Speaking of Tucker

We have so many shepherd photos that it's even more important to post the really cute ones of the non-shepherds!

TUCKER AND THE BELLY FLOP . . .

The last report I posted on Tucker at the mall was not good! But since then he's been soooo good at the mall and out in other public places. Must have been hormones that day . . .

But today at the mall he did extremely well in spite of an incident. Two teenage girls allowed a toddler (18mo?) to do a belly flop onto Tucker's back!!! I was sitting on a bench and Tucker was down. He was startled but did not get up, yelp, or wet himself!! I think it startled me more than him. They approached from behind so I didn't even see them coming, and was unable to prevent it before it was too late. To the baby, Tucker was just a big stuffed toy. And the girls thought it was cute.

Most folks ask if their children can pet the dog, and understand when I explain why the answer is no. But I'm sure you've all run into folks that think our dogs mean playtime for their kids! I think these girls felt kind of bad when I explained the situation. I would have really liked to give them a piece of my mind (they should know better), but PR was more important at the moment! They learned something about service dogs and autism today, so the experience was was worth it -- both for them and for Tucker!

The mall sure is the best place for distractions of all kinds (second only to puppy class)! Tucker was already kind of antsy today, so I wondered if this incident would get him riled up and hyper. But he seemed to shake it off and get right back to work. I was proud of Tucker today -- at times like this I can see how far he's come.

"O" litter - cherry collar MALE

This little boy could hardly be persuaded to wake up and pose for his photo. Time will tell if that's a real glimpse of the temperament (we hope so) or if he just needed a nap really badly! Stay tuned for updates. :-)

"O" litter - pink-paws collar GIRL

This little darling is the lightest colored puppy in the litter. As an adult her coat will likely be a very smooth gray with not much black on the tips of the guard hairs. At this point it also appears that she will be a long-stock-hair like her Uncle Leo, who is currently in service dog training with DFA.

"O" litter - smile-face collar GIRL

Here's another very relaxed and placid little girl who will probably be staying on to join the DFA staff. She has lots of red in her coat and should have a very striking appearance as an adult. Hope to find a sponsor for her, also!

"O" litter - blue-crown collar BOY

This little guy is the the only one, so far, who has definitely identified himself as a "keeper." (He wrote us a memo about his career goals....really and truly.....) He will be staying with DFA and pursuing a career as a service dog for autism. Now he needs a sponsor to choose his name!

"O" litter - pink-seashell collar GIRL

The look in her eyes goes back at least 3 generations. (Translation of The Look: experienced puppy raiser needed!) This exact expression is worn by Aunty Handy (mother of our recent "N" litter) and Great-Grandma Avanti, who was a one of the foundation dogs of our breeding colony. Watching genetics and personalities carry through the generations is fascinating!

"O" litter - blue-paws collar BOY

"Hey, Lady! Watch where yer pointin' that camera, will ya? I'm down here....Hellooooo????"

"O" litter - black collar BOY

We put a collar on this boy that is black with white lettering that says "Bad to the Bone." 'Nuff said! He is going to be quite the little character.

"O" litter - paisley collar BOY

Remember how the "Peanuts" characters used to call Snoopy 'fuzzy face?' This little guy is almost too cute to stand.

"O" litter - pink-camo collar GIRL

If you wonder why we put a "camo" collar on this one...just think it through! She's not sure yet where she's going or who she's going into combat against...but she's traveling fast!

"O" litter - Orange Collar BOY

I'm so dark I look black...but I'm not! I'm going to be a beautiful black sable with a brown mask. I'm also very VERY sweet!!!!

Learning to work at a distance

Watch lead trainer Darlene Houlihan showing the advanced puppy raisers how to introduce their dogs to directional signals and commands involving multiple choices. For instance, when a dog has to decide not only whether or not to "come" when called, but HOW to come--which direction to choose--how can a trainer require a correct response without discouraging the dog from trying? This is important foundation work for DFA's dogs for their future work safeguarding children with autism. A parent must be able to easily send a dog in one direction or another in order to correctly assist a child.

Puppy Raiser photos & comments!

More of our volunteer raisers have shared their photos and their comments about DFA puppies at this link: http://www.dogsforautism.org/puppyraisers.html. Be sure to stop by!

New games in the rain

I finally had a chance to get Marshall out to the park to play some new games. It was misting and getting dark, but we pulled out every last bit of sunlight before we came home. Today, Marshall learned about coming to me through a tunnel.

We also played directed jumping; which is an advanced exercise in competitive obedience. Marshall has to sit on his place while I walk to the other side of the jumps (at this point there is a barrier between the jumps). I point in the direction of the jump I want him to take. He did rather well. Sometimes he would guess so we would go back to place and start over. After a few tries, I think he actually figured out he had to watch which way. So...just something new to stretch his little brain. This was also a chance to work on "stay on place" and "sit stay". (Not to worry. The jumps are very low 8". So really it's directed running/stepping. But the idea is to understand the request for heading in the right direction.)

During this outing, he was also distracted by his foster brother barking with jealousy either tied to the fence nearby or in the car. So, another opportunity to work on keeping his attention on me no matter what I'm asking.