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Monday, May 1, 2017

Obedience and etiquette class 4

We used the harness in the car with her and she did a bit better.  She gets so excited to get in the car and is in overload by the time we get to class.  Of course the other dogs get her stressed.

Basic review of what we have gone over.  Was told we were not having her sit or stay in the correct way.  She reminds the class the dogs should work for food and treats, and make them do so!

It is difficult for me because I use hand commands and she want us to not do that or even say the command because they are learning.  Example, put treat down, about a foot in front of dog.  Having partner hold dog leash, when dog is calm, give treat and say "good stay". Repeat.

I realize everyone has their own way, so we are combining both ways, depending on the situation. She has really gotten good with "stay" at home, even for her food.

Ziva will miss her next class, but I think she will be fine!


Thursday, April 27, 2017

Freedom

Hubby cut the grass today and unhooked the time out rope. A few hours later, he hooked Ziva to one end and came back in.  Shortly he realized he didn't see her and no where to be seen.
Immediately blew dog whistle for her to come, repeated several times and I saw her coming from the neighbors house, with 20ft. Rope following her.

Great to know she didn't go far,  that she came when called and was fine.  One day she may be able to stay in yard and we won't have panic attack.

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Wordless Wednesday



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Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Our first Vet visit

Ziva was very stressed in the car, lunging at passing cars and just didn't want to setting down.  The Vet office, another new place with new smells and dogs.  She didn't want to stay still on scale, so we don't really know her weight.  We believe the weight on her rabies certificate was not correct.  She has not lost weight and we can see how she is filling out.

After we got her into the room, it took some time to get her to settle.  She loved the nurse that came in to see her and the male vet doctor was a big hit.  Very surprising, he said she was doing well for not only a puppy, but a GS puppy.  He estimated her age to be 18 months and very healthy.

She did get her Lyme shot,  had blood draw for heartworm and he clipped her nails.  She didn't like that, but needs to be done.  He suggested a few over the counter  meds for anxiety and to help her adjust to the new environment.

All in all, good visit, go back in three weeks for booster for Lyme.

Ziva class #3

class started with review of what we already had covered the past two weeks.  Ziza does very well at home with these commands but is totally different at class.  So many new smells, surrounding, and of course, other dogs.  She is doing better, everyone states how much she is improving on stress, but she can still be a handful.  The prong collar seems to help, ours is still on back order, so we continue to borrow the trainers.

We worked alot on walking and the need to keep the dog on the outside, so they actually have to work harder. Ziva continues to pull and prefers to walk fast.

Went over the importance of "recall".  She responds to her name, but not when distracted.  The same with "down", or any command.  She is such a puppy with ADHD, if there is such a thing.  On the "jump" command, hold treat up, but let drop to ground before she gets it so she doesn't bite the hand that feeds her.  All common sense things, but at times, things you need to hear.


Monday, April 17, 2017

Obedience and Ediquette class #2

To start off with, the trainer had Ziva sit in a different area on the side to see if that would cause her less stress.  It did seem to help some without the other dogs walking in front of her.

We tried the training collar and that also seems to help.  I used her shorter braided leather leash and it certainly was easy to wrap around my hand.  I liked it better, and hubby said he liked the longer leash.  He is also 6 ft. and stronger than me.

We reviewed "touch", "turn", "spin",.  Ziva did great on these commands.

Next we did "recall" to recognize her name. We did change her name when we got her, but she does answer to it most of the time.  I know when she is distracted, she has very selected hearing.

"Settle", went over techniques to help her settle.  Never knew licking lips and yawning is one helpful tip.  She needs more work on that.

Then we starting on walking.  If the dog pulls ahead, you stop,  If the dogs pulls back, you keep going.
Hold arm in drop position and relaxed.  Do not have hanging leash.  When dog grabs leash, state stop . Keep walking in faster mode, if possible.  Do not look at the dog.

The last thing we did was "jump"  We walked her around the ring and had her go over two boards.  She did fine with this.  One dog in the class is so tiny, she could barely go over one smaller board.

Assignment, keep working on all commands and walking.

Friday, April 14, 2017

Designed bird park

Today we put our little wishing well in the park and I finished putt plants in the swans and other planters.  The bird houses are up and plants are on the screen porch.

We had to put a little white fence around in hopes to keep Ziva out.  We know she likes to chase the birds and rabbits and squirrels.

I love sitting on the back porch and watch the birds. It is so very relaxing and the bird park is right in full view.

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

designing poncho's

So I found this really cute poncho, for adults and loved how flexible it was to wear.  So now I am trying to come up with it same type of things for kids.

I recently learned that kids should not have bulky jackets under the straps of their carseats, and as the weather gets nice, they just need a little something to keep the chill off them.  So the idea of a poncho would be perfect.  Looking at my stash of fabric and other ideas online to see what I can come up with.  Having 5 grand daughters 5 and under, lots of models to help figure this out.

Any suggestions?

Monday, April 10, 2017

more little kids

Today Ziva met two more little girl grand daughters.  As usual, they were afraid of her.  She is a big puppy and they are not use to her.  My son did very well with her, and she loves the male figure, so that didn't surprise me.

The two year old would cry when Ziva got near her, we would tell her its ok but she didn't want anything to do with this dog.  The five year old finally decided it was ok to throw the ball to her and she had fun with that, but still didn't want he coming up close to her.

It is such an adjustment for Ziva, new people, kids who want to run and whom she can't run with, and food they drop and she is told to leave it.

We learned at our class how stressful things can be for her and now thinking more about if we stress her by constantly being after her with the little ones.  We don't want anyone to get hurt.  Having little grandkids is a true blessing and one day, they will be bigger and not afraid of her.

Saturday, April 8, 2017

Obedience and etiquette class #1

Today we started Ziva in class.  A bit nervous because she has not been around many other dogs and don't know what to expect.

It started out ok, then she lunged at another dog and it was scary.
The trainer is very experienced and amazing.  She was like the female version of Caesar Milan.  There were 6 dogs and she works with each separately and explains what and why as a group.

We learned "touch"  hold a snack in between fingers and have dog, touch your hand to get treat.  Say "good touch"

Next was "turn", by holding treat, have dog follow you hand in counterclockwise circle.  Give treat, say " good turn"

Then "spin", holding treat, have dog turn in a clockwise circle.  Give treat,  Say" good spin"

Then we worked on "down".  I have been doing this wrong, No Sit!  She had us sit on floor, knee bent and hold treat under leg, have dog come to get, causing a down position.

Barking, a dog barks because they want the mail, ups, FedEx, etc to leave.  She uses a spray bottle with vinegar and water.  Hold behind back, so dog doesn't see, a one quick spray when barking.

She did say Ziva is smart, good temperament and needs control.
Regardless of her past, she can learn.

Suggested taking to Vet to make sure no physical issues, sometimes cause for chasing tail.  Interesting.

Ziva and kids

Two of our granddaughters came to visit.  One is two and the other five.  When my daughter came to the door, Ziva went crazy, and the kids were scared.  She is a big dog.

Finally when Ziva settled and we played with her, we showed the five year old how to throw the ball to her.  Make sure she completely drops it, then she can pick it up.

Ziva did great!  She didn't snap or growl and had fun playing.  The youngest granddaughter was fine just keeping her distance.
Nice to know she can play with kids

Greetings

Ok, so Ziva loves Jim, like crazy.  Every time he leave, she runs around and cries.  She will calm down in a minute or so and stay t hat way u til she hears the garage door.  Then she is literally insane.  She runs, barks, cries and I try to redirect her to her mat and it takes a while.

Once I get her settled and Jim acknowledges her, she loves on him and is so excited.  She continues t o do this every time he leaves.  She also does it when I leAve, but not as much.  We are both retired and home all the time.

Ziva does the same thing when my sister or other comes to the door.  She need self control!

Going for a walk

Our neighbor has two dogs and asked if they could take Ziva for a walk! Awesome, certainly!

The introduction didn't go to smooth, but eventually she settled down, and came back very tired.

The next time they asked, Ziva took longer to settle and her and neighbor male dog did not get along.  Who was going to be boss?

We have tried walking around yard, but she would rather walk us! Not good!

Windows

Ziva absolutely loves looking out Windows!  She goes from the bay window, to back window, to bedroom, to another bedroom and back to bay window.

She will sit and look out for the longest time, then a bird, rabbit or squirrel comes into view and she goes crazy.  We have tried the "leave it" command but seems she doesn't even hear us.  We know she is a herder dog, but still, little birds, who are at bird feeder.

Not sure how to handle this, slow process!

Leaving her alone

Each day is a learning day.  We left her for the first time for only 40 minutes. She did fine, nothing for us to be alarmed about.
So we did away with the crate, and left bedroom door open.  Once again, she left the bedroom and went to lay on her mat.  Nothing was touched in t he house.

We had birthday party and our first time leaving her for any period of time.  Very nervous, make sure plenty of time outside, certain doors closed, open access to basement, etc.

So gone for a little over four hours and all was great.  Nothing chewed, or out of place.  No accidents.

Good job ziva

Sunday, March 12, 2017

Commands- week 1 completed

Starting week two with Ziva
We will continue to work on her commands and maybe add a few. Repetitive and consistent!
Her current commands:
 WEEK 1

SIT, COME,DOWN, STAY, LEAVE IT, DROP IT,
SHAKE, MAT, PAWS, SETTLE, HEEL, QUIET, EAT, NO.

WEEK 2
WATCH ME, FETCH, GIVE, SHOW BELLY, HUGS, BED,BALL,
TOYS, OUT, POTTY.


Bark, when and how long

Barking is a big issue. Every time anyone comes to the door, any door, knocks, ring bell, Ziva goes crazy.  Even when Jim comes home, or I come in, she acts the same way.  It's takes us a bit to get her to stop barking and settle down.

Have tried a few things and today trying something different.  We have been using a "quiet" command, now I am adding shaking the small container with snacks in it, saying quiet and mat.  When she stop barking and goes to her mat, she gets a treat.

We did it five times in a row, she did better each time.  Waited two hours,  I knocked on door and once again, she went crazy.  It will take lots more training and patience, but she is very smart and sure she will learn.

Laughter is good for the soul

It's been one week since we got Ziva and one thing for sure, she makes us laugh!
First off, she chases her tail, round and round.  She will sit and watch and wait for her tail to move, then she can catch it and spins. We worry she will be dizzy but she keeps going.

She also makes a sigh type noise when she lays down to rest. It's funny to hear because it last for a few seconds.

Ziva loves to play! This is a huge change for us because Kodi never learned to play as a puppy.  Ziva loves to play ball, over and over and tug of war.  She is so strong she can pull you across the floor! She has a frisbee but hasn't been able to catch it yet, but dang, she runs fast.  I have a nice bruise on my leg from her catching me from behind.

She also comes up to us while we are in our recliners.  She is big enough, her head is right there.  She gives you the "look" of wanting attention.  She does need to learn she is Not a lap dog.  Twice now, while training her to put paws up on my lap, she literally jumped up and sat on my lap!  I laughed so hard, I almost peed my pants!


Food

When we got Ziva she would not eat, this is not unusual, different routine, food, neglect, etc.  We were starting to worry but knew when she got hungry, she would eat. However, it wasn't that easy.

She was very hesitant to eat.  I sat on the floor and fed her piece by piece.  Then put a few pieces on the floor, she would take a piece and take it to another room. She would come back and repeat the same thing.  I put her dish directly on the floor, but that didn't seem to matter.

I think she was food neglected at some point, either wasn't fed or not given enough and had to fight to get any food.

So we made sure she had food at all times, encouraging her to eat and after three days, she is eating twice a day!  We say "eat" and she eats all her food.  She still will bring the first bite or two into another room, but at least she is eating!

Thursday, March 9, 2017

OMG, the good and not so good!

Ziva is two and has lots of puppy left in her.  We gave her food and water, showed her the mat, her crate and toys. She searched every inch of the house, over and over.  Time to take her out and walk the perimeter.  Needs lot of working on walking on a leash. She is soooo strong!   We need to order a lead vest and better leash. She ran and ran on the rope, very fast and was having a lot of fun.  Finally got her in, went from room to room and then, the
BARK!

The first bark scared the crap out of me!  It is very loud and powerful, usual for a GS.  Her barking needs so much work.  It's difficult to have her settle. I know what the main training will start with the barking.

Ziva loves being rewarded, with praise and snacks.  We found out quick how smart she is, how much she want to please us and how loving she is.

Home visit

After four days of waiting, and continuing to look over all the places I filled out applications for, the time had arranged to meet our possible new addition.

Watching out the window, we see them take her out the van.  She is very pretty, straight up ears, and very excited.  She took some time to settle down.  Once settled, she did great.  It was obvious that she has had some training, but needed reinforcement.  She wanted so much attention, but would listen, within reason.


She is very much a man's dog, and really took to hubby.  This is a really good thing. She also was affectionate with me.

We discussed her background, what her medical records showed, the adoption contract and we signed on the dotted line.

Newest member of our family, Lady Ziva Kathryn Swann!

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Finding ziva

A beautiful black GS female became available and I applied right away. Of course, a different website!  Got smarter at this process and set message to rescue and gave more of our background of having a GS in the past.  They were pretty good at checking references, and did explain how they were all volunteers and all work.  We did state how interested we were and spoke with fosters and then do phone interview. After all was finished, we were approved!!!!

Now we had to wait four days for weekend when they do home visits, bring dog, see how we get along and then we can accept and adopt.  Time for trip to petsmart to get bed, collar, leash, food, treats and toys!

Re-purposing clothes

So I have been going through some clothes my granddaughters have outgrown and have been hitting yard sales and re-uzit shops. I see a lot and have a ton of laces, trims and fabric.

Started taking clothes apart, and figuring out what to design with all the things I have.  So far I have about ten kids aprons made. It is rewarding making something out of other things.

Cool things I am finding to make is a gathering apron, garden apron and boys tool apron.  Always looking for suggestions!

designingduchess2@etsy.com

Possible match

One of the dogs I originally liked was a GS/lab mix. I know these also make good dogs.  I filled out application on her before I knew hubby only wanted female GS.  Anyway, I did phone interview and that went well. Now we are able to meet her and do a home inspection.  All sounded good, except she has been on medication and wasn't exactly what hubby wanted, so we turned her down.

I actually felt sorry for her and all the others waiting to be adopted.

It is a long process, and their is a rehoming fee, $300-$400 or more for most pets.  This does cover their shots, spay/neuter and get checkup. So it's worth every cent.

Still waiting to hear about another favorite.  Fingers crossed.

Frustrating

Our search continues for a dog. Hubby as decided he really only wants a female GS and not too young.  So I do the advanced search, breed, gender, age, good with and distance.  Results are extremely lower.  There were a few that sounded good, we already put in application, so should be easy.  EXCEPT, by now the one you were looking at has already been adopted. Start new search. :(

Finally start getting replies that they have contacted references and ready for phone interview.  For the most part, it has been two weeks and the dogs I have been looking at, are no longer on the sites.  Even started looking at breeders!  I never knew how expensive a puppy can be, and I am talking thousands of dollars!

Decided very quickly I didn't need a championship bloodline pet.


Continue checking out new post, have my pile of six choices and start the phone interviews.  I know how important it is to make sure the family will treat a pet correctly, they certainly don't want a pet returned because you can't care for it. So very difficult on the pet. Most of rescue pets have been neglected, abused and or surrendered.  However, they can be great dogs with love and training.

Hopefully, our forever dog is waiting for us.

Searching for a dog

You know what you want, that perfect dog to be the newest addition to Your home. Not all that easy!
There are many sites that have animals available, I googled, GS for sale, and found about ten different sites. You need to narrow down to how far you want to travel. Ten miles, 25, 50, 75, 100 or more.

You search all the pictures and read a very brief sentence, good with dog, no cats, kids over 12. On to the next post. You do this for hours and days. You think about when you go to bed, then can't fall asleep. Will you ever find what you want.

You check craigslist, several times a day, several different locations, and send a few messages asking about that dog.  You wait and wait, then you finally write again and still no answer. You finally get one response stating, not available. Well thanks, you didn't even give me a chance.

Continue searching the many sites, only to realize you have to fill out applications for each site that you see a dog that you like.  I completed six online applications.  They also want three references that are Not blood or marriage related.

Fun to get an email stating they see you are interested in ~~~~~~.
Then you wait and wait, see other dogs, fill out applications and wait some more. Most sites state 7-10 business days.
I have been designing things as long as I can remember, where it was clothing, yearbook, rooms, etc. It has been a part of whom I am.  I started sewing at a young age, and currently make kids clothing, and accessories. It's my part time job, since I retired in 2012.  Along with my daughter, we have an etsy store, "swannonthefarm" and I recently started "designingduchess",   and along with kids clothing, also do re-purposed items.

I also just adopted a rescue German Shepherd and she is two. Training her is a full time adventure, but she is smart, knows some commands but needs reinforcement.  She loves men, which is the complete opposite from our last dog.

So my blog is designing, whatever, clothing, pictures, meals, flowers, bird houses, vacations, or the perfect dog.
It's an adventure!