Sunday, April 29, 2012

Training day.

Today, we trained. I came home from a studying-event-thing for my math final and decided that the dogs should endure the same rigors. So out came the long leads and the clicker.

Java has some anxiety about jumping into the car, for some reason. No anxiety about car rides, just the act of jumping in. I decided to take it in bits - I'll sit in the back seat with the clicker and some tasty treats, click for getting half into the seat, then click and treat for getting in when he starts to get comfortable. Put it on cue for "Get in!" Not when we're actually going somewhere, we just go out there once or twice a day and work on it, then back inside. Next step once he gets comfortable with that will be to move to standing outside the car and saying "Get in!" Click and reward. Move to having him jump into the backseat with the crate in it. Move to actually using this when we're going somewhere. So on and so forth.

For a few days, it was no dice. He'd get his front feet up on the seat, get nervous and run away with his ears back. (He was on the long lead, so no dogs were risking being run over in the making of this video.) Gradually he got more confident, more comfortable. Today, he did it like a pro for the first time. I was so proud. I was in the backseat holding the long lead, he would be sniffing around the yard, hear "Get in!" and hightail it into the car, hardly any anxiety to be seen. Seems so small, but it seemed like such a breakthrough at the time.


Violet came out and sat in the backseat with me for a while, then we went to the field to train. Java got zoomies. Pictures happened.




 






Saturday, April 21, 2012

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

17 week old Java, finals, Violet, Zaiden.

It's finals month, y'all.
That means that every hour is either sleeping, eating, in class, working on things that are due for school, studying, doing housework, cooking, taking care of the dogs, volunteering, or guiltily doing nothing because no one can go 24/7 without stopping for a breather, yet I never schedule breathers for myself. They just happen when I can't not anymore, which really makes it impossible to actually enjoy the rest or recreation. I hope to find a better way to deal with that habit of mine next semester.

Enough about that, how about some dog pictures?








And here are a few of my friend's sweet baby's photo shoot on Friday!



Thursday, April 12, 2012

Who's got big paws?

Java's got big paws. Java's got the biggest paws of them all.

Me? Yes, Java, you.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Easter Pictures

My grandmother's tulips.

My grandmother and I have an annual egg dying tradition, since before I can remember.

Gramps
 
Eric wrote on an egg and dropped it in without telling me what was on it, left the room. I got it out a few minutes later and it said:
"Fav Dates
7-3 (the day we met)
2-9 (my birthday)
11-10 (our wedding date)"
Oh, he's a keeper. ♥ 

 
Almost...31 weeks.

Granny's begging dog, Granny's slippers, my toes.

My triple-dipped egg.


Zoomy Java!


 




Saturday, April 7, 2012

Silent Saturday?

This has been an exciting month, for reasons that I cannot yet disclose. (Nope, not pregnant, Mom.) I'm sorry that I've been such a crappy blogger...you can expect a return to regular blogging when the semester ends in just a few short weeks. For today, some pictures.

Our friends' dog, Berrick.





Secret crafty projects.

New backdrop.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

100th post!

Now don't get all excited, it's just pictures. April Fool's!










  

The view from today's walk. I brought both cameras.