Chopper's Halloween

This little corner of Chopper's world seems to have been a little forgotten. Chopper and I are still running around doing our thing - visiting Starbucks, running in Agility League (though Chopper is more of a prancer than a runner), outings to the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica now that the tourists are gone. And a lot of work on my part.

Also one of our favorite holidays has come and gone - Halloween. In the spirit of keeping up Chopper's end of his adoption bargain he willingly subjected himself to yet another costume. I think he wouldn't have agreed if he had known I would make him wear costumes that matched me.

We went to the Zoom Room's Halloween Party as Mickey and Minnie and I forced him into donning the costumes again on Halloween for trick or treaters. We only got one trick or treater this year (which means Chopper got to sample some Skittles and he likes them). But on the positive side Chopper didn't bark at her or her dog that accompanied her to the door.

Chopper, however, was not a fan of all things Halloween this year. Our neighborhood notoriously has some GREAT Halloween decorations. Inflatable spiders, clowns with heads removed, talking lights, ghosts hanging from four story high palm trees. Everyone goes all out. This year one of our favorite houses had a few new decorations however - giant cats.

Chopper and I were on our morning walk and I was admiring the decorations and didn't notice that when we came around the corner there were two giant inflatable cats - with moving heads and glowing eyes - in the driveway of this house. These cats were at least seven feet tall and in the crouching attack position. Chopper immediately started growling and then barking and refused to cross in front of these cats - he was convinced that they were, in fact, giant cats that were obviously going to kill him. After a lot of convincing and more pulling on his leash I got him past the house but he refused to stop staring at the house and growling and even ignored his doggy buddies at the park. So what did I do - well the next day I videotaped it. It's pretty hilarious (though not as great as that first day). By the fourth time we passed the house that week he was not at all affected by the those cats and this week when a giant inflatable football player appeared he gave it a quick inspection and decided it meant no harm and moved on. Another learning/conditioning experience for the old guy.

Now we are getting ready for Christmas (work obligations means that we have for the time being at least had to "cancel" Thanksgiving at our house - although I managed to pick up some special Thanksgiving Dinner canned wet food for my favorite guy). Chopper's been on his best behavior recently - I think he's trying to get on Santa's "nice" list (as opposed to the "naughty" list).

Locked Out

Chopper has had his share of accidents and trips to the vets for ridiculous things but in hindsight the most hilarious thing that dog has ever done is lock me out of my own house.

I had not had Chopper very long at this point and a few friends from work were coming over to hang out - they had gone to pick up food and I had driven home to take Chopper out for his walk. I got to the front door and as usual Chopper came running to the front door to greet me (I could see him through the window). But when I tried to open the door it wouldn't quite open. I told Chopper to move as I thought he was blocking the door. But that didn't work. A few more shoves and odd looks from Chopper and I figured out what had happened. For some reason my door had three locks when I moved in - a deadbolt, a chain and one of those flippy kind that they have in hotels. Chopper had jumped up at some point during the day and flipped the flippy one over just enough that it was keeping me from getting the door open. After a few minutes Chopper stopped waiting for me to come in and went back to his bone (thanks buddy).

Now how to get in. By this time my friends had arrived and we came up with a plan. The windows in the front weren't open enough and the ones in the kitchen would require a ladder but the bathroom window in the back facing the parking lot was open - now it was high but we backed my Blazer up to the window and lowered my friend through the window. It wasn't quite that easy as the window had a screen we had to push out and the window sill was full of shampoo bottles and what not. Needless to say this all made a bit of a racket (not that my neighbors noticed) when it came crashing down into the bathtub and by the time my friend got inside poor Chopper was quite upset.

The first thing I did when I got inside was get a screwdriver and take the lock off the door. I'm not sure Chopper would ever be able to stay in a hotel (ones that would allow it) as he could possibly get himself trapped inside.

Therapy Dog Class: The Conclusion

Well we finished our six weeks of Therapy Dog class. Needless to say Chopper has no fear of wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, large wood boxes falling on the floor and annoying children's toys (but if I drop a remote he jumps three feet in the air - go figure).

On the last day of class some of the dogs were missing (again) so there were only four of us - which Chopper doesn't mind at all. We went through a simulated version of the testing situation since the trainer is not certified to give a therapy dog test for the licensing organizations. The intent with Chopper was never for him to be a therapy dog - he has a few too many neuroses for the time being - but someday it may be in the cards for him. Chopper did extremely well on everything but the trainer didn't give him the "hug test" as we know Chopper is not a fan of this (unless its me doing the hugging).

One area where Chopper has improved leaps and bounds is with the supervised separation. He initially stayed with the trainer but after a few weeks I wanted him to try it with a new person - enter the pretty girl behind the counter. Up until a few weeks ago Chopper wasn't aware she existed - which is how he likes it. She didn't try and pet him before he was ready or even talk to him. Then I started giving her treats to give him while we were waiting for our turn on activities and then it was time for her to take him. The first time I handed the leash over he tried to follow me. The second week he sat on the floor with her. The next week she was awarded with a kiss before class started and needless to say was fine when I left him with her during the separation part of class. Now Chopper and I have taken three back-to-back classes at the Zoom Room so he had about 5 months of seeing her once a week until he was ready to be totally 100% friends with this person. But still it is impressive for him and if she ever needs a therapy dog Chopper will be ready!

All in all we had lots of fun taking the class and now we are doing Agility League which meets up once a week and the dogs run through the obstacles and see who has the best time. Chopper is pretty slow (I'm usually in front of him) and he doesn't like jumping through the tire but I can't get over how well he listens to me and knows where I want him to go (even when I use the wrong words). Agility League runs almost until Christmas so we will be busy until then.

Emergency Preparedness

Living close to the mountains in Los Angeles, which have a tendency to erupt in flames every few years, there have been a few times when I thought I would need to evacuate - along with Chopper. That coupled with his insistence on being somewhat of a walking disaster has made me a little hyper vigilant about dog safety.

I've take a dog safety class where we learned how to do CPR on a dog and the Heimlich maneuver as well (which was needed one time in the car when he started gagging on his own throw up in the middle of East LA). And we have a dog first aid book at home and first aid kit with all the essentials. But a few days ago I came across the Wag'n Pet First Aid Bandanna, and I think it is something we will need to invest in - and possibly give as presents this coming holiday season - and they are only around $10 each!

The basic idea with this product is that all the need-to-know basic dog safety information you need is on the bandanna (but the site does suggest taking a pet first aide course) - and you can use the bandanna as a bandage or muzzle or what not in such an emergency. As someone who takes their dog hiking in an area where there are signs warning of rattlesnakes and a host of other things that could go wrong - I think this product is great.

This site also sells pet-first aide kits and will let you sponsor an pet oxygen mask for your local fire station or first responders. These kits allow firefighters and other first responders to give oxygen to both conscious pets that have suffered from smoke inhalation and unconscious pets that need to be resuscitated after breathing in fumes. Most fire departments don't have the funds for the equipment so it is essential that people step up and purchase these items for their community. It is $70 to send a kit to your fire department and because October is National Fire Safety Month the shipping and handling is covered through the end of the month!

Therapy Dog Class Week 4

Chopper was really on his best behavior the other night before class - almost made it the whole way to class without his blindfold thingamajig without barking (a semi on the 405 was just too much to resist). So I was pretty pleased with him before we even started class.

One of the new activities we tried were walking around in a circle with treats in the middle of the room. Poor old hungry Chopper tried to veer toward those treats a few times but the treats I had were a given (versus him stealing a giant bully stick that I would likely be able to pull out of his mouth) so after a few half-hearted attempts he was compliant with just walking beside me like the good dog he sometimes pretends to be. One of the other dogs though is afraid of pig ears and another one played it cool until the end and then shot toward a piece of chicken like a speeding bullet. In the end none of the dogs got any of the treats.

Last week we also started learning "down" with "head down." Chopper didn't seem to really get it - he did it a few times but sometimes he would crawl toward me instead (my hand was in the same place with the treat as when he does that so I can see the confusion). But this week I said "down" then I said "head down" and he put his head all the way on the floor. I thought it was just a coincidence that he laid down like that. Then I tried again, and he got it right again. I kept doing it and he kept putting his head down and looking up at me with his big eyes. I looked around and everyone else was on the floor trying to coax their dogs to put their heads down. Some went on their sides, some on their backs, one would make his head hover right above the ground but Chopper seemed to be the only one who could do it with a command while I was standing. Way to go Chopper!

We also practiced the supervised separation again. Normally two dogs do this at a time and since we first took the CGC class Chopper has gone with the trainer and the other dog has gone with the front desk person who helps out during this part of class. For the last few weeks Chopper has been getting treats from her every time we come to class - just for sitting. He's been so good about this (and he was in such a good mood) that I though it was time for her to supervise him and the trainer agreed. So the hand off happened and I left her with a lot of treats. At first Chopper tried to follow me (which he had stopped doing with the trainer) but I just told him he was fine and left. It took a lot of self-control to not peak in the room. When I was called back there was Chopper sitting and getting treats and giving his paw. He had somehow managed to get his Gentle Leader off without the person noticing though. He's sneaky. But there was no screaming or whining (like he does at the groomer's) or refusing to walk (like he does at the vet's). If only the vet would come to class every week.

I'm pretty sure we did more than that during class that was new but it's Monday and those were the highlights. We've signed up for Agility League after this class ends which goes almost until Christmas - so we'll be busy busy!

Therapy Dog Class Week 3

Chopper has not been in good spirits lately since the after dinner snack ban has gone into effect so he refused to write something about the last Therapy Dog Class.

We had a week off from class which was great timing as I had to pack for a trip to Orlando that night (and I never pack early). But when we came back this week all the dogs were back! There was also a visitor who stood in the waiting area the whole time. Chopper doesn't always like visitors in the waiting area - sometimes he barks, sometimes he just keeps running over to the wall to see if they will have treats but he ignored this guy the whole time so I was quite proud of him for that. (I think the fact that treats have been in low quantity lately and the fact that I had treats was enough of a incentive to keep him from being distracted.)

We practiced with all the equipment again (it had treats on it so we were good to go) and reviewed all the other skills we've been working on.

This week though we actually put a label on the dog taking treats from someone with a walker or wheelchair - "come visit." Granted Chopper was on his way to visiting already but I think this could work to my advantage in other situations and to help introduce Chopper to strangers - if he's doing a command he will pay attention to that (and the treats) and not worry about whether someone is going to do whatever he thinks in his little head strangers do to dogs. (I've explained on multiple occasions that I wouldn't ever let anyone hit him but that explanation appears to be a little higher than his language skills at the current time.)

We also worked on more distractions. This time the trainer came up behind the dog and "kicked" them. It wasn't a real kick - just a toe tap - but I guess it was to simulate someone accidentally bumping into them. Poor Chopper was facing me and concentrating really hard on his "look at me" command and didn't even turn his head when he got toe tapped but those giant ears went so far back he looked like he didn't have any at all and his eyes were as big as saucers. I was so happy he didn't jump around or bark or hide - yeah Chopper! (Although yesterday he jumped three feet in the air and did a 180 when I hit a tree with my head and the leaves rustled - apparently he thinks the attack is coming from the trees.)

Also during supervised separation he tried to start playing with his buddy Mumble (who was also practicing supervised alone time) which apparently is not what is supposed to be done during supervised separation. (I wonder how long until I can leave him with someone at Starbucks while I run inside? I'm guessing not until he is very old and has weak eyes and legs and the person smells like me - so this side of never.)

I think Chopper has been working very nicely on overcoming his fears and if the trainer ever needs a therapy dog - Chopper is his guy.

Therapy Dog Class Week 2

So last Thursday was my second Therapy Dog Class and I was tardy.  I don't like being tardy.  I was mopey the whole car ride because I knew we were going to be late - something about too much traffic.  When we did finally get there (we carpooled with Mumble) there were only two other dogs there.  The other two were missing.  I guess everyone was having a rough day.  Those dogs were big German Shepards.  My mom insists they were there the week before but I don't remember those dogs and coupled with my distress at being late I barked at those dogs and had a general bad attitude for about five minutes.  After that I was ready to participate. 

We did some review from last week and some of the new stuff we did was a little harder.

The instructor would come over and stomp his foot near us, roll around in a wheelchair real close, talk loudly, and all sorts of things we were supposed maybe be scared of BUT the point is for us to not to react.  I didn't react - when it was happening to me.  But I'm a sensitive guy and one of those German Shepards was not fond of all of that nonsense and was trying to get away or cry - so I would bark sometimes or cry when that happened.  I don't like seeing a lady in distress.

We also worked on some stays BUT this week the instructor made our people go to the other side of the room and then RAN up and down between us and our people.  I was okay with this - twice (and so were the other dogs) but right before the third time we all had a look - the look that told him we didn't want to do it again so we stopped.

I was a little naughty at one point.  We were doing some down stays across the room and I was not paying attention to my mommy but only because Mumble's mom had some delicious treats that I wanted in my tummy.  My mom saw me looking at her and she waved and clapped her arms to get me to look at her but I wouldn't do it (although I stayed where I was supposed to) then when she said "here" I went over there instead of "here" to get some of those treats.  She was not pleased with this. 

We have a week off this week which will allow me some time to gather my thoughts.  Then I'm off to another staycation at the Kennel Club while my mom goes to Florida.  It's too hot for me there, I did't want to go (but she could have asked).