Puppy Trade and Fun Stuff

As you may know already Megan and I traded puppies. Here are some pictures of Paris at school.

And here she is in her kennel......

And with Rina.....
Then after Paris left and I got Meade back I took all three puppies outside to play. Here is Rina being a cute little Rat Terrier.....

This isn't a good picture but I think it is cute....

This is just a funny picture. I like how the camera focused on Meade's thigh.

And this is our new neighbour's dog! He is a huge, cute Black Lab!

Etiquette!

Ok, this is mostly for the people at my school, but I decided it wouldn't hurt anyone to put it on the blog! Lately, (more like since the beginning of the school year....) I have been having trouble with people at school about Meade. They seem to have no respect for him. Until now I have kept quiet and tried to be a people pleaser but now I see that won't work. I am now posting the following in my drama classroom, on Facebook, and here! I wan't to spread the word about this as much as I can. It is partially my fault that people have been so disrespectful (I'm not very assertive....) but now I want to resolve that and let people know the right thing! Thanks!

Hey everyone! I thought you should read this! It is a wonderful piece of information straight from Guide Dogs for the Blind’s website. Remember, this goes for puppies in training too!!!!!
Thanks,
-Mitch and Meade



Saying Hello to a Guide Dog Team!
• As tempting as it may be to pet a Guide Dog, remember that this dog is responsible for leading someone who cannot see. The dog should never be distracted from that duty. A person's safety may depend on their dog's alertness and concentration.
• It is okay to ask someone if you may pet their guide. Many people enjoy introducing their dogs when they have the time. The dog's primary responsibility is to its blind partner and it is important that the dog not become solicitous.
• A Guide Dog should never be offered food or other distracting treats. The dogs are fed on a schedule and follow a specific diet in order to keep them in optimum condition. Even slight deviations from their routine can disrupt their regular eating and relieving schedules and seriously inconvenience their handlers. Guide Dogs are trained to resist offers of food so they will be able to visit restaurants without begging. Feeding treats to a Guide Dog weakens this training.
• Although Guide Dogs cannot read traffic signals, they are responsible for helping their handlers safely cross a street. Calling out to a Guide Dog or intentionally obstructing its path can be dangerous for the team as it could break the dog's concentration on its work.
• Listening for traffic flow has become harder for Guide Dog handlers due to quieter car engines and the increasing number of cars on the road. Please don't honk your horn or call out from your car to signal when it is safe to cross. This can be distracting and confusing. Be especially careful of pedestrians in crosswalks when making right-hand turns at red lights.
• It's not all work and no play for a Guide Dog. When they are not in harness, they are treated in much the same way as pets. However, for their safety they are only allowed to play with specific toys. Please don't offer them toys without first asking their handler's permission.
• In some situations, working with a Guide Dog may not be appropriate. Instead, the handler may prefer to take your arm just above the elbow and allow their dog to heel. Others will prefer to have their dog follow you. In this case, be sure to talk to the handler and not the dog when giving directions for turns.
• A Guide Dog can make mistakes and must be corrected in order to maintain its training. This correction usually involves a verbal admonishment coupled with a leash correction, followed by praise when the dog regains focus and correctly follows a command. Guide Dog handlers have been taught the appropriate correction methods to use with their dogs.
• Access laws, including the United States' Americans with Disabilities Act and Canada's Blind Persons' Rights Act, permit people who are blind to be accompanied by their guide dogs anywhere the general public is allowed, including taxis and buses, restaurants, theaters, stores, schools, hotels, apartment and office buildings.
• Before asking a question of a person handling a dog, allow them to complete the task at hand.
• Remain calm in your approach and mannerisms.
• Never tease a dog.

Meade, the puppy I am training!

P.S. There will be an exciting post come Thursday......Friday.....Saturday-ish!

9 Week B-day!

Happy birthday Meade! (If you can call it that, I don't know though...)

Well, in this post I was going to tell you how good Meade was and how he didn't have any accidents! Then out of the corner of my eye (Meade was on tiedown next to my computer) I see a puppy squating! So his perfect record for today was ruined..... sigh.

Well, before that whole ordeal I gave him his Galileo bone to chew. He started chewing but it slid across the floor out of his reach. I gave it back to him and it slid away again. So, I made a new toy for him! I stuffed the Galileo bone into his Kong toy! Now it looks like a cool cosmic ray gun!

Oh yeah! I have a question! Do you call your pups "dude" sometimes?

Pictures!

Here are some pictures of Meade! They are in reverse order! Sorry!

Meade LOVES his goughnut! But its a bit to big..... (And, no my carpet is not pink, the camera did that!)

What a cutie!

First bath!

Coming off the puppy truck!

And guess what! He is almost completely crate trained! And he doesn't complain about being on tie down! The only problem is his accidents! He is getting better but he just doesn't tell us when he needs to go!

My day!

Well, Blogger is being a pain in the rump and won't let me upload any pictures!!!!




Ok, so we got to the puppy truck a little late, but they didn't start without us! Then I waited and waited and waited for my puppy! And then he finnally came! YAY! He is the second largest new pup in our group! Then, I took him to the grass to go potty. He didn't. He ate dandelions! So after picking a few flowers out of his mouth I picked him up again! Then we took a group picture of all the new pups in our group and I set Meade down and he pottied! Then we drove home and he was a very good boy! Then we got home and when I took him in the house he met the kitty! All he wanted to do was sniff the kitty! And the kitty let him! So then I let him explore the house and then we went outside to meet the pet doggies! All Meade wanted to do was play, but my pups wanted to sniff him! Then we came back in and I fed him (he is the messiest eater) and we let him explore some more! Then I handed him over to my mom to do this post and guess what! HE PIDDLED ON MY MOM'S WORK PAPERS!!!!! So she rushed him outside. They came back in and..... HE PIDDLED AGAIN! So I rushed him outside and he finished! Then I put him in his kennel to take a nap!


Oh, he is very playful and likes to play tug! He can go upstairs okay, but is scared to go down. and he doesn't know his name yet :(