Wednesday, October 11, 2006

What I learned at kindergarden....

Puppy Kindergarden that is! Yep, we went to our orientation of Puppy Kindergarden....no puppies yet as this was just parents night. Ya know, Ed and I met later in life so we didn't have kids together (other than my teenage son), so this is like we're going through an abbreviated version of what it would have been like if he and I raised a child from birth....I mean really.....they were born in May and July and they are already going to attend kindergarden. I think I like this quick version! (and no college expenses!)
Anyway, we did learn alot...first off....

THIS IS A BAD TOY




THIS IS A GOOD TOY


THIS IS A BAD TOY


THIS IS A GOOD TOY



Neat eh? He told us some horror stories about what certain toys can do to your dogs should they swallow pieces, etc.... So needless to say, the pups were a little baffled when I took away some of this crap and replaced it with nyla bones and kongs....they did seem to like it though...especially since there were small treats in the kongs that they could hunt for.
We also learned that depending on what food you feed your dogs, will affect what they poop and the frequency of poop. Here I thought that it was just dog companies charging outrageous amounts of money for the same dog food I can get for half the price...mmmmm....we definately are going to look into that one, especially since I seem to be the designated "pooper scooper" at our home!
Our teacher was very very informative and knew his stuff but (since I'm sure he doesn't read this blog) I must tell you he looked just like a human sheep dog with his long hair, the shape of his eyes, and his beard..so funny! He uses the "clicker" training method which incorporates a clicker to get the attention of the dog and reward them. Very NON-violent...no choke chains or hitting....I'm not a hitter so I really like this method. We had some homework and the pups are taking to it very well...Chloe (terrier) is really quick as I expected she would be.....very smart. Eros (mastif/lab) got the idea too, but he moves a little slower than Chloe. My son and I have both been working with them....I think Chloe may be "Vale-pup-torian" of the class tho.
Next week the pups go with us....Eros is in the young pup class and Chloe is with the older pups.....definately should be fun!
Just for an update for, yinz guys, here are some pics of the kids that the Sweetie Man took this past weekend....(before the yard was cleaned up of all the "bad" toys)...

FIRST ON THE RUNWAY, WEARING A CLASSIC CHIC BLACK AND BROWN COAT, PERFECT FOR THOSE COOL FALL MORNINGS IN THE GRASS, IS CHLOE NICOLE.....


"WHEN IS IT GONNA BE MY TURN?"


THIS LOVELY WRAP-AROUND VERSION CONTAINS A SLEEK OPENING IN THE BACK FOR THOSE EVER SO FREQUENT PEE BREAKS.....


"WHATTA YOU LOOKIN AT....I'M BUSY NOW!"

"PSST.....CHLOE, YOU LOOKED REALLY 'HOT' UP THERE ON THE RUNWAY!"

OK, that's it for now, yinz guys...hope you enjoyed the show!

8 Comments:

Christy said...

ooohhhhh. Good for you on the puppy kindergarten!! Our dog has a kong too, and it's true, they are hours of fun!

Keep us posted on how it goes!!

Anonymous said...

Aww, so cute! I took my dog to training too. The clicker method works really well! Have fun! However, bringing the dogs to class is like "college" for them, it's a bit distracting. My dog whined through every single class, and wasn't THAT delightful. He's a very well behaved doggy at home, however, and that made it all worth it.

ollie1976 said...

OMG-they are sooooo cute. I'm in tears about how cute Eros is. Man, I really need to convince Scott for us to either go to PA to pay you a visit or get our own dog!
-Jen

Sydney Harper said...

The pups are so cute! I got nyla bones for the ferrets when they were young and needed to chew.

Anonymous said...

Hi Lucy,
What beautiful puppies. They are just adorable.
That is so funny about the Vale-pup-torian. Sounds like a great class to learn things that we thought we already knew, but were wrong.*smile*
Have a great day!
Hugs

Kare said...

How Cute!!!!! Thanks for the good toy bad toy tips!
Awwww.

Unknown said...

Great pics of the kids.. Sounds like that is a good class. Have a great weekend!!

Anonymous said...

I have done the heimlich manuever on my dog. She was chewing on a rawhide chew toy and had gotten down to the knot part. It was 3am and she decided in my bedroom that she was going to try and swallow the knot and started choking. Luckily, I awoke to it and did the heimlich and got it out. No more rawhide bones after that and whenever I see someone's dog with one I warn them of the danger and tell them of my story. She was a black lab and it kills me when people say, "oh my dog is this...she will chew it up..."