Running the kennel for the past five years has been a series of surprises. I thought, wrongly, that I couldn't be surprised anymore - than I had seen it all, and over come it all. Let's review some of my earlier shocks.
Ability to Destroy Chain Link Fencing
I was definitely surprised when a dog peeled up the chain link and decided to sleep on my shelving instead of in his kennel. I was really surprised when a huge dog pulled up and pushed herself through 5, count them, 5, kennel panels to get to the only other dog in the kennel. She didn't break into his run, she stopped in the kennel next door and took a nap.
Sometime after the run panels started to look like I crocheted them back together we replaced the light weight chain link with the 'keep the teenagers away from the power lines' gage.
Ability to Climb Chain Link Fencing
I just had no idea that dogs could climb when Maggie first scaled the corner of the play yard, ran home and sat on her back porch to be let in. (Lucky for me, they just live down the alley from me.) It is because of her that the corner of the play yard and all the runs now have welded wire panels on top.
I thought I had the climbers beat until I kept finding Chaser on my front porch. I couldn't figure out how he was getting out. His gate wasn't open. I hadn't left him out. There was no sign of having dug under the fence. After the third round of putting him back, I decided I'd better hide and watch this furry Houdini. Not only could Chaser climb the corner of his run, he could fit through the wire fencing at the top and then walk the top rail to the edge, jump down and head directly to my front door. A second layer of fencing a chunk of old rug finally contained him.
Inability to be Contained
This would be Cotton, a very large and very white Labrador. He ate a dog door. First, he pulled the frame off the wall and then he ate parts of the fiber board door. Cotton doesn't do well with containment. For all of Cotton's stays, we leave he run door open all night. Thanks to the CEU Welding Department, I now have nice metal doors for all my dog runs. I forgot about leaving Cotton's door open one night and found that Cotton managed to yank out of it frame but not to eat it.
Until now, Cotton had been my only escapee from a closed up at night kennel. Last weekend, I went down first thing in the morning only to find Boozer, the beagle, sitting in his outside run. He didn't seemed bothered by being locked out and I was planning giving my husband a very hard time about missing a dog when he did bedtime duty the night before. Only, he didn't leave Boozer out, Boozer GOT out. We don't know how he lifted the door and got under without it guillotining off a chunk of his tail. I am going to make sure he gets one of the kennel door that wasn't cut quite straight. I can barely pull those out. It is moments like this when I really want a 'kennel cam' - I still can't believe that cute little puppy is an escape artist.
Showing posts with label Chaser. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chaser. Show all posts
Monday, March 24, 2008
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Friday, November 30, 2007
The Magic of Snow!
I really wish I had my camera with me today. The five dogs that I have had all week have just not been getting it together. They chase each other for the first few seconds, but after that they just wander around not playing much.
Not today, the snow was falling and it turned them all back into puppies. That was a very fun play time.
Not today, the snow was falling and it turned them all back into puppies. That was a very fun play time.
Monday, November 26, 2007
I can laugh , now, they have all gone home.
Really, if I wanted that much grief for Thanksgiving, I could have invited a bunch of relatives.
The kennel is deliciously empty and quiet for a couple of days. I just have Chaser and Bella, Chance and Scruffy and Kaizon. Chaser and Bella are a bit much for Scruffy and Kaizon, but I have still not convinced Kaizon that she is actually a dog and that she should like being with other dogs.
The kennel is deliciously empty and quiet for a couple of days. I just have Chaser and Bella, Chance and Scruffy and Kaizon. Chaser and Bella are a bit much for Scruffy and Kaizon, but I have still not convinced Kaizon that she is actually a dog and that she should like being with other dogs.
Friday, November 23, 2007
I thought last weekend was bad...
but this Thanksgiving has been the worse.
Last weekend that dogs just never jelled. They never seemed to get it together and really has some fun. I kept thinking that the right dog would pull the group together. Sophie showed up and my hopes were all riding on her. No luck, they mostly just wandered around and ignored each other. I am getting a crash course in the psychology of group dynamics. The right dog can make a playtime, removing a dog can improve play time, but sometimes you just can't get them to play at all.
This weekend is is less worrying about them not having fun and more of keeping them from killing each other. Every single dog I have this LONG weekend is a regular. Every single one of them has lost their minds.
I have Tessie and with Tessie you never get a quiet weekend. She is quite the barker, in the kennel she is bad, but out to play she is worse. She barks non stop at all the dogs to get them to play with her. I keep trying to point out that this is not working for her, but she hasn't changed her approach.
I have Sunny, a collie, who is herding all the dogs. Sunny also barks in the kennel and even more when out to play. Sunny needs an authority figure. I work on him every time he comes. I pull out everything I have learned from the Dog Whisperer's show and his books. I can usually get Sunny to tone it down but this time he is just not stopping at the nipping at other dogs. He has actually managed to piss BB off so bad that she has snapped at him more than once. He has not gotten the message.
I will try again to talk to his Dad about how he walks his dog and how the humans need to be the pack leader and not Sunny. Sunny is a severe dog bite waiting to happen. He is going to happily chomp on the wrong tail or flank and he is going to catch hell for it.
As for the rest of them, they all left their manners at home. Chaser and Bella were teasing Jake far too much last weekend and now they are doing it to Smokey Bill. Patches likes to play with everyone, but as soon as it gets to rough on her, her teeth come out and the growling starts. I just never let her play with anyone for too long. Sweetie is just a nervous wreck and she is fully capable of avoiding all the other dogs, normally. This group just can't leave her alone.
Which brings me to Kodi and Bella, two of the biggest dogs and yet the frightenest. These guys bark a big fight inside their run, but then just spend playtime avoiding all the other dogs. They have been coming for years, this is their routine. Bark like killers until let out and then tuck tail and go hang out by the rose bush.
Not this weekend, I don't know what changed but it changed for the worse. They still bark like killers in their run, but now when I let them out Kodi growls at whatever dog he comes to first and Bella puts her whole mouth on the neck of whatever dog she comes to first. As you might guess, Kodi and Bella now have one side of the play yard all to themselves.
One more weekend like this and I quit!
Last weekend that dogs just never jelled. They never seemed to get it together and really has some fun. I kept thinking that the right dog would pull the group together. Sophie showed up and my hopes were all riding on her. No luck, they mostly just wandered around and ignored each other. I am getting a crash course in the psychology of group dynamics. The right dog can make a playtime, removing a dog can improve play time, but sometimes you just can't get them to play at all.
This weekend is is less worrying about them not having fun and more of keeping them from killing each other. Every single dog I have this LONG weekend is a regular. Every single one of them has lost their minds.
I have Tessie and with Tessie you never get a quiet weekend. She is quite the barker, in the kennel she is bad, but out to play she is worse. She barks non stop at all the dogs to get them to play with her. I keep trying to point out that this is not working for her, but she hasn't changed her approach.
I have Sunny, a collie, who is herding all the dogs. Sunny also barks in the kennel and even more when out to play. Sunny needs an authority figure. I work on him every time he comes. I pull out everything I have learned from the Dog Whisperer's show and his books. I can usually get Sunny to tone it down but this time he is just not stopping at the nipping at other dogs. He has actually managed to piss BB off so bad that she has snapped at him more than once. He has not gotten the message.
I will try again to talk to his Dad about how he walks his dog and how the humans need to be the pack leader and not Sunny. Sunny is a severe dog bite waiting to happen. He is going to happily chomp on the wrong tail or flank and he is going to catch hell for it.
As for the rest of them, they all left their manners at home. Chaser and Bella were teasing Jake far too much last weekend and now they are doing it to Smokey Bill. Patches likes to play with everyone, but as soon as it gets to rough on her, her teeth come out and the growling starts. I just never let her play with anyone for too long. Sweetie is just a nervous wreck and she is fully capable of avoiding all the other dogs, normally. This group just can't leave her alone.
Which brings me to Kodi and Bella, two of the biggest dogs and yet the frightenest. These guys bark a big fight inside their run, but then just spend playtime avoiding all the other dogs. They have been coming for years, this is their routine. Bark like killers until let out and then tuck tail and go hang out by the rose bush.
Not this weekend, I don't know what changed but it changed for the worse. They still bark like killers in their run, but now when I let them out Kodi growls at whatever dog he comes to first and Bella puts her whole mouth on the neck of whatever dog she comes to first. As you might guess, Kodi and Bella now have one side of the play yard all to themselves.
One more weekend like this and I quit!
Monday, October 08, 2007
This is only a test
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I just found this post. I had a friend over who wanted to know how to get photos into her blog. I dumped these pictures from last weekend and forgot about deleting the post. The photos are pretty good so I guess I will just leave it.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
A Reversal of Roles for Shilo
Shilo is a Chaser not a Chasee, as a rule.
He is a large yellow Lab with tons of energy, power, stamina and not much on manners or steering. When he shows up he loves to chase and chase and chase another dog until I have to run interference to give the chasee a break. Sometimes he can find a match for his energy, like BB and all is good. Mostly, he just wears out and annoys a series of dogs before he gets a bit tired.
Not this weekend, the group dynamic was particularly weird and Shilo was the Chasee, big time.
It seems unusual to me to suddenly have an empty kennel during the week, but that is pretty normal for the fall. It was just such a crazy summer that is seems very suddenly empty all the time. So this week, I had only one dog for a day, and then 2 dogs for a day, and then a full kennel all at once on Friday. Friday's 11am playtime was only two dogs. Friday's 2pm playtime was 9 dogs. At lunchtime, Chaser and Bella, Daisy and Lady, Roxie, and finally Shilo arrived. This is also pretty unusual. Drop off are pretty random, dogs don't all arrive within the same hour. Usually, each playtime on a Friday will introduce a newbie into the pack, not 7 new dogs all at once. And not usually, 7 loud, bouncy, over excited new dogs at once. They were acting like maniacs in the kennel building - jumping, barking, and fence fighting between the two boxers.
I figured if this group didn't knock me down, kill me and eat me, I would live to be a little old lady dog sitter.
Turns out I had nothing to worry about, they all got along fabulously. I almost couldn't believe it.
I know that Shilo couldn't believe it. See Shilo was the last of the new dogs to arrive, and though none of them had been out in the yard together, he was declared NEWEST and was the center of attention. He spent that playtime and dinner's and bedtime's playtime being chased by at least 4 dogs. I don't think he really liked it anymore than the dogs he chases around do.
I so wish I had gotten this on film. I finally remembered my camera for the 11am playtime on Saturday. Only Ellie arrived bright and early on Saturday and messed with my group. She was now the newest and Shilo was all over her. Shilo and Ellie are a good match, but not with the other four still interested in chasing Shilo. I had to give Ellie and Shilo a bit of alone time and I did get footage of that.
He is a large yellow Lab with tons of energy, power, stamina and not much on manners or steering. When he shows up he loves to chase and chase and chase another dog until I have to run interference to give the chasee a break. Sometimes he can find a match for his energy, like BB and all is good. Mostly, he just wears out and annoys a series of dogs before he gets a bit tired.
Not this weekend, the group dynamic was particularly weird and Shilo was the Chasee, big time.
It seems unusual to me to suddenly have an empty kennel during the week, but that is pretty normal for the fall. It was just such a crazy summer that is seems very suddenly empty all the time. So this week, I had only one dog for a day, and then 2 dogs for a day, and then a full kennel all at once on Friday. Friday's 11am playtime was only two dogs. Friday's 2pm playtime was 9 dogs. At lunchtime, Chaser and Bella, Daisy and Lady, Roxie, and finally Shilo arrived. This is also pretty unusual. Drop off are pretty random, dogs don't all arrive within the same hour. Usually, each playtime on a Friday will introduce a newbie into the pack, not 7 new dogs all at once. And not usually, 7 loud, bouncy, over excited new dogs at once. They were acting like maniacs in the kennel building - jumping, barking, and fence fighting between the two boxers.
I figured if this group didn't knock me down, kill me and eat me, I would live to be a little old lady dog sitter.
Turns out I had nothing to worry about, they all got along fabulously. I almost couldn't believe it.
I know that Shilo couldn't believe it. See Shilo was the last of the new dogs to arrive, and though none of them had been out in the yard together, he was declared NEWEST and was the center of attention. He spent that playtime and dinner's and bedtime's playtime being chased by at least 4 dogs. I don't think he really liked it anymore than the dogs he chases around do.
I so wish I had gotten this on film. I finally remembered my camera for the 11am playtime on Saturday. Only Ellie arrived bright and early on Saturday and messed with my group. She was now the newest and Shilo was all over her. Shilo and Ellie are a good match, but not with the other four still interested in chasing Shilo. I had to give Ellie and Shilo a bit of alone time and I did get footage of that.
Saturday, August 04, 2007
Chock Full of Dogs
Amica and Teenso
Bella and Kodi
Tucio and Vido
Chaser and Bella
Flash and Ritz
Flip and Yanni
and Max.
I have 6 sets of 2 dogs and only one kennel with one dog, Max. He is scheduled to go home today and be replaced with a threesome tomorrow, so on average they are a double also.
I have never had this many double dogs at once and the strain is showing. I really can't get the name combos together, correctly anymore. I just have no idea who I am trying to call, what is going to come out of my mouth and which of any dog I will get. I am also having trouble remembering which set goes in which kennel. Alway great fun in trying to get a dog to come back out of a run that he doesn't belong in.
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