Boggie 3/30/11

Boggie was the best today he has been in a long time. =] We walked for half an hour around the block. Boggie passed a bunch of birds without even looking at them. We saw a Miniature Schnauzer, the dog we are considering getting this fall. We are looking for a cheap puppy Miniature Schnauzer, but we also want it to be a mix, because the Mini Schnauzer's owner told me they are prone to bladder stones and diabetes. It is good to get a mix Schnauzer if it's a pet, because it is cheaper to buy and cheaper to take care of. Diabetes are expensive. Anyways, the dog didn't like Boggie, so I told him to sit and stay while I petted the dog. Boggie was such a good boy and stayed until I came back. Good boy!

The daily ritual is this:
I walk here.
I walk up to the door.
I unlock the door.
I open the door.
I wait a few seconds outside the door.
I walk in the door.
I have not looked at him yet.
I look at him.
I wait a few seconds.
I am calm.
Then I say excitedly, "You wanna go outside?"
We run to the back door.
I open the door.
I step outside.
I wait a few seconds.
I let him outside.
I say, "Do your business."
He pees.
I say, "Let's go inside!"
We run to the door.
I open the door.
I step inside.
I wait a few seconds.
I let Boggie inside.
I close the door.
I lock the door.
I walk to the treat bowl.
I get a treat. Boggie sits.
I wait a few seconds. I tell him, "Say hi," or "Down," or something like that.
He does it.
I give him the treat.
I walk to the front door.
I pick up his collars and leash.
I call him.
He comes.
I put on the leash.
I open the door.
I step outside.
I wait a few seconds.
I let Boggie outside.
I close the door.
I lock the door.
We walk.
We come back.
I unlock the door.
I open the door.
I step inside.
I wait a few seconds.
I let Boggie inside.
I close the door.
I lock the door.
I take out a treat.
Boggie sits.
He does a trick.
I give him the treat.
We hang out.
I say, "You wanna go outside?"
I walk to the back door.
I open it.
I step outside.
I wait a few seconds.
I let Boggie outside.
I close the door.
I say, "Do your business."
He pees.
I walk to the door.
I open the door.
I step inside.
I wait a few seconds.
I let Boggie in.
I walk to the treats.
Boggie does a trick.
I give Boggie a treat.
I check off the checklist.
I get my stuff.
I walk to the front door.
I say, "Bye, Boggie!"
I step outside.
I close the door.
I lock the door.
I go home.

Boggie 3/29/11

Boggie is such a great listener! He picked up his soccer ball, but when I said "do your business" and he dropped the ball and went potty! =] Our walk was fun. We passed by a cat. Boggie wanted to chase it, but I corrected him every time he stared at it. After all, staring is rude! Haha! The walk was a vigorous one. We walked pretty fast. I was tired when we came home, and Boggie was happy. He pooped in his backyard. When I opened the door, he ran in, so I told him to go back outside, waited a little, then let him in. He will eventually get it. =] I threw a treat at him, but it fell under the couch, so I gave him another one. I said "wait" but apparently I did not say it fast enough because he ate it, so I threw another treat and told him to wait. This time he did! =] Boggie is a good boy. I am happy to walk him. I only hope someday I can get a dog of my own that is as good as him!

I forgot to talk about yesterday. We walked for an hour with neighborhood friends and their dogs. Boggie was a good boy. I did not let Susan, the malting-poo, smell Boggie because she was constantly barking and was not being very polite. They has a good time walking, though.

Boggie 3/24/11

Today Boggie played a game with me. We took a walk, which was wet and slightly cold. There were lots of birds that Boggie wanted to chase, but he didn't. Instead, he stayed with me on the leash. The game we play is called "Go Find It." I make Boggie sit and then I hide some treats around the room. Then I tell Boggie "ok" and "go find it." He runs around trying to find the treats he knows I put there. He is getting better at finding them and I hope to sharpen his smelling skills. I try to make him smell the treats before I hide them. It's kind of like working dogs that find people and stuff. He is also getting good at leaping his makeshift hurdle on command. I did a photo shoot with him because he seemed very photogenic.

Boggie 3/21/11

Today was good. We walked for an hour with neighborhood friends again. Boggie was good.

Boggie 3/22/11

Boggie looks pretty fit! Recently my sis has not been coming with me and I walk faster when I have no one to talk to, so Boggie has been getting more exercise! =] He is a very obedient boy and obeys me all of the time (well, almost all). Boggie loves his leash because it means he gets to travel with his favorite godmother and he gets to relax while I'm in control. He knows exactly what's expected of him when we walk. I am still thinking about what to name the bow trick. I might say something like let's play or I might just clap several times. What do you think? When we got home, I sat on the special chair Boggie is allowed on and he laid back with his head on my lap. He was so adorable! He also likes chasing squirrels and birds in his fortress backyard.

Boggie 3/17/11

Today was another hour-long walk because we got our friends again. They brought their dogs this time. They have a walker hound named Basil and a malti-poo named Susan. The pack leader walks in the front, so I led Boggie to the front because Susan tends to be dominant and Basil is a slow walker. Boggie did very well. He seemed to enjoy the pack walk. He is so cute when I first walk in! He stands there and waits until I say: "You wanna go outside" and then he skips and bounces over to the back door.

Boggie 3/16/12

Boggie walked for an hour today. We got our neighborhood buddies and walked around the neighborhood. I let one of our friends walk Boggie a little and he did great (both dog and friend). Boggie was very calm and a bit pulley because our friends are not the calmest of types and Boggie was a little excited.

Boggie 3/15/11

Today Boggie was a very good boy. He completely respected me and obeyed me. After he went potty I took a little bone treat and hid it from him. Those kind of treats are hard to smell, so I had to point them out for him. On the walk, when we were running down the hill, some candy and my iPod fell out of my pocket. Boggie was a good boy and did not eat them after I corrected him once, then I let him smell all over and poo in the smelly clearing while I wrote this. I picked up his poo and off we went. At home I did a little treat treasure hunt. After he found them all he kept looking, so I said all done and brought him to the back door. I made him sit and wait before I opened the door and he leaned over and drank some water while still sitting! Good boy! I opened the door and said okay so he got up and drank more water. Silly Boggie! I rolled my eyes and went outside. A few seconds later he followed me. I went back inside and did some school before I left.

Boggie and Penny 3/14/11

Today Penny came over for a play-date with Boggie. She responds much quicker than he does but is much more dominant. Boggie was hyper because of it. He was very good on our walk, as was Penny. I took off two stones from Boggie's hurdle and convinced Penny to jump over it. She understood quickly but doesn't seem like a natural jumper like Boggie is. They are bestest friends! =] They like to sit on the chair with me.

Boggie 3/10/11

Today I decided to just walk Boggie normally, without all of the "no-leash" stuff. It was sprinkling a little when I got there. The rain did not get worse than just sprinkling. Dogs are so much easier to handle when they are on a leash! A little lost squirrel ran across the road in front of us, and it only took two tiny tugs on the leash and a small noise and Boggie completely ignored it! Near the end of the walk, a little miniature pincher puppy ran over to a mailbox and peed on it. I looked around but didn't see an owner, so I crouched down and held my hand out making little calling noises. The puppy looked interested. I didn't make eye contact with the pup, and threw a little treat near me. The puppy walked forward a little, but then looked up at a house. The owner had just walked out and was talking on the phone. The puppy ran up to the owner so I stood up and let Boggie eat the treat. I haven't had much time recently, so I have not been working on the light thing. Boggie was a good boy today. He was awesome at walking!

Boggie 3/9/11

Today I tried to not put the leash on Boggie again. He was very distracted! He kept walking into the grass and walking in front of me. However, he was very good at other times! We walked right past a group of people talking and he didn't even look up. Near the end of our walk, I decided that enough was enough. It wasn't worth it to have to keep correcting Boggie; he didn't even seem to enjoy it much, so I snapped the leash on. Right away he respected me. At the end of our walk, he was happy. He played with me and got fed treats from Angel. We love Boggie.

Boggie 3/7/11

Today was a good pack leader day. I decided it was time to try to walk him without a leash. So instead of letting it drag I wrapped it around his neck. He was very good at following. One time he went ahead and so I turned around. I walked a little and looked back to see if he was following. He wasn't. He was going pee in some grass. I didn't get angry. I didn't scold him. I simply walked up to him and called him. He followed me and we started walking again. I was more careful after that. All I need to do to get him to slow down if he passes me is make a little noise like: "shhh". He responds very well. I stop the noise as soon as he heels. We had a good time. Boggie was very calm. He licked me a lot.

Boggie 3/8/11

I walked Boggie today without a leash. I didn't even clip it on! I just put it in my pocket. He was pretty good. He got distracted a couple of times. We walked past a guy looking in the trunk of his truck, and Boggie walked right up to him! Scared the heck out of him! He was very good. Nothing much else to report today. Bye, Boggie!

Boggie 3/2/11

Leah came with me today to Boggie's, which is good because she is going to walk him tomorrow. I am babysitting so I can't walk him. We decided to go to the woods. Boggie was great, but we remembered the ticks had come back and they were bad, so we walked around the neighborhood for a while. He heeled well and was happy when we came back. I told Leah to shine the flashlight on the ground and I walked Boggie past it. He was good yesterday because it wasn't moving. Today was not as good, but it was better than the first time because the walking gave him something to do. He was a little freaked out so we watched a couple episodes of the Dog Whisperer by Cesar Milan and then played with him outside a little. We noticed he was limping a little, but I think it's fine because it was not very obvious. If it was obvious then I would be concerned. I think he showed some progress in his rehabilitation today! Bye, Boggie!

Boggie 3/1/11

Boggie was wonderful today! He waits s long time until I tell him it is okay to eat his treat. We went running in the woods. I walked like I had somewhere to be so Boggie walked with me. We had fun and a great workout! He heeled perfectly and we were tired after our walk. Boggie waded in the two streams and jumped over a fallen log. When we got back I set up the flashlight so it shone in the hall without anyone to hold it. Then we walked beside it many times. When Boggie became fixated on it, I pulled up on his leash to keep him looking up. We walked around and around and around, and Boggie was improving! The only bad thing today was that after we rehabilitated, I let Boggie outside. He was still not calm and he was really excited, so he wanted to play. I tried to get him to sit down, but he ran away from me and started barking. I did NOT want him to put his bad energy into something. I called him and he did not call, so I started walking to the back porch. It was then when he was a good boy and followed me. I made him sit and stay while I read some schoolwork. When he was calm I played with him and then left him in a good mood. My camera's battery is out and I don't have a charger right now so I will take pictures later.