Home Zookeeper

When Trooper was around 9 months old or so … plenty strong enough to knock me on my feet if he’d chosen … we took all three doggies to a local park for a nice long hike. So Kodiak and Trooper go in the back of the truck, Quinn goes in front with us. It’s not always easy to get the dogs out of the truck (at least it was a lot harder then…Trooper now “knows” how to sit and stay before I let him out … sometimes) and as hubby is lowering the truck bed door Trooper jumps OVER my shoulder, hits the ground, and starts to run…

TOWARDS THE FREEWAY!!!

Complete and total panic with no rational thought is the first reaction when this happens. I don’t even know what we did with the other two dogs while we both ran after Trooper. Finally I had a coherent thought and realized that chasing him was the exact opposite thing I needed to do so I started calling his name and running the other way. Thank GOD he followed … we grabbed him by the neck scruff and got his leash on and that has never happened again.

Until yesterday.

I pull into the driveway at agility (it’s a very rocky, pot holed driveway) and start looking for a place to park. As I glance back in my side mirror I see this blur of fur outside the car.

Yeah…Trooper JUMPED OUT OF THE f*&()&() CAR!!!

At first I thought that I’d hit him but he kept going to I threw the car into a space, rolled up the windows (I had Bullet with me too and she’d have followed), got out of the car and started screaming like a banshee.

I was so flippin’ scared and angry. I am not a cussing type of person but I was letting the expletives fly. He hadn’t just run off and was sniffing around the parking area looking all innocent. I knew that he knew I was pissed though because as I’m yelling at him to come to me RIGHT NOW he’s slinking toward me with his head down and ears back … “Uh Oh…Mama is MAD” look on his face.

When he got to me I grabbed his leash (he almost always has a leash on when we drive anywhere) and drag him back to the car where I FORCE him back in (yes…forced…he did not want to get back inside but I AM alpha and he WILL do my bidding!).

He had to sit and wait until I said “ok” before he got out of the car.

I *think* that is when I started breathing again. It took me about 10 minutes to really calm down. One of the trainers told me that if I couldn’t calm down I might as well go home…which is true. He had already forgotten what happened and was excited to work so I had to take some deep breaths and switch my mindset.

But dear Lord in heaven above I was scared. I never in a million years thought he’d do that.

And from now on the windows will only be open a crack!

I hate it when I don’t know what is wrong with my dogs. Trooper started throwing up this morning. He was kind enough to jump up on the bed to do so. Right on top of hubby. Wasn’t that sweet of him to share?

It wasn’t chunky…just pure liquid … kind of yellow / milky. He threw up three times. I’ve been watching him like a HAWK ever since and only fed him 1/4 of his normal meal for breakfast. I’ll give him a bit more later on if he keeps it down. So far so good.

He’s not lethargic and was playing with Bullet a few minutes ago. His appetite was good - he ate all that I gave him. He’s drinking water as I type. And I think he’s still hungry.

So I’m not going to call the vet just yet. They already own my entire paycheck for the month. That’s another story that I will share soon.

What causes dogs to throw up?

Well when I google “dog throwing up” the first link is to this forum where some of the members suggested that a hungry dog will throw up yellow, frothy bile. !!! Really?!?! I’d never heard of this! But it made me feel a TON better. And it makes perfect sense for my big boy.

I also found this …

If your dog is throwing up in the morning before breakfast, it may be because the time between dinner and breakfast is too long. Try splitting dinner into two separate time, one at the normal dinner time and the other right before bedtime. This will leave food in your dog’s stomach throughout the night, and it should prevent or at least minimize the morning vomiting.

Dinner time is at 4 p.m. and he gets his two scoops of dry kibble (or one scoop of dry and a cup of The Honest Kitchen dehydrated food). He generally gets a treat or two before bed but sometimes not. Clearly he needs to have *something* in his belly before we go to bed.

I think I will go give him the rest of his breakfast now.

Eating food can be a dangerous task around here. Our dinner table has only been used for eating a few times. We eat on the couch and the dogs are happy with that - it means more chances for scraps. Though rarely from me - papa is the worst at falling for their puppy dog eyes.

I do have a bad habit though (only one!). When I eat ice cream I let the dogs have the empty container (because let’s jut be honest…I never eat part of a container!) so they’ve come to expect that.

Trooper waits patiently … staring at me with his tongue hanging out.

And the drool pooling!

It’s really gross. I didn’t realize that he was part St Bernard!!!

My sweet boy Trooper Bear turns two years old tomorrow. I cannot believe it’s been that long!!!

Just a baby!

Just a few months old - around 6 - in his first experience with snow!

He used to sleep on the fireplace bricks - he’s too big to fit now but he still lays his head on them. And still sticks his tongue out. It’s SO cute!

It was kind of traumatic, getting him home. He had diarrhea twice before we even got out of the breeder’s driveway. So the kennel was disgusting and I ended up holding him on my lap the whole way home. That was a bit nerve jarring.

When we got home he was tired but excited. By the time we had him in this little makeshift kennel area he was tuckered out. But he still had strength, even at 8 weeks old, to knock over the walls! Hence the use of papa’s weights to hold it up and not let it move around the kitchen.

Trooper’s presence in our lives has been a blessing from God that I cannot even fully describe. I’m sure most who read this blog understand the bond between a person and their pet. My bond with Trooper is stronger than I’ve ever had with any other animal. I love my other two dogs, don’t get me wrong. But Trooper is special. As my husband says… He’s “my” dog. He loves his papa, but he’s a mama’s boy.

His first few weeks home with us were stressful. My husband got VERY ill and was so sick that he couldn’t even get up to take Trooper out to potty during the day. We’ll eventually be getting our carpet replaced. We’re used to the stains by now though. ha!

Night was a challenge because we were determined to crate train…Trooper was determined to not let us sleep. He would howl like I’ve never heard an animal howl. As if he were being severely beaten. Then he’d get his little baby puppy jaw stuck in one of the crate holes and that sound was gut wrenching. I’d hop out of bed, quick like a bunny, and unstick it for him. Thankfully he grew too big to get his jaw through the holes! We only maintained the crate bedtime routine until he was potty trained.

His bed now a days is a spot directly under me under our bed. He scoots down and does a stomach crawl to get there. He’s huge and yet he loves sleeping in his cave.

If you ever decide to buy a dog from a breeder, please do super careful research and ALWAYS visit the breeder’s location first. I can’t stress that enough. I’m reading a book right now about puppy mills, that I will review later, that tears my heart apart. I am always grateful that we found an amazing breeder who does a wonderful and responsible job with her dogs. Thank you Carmen of Gryphen Mals!!!

Trooper’s daddy’s name is Hooch and I think he might have inherited his love of all things alcoholic from his papa.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TROOPER BEAR CASTO!

Just a quick update…Quinn is doing much better. She’s still crying but I seriously think she’s doing it to get what she wants at this point. That whole positive reinforcement thing is so evident. =D She cries, she gets attention … ahhh…2+2 really does equal 4 doesn’t it? So she cries more. The little manipulator. *grin*

Does are smart like that.

Speaking of smart…Trooper continues to amaze me in Agility class and at home. He’s a wild Malamute with lots of energy but he seems to have started really using that noggin of his for good. On Saturday I took him to a new place!!! I loaded up on chicken and hot dogs first because I was a little nervous. It was a baseball game at a local college field and boy was it a brand new experience for him.

All the new sounds and smells … I could tell he was overwhelmed but he did so good. He’s so food oriented that every time I said his name he looked at me, which is excellent. He sat, laid down, and ignored other dogs when I asked him to. There was a 7 month old puppy lab who was very intent on meeting Trooper and that went well. There were also two small dogs and we met one of them. I always worry about Troop with small dogs as they are so…well, squirrel / cat like (no offense to small dog owners…I would LOVE to have a small dog but it’s not going to happen right now) and he has such a strong prey drive.

At one point I sat down on the last row of the bleachers and made him lay down and stay. That’s all…just stay and be a good boy. And he DID it!!! Anytime he tried to get up I’d say no and he’d lay back down. There were balls flying and being hit, announcers yelling over the speakers, people clapping and “woohooing” (including me!) … all of which at first made his ears go back and he head swivel around like a top … but after awhile he just got used to it and wanted his treats.

Of course, after 45 minutes the security guard came over and said we had to leave. They have a new rule that no dogs are allowed on the college property - which is SO lame. But I understand. They could be held liable if one dog attacks another. And we were ready to go anyway. We had a GREAT time and I was so proud of my boy. It was a totally new experience for him and he did great!

He’s going to have to get used to the clapping and large crowds if we ever do agility events. =)

I don’t know how “real” parents (that is, parents of human children) do it. Leaving your humanoid kids home must be 1,000 times worse but I tell you what, seeing that sweet doggy face staring at you as you drive away is beyond difficult.

Photo of an amazing Siberian Assistance Dog in Training - I never would have thought of a Husky Assistance Dog!!!

Hubby is traveling this week (again…I’m getting tired of this) so my MIL has been coming over to doggy-sit. It’s either that or all three go to daycare all week and I think that might kill Kodiak and Quinn. Not to mention eat through our package and I’m not keen on shelling out another $300 anytime soon.

When I got home last night my MIL was laughing and said that Trooper laid on the love seat looking out the window for the last couple of hours before I got home. The other day hubby told me that Trooper now knows my car. The sound of it coming and when it pulls in. Which doesn’t surprise me because all 3 dogs know the sound of daddy’s patrol car coming home.

Trooper and I have always had a special relationship. When he was a tiny little ball of fluff (well, tiny relative to his size now!) hubby got very very sick. So sick that he couldn’t even take the dogs out to relieve themselves during the day - making potty training a very messy event. And made my time with Trooper nearly uninterupted and daddy’s time very minimal. Hubby now jokes that Trooper is “my” dog, but I know he loves his daddy.

But our relationship is different and has only gotten stronger since we started agility training. He listens better for one thing. At least to me! His hearing is still very selective when daddy is talking.

Driving away this morning my heart just tugged … I wanted to drive back and cuddle on the couch with my baby boy. I have photos of him all over my desk at work now. He is such a special dog and he brightens the lives of everyone who meets him.

Is it weird to want to be a stay at home Doggy mom? =)

Last night was agility training and I was really excited to get going. It seems like a long time from Sunday to Thursday and thankfully not so long between Thursday and Sunday. I knew Trooper was excited to get going too. Besides the fact that he was starving!

My mother in law thinks it’s doggy abuse. I feed the other two pups but Trooper is denied his dinner on Agility evenings. And his breakfast on Agility mornings.

It’s for his own good. A hungry dog is a motivated dog. Even with a meal in his belly Trooper is highly food motivated and always will take a treat from our hands. However when trying to get him to learn new things and focus on working, if he’s not hungry he is much less likely to obey.

Trust me when I tell you that he gets a LOT of goodies during agility training classes. I used to take one chicken breast (boiled) with kibble but discovered that he LOVES hot dogs. SO now I bring three hot dogs cut up, one boiled chicken breast (also cut up) and kibble.

So yesterday he was a highly motivated (aka hungry) dog and on his very first run he did it flawlessly!!! And it wasn’t a straight run either. It was 5 jumps set up in a square. I was so proud of him, but even more proud on our third run when the instructor announced that she was going to raise the jump height to 20 inches!!! I looked at her, my eyes wide and my mouth opened. He’s never done 20 inches before I stuttered.

She smiled. They know what a wimp I am in class.

And what do you know? He sailed over them, hardly even blinking!!! I started jumping up and down like a crazy person. I was so happy and proud of him. It’s such a simple and small thing but you could tell that he was proud of himself too. And he got a big piece of chicken as a reward. Woohoo! *happy dance*

I’m really looking forward to Sunday’s class.

I can’t explain the feeling I get when Trooper and I run through exercises at Agility class and do it correctly. I get so excited and I can tell that he is happy - besides just getting a lump of yummy food. He gets lots of love and ‘good boy’ and “yay”. =D

When he doesn’t do it right it’s rarely his fault as I keep learning. Learning my body language and how it affects his behavior is fascinating. I am forced to really get in tune with exactly how I move and what I do with every part of my body, from feet to hands to head. When I step even one foot in the wrong direction it can give him the wrong message and cause him to go off course.

At our last class we worked very hard - mostly me trying to control my habits. I tend to talk a lot and I’m supposed to be quiet - for each jump I tend to say “jump” or make kissy noises. Bad human! I am only supposed to show him, guide him, with my hand movement and body language.

We went through jumps over and over and over again. Three jumps in a 180 degree turn. And the instructor kept moving out the middle jump so he had to move further and further away from me. Boy was it hard. I love that Trooper was so focused and didn’t get bored. Of course the hot dogs help.

And even as we were working so hard he wanted to go on the baby teeter again and again!

Of course he’s not supposed to be looking at me, he’s supposed to have his head down and looking ahead. But again, it’s my fault. I’m supposed to say get it and put the food on the get it plate. Trooper focuses on my hands because he knows I’m going for a treat. Again, my fault.

But we got to graduate to the big boy teeter!!! It’s much different than the baby teeter and makes a louder noise. We started off slowly - a table is placed under the teeter so it doesn’t go down all the way and Trooper can get used to the noise. He did really good!

Looking at the photos my mother in law took is so much fun. I get to see how he’s moving and where he’s looking. I love seeing him looking at me for direction. Malamutes are so independent and stubborn that it thrills me to pieces that my boy looks to me and wants to work. I can’t thank That Mutt enough for mentioning agility training on her blog one day. It’s given me an entirely new relationship with my dog and that is beyond valuable.

Not to mention the fact that he is plum wore out when we get home!

But I’d like to win too! Head on over to Nearly Dr Ferox’s blog and vote for your favorite animal. I won’t cry if you don’t vote for Trooper…but he might. heh

After all, how can you say no to that face? =) Although I really do love that turtle.

I love shoes but in the last few years have really slowed down my buying. I couldn’t resist this pair though. I didn’t even get them on sale! (*gasp* the shame!)

Doesn’t Trooper look like he’s rolling his eyes? “Mom, you don’t need ANY more shoes. Can I chew on these?”

Check out my non-doggy shot at my other blog and visit other Photo Hunters at the headquarters.