiting baby who was used to dogs and didn’t mind Voodoo giving her a quick kiss  🙂  At one point, he thought about climbing in with her, but changed his mind. Mostly he ignored her, but when they did interact at first, I had my hand on his collar.  It was clear he was not bothered by her and wasn’t going to hurt her, so I let go of his collar and got this quick interaction.

Prior to today, Dazzle and Voodoo have only played in short bursts, usually ending in Dazzle telling the puppy to “knock it off”. But this morning, almost exactly 1 month since Voodoo arrived, it was like a light switch was flipped. They played off and on (more on than off) for nearly 2 hours! I think the bonding and friendship are finally complete. Dazzle now sees Voodoo as a good playmate and I am SOOO happy! They have been playing in long stretches throughout the day (& all through the house!) Here are some highlights: https://vimeo.com/172648701

Another first today- Voodoo has gone OUT the dog door on his own several times today!  Before today, he had mastered coming in, but still needed a human to hold the dog door open (at least a little) when he wanted to go out.  But today, he barreled right out after Dazzle!  And then went out on his own again a few times just because he wanted to be outside. He loves being outside, even the past few days that have been really hot. He lays in the shade and entertains himself or plays with the in-ground tug toy or wanders around the yard exploring.

And he’s moved up to a “big boy” crate (medium size) for sleeping at night. The puppy crate was looking a bit cramped and he likes to stretch out when he sleeps. So tonight, the bigger crate will be on the floor instead of on the table by the bed. I don’t expect any issues. <knock on wood> 🙂

Last night we did a little work on the exercise ball.  His balance and core strength are incredible! Especially for his age! I was trying to hold the camera with one hand and do the luring with the other, so the camera work sucks.  But you get the idea. I don’t know if, at this age, he should have the strength and balance to be able to stand on only his hind feet on a balance ball, but as you can see, he wasn’t having any problem. https://vimeo.com/172671415

I think I should have named Voodoo “Stealth” and might have to put a bell on him! He is a pro at sneaking into/out of a room without being noticed, getting under foot when you think he’s across the room, and sometimes sneaking off to a room where he shouldn’t be (to bark at the cat who annoys him by totally ignoring his desire to play). Either that or my hearing isn’t what it used to be. 🙂

Training is going well, but I haven’t gotten photos/video lately. Mostly because I’m incorporating training more into daily life rather than having formal training sessions.  Taking a few minutes here and there throughout the day to do a short session on whatever I feel needs practice.  Easier for me, but not conducive to getting it captured for sharing. Sorry.

I have acclimated Voodoo to his swimming vest (same as I did with his harness, but it went really fast) and he’s now been begging to go in the pool to swim!  He puts his front feet on the edge and does little hops and just about pulled himself up. He needs to be bigger before he swims on his own though so he can get out on his own! https://vimeo.com/172042338

So cute in his vest!

A couple profile shots (almost 13 weeks old in these shots) I measured him tonight (at exactly 13 weeks) and he grew a full inch last week!  He’s now 15″ tall.

“I have shredded all the tissue boxes you gave me and I’m ready for more mom!”

From 6-26-16

Voodoo did great at the Barn Hunt trial where I was back-up Judging today!  He was quiet in his crate even when I wasn’t by his crate and even took a nap when I ran Dazzle twice. Last night was his first experience there for the Friday evening trial and he was more fussy. Nancy took him outside and walked him around to keep him quiet when I was Judging and running Dazzle.  But today he did great. Hoping for a repeat of today when we go back for the last day of the trial. The dog with the crate that is covered with the white sheet was a Beagle who was baying frequently. At first Voodoo wanted to join in, but he quickly learned that (just like at home) being quiet pays off and barking doesn’t 🙂

Might be time for a bigger crate though 🙂

I moved to the basement to get more space (because it’s too hot and humid outside!) and Voodoo made great progress!  We worked on stay because he now has a good grasp of the sit target and that made it much easier for him to understand the difficult concept of “don’t move while I move away from you”.

Also got a bit more distance on the directing to the targets. And his go out (around the cone) made huge progress!  He was going a long way for a little pup! And with gusto! He definitely loves that exercise.  https://vimeo.com/171697472

Not on camera, but we also did some retrieve work with his toy to try to get more distance. Unfortunately, retrieve isn’t one of his favorite things.  I think he feels like “If you want it, why do you keep throwing it!?” I’m hoping that as he gets older and better able to keep up with Dazzle that he will do less stalking/waiting and more chasing and learn to love it. Just taking it slow and keeping it fun. Hopefully the retriever part of his breed will kick in 🙂 I’ve been rewarding more with tug than food and I think that’s helping.