See Saw Puppy Training w Portia and Honey Bear

Michele and Honey Bear

My 2 working agility dogs were NOT introduced to the see saw in the following manner.  They did the low teeter for 6 weeks as our club teaches it, then it was gradually raised over several weeks.

However, still part of the Fat Tuesday experiment (previous post on Tunnel Relays) with training 10 year old Portia to train a puppy, seeing how long I could hold her interest, and seeing what I could get out of 5 lbs. of fearless Papillon from the first attempt, here's a composite video of what we accomplished over a 10 minute session.  I would not attempt this with a timid or overly rambunctious dog, but it worked out well for 4 month old Honey Bear (aka Winnie Pooch).



I do insist on a front entry as shown (with guide gates at first), a nose touch at the bottom to lower their center of gravity and get a solid "halt", and I require a release before they get off.  A side exit from the bottom is allowed, but only after the halt and release. 

As you can see, Honey Bear has no fear of the seesaw and ran right to the end on his first attempt.  This is not typical of most dogs I've seen in Intro.  He was, of course, running to get his Cheerio.  I am convinced that the placement of the treat at board level, creating a nose touch behavior within 2 inches of the end of the board, is why neither of my dogs have the fly off, get off, stop in the middle, refusal problems I see in so many other agility dogs.  Even with my experienced dogs, I still bend down and treat at the end of the board at least half the time in practice to keep their performance at its best.  Or, if I'm a good distance away, I click when they get to the end, then release them for a treat.

For more tips on see saw training with "around the clock" exercises, follow this link.

Upwards and onward!

Papillon Puppy For Sale

At 11 weeks, this tri-color male Papillon has the markings and personality of a champion.

This tri-color puppy is out of The Pines Papillons in Myakka City, Florida.  The breeder, Lois Horan, is my cousin, and sometimes sends puppies with me to Louisiana to train and/or sell.  As a dog trainer, I enjoy working with the puppies every day until they find a forever home.

My puppies are usually leash trained, accustomed to being handled, accept treats from my hand, come when called, sit, shake, are learning to focus on handler commands. and we work on house-breaking.  In one day with me, this 11 week old puppy already walks on a loose leash, tugs, fetches, and holds his business until we go outside. He is very people oriented, follows me everywhere.

This puppy is eligible for AKC Full Registration to the right owners. Dew claws are removed and he is up to date on all shots, with vet certification that he is in good health. All paperwork for AKC registration will be filled out at time of purchase.

Both sire and dam of this puppy have ample coat, and no shortage of ear feathers as seen in these headshots below.

This puppy has perfectly symmetrical markings.  He has a very sweet, laid back personality, puts everyone at ease.  Here's a shot taken the first day home with the puppy and our 3 year old cur, Lucky Lucy. Neither seems concerned about the other being a stranger.

Here is a composite video of the puppy at play.  He is alert, feisty, cute, and follows me everywhere I go. With previous puppies, even my Papillons growled for hours, but not with this pup. He was immediately accepted into the pack.



For more photos and my personal observations on this puppy, refer to my previous blog post.  For a 3-generation chart, see below.

I'll post more pix later if I can, but if interested in purchasing this puppy now, contact me:

Michele Fry
msfry@pmnotary.com
I'm located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Here are the particulars:

Birthdate: 10/17/11
Color: Tri-color, Red, White and Black
Largest puppy in a litter of 3 (at 11 weeks, weighs 4.5 lbs)
Pedigree (3 generations back):

Sire THE PINES Coal-N-Ice Birthdate: JUL-19-2005 wt. 6.5 lbs, ht. 10" White & Black	Sire CH.BITTERSUITE MARCEL MARCEAUX White & Black	Sire CH.BITTERSUITE MITE OF HIDAWAY White & Black
		Dam CH.BITTERSUITE'S WHITNEY White & Sable
	Dam MAGIE MOUNTAIN IN DA SKIES White and Black	Sire MAGIC CHRYSMAS ON DA ICE White & Sable
		Dam SIDEKICKS MAGIC MOTION White & Black
Dam THE PINES RAINBOW'S END Birthdate: April 22, 2010 wt. 6.5 lbs., ht. 10.5" White, Black & Red	Sire THE PINES ORION White Black & Tan	Sire NIGHTFIRE'S ESSENCE TO WIN White Black & Tan
		Dam CHER'S FAN DANCER White Black & Tan
	Dam THE PINES SECONDHAND ROSE White & Sable	Sire NIGHTFIRE'S ESSENCE TO WIN White Black & Tan
		Dam THE PINES RITA ROSE White & Red

NOTE: The only full body photo I have of Rain (dam, above) is 6 weeks after she weened her puppies. Thus, her hair has molted and is shorter than usual. She normally has a long beautiful coat. You can see she has good structure, with champions in her bloodline (1 generation further back than I can show here). The sire's bloodline has 13 champions, going back 5 generations. I only have room to show 3 generations in my chart. Thus, this puppy has a solid pedigree and potential as a show dog/breeder.

New Papillon Puppy, "Winnie Pooch"

Winnie Pooch, on Lois's coffee table posing with Papillon Santa!

Before we left my cousin's house today, she and I washed and took photos of several of her Papillons, including the puppy she gave me, and his parents. We dressed a few puppies up in Christmas garb and had some fun posing them. 

Landing in Tallahassee for the night, John and I settled in at LaQuinta with nothing much to do but relax and get acquainted with our new puppy, take more pictures, and come up with a working name for him that matches his personality --  until he finds a forever home and a forever name.

At only 11 weeks, already a natural poser!

I thought of Fuzzball at first because he's so soft, cute, fat and fuzzy, but that wasn't dignified enough for this 11 week old poser.  After hanging with him all evening he reminded us so much of Winnie The Pooh (gentle, malliable, trusting), we shortly began calling him "Winnie Pooch".  He presents little resistance to anything.  Crated for the 6.5 hour drive, he didn't whine.  I put a slip lead on him for the first time at our first Burger King stop, and within a few minutes he caught on and just followed along, and he did his business outside like the other dogs.

When I laid him on his back at the hotel, he just laid there, looking at me with complete trust, giving me time to grab my camera.  Not many Papillon puppies will do that without some coaxing.  At the same time, he is spunky, alert, and catches on quickly, so should be easy to train.

Max and Willow are not the least jealous of him, unlike the previous puppies I brought home.  Apparently they don't perceive him as any sort of threat.  Why is that?  It seems he has a calming influence on all of us, thus the nickname -- Winnie Pooch.
 
The only thing he distinctly doesn't like is being isolated.  We tried confining him to the bathroom tile floor in our hotel room until we were sure he had peed, and he cried without cease until I let him in with us.  He didn't pee, though, until we went outside!

I'm looking forward to getting home and finding this adorable creature the perfect forever home -- before I get too attached.  See more writeup and video on this puppy on my next blog post.

Upwards and onward!

New Years Day and Resolutions 2012

L to R.  Lois, John, Larry, Michele on the alter, clapping and singing.

I believe supernatural things get set in motion based on what we think, what we believe, what we want and ask for -- and where and when. Very powerful stuff!  So for many years I have chosen to be HOME at the stroke of midnight New Years Eve, in the bossom of my family, friends, and pets -- feasting, clapping, singing, ringing in the new year by walking our labyrinth together (dogs included).  In the craddle, so to speak, where my support comes from.

Thus, I was trepadatious being in Florida this holiday, missing my home, closest friends, family, and rituals.  After lunch with my parents at the rehab in
Ft. Myers, FL on New Year's Eve, we headed for my cousin Lois's house in Myakka City, FL., a few hours closer to home at least.  Symbolically, I was heading in the right direction.  John and I had no idea how we would spend the evening -- we felt tired, disconnected, out of sorts. We agreed to stay open to possibilities, however, and ended up attending a bonfire/fireworks/pot luck dinner at the Sandy Baptist Church which Lois's husband pastors, and though we're not church goers, we went back to attend Larry's church service on New Years Day.

Larry describes his preaching as Pentecostal. He believes every word in the Bible as written, preaches from the heart (no script), people in attendance sometimes speak in tongues, and there is hands on healing.  There are only about 20 members, all country folks, and most of them are related (from grandparents to grandchildren) -- all of them jovial and welcoming to us outsiders. Throughout his talk, the 30 or so people in the pews raised their voices to embellish Larry's points or stories, many offering Amens, Praise Jesus, and That's Right.  It was a conversation more than a sermon.  Anyone could join in.  I'd never seen anything like that in church, so it turned out to be an interesting adventure.  And I was getting to know my family!
The wee tiny Sandy Baptist Church, circa 1904, located in Sandy, is the only building still standing from that ghost town, hidden deep in the heart of Florida's cattle country, down a long winding country road amidst huge expanses of cattle ranches and scrub trees on sandy soil.

Larry invited me to take all the photos and videos I desired, so I did what I could to capture the essence of the place. The hand-painted sign attached to a cow fence on the turnoff to the church is quaint and telling. Cousin Lois painted it herself! 

I was allowed to run my camera during the service, too, but that felt so odd and my camera makes such a tinkling noise when I start it, that I mostly chickened out.  I'm kicking myself for that now, but when I get home I'll do my best to put together a composite of what little I got.

I asked Lois if the church had a website . . . . . and she invited me to build them one!  The Lord provides! We spent New Years evening searching the web for any history of the town or the church -- and found nothing except a photo of the old outhouse, since removed.  We also discussed how to get the church recognized by the Manatee County Historical Society, have it declared an historical site, and apply for grant money to repair and refurbish it.   The structure is sagging and needs paint, pew cushions are threadbare, and they barely take in enough offerings on their own to pay the electric bill.  It should be on a list of old historical churches, open for tourists to attend a genuine "old time religious" service and the folksy, friendly, chatty down-home cookin' afterwards.  It's a totally authentic one-of-a-kind rural American experience! Lois wants me to write the grant!

Today, Dec 2, Lois, John and I went looking at Motor Homes.  I found my perfect floor plan for my taste, a 31' Jayco Granite, 2003, in very good condition, with only 16,000 miles on it, for only $39,900, recently reduced to $29,900.  It has been on the lot 6 months, so I made an offer of $23,000 with the requirement they would have to repair some things so I could leave with it by tomorrow.  I was pretty sure they'd turn it down, and mighty relieved when they did, but if they had accepted it would have been a steal of a deal.  Knowing that what I want is out there puts me one step closer to getting one.

Departing tomorrow, I'm also coming home with a Papillon puppy to sell, compliments of Cousin Lois and Merry Christmas. More on that later.

Considering some of my New Year's Resolutions, I think I kicked some of them off to a good start:

• to steel my nerves to travelling farther from home (I'm such a hermit) so I can take Maxie to more trials and attain our MACH in 18 months or less  (can't do that attending only local trials). 
• to strengthen family bonds.
• to identify and acquire the perfect motor home for me
• to raise money to pay for my agility trials this year

Upwards and onward!

Playing with Photoshop Filters on Labor Day

I spent my Labor Day watching gusts of wind whipping the treetops and raindrops around, the dark dank sky eerily reminiscent of Hurricanes Katrina and Gustov, which made me feel jittery all day.  I had to coax the dogs outside to pee.  To take my mind off, I played with Photoshop, trying my hand using the "watercolor filter" on a photo of Mikki (recently taken, last post) that I think captures the "essense of Papillon" - alert, petite, cute, dainty, feisty, loyal, big ears, long tongue, eager to participate in "whatever" at all times.  All in all, I'm very satisfied with the results.  From the original photo on the right, I futzed around and got the simulated watercolor effect on the left.  I had to black out a bit of shirt bling, a bit of neck and a bit of fence, and smudge a few places for the 5" x 5" closeup on black background, which gives it that 3D effect.  It came out so good I plan to frame it and give to Madalyn for Mikki's 1st birthday, coming up in November.  It printed out beautifully on my HP DeskJet1220 printer.

Don't know why, sometimes a painting can convey more "essence" than a photo.  This one certainly does. Is there any doubt why we call these dogs "butterflies"?

Good lord, sitting around these past few weeks due to all this rain, smog, etc., I've put on 7 lbs!  My dogs have gained weight, too. We've got to get back to practicing.  Rain, rain go away.

Upwards and onward!

P.S.  Next day, I tried my hand watercolor filtering a photo of my friend Mike's dog, and sure enough, even without the black background, the 3D effect can be clearly seen.  Original is on the right, "watercolored" on the left, where it looks like Teds could walk out of the photo at any moment! Neat!  Sometimes a painted image has far more "presence" than a realistic photo!

Surprise Visit From Monique!

Madalyn and Monique

Today I got a surprise visit from Madalyn M. and Monique, aka Mikki, formerly Jitsu, the female Papillon puppy I sold back in March. I had urged Madalyn to take lots of puppy pictures (they're only puppies for a short while) so she bought a disposable camera, and brought me the disk of pictures today, 6 months later! She doesn't even have a computer! John had just gotten home from work, around 4:30 and we all visited 'til around 8. A nice long visit. Snapped lots of pictures.

L to R Willow, Maxie, Mikki

Mikki's coat is filling out nicely, soft straight snow white hair, culottes and tail feathers coming in, lively eyes, bouncy and friendly, fearless, curious, and definitely agile.  Not very obedient, though!  She rip snorted all over the place, but did fair recalls when she figured out my pocket was full of treats.  I can't actually remember if Maxie was obedient at 9 months of age. I wasn't keeping a blog or a journal back then.

I was outside working on the new LCCOC Publicity Booth I'm putting together for my dog club, so we hung out in the back yard mostly. We had some fun posing them for pictures.  Maxie and Willow seemed to remember Monique, they just fell in and played together the whole time.  I put Maxie thru the weaves and over a few jumps at one point, and Mikki made a few attempts too. I know she'd get the hang of it quickly with just a bit of training.



L to R Madalyn, Mikki, Willow, Michele, Maxie


All 3 dogs are so alike in color, build and markings one would swear they are related, but they aren't. I also brought her in to see the videos I took of her and her other papillon, Merlin, at the Obedience Match last year.  Despite all the obedience trials she goes to, she had never seen a video of her dog performing! She was amazed.

I weighed Mikki, who at 9.5 months is 5.5 lbs, a little smaller than Maxie at 7 lbs.  We both wonder if she'll grow much more, maybe a little bit.  Madalyn does conformation and obedience, not agility, and is adding something called Super Fuel  to Mikki's diet. I'll have to check that out as it is supposed to increase the dog's stamina, focus, etc.  Something for Lucky's speed, maybe?

Of all the photos she took with her disposable camera, she liked this one the best because it shows Mikki's "stack". I wonder if she is thinking of doing conformation with this dog?

Mikki, at about 5 months. She has a lot more hair now.

Monique (Mikki) apparently loves to tear up the camellias on Madalyn's bushes, hence the flower petals at her feet.  I can attest she also loves tearing up little branches with leaves on them, and digging up acorns in my yard.  I'm thinking I know now how a breeder feels when one of their pups comes back for a visit!  It is very satisfying, like when your nieces or nephews come to see you, hug your neck, catch you up on their news!  I feel like a proud auntie and thrilled that Madalyn is including me in Mikki's life.  I'd take her back in a heartbeat!

Upwards and onward!

Empty Nest - Puppies Sold!



Roku (left) and Jitsu (right),
at 12 weeks.

Roku and Jitsu have both been sold as of Friday night, and I embarassed myself by bursting into tears as the last pup was going out the door.  I could not understand my reaction.  It came as a complete surprise.  I am still processing this "empty nest" feeling I have, kinda like sadness, grief, loneliness -- but I'm neither sad nor grieving nor lonely.  In truth, I'm overjoyed and relieved!

Roku's Mom, Kathy, wants to begin agility training and Mike, her husband, belongs to a dog club and already competes with his big dogs in agility, so that's a good start. She saw Roku (now named Winston) last weekend at the USDAA trial and was instantly smitten with his adorableness, quickness of mind, and beautiful markings.  She came and got him on Tuesday, and sends me news of his progress and photos every few days.

Madalyn and Jitsu saying goodbye
at my door. Turra in background.

Jitsu's new mom, Madalyn, already trains vigorously in Obedience and travels all over the country competing with her Papillon, Merlin.  She came wearing a beautiful gold OTCH pendant around her neck earned with her Yorkie, now retired. Madalyn was impressed with Jitsu's bone structure, symmetrical markings, coat, sure-footedness, and speed, plus her enthusiasm, eagerness, friendliness, fearlessness, sociability, cuddliness and obvious intelligence.  I can't remember what all else she was looking for, but she found it in Jitsu.  She left after an hour's visit to "think about it", and within an hour had called and was back to fetch her dog.

Both of these owners found me thru dog channels, not by me placing an ad in the paper, which was about to be my next move.

So I cried, and the next morning almost cried again, and realized it is mostly for relief.  What a burden lifted that these puppies made it from a necessarily impersonal breeder situation to the warmth of my foster home, and are now placed in high-quality permanent homes where they will be challenged and trained by day, and scurry around the house by night, smothered in treats and kisses, and sleep cuddled up in Mommy's arms.  They both made it into "the good life"! To top that off, both dogs will remain here locally so I'll probably see them once in awhile.

I hadn't realized what a responsibility I had taken on when accepting these puppies into my care at 8 weeks of age.  Feed them, clean up after them, keep them safe, socialize them.  Time consuming, but easy enough.  Add to that, beginning to shape them for performance careers. Crate training, pottie training, car travel, tugging, reinforcement, guessing games, desensitizing them to various stimuli, developing handler focus, building trust and loyalty, teaching tricks, hand signal recognition, verbal cues. That was enormous fun for me because, as they say, "a beautiful mind is a terrible thing to waste", and they learned fast.

And now suddenly it's over. I have to adjust and let go, again. 

Winston's new carrying case.

Kathy and Madalyn both called the next day to say their pups had a pleasant first night, got clean bills of health from their vets, rode in the car without complaint, held their pottie business for outdoors, are well behaved, and seem to be adjusting fine to their new surroundings.  Kathy sent photos from her iPhone and emails regularly.   Madalyn said I could call anytime to check up on Jitsu (now Mikki), which was incredibly thoughtful. Since Madalyn doesn't have a camera or a computer, I will not be able to keep in touch in my usual way, sharing photos and anecdotes via email, so I will have to print up a portfolio of Mikki's puppy photos and get them to her.

Winston captures his Mommy's
heart with every pose.

Today (Sunday) I woke up again, not about to cry but missing Winston's kaola bear face and precious antics, and Mikki's pointy little nose burrowing through the leaf piles outside, her bullet shaped body tearing across the yard at MACH speed, her high jumping trying to get out of the X-pen to where I am. She's a natural for agility, on her last day going fearlessly over the full-height see saw in pursuit of a treat.

Did I make a mistake letting these puppies go? How can 2 lbs of fluff get so deep under your skin in 5 weeks and you not even realize it until they are gone? OMG I can't imagine if something would happen to any of my dogs. I never want to find out how deep under my skin they are!!!!!!!!!!

I hadn't realized what a responsibility breeders have in placing their litters, how they have to maintain some distance from the puppies, or cry often.  I would never make it as a breeder, much less a foster parent.  Okay, another factoid learned about myself.  But before I move on, I am taking in how much I enjoyed conducting my first "puppy finishing school".  There is not much that compares with the scampering enthusiasm, reckless abandon, and total openness of a puppy, not to mention soft fur, warm puppy breath and a tiny heart beating in your hands.  My house seems empty now, with 4 contented adult dogs lying around my feet, waiting for me to say what's next.

So now that I've got that bit blogged about, what's next is mopping and sterilizing the kitchen floor, shampooing the den carpet, picking up toys, bits of paper and a few dead lizards the puppies managed to find, fixing lawn mower and replacing an oven element, getting my room reserved for our upcoming Mobile trial, and streamlining the trial entry process.

Upwards and onward!

USDAA Trial - Lucky's First Trial

Lucky jumps 26" with room to spare.
She is a jumping maniac.

Lucky Lucy
4 runs, 3 Q's, 4 1st places
Videos posted here

Last weekend was Lucky's first ever trial, and my first entry in a USDAA trial.  I entered her as Lucky Lucy (to distinguish her from another dog named Lucky that runs in just about every trial), running twice on Saturday and twice on Sunday.  She earned one leg each in SStandard, SSnooker, and SJumpers, that's 3 Q's.  But she got 4 1st places!  I found this very confusing, even picked up a 4th Q Ribbon because I got a sticker and assumed that meant a Q, but apparently in USDAA, one can "place" and get a sticker without Qing.  One can also knock a bar, as she did in her 4th run, and still Q.  Exceed course time, though, it's an automatic NQ. So different from AKC.

Her NQ in our first run, Starters Standard, was due to being 4 seconds over SCT, but her run was clean.  By Sunday I figured out how to make her go faster by locating the straight sequences, getting further ahead and running them faster myself.  By her last run she was 8 seconds under SCT.  Also by Sunday she was more used to being in the ring, running on sand.  By reviewing the videos I can see she needs a lot more speed.  How can she run like a border collie at home, and lope along like an old nag in the ring?????????

Here are her scores:

2/26/2011
Starters Standard - 26 Inch - Judge: Jelinda Pepper
Distance: 137 yards SCT: 63.00 seconds
Score: 4.08 (NQ) Time: 67.08 seconds 1st Place

Starters Snooker - 26 Inch - Judge: Jelinda Pepper
Score: 40 (Q) Time: 37.75 seconds 1st Place

2/27/2011
Starters Jumpers - 26 Inch - Judge: Jelinda Pepper
Distance: 119 yards SCT: 33.00 seconds
Score: 0.00 (Q) Time: 31.91 seconds 1st Place

Starters Standard - 26 Inch - Judge: Jelinda Pepper
Distance: 145 yards SCT: 67.00 seconds
Score: 0.00 (Q) Time: 58.85 seconds 1st Place

It was a very laid back trial, at Parker Coliseum in Baton Rouge, with only about 50 dogs entered.  The ring stewards and staff were very attentive, helpful and supportive, which I appreciated.  Due to so many teenage volunteers, I didn't ring crew.  I got to relax between runs, go home and sleep each night, all way relaxing.  The RV spaces, though, are flat, nearby, and suitable for my pop-up camper.  No nighttime bathroom facilities though.  No showers. No freezer.

I ran into a handler with a dingo.  Third dingo I've ever seen, second one at an agility trial.  Another stab of guilt that I never did agility with FoohFooh, except at home.  He would have been so awesome in the ring!

Roku (left) and Jitsu (right), at 12 weeks old.

I brought the two Papillon puppies I have for sale, and they got a lot of attention. Teenagers and college students held them all day, both days. Both puppies seemed perfectly relaxed, no whining, barking, etc. They weren't as playful as usual, no doubt a bit of stress, but after the trial ended we closed the arena doors let them out and they tore all over the place. I was afraid for awhile we would not be able to catch them.

Roku caught the eye of a local couple who came to my house a few days later and bought him. They renamed him Winston. He is going to a wonderful home, with people who train in agility, and who live nearby so I will get to watch him grow up. All this makes me very happy.

I had time to video all the newbie dogs, including Lucky, and got inspired to put up a new web album on Red Stick's photo gallery, called Doggie Debuts.  It will feature Red Stick Agility students who are running their first trial, also seasoned trialers who are running a new dog.  This weekend, these included Alyce and Ro, Bonnie and Luna, Kay and Toozie, Michele and Lucky.  As time permits, I will go back to videos I've taken from previous trials and see if I can transfer the "first runs" of other students, too.  That should be fun and inspiring for them to watch.


Our crate space, behind the raffle table.

I crated us along the wall, in the arena fartherest from the ring, behind the raffle table.  There was very little traffic so it was less stressful on the dogs. Lucky behaved beautifully when crated -- no barking, whining, or wiggling around.  She seemed to enjoy her crate time.

My red wagon came in handy again.  I was able to pack my entire crate space, including the wire X-pen for the puppies, in one load.  Afterwards, I was able to help Meg, the trial secretary, load up all her office stuff in one load, and then Tracey's crate space in one load.  They were impressed with the wagon, too, especially since it folds up small and fits in the trunk.

I tried to encourage Tracey, Trial Chairman with the sponsoring local club, OverCome Agility, to put on a second trial in Baton Rouge each year, but she said there is too little help. They don't actually solicit members to join, but I'd agree to spiff up their website to attract more members and/or volunteers in exchange for a second local trial and free runs. It would be well worth my time and effort not to have to travel to the next nearest USDAA trials.

Lessons Learned:

• In USDAA, dogs run without their collars.  Thanks Tracey for stopping me at the start line from running our debut run with Lucky's collar still on, and keeping us from getting whistled off.
• It's less taxing to video the runs from a hand held position in the crowd, and other people are more willing to help out, but the videos are a lot more shakey.

Lucky and her first ribbons

Unfortunately, I didn't get a good picture of Lucky with her ribbons.  But here's the best I've got and it will have to do until I can stage a better one.  And I'm so darn busy these days, that may never happen.

Meanwhile, upwards and onward!

Papillon Puppies For Sale!

Roku (9 weeks old, male)

Update! 
Puppies are sold!

Roku and Jitsu - temporary names we are using to identify 2 purebred AKC Papillon puppies I have for sale, littermates from a litter of 2 with champions in their bloodlines, from The Pines Papillons, breeder Lois Horan, whose website is http://www.thepinespapillons.com/

Photos can't do justice to these scampering little personalities, but show their markings pretty well at 9 weeks old. The video below will give you a taste of their liveliness, alertness, and adorable antics.



Jitsu (9 weeks old, female)

Recently married and about to take a trip, my cousin Lois gave me these babies on 1/26/11 to either train, start my own breeding program, or sell.  Since I have no desire to breed dogs, and have 4 dogs already and 2 that I'm actively training.  I can't keep them.  So I am looking for new owners who can provide really good homes for these little jewels.

By Lois's professional assessment, at this age neither puppy shows any faults that would prevent them from conformation showing.

After a week at my house, I finally got a day warm enough to put them outdoors for more than a few minutes.  See video below:



Here are the particulars:

Birthdate: 11/25/10
Color:  Red and White (both puppies)

Pedigree (3 generations back):

Sire THE PINES GOOD TIME CHARLIE Birthdate: JUL-21-2004 wt. 6.5 lbs, Red and White Points: 1 major and 11 points toward 2nd major	Sire CH.COQUINA'N'CAPRICE U MR LUCKY (CD)	Sire CH.NILKO DU MAS DE LA REVELIER (FRANCE)
		Dam CH.HALLMARK'S SAVANNAH ROSE
	Dam THE PINES N CAPRICE FANTASIA White and Black	Sire CH.CAMELOT'S WHITE MAGIC
		Dam CH.THE PINES CAMEO ROSE
Dam GOSSAMER WING TALIA Birthdate: Mar 29, 2007 wt. 5 lbs. White Black and Tan	Sire NIGHTFIRE'S ESSENCE TO WIN (GERMANY) White Black and Tan	Sire EMERAUD VOM SCHWABENHOF (GERMANY)
		Dam LINDATORPS AHLIZA (GERMANY)
	Dam THE PINES CALAMITY JANE White and Sable	Sire CH.THE PINES PRINCE OF ARGYLL
		Dam SHELTONS ANNIE OAKLEY

As you can see, these puppies have a solid pedigree and may have potential as show dogs/breeders, thus are eligible for AKC Full Registration to the right owners. Dew claws are removed and they are up to date on all shots, with vet certification that they are in good health. All paperwork for AKC registration will be filled out at time of purchase.


Back of head markings (Jitsu on left, Roku on right)

How To Purchase:

Interested parties,
call Michele at 225-978-8688
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Will not ship.  Must pick up.

First short video I took of Roku and Jitsu at play in their Xpen, a week earlier than the video above, puppies considerably smaller:

  

A few weeks later, and I've been working with the puppies every day, and link here to another blog post, with more photos, illustrating that both these puppies are quick, smart and eager to learn.
The Guessing Game

Guessing Games/Shaping Behavior

Shaping dog behaviors is a relatively new concept for me.  I had heard of "Shaping" on the 2x2 weave pole DVD by Susan Garrett, (where you wait for a dog to offer a behavior you are looking for, without any clues, then reward it), and I know there's at least one book out called Shaping Success, again by Susan Garrett, but I had never applied Shaping to anything but weave entries until I got the Papillon puppies.  Since I'm keeping them a few more weeks (until they are 12 weeks old) before advertising them for sale, I am looking for little games to play to test their intelligence.  I want to send them off with as good a foundation as I can. We sit on the kitchen floor each night while my dinner cooks and I come up with all sorts of little tests for them.

I started out just playing tug, teaching them to COME on command, enjoy being picked up, held, kissed, handled, bathed, pee and poop outside on grass, etc.  They got all that down the first week.  Now what?

So night before last, I set out an upside down cardboard box (like 4 6 packs of soda are stacked in), and rewarded them for getting on it. Simple. Both could participate simultaneously.


Playing the Guessing Game with Roku (2 lbs) and Jitsu (2.75 lbs)
Papillon littermates at 10 weeks of age,
The task was "sit in the bowl".

 Last night I upped the stakes. I set out a pottery bowl just big enough for one at a time to fit in, and sat on the floor beside it, about a foot away, my mouth stuffed with baked chicken breast.  Then I waited.  Roku and Jitsu know I have chicken in my mouth (from the night before) and that they are about to get a treat if the do something or other.  They try crawling up my chest, licking my face, running around like maniacs, jumping on the cardboard box.  Nothing produces a treat.  Finally Jitsu hops in the bowl, I immediately mark the behavior with YES, and deliver a TREAT.  She continues sitting in the bowl.  Nothing happens.  Finally she jumps out of the bowl.  Nothing happens.  Finally she jumps back in the bowl and voila, another YES, TREAT.  Out, in, out, in.  Jitsu catches onto this within 3 tries.

All this while Roku is running around trying other stuff.  Finally one time, Jitsu hops out and runs off, Roku immediately hops in.  YES, TREAT.  They get competitive.  Jitsu, the larger puppy, pushes Roku out, sits, YES, TREAT. Hops out and hops back in again before Roku gets another chance. YES, TREAT.

I am wondering how to even out the score when Roku offers another behavior I decide to treat for.  He walks around the bowl Jitsu is occupying, hugging the outer edge.  YES, TREAT.  He does it again.  YES, TREAT.  He catches onto this right away, goes around maybe 2 dozen times. Now I am rewarding a different behavior with each puppy.  Finally one time, Jitsu hops out, Roku hops in.  YES, TREAT.  Roku hops out, Jitsu hops in, YES, TREAT.  Roku walks around the bowl.  YES, TREAT.  Jitsu hops out, hops back in . . . . . . . . . this goes on for several minutes.  They are jacked up and ready to continue, but there were so many YES, TREATS, I ran out of chicken breast.  After the game is over, I manage to stage a few still shots of them sitting in the bowl.  Too cute!

Now I put the puppies away and bring in 3 year old Maxie.  We've never done Shaping, nor played the Guessing Game until the night before with the cardboard box.  I put down a bigger bowl, with a rim that tips if he stands on the edges.  Gotta make it more difficult for my trained dog, right? I sit beside it, my mouth full of chicken gizzards. He has no idea what I am doing or how to get a treat.  What will he do? He becomes very anxious, whining, wiggling, staring into my eyes, jumping in and out of the box (last night's trick), pawing at my legs, and offering his whole list of old tricks -- go around, roll over, down, wash your face.  After awhile he notices the bowl and begins offering behaviors.  2 feet in the bowl.  YES, TREAT.  He held that pose.  Nothing happened.  He laid down across the bowl.  Nothing.  He tried tipping the bowl.  Nothing. Retreat from the bowl, whine, wiggle, paw at me.  Nothing.

After trying last night's box trick a few times
 without last night's results, Maxie finally noticed,
 then sat in the bowl.  After his jackpot of treats,
he stubbornly wouldn't get out.  It took him awhile to notice
there were no more treats until he
got out and then sat back in.

Finally he hopped in the bowl and sat.  YES, JACKPOT OF TREATS.  He freezes.  No treat.  Out, In, Sit.  YES, TREAT.  After that, he had it.  Out, In, Sit, YES TREAT, over and over, until I finally ran out of gizzards.  He did not want the game to end. He was visibly proud of himself for figuring it out.  His eyes were sparkling.

I saw newborn puppies and mature dog filled with excitement and an intense desire to offer a smorgasboard of behaviors.  I saw them watching my eyes intently, as if asking "is this right, is this right", at 100% attention.

ALASSES:
Alas, I saw 10 week old puppies figure this game out as quickly as a mature well trained dog. 
Alas, because I didn't know enough to do this with Maxie when he was a puppy, I'm right back where I started with FoohFooh, feeling I let him down. 
Alas, because whoever gets these puppies will not likely know much about training them to their full potential.  They will become bored little house pets.
Alas, because now I want to train a dog from a tiny puppy. 
Alas, because I don't want another dog.
Alas, it's time to put my big girl panties on again and deal with more guilt, which is why I reckon I am writing this article, in hopes that someone will read it and begin their puppies on Guessing Games right away.

PLAYING THE GAME:

First, I don't recommending doing this with 2 dogs at once.  My puppies weigh so little and take up so little space, it didn't matter much.  But with older, larger dogs, put the others away so you and the dog can give each other 100% attention.
.
The hardest part of this game is not giving any clues.  We are so used to leading.  To luring to teach a desired behavior.  Clicking, treating and praising to mark that lured behavior.  We are used to naming behaviors -- sit, down, stay, come, over, tunnel, etc.  We are used to signalling behaviors with our hands and bodies.  We are used to CONTROL.  We are not used to just sitting quietly and observing, waiting for the dog to offer a behavior.  It is very hard not to "help" the dog figure out what we want.  But once they understand the game, which might take a session or 2 of giving a clue or 2 (like tapping the box), or selecting a simple task at first (like D nudging your hand), guessing is exactly what stimulates and engages the dog to think.  This game is all about them GUESSING. About us WAITING.
You don't have to know the behavior you are looking for when the game begins.  You can just sit near your dog, give some signal that the game is about to begin.  You could say, "Hey, Maxie, want to play the Guessing Game?", and when they do something cool, YES TREAT, then stick to treating only that one behavior. Start with simple things, such as lying on a pillow, jumping into a box, touching a plate, etc., and increase complexity over the dog's life to discrimination skills such as touch the yellow pillow instead of the red or green pillow.  Touch something with your left paw only.  Go clockwise around the chair.  Fetch one particular toy out of a choice of 3. Stare at the ceiling.  Anything they might naturally offer on their own is good.  (I would not wait for a dog to bark who doesn't bark, or to fetch who doesn't fetch, for example.)

Clicker Training:
If you use a clicker to mark the behavior along with your YES, TREAT, you are doing Clicker Training at the same time, and can eventually fade out the YES.

I hadn't realized that my dog training had become a tad "stale", both for myself and my dogs until I experienced the HIGH of this game last night.  I am overwhelmed with these wee tiny babies' intelligence, enthusiasm, and willingness to work for treats. 

Perhaps we humans could play the "Guessing Game" with each other at parties to release some of our inhibitions.  Dog trainers should do this to each other to see the game from the dog's point of view.  Mothers should definitely play this with their babies, using praise and claps for treats.  Oh, I feel more guilt coming on.  Sorry, son.

Shaping Behavior:
After treating a behavior over and over, you can shape the behavior by adding a name to it, such that when you say "yellow pillow", the dog goes and gets on the yellow pillow, without a reward.  Weave, and they weave.  Crate up, and they crate up.  Bow, they bow.  Get in your bed, they do so. You can add hand signals. These have enormous value, of course, in dog training and control.

But that is NOT primarily what the Guessing Game is valuable for.  The Guessing Game is mostly about keeping the romance alive between dog and handler.  Long after your dog is perfectly shaped and trained to your liking, you can still have them play at offering new behaviors (ones that aren't particularly practical, are not part of daily life, will never earn them ribbons or titles).  You do it just because it's loads and loads of fun. And, you can do it indoors, on rainy days, from your TV chair.

Upwards and onward, keeping the romance in our canine relationships! 

A mesmerizing thought!  Is that the secret to being charasmatic? Keeping them guessing, being mysterious, not telling all, making it so people have to figure you out?  It's what they always do in the movies, crossed messages, not revealing all, to keep the plot convoluted and the viewer intrigued.

Cape Coral Trip

T to B: Mom, Dad, Maxie, Willow

John and I just returned from an 8 day, 1800 mile road trip to Cape Coral, FL to help celebrate my dad's 95th, and my mom's 90th birthdays.  4 days on the road (2 there, 2 back), with 2 dogs, covering about 450 miles a day, stopping every few hours at McDonalds or a gas station for coffee and to stretch, pottie ourselves and dogs.  At each stop, I kept with my commitment to sprint 100 yards. 

We found a great halfway point between Baton Rouge and Cape Coral in Tallahassee, where we stayed at a really nice LaQuinta Inn, exit 199, right off of I-10, which included roomy rooms, continental breakfast, WiFi, NOON checkout, and NO PET FEE for only $58.50/night, including tax. There was no microwave or fridge in the room, though.  $4 extra for that.  Rooms 161-167 (odd numbers only) faced on a charming wooded slope the dogs could run in, and there was a designated grassy pet area further down.

5 hours to Houston had been Maxie's longest road trip up til now, and both he and Willow travelled like champions. At the birthday party Maxie did all his parlor tricks, and Dad got the biggest kick out of his "I'm depressed" trick (where I say "When you knock a bar, are you depressed?", and he slumps over and hangs his head and won't straighten up until I say "That's OK". Nobody understood how I use food to train various behaviors, so I got to demo that as well.

Maxie got ill for a few days, throwing up and diahrreah, wouldn't eat.  First time ever for being sick, scared me. We think maybe he ate a berry off the ground around one of the many palm trees in the area.  That's what it looked like came out of him, anyway, or maybe he licked harsh chemicals off the tiles of the Paradise Cove hotel room.  So on the trip I blogged about putting together a Doggie First Aid Kit.  He recovered, but I should have been better prepared.

Willow and Maxie are none too happy about
potential rivals to their thrones (puppies in crate).
Maxie is positioned between me
and the pups, keeping up a low growl. 
Willow keeps licking an empty bowl.

On the way home we stopped in Myakka City, FL where my cousin, Lois, a Papillon breeder, surprised the heck out of us with 2 9 week old AKC Papillon puppies -- to keep, or to sell!  She doesn't have time to fool with this litter, she said.  Since I acquired Maxie when he was 6 months old, and Willow at age 6, I've never been around Papillon puppies.  Oh my, are they ever cute!!!!!  I will keep them another few weeks or so to socialize them before hopefully sending them off to a good home.  Please, God, don't let me get too attached.

Already I can see differences.  The female is slightly more dominant than the male, quicker to figure things out, faster, stronger, and has a more dense body.  When I got home I weighed her on my kitchen scale at 2.5 lbs.  Though they appear the same size, the male only weighs 1.75 lbs. 

Jitsu (sitting) and Roku (lying down).
Roku looks bigger because of his fluffier hair.

We temporarily named him "Racoo" because his face looks like a raccoon's, then we nicknamed her "Jitsu" after a sign we saw posted on a telephone pole for Ju Jitsu lessons.  Then Racoo devolved to Roku for some reason.  So it's Roku and Jitsu.  They eat every few hours, and pee and poo all over the place and often, and they and their shredded paper stunk by the time we got home.  I gave them a bath, blow dry and nail clip, and now they smell sweet and are little soft white fluff balls.  Jitsu loves water. 

We set them up in Lucky's big crate, lined thick with newspaper so I can remove the top layer a few times a day, a tub of kitty litter on one side (which they love to dig in, so that didn't work), a towel to snuggle on, some little tug toys, and a heavy bowl for water (which they scamper through).  Outside, I set up the x-pen in the grass and they tumble around in there several times a day.  They seemed to suffer no ill effects from the long trip home. 

I've got my work cut out for me for the next little while.  Yet another learning curve - crap!  Will I ever know everything about anything?  I'll take some pictures and videos over the next few days to try and capture their markings, expressions, and antics, which will help in advertising them for sale.  They are hearty little things, mighty cute, and such a blast they make John laugh great big belly laughs, which I've never actually heard coming out of my husband before.

Upwards and onward,