Snow Dog

Mom n' Dad have been taking me to Pull class for the past 8 weeks and training me specifically for pulling and mushing. Mom was the main instructor and Dad helped a lot. Windy got to be the Demo Dog and she did a good job. Mostly I was there to learn, but I also got to help some of the other dogs learn to pull too. There was one sweet little cow dog that came in just shaking in his boots at the beginning, and by the end he was pulling like crazy...Windy would disagree, but some dogs just need a job to find their inner dog.


This last weekend Mom took us to Snow Basin for some snowshoeing, and the Malamute from our class, Spirit met us up there. Mom and everyone got started down the hill and at first I was having too much fun playing in the snow piles and chasing Windy to do much pulling so I hadn't noticed that Mom's clips weren't closed tight.

When mom finally got us in line and we really started pulling her, her clip popped right open...and Windy and I were FREEEEEEEE.....at first I didn't know what to do, I was running,...but I wasn't pulling...it felt wierd. But after a few seconds it clicked that I was on a trail and I was RUNNING so I just kept on running faster. Windy was right behind me cuz we had our lead on still. We followed the trail and kept right on running until we weren't on the trail anymore, but by this time there were lots of people around and all of them had skis, and we said HI! to as many as we could. One very nice man checked Windy's collar and called mom. I could hear her, but I didn't know she got lost. I wonder when that happened?  Any way the nice man said mom was coming to get us and then - he TIED US TO A FENCE! That wasn't very nice. But I figured we'd just hang out and watch the kids learn to ski, till mom gets unlost. (meanwhile mom had been tracking the dogs along the trail back to the main lodge, and thankfully still had cell coverage!)

Mom FINALLY showed up and untied us from that fence. For some reason, she seemed relieved. She must have been really scared when she was lost. But she told US that WE were the lucky ones - she told me we could have been creamed if we had gotten to the highway. That doesn't  sound so bad, I like ice cream :). Mom wasn't impressed.  

Anyway, mom took us back out on the trails and this time she used 2 clips, and a safety line in case we got loose again, I guess being lost on the trail really scared her. But I don't mind pulling her and I like having mom around so it's ok if the doesn't want to get lost again. Later, we all took a nap together.

Huge!

When Daemon came home with Brad at 43 lbs at 7 months, I was sure he was going to be HUGE...I had in my head a 75 lb Mini Mal-a-mutt! All Brawn and no Brains. Even though I know Sibes don't get over about 60-65lbs....and are always smarter than me.

D-man is no exception to the standard, Even though he is going to make a great Wheel Dog. y'see, we had D measured the other day. He's 23.5 inches tall at the shoulder, the top end of right where he should be. And he weighed 54lbs at the vet. In all he's "a good size dog" as the breeder would say, and not the huge monster dog I was afraid he'd be. Granted the AKC height and weight standard for sibes doesn't take into account that he is nearly 5 ft long from nose to tail base, and can stand up, put his paws on my shoulders and kiss my face.

New Words

I learned'd new words today...Dad's been saying it to me for a few days and I finally got my lips and tongue around it today. Why Wooovve Woooo, Why Woove Wooooo, Why Wove you, I  wove you. I love you!

How Rude!

So, Mom and Dad took us skiiing on Sunday morning and I was SO excited. We got fresh snow and clean air so it was supposed to be AWESOME. I recently had another growth spurt and so Dad has been debating on which harness to use on me and he choose the one that's a little too big for me. I don't like it...it's not padded, it smells like labrador and it's pinchy and scratchy...whenever they use this harness on me I try to run away or I get very loud about having it on. Plus it's RED!  Mom says I pout - how rude! Anyway, Mom and Dad packed us up and we rode up there. Well, once we got to Snow Basin, I could see TONS of friends to play with and run around with. But MOM had to go and get teh car stuck in a ditch so Loo and I had to wait in the car while they got towed out...How Rude! By this time I was itchin to get out of the car and get running, and when they let me out I was so excited I kept getting tied up in my pull line. Mom and Windy were ready to go (mom had both of us since dad is a beginner skier) and I was all backwards in my line. I was telling Windy Loo that she had better wait for me to get unstuck and that my harness sucked and that she was being to bossy! So what does Windy do - She GROWLED and me and took off running! I was facing mom for a couple hundred yards before I got untangled and could join in the run. She just took off running! Can you believe her! And Mom was laughing the WHOLE TIME! HOW RUDE! Anyway, once I got untagled and could run properly, I took off...and mom face planted in the snow! It was SO Funny!

Snoozin'

My cousin Stitches came to visit us all weekend. She's a tuff little pitt bull that's about 14 weeks old. but she is FEARLESS! She's a tiny little thing (compared to me) at about 20lbs, but she was ready to PLAY!!! And we played and played and played and slept and played and played and ate and played. I don't get to play much cuz Windy Loo is such a stick in the mud and just likes to sleep most of the time. I can usually get her to play hop-on-pop for about a half hour in the mornings but thats about it - but once dad gets tired of it and puts us outside she goes back to bed in her kennel. She's so LAZY, but she's old so I guess that's what happens to older dogs. Well, Stitches just wanted to keep playing and so I did. Now that she went home yesterday...I've been sleeping and sleeping and sleeping.

Bananas!!!

DUDE!!!! Mom and Dad got my FAVORITE treat the other day - and they didn't even know it! It's about the size of a bone and yellow and kinda squishy when you get it out of its shell. But Man O Man that squishy is SO yummy. I can smell them up on the counter and I KNOW when dad is trying to sneek one and not share (I can hear it being torn off the bunch you guys, I'm not deaf!) Anyway, as soon as I hear that rip, I am on point. I gotta have some, and if I dared jump up on the counter I'd steal the whole bunch. But that's not gonna happen, I get way more treats for doing my tricks and I'd not get any if I were a counter cruiser like Windy. OOOH but these treats make me bananas! I just love BANANAS!!!!

From Mom:

Ok y'all I had to break into Daemon's little blog here and tell everyone how proud I am of him! I have never had such an obedient dog, and I grew up with Retrievers!!!

 I have had enough experience with Siberian Huskies to know that Recall is a difficult thing to train. However, with LOTS of work Lakota and Windy both had/have a beautiful recall/ down stay. Lake could be trusted  to lay all day on the front lawn. Windy however is a typical husky and has an intense prey drive that I have unfortunately reinforced  for too long instead of dispelling it early. So, in training her recalls are spot on, but in the big world she is not allowed  off leash/pager. Daemon however has the most intense recall of any dog of any breed I have ever had. He will turn on a dime and come running (full board husky style), from several hundred yards. Usually, Daemon is not more then 5-10 feet away from his people , without yowling as if he were in pain, once given a release . Last week he played happily in the front yard while Dad cleared the snowy driveway nearby. Eventually we will get a solid down stay from D, but it has taken months to get to a 5 foot distance and a 30 sec stay and it will take even longer to get through his yowling seperation anxiety.

On the flipside, his concern for his people make him an amazing nurse maid. He runs to check on me whenever I cough - literally - every time. He guards the bathroom door whenever someone is ill, and he snuggles up with anyone shivering from a fever. He softly gives his charge kisses on the forehead to cool them and let them know it'll be ok. Windy is the gentle dog that snuggles quietly near anyone hurting, but Deamon, even in all his raucous teenage-boyish charm, is incredibly sensitive to anyone sick. I love my Velcro Dog, it truly is a super power.