He passed!

About eight weeks ago, Noah and I started our basic obedience class. 

Now, I had been a bad dog "mom" and the poor guy wasn't hardly leased trained at that point. Noah has what we call a "soft" temperament. Another word for "wimp" *wink* Usually when you leash train a puppy/dog and it's not used to the pressure of the leash, they will hit the end and stop or some will turn into bucking broncos! Noah on the other hand, would hit the end of the leash and yelp! Which made training a bit of a challenge.

So we started Noah off the first half of the class on a flat collar instead of the usual training collar. He seemed to catch on quickly to what was asked of him. I had to be careful with my corrections though, because of his sensitive nature. And use a lot of praise and encouragement!

Class gave us the basics; sit, down, come, sit-stay, down-stay, stand for exam, walking on a loose leash making different turns and staying together as a team. The teacher always likes to throw in some fun stuff too; relays, Simon Says, and fun agility courses. (I highly recommend basic obedience and CGC testing (if available) for all our Pinewood puppies and families!)

Last week she gave us a sample test of the basics that we had been learning and scored each one on how we did. Noah did really well and got in the 1st place category along with quite a few others.

Last night we received our graduation certificates (and treats for the dog!), plus the chance to go through the CGC test. For those who don't know, the CGC (Canine Good Citizen) is a test that the American Kennel Club (A.K.C.) puts on all over the country by various instructors.

Here's a quote from the CGC pamphlet:

"The AKC's Canine Good Citizen Program is designed to recognize dogs who have good manners at home and in the community. This rapidly growing nationally recognized program stresses responsible dog ownership for owners and basic training and good manners for dogs.

The AKC CGC Program provides an excellent foundation for training in other fun activities such as Rally, Obedience and Agility and results in a well-mannered dog who is a joy to live with. Some therapy dog groups require passing the CGC Test as a prerequisite, some insurance companies recommend CGC training, and and increasing number of apartments and condos are requiring CGC training for resident dogs."

So you can see what a benefit passing this test can be. There are 10 parts to the test that the dog must pass. Test 1: Accepting a friendly stranger. Test 2: Sitting politely for petting. Test 3: Appearance and grooming. Test 4: Out for a walk (walking on a loose lead). Test 5: Walking through a crowd. Test 6: Sit and down on command and staying in place. Test 7: Coming when called. Test 8: Reaction to another dog. Test 9: Reaction to distraction. Test 10: Supervised separation. (AKC has a pamphlet with more specifics about each portion of the test. Contact them at cgc@akc.org)

Well, I was worried about Noah not passing the "down". This is one thing we've had trouble with. And I'll be honest, I hadn't practiced it as much as I could have. But, he passed that part and every test before it! The last part; "Supervised Separation", was the part I didn't think we'd have any problem with. You hand your dog's leash to another person and they hold it for you while you go out of sight for three minutes. He almost flunked! Whiner! But thankfully, he passed that portion also.

So now Noah's official title is "Rose City's Noble Heir CGC" (pending AKC approval)

Waiting our turn!

Test 1: Accepting a friendly stranger

Test 2: Sitting politely for petting

Test 3: Appearance and grooming

Getting ready for Test 4: Out for a walk

Test 5: Walking through a crowd

Part of Test 6: Sit-stay

Test 7: Coming when called

Test 9: Reaction to distraction. (She used the walker around him and now is slamming a book shut). Test 8 (Reaction to another dog) was in this area too. We didn't get a picture of Test 10: Supervised separation.

Ahhhh...testing is over. Noah takes a break to play with his friend, Little Bear.

Good job Noah!

From Coco's mom

This was a recent message I received from one of our Pinewood puppy adopters...(totally unsolicited by me!)

"Why Pinewood Kennels is indeed the place to go for a puppy.

 

When looking to buy a Cavapoo we chose Pinewood Kennels May 2011, a decision we've been extremely glad we did.

 

From the get go, Jennifer was awesome to deal with. When we said we'd like to come see the Cavapoo we chose from pictures, she said, "sure, we'd be glad to have you visit." 

 

Our drive to Pinewood Kennels, took us across the State of Washington, and as we got closer we were as excited as two kids on Christmas. On our arrival, Jennifer warmly greeted us, showed us the puppies with their mother Buttercup and later Scout the father, as well as her other dogs. The love Jennifer and her family have for all their animals was apparent the moment we drove up their road.

 

It was important for us, not only to hold our puppy, but also to meet Jennifer & then see what is the perfect setting for breeding happy, healthy, and lovable dogs.

 

As promised, Jennifer kept us informed of Coco's progress. As scheduled, Coco flew from Spokane to SeaTac, accompanied by Jennifer's friend who met us at the airport. 

 

Here are pictures of Coco when we met her at 5 weeks, her drive home with us from SeaTac, one year on our riding mower, and at two years.

 

Forever grateful to Pinewood Kennels.   G, J and Coco too"

Coco at 5 weeks when they came to meet her.

Riding home from the airport.

A year old and ready to mow the lawn...just kidding, but she is smart ;)

Coco at two years of age.

I was thrilled of course to get "J's" email update. Here was our ensuing correspondence:

"J,
Thank you so much for this heartfelt letter of recommendation! You cleaned out my tear ducts this morning:) I'm thrilled that you so love your Coco girl and the experience you've had with us. I will definitely be sharing your note with others! Thank you, thank you!

Give Coco a birthday hug from her "other" mother:)
Warm regards~Jennifer"

 

 

"Jennifer you are certainly welcome.

 

G was hesitant in our getting a dog at our age (he will be 82 this July, and I will be 75 in June)  However, I knew he loved dogs and when he finally agreed there was no turning back.  Coco of course sealed the deal, the very moment we saw and then held her in our arms at your home.

 

The joy and love we've had from Coco, has been more than we could ever imagine. She keeps us young and active, makes us laugh, helps us relax (she loves sharing our chairs)

Alerts us to when someone comes down our driveway, gathers us up at the end of the day, or getting ready to go somewhere. ( a mother hen sometimes, cracks us up)

 

Have a great summer, enjoy your new poodles (they are adorable) We pray you continued success, as share your 'special dogs' with families everywhere.

 

J, G and Coco too!!"

 

 

And this is what it's all about! *smile*

 

What is "normal" anyways?

This is Abe.

I love this puppy. He is a beautiful sable color, playful, rambunctious, happy, super friendly and outgoing. He loves everybody!

But Abe is different. Abe was born with only one ear. He has cartilage on his left side, but no opening to the ear canal and no ear flap. His right side is perfectly "normal".

We don't know why this happened to Abe. Obviously something didn't develop right in the womb. He did have seven brothers and sisters crowded in there with him. 

Our vet has checked him out well and he's perfectly healthy and "normal" in every other way. I love the way our vet described him. When I said he had a disability. She said, "No, he has a different-ability." 

Abe doesn't know he's "different". Abe doesn't know he's suppose to have two ears. Abe doesn't know he's not like everybody else. Abe doesn't know he's not,  "normal". I guess we humans are the ones with the hang-ups. We see something different and we step back, we're afraid, we're cautious, we don't know how to react or what to do or say. Maybe we can all learn something from Abe. Love everybody whether they fall in our category of "normal" or not! Give everyone (including animals) a chance! Have fun! Enjoy life! What is "normal' anyways?!

"Can I read the paper?" (Actually he'd rather shred it!)

"Travis, turn me back over!"

Sitting at attention. He's staring at my son.

"Here mom, I'll hold the strap while you take the picture! I'm such a good helper."

Cuteness!

His left side without the ear.

"Haha, I got the kids toy!"

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father.." (James 1:17)

 Abe is a gift!

You gotta have Faith!

Just a little Faith. That's all you need. And that's what we got yesterday. I guess my post has a double meaning. We added a new doggie family member yesterday. I really like her registered name, "Lonestar's Lady of Faith". Her call name of course, is just "Faith".

I was kind of in the position that some of you have been in or are in. You find a dog that you'd like to add to your family, but it's clear across the country and you don't know anything about the person trying to place the dog or the dog. So you ask questions and spend time conversing with the person about the dog, etc. You start to feel comfortable and think this is a good thing, then plans start coming together. But it's still a leap of faith. Especially when you are adding an adult that's never had a litter before and you're hoping they'll become one of your future moms.

So let me introduce you to our Faith. She's a beautiful black & tan, AKC Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. She is sweet and friendly, on the smaller side, about 11" tall at the shoulder and about 19 1/2 lbs! Yep, she's what we call a bit "short' for her weight. *wink* She's almost two years old, is heart clear and patellas normal, with a good bite too. (All things we look at for an animal that will be part of our "mom team".)

We are very excited to welcome Faith to the Pinewood Family!

Camera shy!

"Mom, do you have to keep pointing that thing right in my face?"