Proper 'Leave It' Technique

Video from the puppy party, in which Parish demonstrates proper technique for the command 'Leave It' while Hinckley does a pretty bad job getting it. Oh well, he makes up for it with cuteness.

Photos from the pup party

A successful Puppy Party!

Last night we had a party for Hinckley with a bunch of work friends. It was great for him to get socialized with about 10 new people, and they loved meeting him too. He was pretty well behaved, as puppies go, and was also pretty overwhelmed - there were a couple times when I think he would have much preferred to lie by himself in the kitchen but he couldn't, since he was the star of the party! But he did a couple cool things.

Twice during the party he went to the door and whined really quietly, and when i took him out, he immediately went to the bathroom. Tyler says that another time he went into the kitchen, checked for the tray, and when it wasn't there, he went to the door. Incredible! I think he's starting to get it.

Another great thing is that he wasn't scared of people wearing funny hats or even Parish's umbrella. I told them to wear weird things so when he gets older he won't be shocked by them, and he seemed pretty unfazed.

Parish (co-worker and former dog trainer) showed us all how to teach him leave it, which was pretty cool to watch. I can't wait to start classes.

Hope you checked out Tyler's awesome video: a day in the life of Hinckley. Today we're going to Puppy Playgroup, and tomorrow maybe the beach. A big weekend for Hinckster (and us!)

Hinckley: A Day in the Life

This is the first post that I (Tyler) have written. I didn't end up taking Hinckley to the beach today, so I couldn't guest blog about that. We're going to take him to the beach on Sunday.

Instead, I took a number of flip videos and compiled them into something that approximates one of Hinckley's days. It's a hard life. Enjoy!

Bath Video!

Update from the vet!

Big news, folks. Hinckster had another trip to the vet and she cleared him to go on walks outside, provided we stick to nice hot places like sidewalks. He's gotten a few rounds of shots at this point, and he's not completely done, but he's ready for prime-time if we're safe about it. We're also cleared to try out a puppy playgroup (with lots of other well-vaccinated pups) this weekend - woohoo! This is very good news indeed. Hinckster is getting more and more energetic every day and it will be good to be able to give him an outlet in the form of nice walks instead of crazy running around and rock-chewing. And also good for him to make friends. Lastly, Tyler's got the honor of introducing him to the ocean tomorrow too! Maybe he will guest-blog about it (wink wink).

In other news, the vet trip was kind of a lot for Hinck, who got carsick on the way back. Amazing how much he seems to be swallowing whole (and how super gross, for that matter). Then as we tried to clean that up, he ended up making messes in the kitchen. Not the greatest. Three cheers to Tyler who dealt with all this while I went to work.

Will try to get the video running soon! Its been having some issues...

Just a quick update before I head to bed - Hinckley is already asleep on the floor beside me.

Hinckley is doing great! He's getting better at a lot of things and worse at a few. Better: sleeping through the night, not barking as much, going potty outside pretty fast (for the most part). Worse: he's jumping and digging and chewing a lot (despite having about 10 fun toys he's terrorizing my kitchen during the day, chewing on drawers and floorboards at his level) and not fond of his leash. And today he missed the mark with his potty tray while i was at work, pretty significantly. Nothing like coming home to poo everywhere. I'm worried that the weekend plus Tyler being around yesterday made him forget what was his target - it's got to be confusing that sometimes we want him to go outside and pee wherever, and sometimes its OK to go inside, but only in one place. Just hoping he'll get the routine eventually.

I've also been trying to introduce him to the leash but so far he wants to eat it/play tug of war. Hopefully that will change when we go on walks! Which may be...this week? We're going to the vet on Thursday to get his second boosters of shots, and we'll have to ask then. I'm not clear on wether he's safe at that point or has to wait for them to settle in...but I just can't wait until we can go on walks! I think we both are sick of being in the kitchen.

Finally, socialization continues. Hink's met about 16 people and we need to up his numbers. Thinking about hosting Jumpster's for a puppy party on Friday, and also considering Puppy Playgroup on Saturday (provided he is approved for interaction with other dogs.)

That's all for now! I have an amazing video to post of Hink getting his first bath this weekend from all his local family (Ads & Sal included). He grew to like it, we think.

1/2-way through his first solo week!

I'm sitting next to Hinckley while he tries to fall asleep in his crate. We've been playing since I got home and he had dinner about a half an hour ago...and now I need him to fall asleep so I can sweep up the kitchen (he tries to eat the broom when I do it when he's out) and make my own dinner. You should see my kitchen - it looks like someone was using a woodchipper IN here.

After a whole lot of nerves around how it would go with me at work, Hinck seems to be doing really well. He's 3 for 4 of nights when I can get him to seep until 7:30 (breakfast time,) today being the exception. Today we woke up for our normal morning potty break at 6, and he wouldn't go back to sleep, at all. In fact, he barked. I decided I wasn't going to reward him for this so I switched my schedule around, got showered, fed him, and got to work about an hour early. Worked out for me alright, although now I'm pretty exhausted. And he's also been doing great about potty-ing in the right place! He definitely gets that the tray is where to go. Its been a bit harder getting him to go when I take him outside in the evenings, maybe because now he feels less urgency about the whole thing, but I'm trying to reward him with soft treats and so far we havn't had any accidents. Probably because I'm watching him like a hawk.

Another way I know he's doing OK - Tyler and I figured out how to install a webcam of sorts so I can watch him from home. Actually, its using Skype to my macbook. I set up my computer so it can see the kitchen in the morning, and have it set to auto-ansewr skype calls with video chat. Then Tyler and I (and Adam) can call during the day and watch in on him. We've confirmed that most of the time he's just sleeping...occasionally he is chewing on things...boo.

Its amazing how much he seems to be picking up every day...not neccesarily skills but dog-stuff. Like he suddenly realized he really likes digging when we go outside (oh joy) as well as standing on his hind legs to look out the window or get stuff from me. And also doing inappropriate things with his frog toy/blankie. Not neccesarily the best stuff for him to be learning, in my opinion...but also probably inevitable.

Hinck should be having several visitors in the next couple days (hopefully he behaves) and I'd like to get him started with leash training too. I really can't wait until we can go on walks for real. And I can't wait for puppy classes either, although those are much further away - we signed up for one starting on Oct. 14. About a month! But the trainer is supposed to be excellent, and its night time in Redwood City, so it should work for my schedule. Yay!

Thats all for now. A mega-post, I know.
Hinckster is indicating he would nibble your toes if you were here.

A great weekend!

This weekend was a great one for Hinckley, Tyler and me. He had visits from Shannon (where he demonstrated mediocre manners) and Adam (he was a bit better), got a new crate (another!) and came pretty far with his barking/potty-training.

We decided to move him into my room for sleeping - he'll still stay in the kitchen for the day while I'm away, since it is the easiest to clean. But now that he's sleeping next to my bed, he's making it through the night! Till 6am at least. But this is a huge huge improvement from last week, and I'm really glad we got it figured out before I have to be back at work. I am soooo much better rested than I was at the beginning of last week - what a good call to take that week off!

We also got Hinck a new crate for next week. I wasn't too happy about buying another crate (I have Salty's old one which was free, plus one for the car/Tyler's place which we bought on craigslist for about $40) but both of those are full-size, and are more susceptible to accidents because pup's don't feel as much like they're soiling their bed area if its in a far corner. And though I jury-rigged a divider from a piece of tough cardboard, Hinckley was way to into jumping up on it and I was afraid he might hurt himself or just break it down while I was gone. This new crate has a built-in divider that is see-through like the rest of the crate, so he's much less interested in getting to the other side. It may only last him 6-8 months but I think it's worth it if it helps him with potty-training etc. And he seems to really like it, since its smaller and cozier.

Hinck's still having a few accidents in the big room (with the rug, ugh) so I'm trying to limit his time in there to only when he's just gone potty. He'll get the hang of it eventually. I'm bummed that my work schedule sort of dictates that I not completely crate-train him, since I know he can't hold it yet for the morning or the afternoon lengths. Hopefully in about a month or so, he can at least make it through the morning...I just hope that he doesn't get confused about when its OK to go inside vs. not. At the suggestion of Nancy, I'm going to put down a pan with shavings in it, and hopefully he'll get that its ONLY ok if he goes on the shavings. Aaah...house-breaking.

But really the main thing is that Hinckley is the cutest puppy ever. He is totally trying his hardest to bite only his toys and not me or Tyler, and he is completely loving both of us. Its very adorable. Look for more pictures coming soon!

Fetch!

This morning Hinckley finally got interested in his tennis ball, and I think he's starting to catch on to the basics of fetch! This is big time. Up until now, its been all "chew Mr. frog, not me" - now we can actually play with one another. Hooray!

He's gotten pretty good about going outside - no accidents at all yesterday - but it remains to be seen what will happen when the confusion of me not being here to let him out arrives next week. It's kind of giving me a knot in my stomach.

Another issue is that he keeps yapping during the night. He calms down if I go in there and sit next to him until he falls asleep...but its not very sustainable for me. I'm trying to ignore his howls as best I can but still am worried about my neighbors getting upset...no one really likes howls at 3am. I'm going to read more about it today and see if I can strategize for tonight.

So tired!

Its funny, people told me again and again how exhausting it would be to get a puppy...and I knew they were right, but at the same time, I couldn't really grasp just how tiring it is until now. The Hinckster is doing great, and his housetraining is coming along (finally got him to poop within 30 min of a meal! Fantastic!) but its exhausting trying to be there for him and also prepare him for next week, when I won't be here for him.

It's crazy because I probably read about 5 books about raising puppies...but now that he's here I'm realizing there is so much they leave out. Like what do you do when you take him to his bathroom spot but all he wants to do is eat rocks? Or what does it mean if its been 5 hours since he's eaten and he still hasn't pooped (sorry for the potty talk...its all I've been thinking about for the last 3 days!)

Anyway, we're figuring it out together. I have to keep reminding myself that its his first week, there will be accidents, and right now he's just a crazy curious rascal. I'm having fun, but also looking forward to tonight when Tyler can help me out with an extra pair of hands!

Our first trip to the vet

This afternoon Hinck and I went to the vet...and it was pretty crazy. Don't get me wrong - our vet is awesome (!) - Nicolette Zarday @ Adobe Animal Hospital in Los Altos (she's a good friend of Sally's.) But going to the vet itself is what's crazy. Its pretty much the first time I've brought Hinckley out in public, so of course everyone wanted to talk to him (he's soooo handsome) but it was kind of a lot to juggle! Since Hinck hasn't finished getting all his shots, I was warned not to put him on the floor at the vet since most dogs come in there sick (like a normal hospital I guess.) So here I am, holding my squirming pup as people fawn and coo and big dogs bark loudly, trying to sign a credit card bill and even find a hand to put my wallet back in my bag. It wasn't pretty. I got Hinckley some flea medicine...that was the major highlight.

The drive home was also a bit crazy, since its about 90 degrees on the peninsula today...I thought it was supposed to be fall now? Hinckster and i got a little overheated with my barely existent air conditioning, but when we got home I put him to sleep on a ice block and he's been out since. He likes those a lot!

On the house-training front, I went to the store to get some wood shavings to help Hinck realize the glory of going to the bathroom in my yard, and he's actually been picking it up. Not necessarily on the shavings, but it doesn't matter to me as long as it's not on my floor. Tomorrow I'm going to try to encourage more crate training (as opposed to sleeping on the floor,) which is hard because half the time i put him in there he starts crying like a baby and I'm apt to cave in. But tomorrow I will steel myself! It will be important come next week when I'm back at work.

a short video from hinckley

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Hinckley is Home!

We picked up Hinckley today! We got to Nancy's house around 1:30 after picking up some puppy chow & a lunch in downtown Chico. They were holding Mr. Tuxedo (named for his black collar) when we arrived, so we knew it was him for sure. I had secretly been hoping he'd be mine ever since we played with him in August, but Tyler kept telling me not to get my heart set on one dog...turns out it all worked out perfectly!

Nancy gave me a binder with his pedigree, shot history, and tips about getting him settled in the next few months, and then we hit the road. Hinckley sat in my lap while Tyler drove and was a total trooper. He slept almost the whole 3.5 hours down to Berkeley. We stopped at Tyler's place to switch cars and give him a chance to rest a little and of course he immediately peed on Tyler's floor...oops. He played with Tyler's sock (and ravaged his couch a little) and then I put him on the floorboards of my car and tried to drive to San Mateo. We got about 2 blocks before he figured out how to climb all over the place, so I had to pull over and put him in his crate...he was pretty unhappy about that but got used to it (and stopped crying) after a few miles.

Anyway, we made it home! He had his first meal and I managed to get him to pee on some newspaper. I tried to take him outside but it was dark at that point and he seemed to be eating the dirt. I'm clueless at the signs of when he's ready to go to the bathroom, but hopefully I'll get better.

Even so, I probably have the cutest dog of all time, for the record.

(POST NOTE: As I wrote this post and uploaded the pictures Hinckster proceeded to pee and poop in the kitchen. Lovely. )

3 Days until Puppy!

Last night I made some bedding & a toy for the yet-to-be-named puppy, pictured above. The bed is more temporary/for travel - I didn't want to get a pricey bed until I'm assured it won't be peed on. The toy is filled with buckwheat and you can heat it in the microwave and it stays warm so the pup won't be so sad about not having his littermates around. I saw something like it at PetSmart and decided I could make it - we'll see how it works.

Today Nancy sent over a long list of what to expect when taking your puppy home. Luckily, nothing's a big surprise since unlike other subjects, that is a chapter I've read in all of the 6-or-so puppy books I started. She mentioned that a bunch of people are going to pick up their pups on Monday also, and I'm starting to get anxious. I know that she wants to match each owner with a pup that has the right temperament (and also meets color/sex requests) but I'm not sure how it works if there are multiple pups meeting that description...will she have one picked out or will i get to choose? Do I need to get there early to have more options? I know its silly to worry because any puppy will make me happy, but its troubling me nonetheless. She also said I should get Pet Insurance ASAP. Need to look into that this weekend/next week.

Tomorrow Tyler and I are headed to San Diego for a wedding, so tonight its pretty much last chance for puppy-proofing! Mostly, I need to hide some wires and bust out the Bitter Apple Spray, which should be fun. And move MORE ROCKS from my yard. Boo.

Drinking from the hose

Tonight Nancy (my breeder) sent me another batch of pictures. These pups are just undeniably adorable. Puppy proofing my apartment has also commenced - 2 baby locks installed, 1 to go.

Puppy Comes Home Monday!

So...I'm starting this blog really for the sole purpose of telling stories about my golden retriever pup, who's coming home on Labor Day. I bought a Flip video cam after seeing the pups in person, (it became obvious that documenting such cuteness was a must,) so I'm planning to post youtube videos and pictures and all that jazz.

This week I'm in the final stages of preparing - putting child-locks on cabinets and over outlets, spraying stuff with bitter apple spray, and trying to find the right preschool class. Pretty much every other word out of my mouth is 'puppy' and Tyler is no doubt a bit tired of it, but it's OK because there are only 6 more days (!!) until the puppy talk becomes puppy reality. Woohoo!